Whew!

What an exhausting week! We are recovering from lots of things here in our house! I'm still sore and getting treated by the chiropractor from our car accident. It's hard to tell with Nehemiah. He is definitely exhausted and tired and crabby, but there are a couple of thing going on with him.

He has a vertebrae or tow out himself, a cold, a low grade fever off and on, and an infected bump. The nurse practitioner thinks it is an infected pimple, but I have other suspicions. When Ben was in the Army there was this weird virus (I think) going around. It starts out looking like an infected pimple, but it can end up eating into your body--especially near joints. Fortunately this isn't near a joint for Nehemiah. But this thing is nasty. They think it is the combination of 2 bugs, one picked up during some training in Jordan, and another from a deployment to Afghanistan. Ben and I have both had these things, but they aren't common medical knowledge. It was specific to Ben's platoon at the time, and they were investigating a couple of the guys' cases out at Walter Reed. Of course we don't know what came of that, and Ben always got treatment from the medics (no records), because they were the only ones on Post who had seen it and knew what to do. Uugh. I guess some things just stick with you. Hopefully the antibiotics and warm compresses the doctor prescribed will get rid of it.

It would be nice if next week was a little less stressful!

Oh, I did run into my OB for a quick appointment to listen to the baby's heart beat on Monday (just to make sure everything was copacetic after our crash). It was actually the first time I heard the heartbeat, and it was strong and at about 151 bpm. :) I think I felt a round of hiccups for the first time last night--how exciting! I'm not feeling the baby move consistently yet, but I think it is coming soon. That is one of my favorite times of pregnancy.

Various and Sundry things

I got to go to a bigger city today *smiles*. You know, one with a Michaels, Olive Garden, Mall, TJ Maxx--hurrah! It was fun to do a little looky-loo-ing with my mother-in-law, and I got a few fun things and a few needed things!

On the downside, while we were just about 5 miles out of town, driving on the highway in the pouring rain, we were rear-ended! It could have happened to anyone considering the conditions, but of course, it was a teenaged boy. He was so nice and responsible and concerned about everything you couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His car was very crumpley. My m-i-l's vehicle didn't look noticeably damaged at first, but throughout the day we saw things that showed that the whole back half of the car shifted forward a fraction of an inch. The guy was probably going about 40 miles an hour. Poor Nehemiah was startled out of sleep, so of course he was screaming! But he seems to be doing well. I feel a little like I've played a few quarters of tackle football. I think because I saw it coming in the side mirror and tensed, and am in my 2nd trimester with all of those stretching ligaments and moving bones, that my body isn't quite sure what to do. I'm hoping with some ice and rest that I will feel less sore soon.

The poor kid, his dad had already called to check and see if everyone was okay by the time we got home--nice folks, really.

If you think to pray for us, I could use some prayers for soreness, and my in-laws could use prayers for wisdom in what to do with their car. It is an unfortunate situation, their car is in impeccably beautiful condition, but because of the age, it will likely be totaled, meaning virtually impossible to replace at it's current value. *sighs* I'm sure some of you know how that goes, so wisdom and health prayers would be very appreciated! :)

A link to love

Especially for all of those busy ladies out there!

I happened upon the blog Gourmet Momma and have enjoyed looking through her recipes. Most of them are relatively quick and easy, and they have a limited ingredient list-with easy to find ingredients-yay! Just thought I ought to share! :)

Blessings Abound!

Well, I would be lying if I didn't admit that last week was a bit frustrating financially. Our oven went south and had to be replaced, and we found out that new tires for my van would cost upwards of $500--ugh! No fun!

But today was a good day, in spite of some of those things. Our new oven arrived, and it is spiffy! Ben is working diligently and patiently on converting it from natural gas to propane, and is nearly finished, so we'll even be able to use it! I will again be able to bake bread--I am nowhere near the bread aficionado that my husband is, and when the old oven inevitably burned my hard-fought loaves, I took it rough. Baking bread will no longer be an occasion for sin-hee hee.

We also sold our VW Golf (the car of our courtship and early marriage) just 25 hours after posting it on craigslist! This was very necessary to help cut some of those aforementioned costs! It was easy, which was fabulous, and I think the man who bought it for his high school aged daughter will be a hero. It is a blast to drive!

