Trio

Three Amigos

Three's Company

Three's a Crowd

Triple Threat

Three Stooges

Three Musketeers

Third Times A Charm

One, Two, Three Strikes You're Out

That's right, you guessed it . . .

BOY #3
coming in August

(Was there ever really any doubt as to what it would be?)

Ode to the 4th Ward Girls

It's been an emotional weekend. On Sunday our Stake boundaries were realigned for the first time in fifteen years (anyone familiar with Mormon culture will know how huge this is). I am completely supportive of the leaders in our stake and their reasons for these changes. I fully plan to integrate into my new Oak Creek Ward (the OC ward of the OC), and try to make new friendships. Will is fast forwarding his integration experience this week as the newly called Executive Secretary.

However, for the next little while I'm allowing myself some time to mourn what was an amazing experience in the 4th ward for the last five years. All these trite little phrases keep popping up in my head like "All good things must come to an end," and, "It was too good to be true," but really the word that sums it all up is just blessed.

Blessed to have started my foray into stay-at-home motherhood surrounded by some of the most inspiring mothers I know, who are raising some of my children's best friends.
Blessed to be with a group of women who know how to have fun and take time out for book clubs, women's conferences, beach trips, recipe exchanges, silly teen movies and frozen yogurt.
Blessed to have a resource for nearly every skill or hobby I've ever wanted to learn and women willing to share their talents.
Blessed to know spiritual giants who have touched my heart and strengthened my testimony with their words of advice, e-mails, or just by their quiet example.
Blessed to have gone through some trials with these women by my side to console me, bring in meals, watch my children, clean my house, drop off flowers and do every other imaginable kind of service.
And, especially blessed to know many of these relationships will continue regardless of ward boundaries and changes.

It's over!

Just a quick post to say that the surgery went well and I am home recovering. Thank you for all the well wishes.

I have a small army of angels helping from church as well as my wonderful mother-in-law (who we managed to infect with the flu!).

Nothing "fun" to report about being in the hospital, except for one tiny incident that made me smile: the lady in the recovery bed next to me named her baby November Rain. Yep, straight out of the Guns 'N Roses song. To each his own I guess.

We're Alive . . . sort of

It's a good thing I had fun in Texas, because the last week since I've been home has been anything but.

Probably the best way to sum it up is to detail the accumulating collection of drugs on our counter top:

1 Zithromax antibiotic pack (Will- Strep Throat)
1 bottle children's Tylenol (Ethan - didn't even touch his fever)
1 bottle children's Motrin (Ethan - finally brought down fever after nearly 30 hours)
1 bottle agultin antibiotic (Audra - Ear & Sinus Infection)
1 bottle Robitussin (Audra - for the "practically hacking up a lung" cough)
1 package benedryl (Audra - congestion, etc.)
1 bottle Tylenol (Audra - for fever, chills, body aches)
Multiple packages random Valentine Candy (Luke - who is "healthy as a horse," maybe because he's insisted that he "is a horse, NOT a boy" since last Sunday, when he put his church shoes on his hands and walked on all fours).

And all of this is leading up to the real fun, which starts tomorrow. I'll go into the hospital to have a procedure called a cerclage performed. This will help me avoid going into early labor due to a pregnancy complication I have called an incompetent cervix. Last time around, while pregnant with Luke, we discovered this complication when it was nearly too late and I was rushed to the hospital at 18 weeks to perform an emergency cerclage and then placed on bedrest for the remaining five months. The good news is that by doing this procedure early this time around (at 13 weeks) I'll be spared the bedrest and instead be placed on a "diminished activity plan." So from tomorrow on there will be no heavy lifting, no exercising, no swimming, no excessive walking, etc. But, I won't be flat on my back either, which is such a blessing (so much for re-watching all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls). Please keep us in your prayers. We're hoping for a much healthier second half of February for all of us.

Oh, and one exciting thing did happen last week, we got our first baby pictures! No word on the gender yet, but everything looks good so far--10 fingers & 10 toes.

First foray to TX

So here I am in Austin, Texas visiting Katie . . .

staying in her beautiful new house
eating her delicious banana crunch muffins
sleeping nine hours a night
learning to put little tiny doll clothes on princess figurines for Avery
shopping at the nearly Costco-sized Pottery Barn outlet (amazing!)
getting the TX experience by eating BBQ served on a sheet of wax paper
and feeling some slight relief from the morning sickness

No pictures for now--I left my memory card stuck into my computer's USB port--but maybe we'll snap some later with Katies camera. Or maybe not, we're just having fun being lazy this weekend.