Baby News

I had hoped to have a belly picture to post last week after my doctor appointment, but as so often occurs, life gets in the way and it didn't happen. I am on the every-two-week plan now--THE HOME STRETCH!!!--and go in again this Thursday (or today, by the time most of you read this), so I will once again attempt to post a picture at that time. My last appointment went very well, and God used it to encourage me in a rather shallow area of my life.

Before I tell you how good God was to me last week, I need to give you a tidbit of information about my pregnancies. I have been pregnant only two times in my life. Both times happened shortly after I had slimmed down somewhat. Prior to Little Bit, I had lost 15 pounds; before Tiny Bit, I had gone down two sizes. I figured God could've used better timing and let me enjoy my slightly more svelte self a while longer, but ultimately who am I to tell Him what to do? So with both pregnancies I have tried to not focus on that, but rather be grateful for the privilege of getting to be a mommy. I haven't been so good at it this time around.

Last week I had been feeling somewhat akin to the Goodyear blimp, and not the scaled-down toy version, either. I kept expecting them to call and ask me to fill in for the blimp at the next major sporting event. Every time I went into my closet I got discouraged as I looked longingly at my non-pregnant clothes, aching to be able to wear them again. Some of my most favorite warm-weather pieces were ones I really didn't get to wear much, since I bought them last fall right before I found out I was pregnant. Add a tub-full of guilt on top of that desire to not be rotund--I wasn't being grateful for this precious gift--and I felt awful. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I went through 5-1/2 years of infertility before I was blessed with Little Bit. If I was still going through that battle with infertility today and someone had said to me what I was currently thinking, that she was more worried about not getting back into her non-pregnant clothes rather than rejoicing in the fact that she was getting to be a mommy, I would have clocked her upside the head with a baseball bat for being so ungrateful. It was a no-win situation, and I was absolutely pathetic. A couple of times hormones took over and I just started bawling. Poor HOFFER didn't really know what to do, and frankly, there wasn't much to do but let me vent.

When I go see my doctor, the first thing that happens when I get called in for my appointment is the dreaded weigh-in. I mentioned to the nurse on one occasion that I didn't want to know my weight, so she told me to close my eyes. On subsequent appointments I have just stood on THE BEAST with my back to it. (HA! Tell me how much I weigh, will ya???? I'll show you!!!) Last week's appointment was no exception. I outsmarted THE BEAST yet again and stood with my back to it, ignoring its evil declaration.

While I outsmarted THE BEAST, apparently no one told Dr. P that I didn't want to know my weight. And technically, he didn't tell me how much I weigh. What he did was listen to Tiny Bit's heartbeat, measured my belly, and looked over the information on my chart. Our brief conversation went something like this:

Dr. P: "Looks like you're doing great. You measured the right size, baby's heartbeat is strong, and you've only gained 10 pounds, so you're doing great."

Me: "I'm sorry...what did you say? Did you really say 10 POUNDS?"

Dr. P: "Yes, only 10 pounds. I think we talked about..."


I stopped listening at that point, because it was really all I wanted and needed to hear. ONLY TEN POUNDS!!! Then I tuned in again as he said "You should be back to your regular size in no time."


I could hear the angelic chorus singing "Aaaahhhh!!!!"


Call me shallow, but this was SO INCREDIBLY ENCOURAGING to me!!! With Little Bit I gained about 40-50 pounds...blew right past the 200 mark. I ballooned to the size of a hot air balloon, which for someone who has been relatively petite for most of my life, is very bad! But I didn't care because I was so VERY excited just to actually be pregnant. I have been a bit more careful this time around. I eat at Sonic only 2-3 times a week instead of every day. (I wish I were joking!) I honestly believe it is the vitamins I'm taking...it's the main difference between this pregnancy and my first one (other that not having a daily dose of foot-long Coney, large tater tots and a Route 44 Coca-Cola with extra ice). The cool thing is they are not prenatal vitamins...they are the same vitamins I've been taking on a daily basis for about five years. So I continue to take these vitamins (in addition to my prenatals) and am continuing to do well. The only concern was that, in spite of taking an iron supplement every day, I was still anemic. So I have been given a stronger supplement, and that seems to be working well.