In very exciting news (that I have been waiting on delivering until all the family has been called), my first nephew was born last Friday! My brother and my college roommate/sister-in-law, Melissa welcomed their first little one into the world. After months of my history loving brother joking that he wanted to name their son, Stonewall Tecumseh, he and Mel settled on the name Austin. A little historical, not too bizarre...perfect! Isn't he cute?! Mom and Dad aren't too shabby either! And I was excited to see that the retro fabulous burp cloth I made with my own hands (with this pattern) made it to the hospital. That takes forethought! It made me feel loved and useful, which is really sweet, because I feel otherwise useless this far away. I can't wait to meet them as a family in November!

More home-preschooling links and ideas

I found my other preschool homeschooling links!

I posted many here, but I knew I was missing a bunch, and here they are!

Preschool Themes

Excellent blog with a ton of great ideas/pictures/lesson plans

Kindergarten and Preschool Activities blog with all of the letters, etc.

Scrumdilly-do!--great crafts, activities and ideas

I hope those of you who are giving this a shot soon find some things you can use! I know I'll be referencing these in a few years!

Pleasant

I think that word aptly describes our day. :)

We slept in this morning and had a late breakfast. We decided to head into town and borrow my in-law's car battery recharger so that Ben can get his Golf all ready to sell. Then we went ran a few errands. We were in the grocery store, tempted by all sorts of things, because we were really ready for lunch--we did pretty well resisting, but then Ben had to pump gas near the DQ.

It was then that the insatiable desire for a Chili-cheese dog with lot of pickles swept over me. It would not go away without succumbing to it...which I did. I tell you; it was SO good. Weird, huh? It is not something I would normally eat, but I am craving all kinds of salty things...which is also odd for me, and completely unlike my first pregnancy. I go through one if not two jars of pickles a week (don't get me wrong...I like a dill pickle now and then, but not several, daily)!

When we got home, I found out that I wasn't needed to watch the Super P, so I made an appointment to get my hair cut. It was delightful to have some time on my own being spoiled, and I like how it turned out!


Then when I got home, we made a new recipe for dinner (one I found awhile ago in my Real Simple magazine), and toasted up some Sourdough bread to go with it! The soup was perfect for this chilly, fall-like day (oh, and we used the chicken option, not the salmon one). You should check it out...it takes about half an hour to make--so yummy!

Thank you!

I have gotten several comments, e-mails, and calls to check how our nights have been going since out last post, and I wanted to thank you! The Lord has been gracious! The first night wasn't as bad as I expected. It took about 50 minutes initially, and Nehemiah was up 4 more time that night, the next night was about 15 minutes and up once, and last night he cried for about 2 and a half minutes and then slept all the way through! It was awesome!

In other exciting news...my sister-in-law should be at the hospital in WY. She was scheduled to be induced early this morning, and I am waiting excitedly for a phone call with an update! :) I may have my very first nephew today!

Also, as an aside, my parents have some sad business to attend to today (it is good that their newest grandchild will distract them). Their dog is getting really old. This is the same "puppy" that followed me home from the playground when I was in 6th grade, and never left. Anyway, Al is at the point in his life where it will be the kindest thing to have him put to rest before the winter comes. Today is the big day, and it will be difficult. Please pray for my parents as they will weather this storm after each has had a full day of work. Then they'll leave for WY tomorrow morning.

You may have noticed a change in my blog format! I am excited about it, and may change it a few more times now that I found these fun layouts! My friend Sarah re-did hers and I swiped the link...feel free to do the same! Here it is: The Cutest Blog on the Block. :)

Have a blessing filled day--we will!

It's going to be one of those nights...

Well, tonight is the night we are starting the trying, "Cry it out Method" with Nehemiah. I tried the "No Cry Sleep Solution," which I desperately wanted to work, but I'm not sure we're cut out for it either. I think it's going to be a LONG night, but the co-sleeping thing was really only a short term, easy way out (though it probably made it worse now) for us, and that time has come to an end. Keep us in your prayers! Hopefully we get some sleep tonight, and Nehemiah isn't too distraught by morning! Uugh! :}

Laughing out Loud

I feel like I know several people who would write this sort of thing...way to Rap Kate McAlpine! :)