Nothing like the hunger of later pregnancy!
I tipped the scales at 153 lbs about a week ago when I went to the OB. I told that to someone a couple of days and she looked rather horrified. I wasn't upset about that, as she is of an older generation when doctors were obsessive about expectant moms not gaining much weight during pregnancy. Now I think there is a clear understanding that while TOO much weight gain is unwise, it is detrimental for a woman to be restricted in calories to the point that she doesn't gain more than 20 lbs. To be clear, some mamas gain less than 20 lbs and are fine, but it isn't a hard and fast rule that a mama should gain less than 20 lbs. I usually gain between 30 and 35 lbs.
All of our babies have been on the small side. Our 6th child was a tiny 5 lb, 12 oz. Our 8th child and 3rd boy was our biggest at 7 lb 4 oz. I gained the most weight with that pregnancy and topped out at 173 lbs. We'll see how big Baby #9 is.
I have noticed my increase in appetite the last few weeks. Since I'm diabetic, I have to prepare and have food that I can safely eat. If I don't plan ahead and the hunger pangs hit, I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't. A few days ago, I went nuts with a dessert I had made for the children. It was made of oatmeal, chocolate chips, coconut, coconut oil and peanut butter. It tasted awesome and I waited to taste it until it was almost finished, but once I took one bite, I was a goner. I ate all the rest of it and sure enough, my blood sugar spiked. That really isn't Ok...I need to be careful for the baby's sake. It only went up to 150 after an hour but still, I don't like seeing it that high.
I'm not one of those people who can eat "one bite" of something tempting. I'm an all or nothing kind of person. If I have one bite of something delectable, I want MORE, MORE, MORE. So I avoid foods that make me want to go crazy. Doughnuts, chocolate pretzels, and other high carb foods are no-nos as I don't want the blood sugar spikes.
Now to change the subject a little...though I'm still talking about food and weight gain. I'm a fairly normal woman but I am probably rare in one way; in 44 years, I have never, ever, tried to lose weight. I'm guessing that sounds bizarre. We live in a culture that is obsessed with weight and body image and I am not sure how I missed freaking out about weight and weight gain. It helps that I'm naturally thin and all, but plenty of thin women still struggle with body image.
When I was a child, I lived in South America for 3 years while my parents were missionaries. I remember, even at age 10, being struck by the fact that in Bolivia (where we were), it was considered attractive for a woman to be plump. That was because in Bolivia, most people were poor to the point that getting a little heavy was difficult. Therefore, being plump meant your family was rich, and therefore it was prestigious. It may well be true that thin is in now in Bolivia, as many cultures are strongly affected by Western thought on that topic. But still, that realization that weight is partially cultural has helped me a lot.
I'm all for being a healthy weight, but our culture is truly obsessive about what constitutes being attractive. My heartfelt hope and prayer is that our children will have a wonderful body image as they grow. Some of our kids are very thin, others are just thin. They are all healthy weights. We want them to live healthy lives, to exercise sensibly, and to not use food as an escape. If we can achieve that in our culture, we'll be doing very well in the food arena.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Our Week
I decided to have a "light" week of school. The children are reading and doing experiments and putting puzzles together, and I am catching up grading and organizing. I meant to take a picture of ALL the paperwork that needed filing, but I didn't. It was just too terrifying to record for all eternity. MOST of it is put away now.
Ocean puzzle.
Miriam, with some help from her sibs, has been working through an electric circuit kit we have. The kit has numerous diagrams for making various circuits. One is a radio, one is a little fan, another just turns on a light. To my astonishment, Miriam has put these circuits together with no help from me at all. She definitely is one of our science/math kids.
This picture is notable. Not because Daniel looks so CUTE reading a book -- he is always cute. No, it is remarkable because he is SITTING STILL.
Ocean puzzle.
This picture is notable. Not because Daniel looks so CUTE reading a book -- he is always cute. No, it is remarkable because he is SITTING STILL.
This is more typical of Daniel. We have this rocking horse in our sun room, and he's figured out how to climb on and off of it himself. That's awesome. It shows how much of a climber he is, though! I don't think any of my toddlers have SO desired to scale the heights, and it makes it difficult to keep him safe. We have to keep close track of him, which isn't easy with 7 older kids racing around and leaving doors open and hauling him here and there. I pray often for his safety.
