A Time For Every Season....

Drew celebrated the last day in October by moving into his new bed! Daddy finished his bed and moved it up the stairs today - in three pieces! The bed weighs over 200 pounds, I hope it doesn't fall through the floor. Drew is in love with his Daddy's custom made bed, he can jump on it and it doesn't make a sound and he can build a fort under it for himself and Kitty. Kitty also loves it because the bed is tall enough to sleep under. Drew also dressed up like a Bee tonight and visited a few neighbors, begging for candy. He was especially fond of the orange sucker that he picked out at Mr. Roy's house. Nana also came by and took him to her neighborhood to visit some friends. What a fun day! In all the excitement Drew did succumb to sickness. He went to school this morning and at lunch told his teacher he wasn't hungry, then he proceeded to get out his nap mat and go to sleep. Poor guy! His temp has been around 99.5 all afternoon. He mentioned his ear hurt, so we shall ...

Your baby acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times. She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized! Antibodies from your blood are being tranferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breastmilk will add even more protection against disease. Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix. Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. She may scratch her face even before she is born! Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).

We had a very ordinary week just playing around the house, Drew went to school on Monday and Wednesday, and John went to therapy appointments. I had my mom2mom on Thursday and book club Thursday evening. We spent the weekend cleaning the house and playing at Nana's. We also had Bible Study on Sunday afternoon where Drew enjoyed playing with friends and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed their study on parenting. John just received the OK from his doctor to return to work full time. That's a huge relief since HD hadn't been giving John any hours as a part time employee. John also had an interview for a science teacher on Monday so we are praying diligently about him being hired. Drew has not been listening as well as he should so Mommy and Daddy are cracking back down again on the discipline - evenings seem to be when it all falls apart! Drew is talking up a storm, asking tons of questions and he always has to mention his teachers "Lilo and Nene ." Drew loves school and rea...

Hi everyone! I found little time this week to write, but did find a lot of time to read, so I thought I would share with you a piece written by Lisa Welchel that I've been meditating on all week. This past two weeks my husband and I have been praying and listening to God about some major decisions we need to make, mostly my husband finding a full time teaching job. I admit that I have been quite fearful; worrying about the upcoming baby, the delivery, working from home with two kids, and on the list goes. Then this sweet piece of mail arrived at my in-box! I encourage you to read Lisa's reflections about the role that money and fear play in our decision making. God promises us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that he "did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power love and self discipline." and I needed to be reminded of that! I loved the part she wrote about eliminating money and fear from any major decision. My husband and I did just that this week, we eliminated fear and money fr...

Fetal development in pregnancy week 33: fetus in eighth month For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor? Amniotic fluid is at its highest ...

We had a very busy week. I've posted some of the pictures = we had two Birthday's and went to the Pumpkin Patch! Drew spent the weekend with Nana and Mommy and Daddy spent their time relaxing and enjoying the opportunity for some quiet. Drew had a blast with Nana and didn't want to come home on Sunday, so Nana took him to carve his pumpkin! Then we celebrated my (mommy's) birthday that evening. John bought me a new IPOD so I've been listening to music and planting the last of my tulips in the back yard. We are still adding dirt to the flower beds - seems like a never ending process. We also watched the air show from our backyard over the weekend, so Drew is totally into jets now. He thinks that the Blue Angels is an every day occurrence since we were able to watch 2 days of practice and then 2 days of the real thing. Kitty didn't like the Blue Angels very much I think it took her back to her days in Iraq. She barked a lot and then finally calmed down. Drew is ...

We all celebrated John's 27 th Birthday on Tuesday! He requested a breaded Chicken Alfredo dinner with a strawberry rhubarb pie instead of cake. Yummy! Then I blessed him with a trip to the doctor the next day for a physical. Isn't that nice! John received clothes and also money for a lathe he has been eyeballing for months. I think he will go pick up the lathe this weekend. John was also exempt from all housework for a day and he loved that! Happy Birthday Sweetie, I love you! We are going to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow! I pray it is cold! I will post some pictures soon!

I heard this song on the radio and laughed so hard I had to post it. John heard it too and thought it was pretty awesome!

Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long. You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not! All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible! Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure. Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. Will he have dad's black hair or your red hair? Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your son is dreaming about?