I wish I weren't so shallow. But I think I will look at it in a more positive way: I'm grateful that I have a healthier pregnancy than my first one, and that I'll be back to my old self much sooner than the first time around.

I'm Officially A Fan

I must confess that, while I haven't used AOL in years, I love AOL's main page. There's always something there that peaks my curiosity enough to check out the picture or first paragraph of an article. Sometimes it's worth looking into, sometimes not. But look what I found there today! Definitely worth checking out!!! I believe the entire article would be found at USA Today, but this I found--via AOL's main page--at http://www.oceanup.com/oceanup/2008/06/kevin-jonas-sr.html.

I am typically a big fan of Disney movies, but generally not too hip to their TV shows or Disney radio. With the radio especially, I feel like I'm being constantly yelled at. And no, it's not a pregnancy thing either. :-) Age-related...perhaps. It does sound like something my mother would say. Anyway, what little I've heard from the Jonas Brothers has been good, so I already liked them. This article just made me an official fan. It's nice to be able to tell Little Bit that the music she so wants to listen to is something I can endorse. I love that God always finds ways to put His children in places of influence in some of the most spiritually desolate places...like Hollywood! Check it out!

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June 24, 2008

Kevin Jonas Sr. "We Didn't Give The Boys Purity Rings As A Pledge Of Perfection."



















The Jonas Brothers wear purity rings as symbols of their commitment to remain virgins until marriage. Their ordained minister father, Kevin Sr., strives to make time for the family to worship and give thanks for their blessings.

He revealed to USA Today: 'The boys made a decision when they turned 12 years old to put those rings on their fingers. We didn't give them these rings as a pledge of perfection, but as a reminder of values. Our hope is that they'll always know that there's a good, right way to treat the opposite sex.'

Joe added, 'Even songs we write today, if you really listen to the lyrics, it can be about love songs, but it's also about our relationship with God. It's simple. We're Christian guys in a rock 'n' roll band.'

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ROCK ON, GUYS!!!

Of God and Field Trips

I started my birthday off very early by showering and getting ready for the 3^rd grade field trip to the Witte (pronounced “witty”) Museum in San Antonio. Most school mornings I just throw on almost anything that isn't pajamas to take my daughter to school, then come home and get ready for my day. But God had been busy and once again made sure I was available to go on this field trip, so I had to get up early and be sure I was relatively presentable so as to not scare away the rest of the civilized world. He has done this every year since she started school, and I haven’t missed a long-distance field trip with my daughter since 1^st grade. Usually I’m not even signed up to go, but inevitably someone is unable to go, and I have always been available. The first time this happened was for a trip to the San Antonio Zoo. A few days before the trip I had an overwhelming sense that my daughter was going to have some kind of crisis while on this field trip and would need me. Nothing really major, mind you, but I just knew she was going to need me there. So as I started trying to figure out a way to go on this field trip, someone emailed me saying she was unable to go and could I could fill in. Of course I jumped at the chance, and the zoo was a great trip. And yes, my daughter did encounter a minor crisis and I was able to be there for her. God sure knows what He's doing. Okay, time for a slight pause.

Let me add here, in case I’ve never mentioned it, that we live in Austin, which is about an hour or so north of San Antonio. Both cities are full of history related to the Texas battle for independence, and San Antonio is a great place for all-day-away-from-school field trips. As for Austin, it's not only the state capitol, it’s a lovely place to live and a lot of fun. When I was at my reunion and my friends asked where I was living these days, I would tell them “Austin” and the reaction was exactly the same from person to person: a wistful look, a slight sigh, followed by “Oh man, don’t you just love it there?” Suffice to say that Austin is a pretty cool place to live, even if it is a bit weird. But that’s another post. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program.