Of course, we adore him through the roof. He is a great kid, but not very...wise. Or sensible.
One charming development is that Daniel is getting super bonded to Kevin. He is very bonded to me too, but he LOVES his daddy (and his daddy's shoes!) A couple of days ago, I got him out of bed and his first words were, "See Daddy!" I love it.
Possum on the Porch
The days are getting longer, and the wildlife is coming out from hidey holes.
This possum graced us with his/her presence yesterday. We were rather startled, as it was wandering around our porch like it owned the place. Maybe THAT'S why the cat food disappears rapidly some days!
After we banged the door and yelled at it, it walked off the porch and picked its way daintily across a snow field.
It seemed huffy about getting its feet wet.
So, what is the future of this possum? If it persists in hanging around, a quick death. We don't like possums. They eat chickens and their eggs. We know from experience that predators have remarkable abilities to find ways into chicken yards and coops, and chickens are just SO dumb. This isn't a big possum and indeed some of the chickens are close to its size (with feathers) but still...it could kill chickens. No question.
So run away, possum, run away from this place!
This possum graced us with his/her presence yesterday. We were rather startled, as it was wandering around our porch like it owned the place. Maybe THAT'S why the cat food disappears rapidly some days!
After we banged the door and yelled at it, it walked off the porch and picked its way daintily across a snow field.
It seemed huffy about getting its feet wet.
So, what is the future of this possum? If it persists in hanging around, a quick death. We don't like possums. They eat chickens and their eggs. We know from experience that predators have remarkable abilities to find ways into chicken yards and coops, and chickens are just SO dumb. This isn't a big possum and indeed some of the chickens are close to its size (with feathers) but still...it could kill chickens. No question.
So run away, possum, run away from this place!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Thinking About...Esther and Joseph
From the Bible, that is...
I read parts of a book this week called "Hadassah: One Night With the King", a fictionalized novel based on the story of Esther.
I've read a few books based on Esther. The Biblical record has many of the features necessary to make a great novel -- a beautiful girl, a powerful king, an unscrupulous and vicious enemy, and dependence on God that leads to the "day being saved" for the Jewish people. It is a wonderful story, a powerful story. I LOVE the Book of Esther from the Bible.
Having said all that, I wouldn't wholeheartedly endorse the Hadassah book. The author doesn't get too graphic but it is a very adult book with plenty of themes surrounding Esther's plight...and it was a plight.
All of the novels I've read based on this story take the stance that Esther was grabbed and forced into the harem of the king, and I think that is probably accurate. This particular book delves into that whole issue quite a bit and I'll be honest, it is a stomach churning possibility.
Esther sounds like...a romantic story. A beautiful girl is plucked out of obscurity and becomes queen of an empire. Through her courage, and due to her position as queen, she saved her people from genocide. That is awesome. That is God filled.
But...let me back up a bit and talk about what happened to Esther and scores of other young women.
From Esther 3
Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
So, each woman spent a year in preparation, then went off and was forced to have sex with a pagan king who had slept with hundreds of women before her, and then (unless she was fortunate enough to really impress the king) was bundled off to the House of the Concubines for the rest of her days, without any hope of a normal married life or family.
Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.
In the Hadassah story I read, the author chose to say that Hadassah and the King genuinely fell in love. I ... think that unlikely, honestly. Obviously Esther (Hadassah) was gorgeous and for some reason the King really liked her, to the point that he made her queen. But in love? In lust, maybe. I kind of doubt that a man who could go through women like that could form a godly, close, intimate, soulmate relationship with any woman, even the woman who caught his fancy.
The king sickens me. I know that his attitude was completely normal in that day and age. He was ruler of a vast empire, and he believed that he was therefore more important than anyone else, and should have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. The women were treated quite well and I'm sure their lot was way better than some of the other women of that time. But still...to grab a woman and make her a concubine and then lock her away (even in luxury) for the rest of her days is disgusting.
So ... why did God allow it? Well, that's the big question that haunts us all sometimes, I would guess. Esther's situation was better than some. Millions of Christians (and Jews, and gypsies, and Russians, and a host of other people) have died unpleasantly in concentration camps and to jihads. So I guess from that perspective, being a concubine who became the queen sounds pretty good.