Northwood Blog - for more comments and info on the Makeover I just wanted to take a few seconds to brag on my wonderful husband! I have never been so proud as I was on Friday and Saturday watching him serve people. John spent Wednesday through Saturday building and prepping for the Makeover that was sponsored by our church and implemented by the congregation. Everyone involved was a hero! The body of Christ, came together with a vision to change the community in Haltom City. This week was the culmination of all that prep work! Read the previous post in the Star Telegram for the summary of what went on. I have heard that over 120,000 was spent to remodel 4 homes and that over 30% of our congregation participated. That is huge! All the families loved their new homes and this project has opened many doors for talking about the love of Christ and being the hands and feet of Jesus. Since I am too pregnant to help remodel a house, I brought over sugar to the 100 person crew on Friday night...

Four Haltom City families getting home makeovers from church By TERRY WEBSTER Star-Telegram staff writer Related Content Four Haltom City families getting home makeovers from church HALTOM CITY -- Four families are just a few hours away from living in their dream homes. They were whisked away Friday afternoon to a hotel in Grapevine, where they will stay overnight while hundreds of volunteers from NorthWood Church in Keller renovate their homes. All the families have children attending the Academy at West Birdville elementary school in the Birdville school district. For three years, NorthWood has teamed with the school, where about 90 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged. The four families spent some time swimming and shopping Friday evening, and today they're headed to Six Flags Over Texas. This evening, they will return to homes that have been newly repainted, carpeted and decked out with new appliances and furniture -- and maybe even plasma TVs. Children's ...

This week has been all about the Home Makover Project! John has been working all week in the garage and at the house in order to get a jump start on all the work that needs to be done. Drew and I baked fall cookies to take over to the workers and little Gabe has been rolling around all week in my tummy. I don't know what has gotten into him, but he has discovered how to roll. My stomach lumps are always changing shape. Drew was a very quiet non mover, so this is a huge change. I have been busy with a mom2mom group, Northwood's mentoring program, and a mom's book club! We also went out to eat with our friends the Tyson's for Zac's birthday. On Friday afternoon Drew and I get to watch little Ethan while Zac helps John on the makeover project. How fun! I've also been busy closing the books at work and cleaning up the never ending mess at home. Drew spent Monday with Nana since it was Columbus Day - they ran errands and then went to get Drew's haircut. On...

Baby Growth The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer, she will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy . Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns her skin from red to the rosy pink she will have as a newborn. Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and his bones are growing and hardening. Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm) His brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing! She may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that she also prefers some types of music to others -- already! Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own. Doctors Appt News My doctor's appointment went very well. My Blood Pressure ...

Our family had a great week visiting with family and friends! My friend Bethany came down from Oregon for 6 days! We went on the hunt for Dinosaur fossils, ate Pennini sandwiches, chased down frogs for the garden, shopped at the Goodwill, visited the park and Starbucks, went swimming, went to my women's group, enjoyed my baby shower, played with our kids, and even managed a short trip to Hobby Lobby. We both had an exhausting but exciting time! My sister and her husband Ruben also came down for the baby shower. We enjoyed visiting and Drew loved showing them what he has been learning in school. As for Drew and school --he is in heaven! Drew loves to go to school, or "church" as he calls it. Drew loves to talk about "teacher Lilo and Nene ( Shilo & Amy). This week he learned about the letter "H" and painted hippo's and hand prints. He also enjoyed playing with orange play dough. Too fun! Drew still naps at school and has started sitting on the pot...

Press release: As part of their ongoing partnership with The Academy at West Birdville, NorthWood Church in Keller will be transforming the homes of four Haltom City families October 12 and 13. Nearly 700 members of NorthWood Church will be sprucing up the homes of four families whose children attend The Academy at West Birdville in Haltom City. According to the Texas Education Agency, ninety percent of the school’s children come from economically disadvantaged families. Last spring, children submitted essays to the school’s faculty on why their home needed a home make over. Recipient families were selected by The Academy’s faculty for next Friday and Saturday’s 24 hour make over. NorthWood members will be landscaping, painting, installing new appliances, carpet, bath fixtures, repairing roofs and providing other various minor repairs. The selected families will enjoy an evening at a local hotel and Saturday at Six Flags while NorthWood is transforming their homes. Thursday, October 11...

Baby Development Did you know your baby is nearly three pounds now? His head is getting larger to accommodate a period of rapid brain growth. Don't forget to continue to "teach" your baby in the womb by exposing to music, literature, and simply talking to him. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him. As he grows and fills your uterus, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease. Funny, you certainly won't feel any lighter! She spends more and more time practicing opening and closing eyelids. Her eyes can move from side to side, following a light source. She may even reach out to touch the light. Early lanugo is beginning to disappear that served to protect your baby's skin from the water in the womb. Your little one's own hair may begin to appear. Toenails are entering their final growth stage. Bone marrow is now in charge of red blood cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and remo...