In 2^nd grade, the kids at my daughter's school study Texas history, and there were two field trips I was dying to take: the Alamo and the trip to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, which is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. When signing up for class volunteer activities, I saw that these two trips were filled up. I planned on driving my car on both trips, simply because I just wanted to go. But once again, I ended up filling in for someone who had to drop out last minute on each trip and rode on the bus with my daughter for both trips. For the trip to the Witte Museum, a classmate’s mother mentioned to me how her son seems to think I make it to every single field trip. I think I can understand why!

So the Witte Museum turned out to be a great way to spend my birthday. It’s a good mix of interesting DNT exhibits (“DNT” means “do not touch”) as well as one whole building full of hands-on stuff. The kids enjoyed the HEB Science Treehouse the most, as they had just completed a study on simple machines. There was a sky cycle that many of the kids rode—strapped in by harnesses, over a net, riding on a very heavy wire. My daughter loved playing with the pulleys. I think the biggest hit was getting to be “on TV”. There was an exhibit that showed how meteorologists report the weather on TV. The kids would stand in front of a green screen but could see themselves across the room on TV with the weather information behind them. There was also some green fabric that answered my question as to how Harry Potter’s Invisibility Cloak was filmed. We saw a dinosaur exhibit--and what kid doesn't like dinosaurs?--and a real mummy. Ancient cultures are the history topics for 3rd grade, and I thought it neat when the classes mummified a chicken. The boys thought it was cool; the girls were grossed out. At any rate, this field trip was very applicable for the kids and covered things they had just studied so that these things became very real to them. It was really cool. One added bonus for me: I got to chat with one of the other parents during the trip and found out we grew up right across town from each other, even graduated the same year! We had much to talk about, and it was great fun.

Right before we left, my daughter wanted to get something from the museum gift shop. When she went after the Webkinz, I had to put my foot down. No way was she going to get yet another Webkinz at gift shop prices, even if it WAS her own money! So she bought some polished rocks, a key chain and a plastic ring. She was, for the most part, pretty happy about her purchases.

I would love to tell you more about my birthday, but this is longer than I thought it would be. So more next time on the rest of my birthday.

God's Perfect Timing

I've been a little quiet for the past few days...partly because I'm still relishing in the fact that two--COUNT 'EM, TWO!!!--of my favorite authors stopped by and commented on my blog. But I've also had a lot going on and have a lot coming up. But I have a cool story to share about how great God is and what He did this week.

I am the Queen of Good Intentions. You would not believe what a nice person I am, at least in my head. I have plans to bless others out the wazoo, but so much of it never comes to fruition. My follow-through stinks. Not only that, but I am also the Princess of Procrastinators, especially when it's something I dread doing. Recently I had promised my newish neighbor that I would bring a meal over after her daughter's eye surgery. Guess what...I FORGOT! I felt awful about it, and I knew I had to make things right. I kept putting it off, however, because I don't know my neighbor very well and wasn't sure how she would react. I finally sucked it up yesterday and MADE myself go take a casserole and some cookies over as a peace offering. I prayed and prayed that God would give me the words to say, that I hadn't done irreparable damage (I don't know what her spiritual status is), and that He would be glorified. I'm standing at her door, wanting to get this over with yet kind of hoping she won't be home. Not only was she home, she had company. It can't get any worse.

She lets me in and I start babbling my apology. She is very sweet, tells me not to worry about it, and that the baby is doing well. I show her my peace offering, and she is very excited. She says (and this is the way cool part), "Wow, I was just wondering what I was going to do for dinner. The kitchen is pretty torn up because of the work we're having done, so this is perfect." Isn't that cool? God's timing is perfect even when I procrastinate! GOD, YOU ROCK!!!

I am off till probably Sunday or Monday. I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon for Dallas for my 25-year high school reunion. I am very excited. No, really, I am! I'll tell you all about it when I get back. I might even try to post some pictures!

Have a great weekend, all!