I am not God so I don't know WHY He allows what He does. I know there is evil and that God limits himself to allow human freedom. No one has ever entirely explained evil and God's allowance of it, and I won't even try.
What did happen this week was that I made a mental connection to Joseph (the Genesis Joseph) as well. His story is actually somewhat similar to Esther's! He was sold into slavery (by his brothers, no less!) He was a slave, then a prisoner, then was raised to the position of being the 2nd in command to the Pharoah of Egypt. A decade after that, he saved his family from starvation.
Again, rough life. Rough, rough, rough life. The 2nd in command part sounds cool and it was, but there was a whole lot of suffering before that. His father Jacob, who adored him, was separated from him for 20 long years and thought Joseph was dead for most of that time. Lots of suffering.
I think what I can carry away from both these stories is that 1.) God allows very hard things sometimes and 2.) God can use very hard things for the greater good. That comes right out of Romans 8:28.
I read parts of a book this week called "Hadassah: One Night With the King", a fictionalized novel based on the story of Esther.
I've read a few books based on Esther. The Biblical record has many of the features necessary to make a great novel -- a beautiful girl, a powerful king, an unscrupulous and vicious enemy, and dependence on God that leads to the "day being saved" for the Jewish people. It is a wonderful story, a powerful story. I LOVE the Book of Esther from the Bible.
Having said all that, I wouldn't wholeheartedly endorse the Hadassah book. The author doesn't get too graphic but it is a very adult book with plenty of themes surrounding Esther's plight...and it was a plight.
All of the novels I've read based on this story take the stance that Esther was grabbed and forced into the harem of the king, and I think that is probably accurate. This particular book delves into that whole issue quite a bit and I'll be honest, it is a stomach churning possibility.
Esther sounds like...a romantic story. A beautiful girl is plucked out of obscurity and becomes queen of an empire. Through her courage, and due to her position as queen, she saved her people from genocide. That is awesome. That is God filled.
But...let me back up a bit and talk about what happened to Esther and scores of other young women.
From Esther 3
Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
So, each woman spent a year in preparation, then went off and was forced to have sex with a pagan king who had slept with hundreds of women before her, and then (unless she was fortunate enough to really impress the king) was bundled off to the House of the Concubines for the rest of her days, without any hope of a normal married life or family.
Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.
In the Hadassah story I read, the author chose to say that Hadassah and the King genuinely fell in love. I ... think that unlikely, honestly. Obviously Esther (Hadassah) was gorgeous and for some reason the King really liked her, to the point that he made her queen. But in love? In lust, maybe. I kind of doubt that a man who could go through women like that could form a godly, close, intimate, soulmate relationship with any woman, even the woman who caught his fancy.
The king sickens me. I know that his attitude was completely normal in that day and age. He was ruler of a vast empire, and he believed that he was therefore more important than anyone else, and should have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. The women were treated quite well and I'm sure their lot was way better than some of the other women of that time. But still...to grab a woman and make her a concubine and then lock her away (even in luxury) for the rest of her days is disgusting.
So ... why did God allow it? Well, that's the big question that haunts us all sometimes, I would guess. Esther's situation was better than some. Millions of Christians (and Jews, and gypsies, and Russians, and a host of other people) have died unpleasantly in concentration camps and to jihads. So I guess from that perspective, being a concubine who became the queen sounds pretty good.
I am not God so I don't know WHY He allows what He does. I know there is evil and that God limits himself to allow human freedom. No one has ever entirely explained evil and God's allowance of it, and I won't even try.
What did happen this week was that I made a mental connection to Joseph (the Genesis Joseph) as well. His story is actually somewhat similar to Esther's! He was sold into slavery (by his brothers, no less!) He was a slave, then a prisoner, then was raised to the position of being the 2nd in command to the Pharoah of Egypt. A decade after that, he saved his family from starvation.
Again, rough life. Rough, rough, rough life. The 2nd in command part sounds cool and it was, but there was a whole lot of suffering before that. His father Jacob, who adored him, was separated from him for 20 long years and thought Joseph was dead for most of that time. Lots of suffering.
I think what I can carry away from both these stories is that 1.) God allows very hard things sometimes and 2.) God can use very hard things for the greater good. That comes right out of Romans 8:28.
