a long post.

Wow, I feel like I have so many little things to tell you about!  I was blessed with such a wonderful day today!  It was kind of a normal day, but I feel immensely aware of God's peace and grace and ABUNDANCE in my life right now.  And I'll explain why as I tell you about my week.

First off, I had my second midwife appointment this last Tuesday.  And it is always so fun to hear your  baby inside of you!  Shea was actually very well behaved and the most exciting news is that my ultrasound is scheduled for the first week of February!  I can't believe in just under 4 weeks we will get to "see" our baby and maybe find out the gender!  I also felt him/her move last night for the first time while in bed.  It feels so funny when they are this tiny.  I also got my bloodwork back and was totally surprised that my iron levels are great!  I think its from the lemon juice - it helps me absorb more of my iron supplements.  But she also told my vitamin D levels were so depleted I had to take 10,000 MG a day for the next 5 weeks at least.  I now take a prenatal, an iron pill, and 5 Vitamin D pills every morning.  I've been really good about it and have been feeling super great and full of energy after doing this for a week.  I also started making a soy protein shake with a banana in it for breakfast or a snack during the day, so hopefully that will help with my potassium levels.  I have never been this health-conscious with my food before.  Gotta have a healthy baby though!

Tuesday was also my day off, and I spent it cleaning, working a on a project (more in a moment), and then after nap, Shea and I went over to Tawny's (my sister in law who lives adjacent to us) house and had a play date.  The kids always have so much fun together, and I love sitting and talking with Tawny.  She is the perfectly sweet older-sister-I-never-had type to me, and I love her so so much.  It was just relaxing.  In the evening we went to a young couple's house for dinner who just started coming to our church.  It was so fun.  We played balderdash and another silly game, and ended up staying until almost 1 in the morning, just sitting around the table talking!  I don't think Jeremy and I as a COUPLE have ever clicked with another couple the same way.  And I am glad that Shea goes down to sleep easily anywhere, because otherwise we would be missing out having to be home for him to go to bed, or having to arrange childcare.  GIRLS when you have babies, make sure you make it a normal thing to have them sleep different places.  We would have zero life if we didn't do this.

And now today.

We stayed up kind of late last night.  Jeremy got a new cd and we sat by the wood stove listening to it while I crocheted some more.  I woke up the next morning and got a call from a place I applied to the night before, and they wanted me to come in for an interview that afternoon.  We had a fun morning - went for a short walk (would've been longer, but Shea got soaked at the beach), cleaned the house, played with Shea, did laundry, and then I headed out to my interview, planning on going straight to work afterward.

Here is what has been so interesting to me.  I have had several job interviews in the last couple of weeks.  Jobs keep coming up that I am pretty much perfect for and I've been getting calls immediately.  BUT, none of them have worked out.  Which has been very funny.  The people say they like me, that they believe I am very capable and can do the job, but for some reason, I don't get a call back.  Could be the pregnancy thing.  Could be because I really want to be home, not working and the "long-term plans" question never ends well.  I keep hoping that maybe something will come up that will be better than where I am at, but it is flexible enough for me to work less when the baby comes, or not a big deal if  quit.  Then I realized something.  God might just be making these not work out for me for a reason.  How can I be praying that I will no longer have to work and just be home with my children and to support my husband, and yet be pursuing these jobs?  So afterward I was feeling a little discouraged, because I just didn't know what to do.  It is very tempting to say the right things and commit and get myself stuck working with two children because the extra money looks so enticing and takes some pressure off of Jeremy for the meantime.  But I know if they offer me this job, I have to say no.  Why?  Because God has it planned out and we are getting by with what he has given us, and I need to just abide in that right now.  

I had some time to kill, so I got some dinner to take with to work and sat at a Starbucks reading and journaling for a while. It has been a long time since I've done that, and I realized how much I need that quiet, reflective time in my life.

So I went to work, and I asked my boss for a raise - haven't heard back yet though.  I had a nice night. It was slow, so I finished my AW Tozer book.  Then  an older man came in who comes in every once in a while and he started talking to me.  He is a construction worker from across the street and we chat about my kids and things like that.  Then he tells me, "you are a very good worker.  I know Ana and Jerry (my bosses) very well..."  Then he asked me my name as if he was going to pass that on to them.  It just made me realize that I am in a good place and I AM being faithful with this small job and the small things God has given me, and I need to be aware that He is continually blessing us.  I don't need a glamorous position - only God knows my every need.

Anyway.  Now onto some pictures.

So the project I was working on.  I am finally opening my Etsy shop!  Here is my blog.  It is a false post - I do not have the store officially set up yet (hence no link), because I want to finish a few more items to put in it first.  I figure this is one way I may be able to make it work for me to be at home and doing something I love to do!  I plan on making my children's clothes and blankets mostly, but I had this already pre-cut, so my first item will be this simple little bunting banner I threw together.  I'm starting by only using material I have to see if I can actually make any money off of it.  Kind of a test run for now.

This picture is just because I have lots of citrus in my house to juice in the mornings, and it made me so happy to see it all in my kitchen window, I had to take a picture.  I almost don't want to use it, because it is so bright and happy.

Here are some pics from our walk today.

And here are some belly pics.  OK.  This is a little embarrassing for me.  Now a word.  I would never post these on facebook or anywhere else public because this is just...a little skimpy to me.  But Jeremy took them and he only seems excited to take a picture when I'm practically in my underwear.  I'm always fighting with him about it and then I finally let him take the pictures vowing to delete them immediately.  But these aren't really too bad to show to you girls and I just can't get over how funny Shea is in that second picture, so I had to share them with you!  Hopefully its safe on this blog! Oh, and that first picture should say 14 weeks, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now.  And I am so huge compared to last time, its weird.  I still had a flat belly at 15 weeks with Shea!