Romans 8:28
New Living Translation (NLT)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
I would definitely argue that not all things ARE good. They are not. Some things are just downright bad and evil. But God can use ALL things for good. That is encouraging.
I would definitely argue that not all things ARE good. They are not. Some things are just downright bad and evil. But God can use ALL things for good. That is encouraging.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Limitations
I'm feeling frustrated tonight because of my physical limitations. I want to be able to help friends, to take the kids to exciting places, to have the stamina to keep up with the house and schoolwork to the level I desire.
There is a passage in the Bible, in one of the letters to the Corinthians (I think) where Paul asks God to take away a "thorn" that was plaguing him. Commentators don't know what the thorn was, but God responded with "My strength is made perfect in weakness."
It is hard for me to accept that. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if I stayed strong throughout the pregnancy? If I never had preterm contractions? If I could do the polka the day before I deliver? (Well, NO on the latter. I HATE the polka.)
But I am me...44 years old, almost 24 weeks pregnant, in good shape physically but not up for any marathons or even exhausting field trips.
I need to cling to the truth that this baby is a big part of God's "job" for me right now, and I'll need to lay aside other desires for a season. I will be more dependent on others, mostly family members. I will need to say no to some good things. That is life right now.
It is Ok.
There is a passage in the Bible, in one of the letters to the Corinthians (I think) where Paul asks God to take away a "thorn" that was plaguing him. Commentators don't know what the thorn was, but God responded with "My strength is made perfect in weakness."
It is hard for me to accept that. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if I stayed strong throughout the pregnancy? If I never had preterm contractions? If I could do the polka the day before I deliver? (Well, NO on the latter. I HATE the polka.)
But I am me...44 years old, almost 24 weeks pregnant, in good shape physically but not up for any marathons or even exhausting field trips.
I need to cling to the truth that this baby is a big part of God's "job" for me right now, and I'll need to lay aside other desires for a season. I will be more dependent on others, mostly family members. I will need to say no to some good things. That is life right now.
It is Ok.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Compartmentalizing
"Compartmentalizing" -- that's a long word. If it even IS a word :-).
But that's the word that comes to mind when I think about a key cornerstone of my cleaning/housekeeping/organizing routine.
Our house is, as I've said before, in decent shape most of the time. It isn't pristine. There are very tidy people out there, and they would be unhappy in our house. There are objects on almost all horizontal surfaces, especially surfaces high up away from the reach of small children. There is dust in corners and on objects. No, it is not pristine.
But, it is very livable. The floors are clear. The sofas and tables and chairs are clear. Our dining room table is cleared off completely several times a day. The kids do lots of work on that table, but we always put everything elsewhere (if not AWAY) before meals. Our master bedroom is (to pat myself on the back) really in VERY nice shape. I find it an oasis of calm and want it to stay that way, so both Kevin and I work to keep it in good shape.
Back to compartmentalizing...I have found that keeping all of a particular kind of mess or clutter or whatever in ONE area is key. Take the kitchen, which is often a trouble spot. We try to keep up with putting items away in the dishwasher, putting away clean dishes, etc. Truth is, the kitchen often is a mess much of the day, though. BUT. But, but, but! I work hard to compartmentalize the mess. Dirty dishes go on one counter. Clean dishes are only to the right of the sink. I constantly move "non kitchen" items off the counters when they (mysteriously) appear on the counters. Our fruit bowl stays in one area, as does our egg bucket.
It really makes a big difference to have the mess separated into component parts. I can tell one child, "Put away all the clean dishes on the counter" and the child usually can do that job. But if there are dirty and clean mixed together, the kid will have trouble. In the same way, a young child can be trained to put away dishes in the dishwasher, but struggles if there is a huge mass of different objects on the counter.
This compartmentalizing is repeated throughout the house. I have said before, but I'll say again, that we work hard to keep building toys together in a particular room. So our Lincoln logs are in one room, our Tinker toys in another. I periodically stick all of one building toy in a box and hide it in the basement, then bring it out in a few months.
It took me a long time to learn this trick of compartmentalizing, which is why I share it in the hopes that it might help others. I used to let the kids haul building toys everywhere, and it made for a fine mess.
But that's the word that comes to mind when I think about a key cornerstone of my cleaning/housekeeping/organizing routine.
Our house is, as I've said before, in decent shape most of the time. It isn't pristine. There are very tidy people out there, and they would be unhappy in our house. There are objects on almost all horizontal surfaces, especially surfaces high up away from the reach of small children. There is dust in corners and on objects. No, it is not pristine.
But, it is very livable. The floors are clear. The sofas and tables and chairs are clear. Our dining room table is cleared off completely several times a day. The kids do lots of work on that table, but we always put everything elsewhere (if not AWAY) before meals. Our master bedroom is (to pat myself on the back) really in VERY nice shape. I find it an oasis of calm and want it to stay that way, so both Kevin and I work to keep it in good shape.
Back to compartmentalizing...I have found that keeping all of a particular kind of mess or clutter or whatever in ONE area is key. Take the kitchen, which is often a trouble spot. We try to keep up with putting items away in the dishwasher, putting away clean dishes, etc. Truth is, the kitchen often is a mess much of the day, though. BUT. But, but, but! I work hard to compartmentalize the mess. Dirty dishes go on one counter. Clean dishes are only to the right of the sink. I constantly move "non kitchen" items off the counters when they (mysteriously) appear on the counters. Our fruit bowl stays in one area, as does our egg bucket.
It really makes a big difference to have the mess separated into component parts. I can tell one child, "Put away all the clean dishes on the counter" and the child usually can do that job. But if there are dirty and clean mixed together, the kid will have trouble. In the same way, a young child can be trained to put away dishes in the dishwasher, but struggles if there is a huge mass of different objects on the counter.
This compartmentalizing is repeated throughout the house. I have said before, but I'll say again, that we work hard to keep building toys together in a particular room. So our Lincoln logs are in one room, our Tinker toys in another. I periodically stick all of one building toy in a box and hide it in the basement, then bring it out in a few months.
It took me a long time to learn this trick of compartmentalizing, which is why I share it in the hopes that it might help others. I used to let the kids haul building toys everywhere, and it made for a fine mess.
23 weeks tomorrow
Tomorrow, I'll be 23 weeks along in this pregnancy. I am feeling fairly well right now. I'm definitely getting bigger and gaining weight, but I'm not too bulbous. I'm over the nausea and can eat a respectable amount without feeling sick. The baby kicks and squirms, and I have the delight of feeling that, but she isn't so big that she is sticking her feet in my ribs. Yet.
It is a bit surreal knowing that in less than 4 months, we'll have a newborn baby in our home. Yes, we've done it 8 times before, but every time is its own little miracle. It is hard to believe that a tiny human being is growing and maturing in my womb right this moment, but she is.
I've been praying often for a good delivery, and I'd appreciate similar prayers if you have time. My last delivery was a roughish C-section and while I am not TOO nervous this time around, it is on my mind. I pray that everything goes well, the baby is healthy, and that I recover well. I'm also praying that nursing goes well...I've had milk supply issues with the last 5 kids, though not at birth. Daniel was weaned at around 3 months as I ran out of milk. As I'm older and even busier than last time, I am not sure how long I'll make it with this precious little person.
I posted a question about possible names on Facebook, and friends came up with a host of options. I'm going to make a list and probably in 3 months we'll figure out a name. We obviously don't leap into the whole "name" thing :-). My friends came up with many good options, so we'll figure out one we like.
It is a bit surreal knowing that in less than 4 months, we'll have a newborn baby in our home. Yes, we've done it 8 times before, but every time is its own little miracle. It is hard to believe that a tiny human being is growing and maturing in my womb right this moment, but she is.
I've been praying often for a good delivery, and I'd appreciate similar prayers if you have time. My last delivery was a roughish C-section and while I am not TOO nervous this time around, it is on my mind. I pray that everything goes well, the baby is healthy, and that I recover well. I'm also praying that nursing goes well...I've had milk supply issues with the last 5 kids, though not at birth. Daniel was weaned at around 3 months as I ran out of milk. As I'm older and even busier than last time, I am not sure how long I'll make it with this precious little person.
I posted a question about possible names on Facebook, and friends came up with a host of options. I'm going to make a list and probably in 3 months we'll figure out a name. We obviously don't leap into the whole "name" thing :-). My friends came up with many good options, so we'll figure out one we like.
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