Family Update

Baby Kealen at 28 weeks.
 
Wow! I can't believe I actually posted this picture! At today's visit, Baby Kealen weighed just an ounce shy of 3 pounds and is measuring exactly ten days ahead of schedule!
It was sooo much fun to get a peek at this little guy. He was stretching and sucking his thumb. It was a lot of fun to see him again, and aside from hearing that he seems to be doing well, my favorite news was that he has hair!!!!!!!!!

In other news, the other two Kealen boys in my home are enjoying summer. Today was the first day of VBS, and I love, love, love hearing the first three words of the theme song floating throuhgout my home. My only hope is they soon pick up the rest of the song! :-)
 
Jack is recovering very well from his eye surgery. Praise the Lord, the initial post-op visit showed that the surgery on his left eye was successful. We praise the Lord for His goodness and protection in bringing Jack safely through his surgery.

Now my main goal for the rest of the summer is to stay out of the hospital until this little guy makes his appearance, Lord willing not before the very end of August!

Summer Has Begun!

Jack is home from school, and both boys need to adjust to a new summer schedule. While I am aware of our June craziness, it is very important for me to maintain some semblance of order in our home. Here are my summer goals for the boys.
Two (maybe three?) library reading programs
School review for Jack and preschool prep for Andrew
A daily chore plan
Lots and lots of fun in the sun - and water!
On the baby front, I am 27 weeks along! The time seems to have gone by so quickly, but then I flip through the calendar, thinking how far away September 2 is. My goal for the summer is to relish every moment with my growing belly. Lord willing, this will be the last pregnancy for us, and I want to make soak up every moment of having this little one nestled under my heart.
At yesterday's appointment, my blood pressure was a healthy 122/60. Praise the Lord for keeping blood pressure issues at bay! I had to drink the crazy glucose juice for my gestational diabetes test, and I will hopefully hear the results today.
I am already measuring almost two weeks ahead of schedule, so my doctor wants to see me every two weeks from now on to monitor baby boy's growth.
And, sadly, we are still referring to him as baby boy. I have a feeling it is going to take us awhile to decide on a name for this little man. Both Andrew and Jack have strong Biblical names, and each has a family name as well. I kind of want to carry on the same pattern for this little guy, but so far nothing is clicking. Oh, well, we have a few more weeks to decide!
So, that is our life right now! It is full, but sooooo much fun!

Almost-Midnight Ramblings

I am usually asleep well before 10:30. However a two hour afternoon nap and a very active unborn babe has my mind rambling at this late hour.
This weekend was our "calm before the storm." June looms ahead as our busiest month of the year. In a month of 30 days our family will be busy with the following activities:
Mommy's doctor appointments
Five eye/doctor appointments for Jack
Eye surgery for Jack (scheduled for June 10)
VBS at Germantown Hills Baptist Church (June 14-18)
GARBC National Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois (June 21-25)

I will be using this week to get organized with a cleaning plan and a monthly menu in place for our busy month.

The good news is that by the end of this month I will be within 10 weeks of my due date. So, maybe a busy month will make the days go quickly before I get to meet this precious little guy.

In the meantime, just thinking about our upcoming craziness is working to make me sleepy.

G'night, all!

My Greatest Gifts

Today I am once again reminded that God has given me the humbling privilege of rasing these little men.

 

 

Jack and Andrew, I am blessed beyond measure to be your mommy. I thank God for both of you, and I desire above all else to lead you and draw you both closer to Him.
Thank you for bringing me smiles and laughter, and thank you for making this day the best Mother's Day ever, just because you are here with me.
And, to our little boy yet to come, I look forward to meeting you in person, but for now know that Mommy and Daddy have already fallen in love with you. We are already praying for you, just as we pray for your big brothers.
I love all three of you dearly!

Action Figures and Cupcakes

I have learned the hard way to watch where I am stepping at our house. Case in point:

 

And, it looks like we will have lots more action figures to watch out for in our future,
because

 

our newest little cupcake is DEFINITELY BLUE!

 

Edited to add: These cupcakes are blue, even though they look green in this picture!

Body during Pregnancy Update!

Today marks the twenty-two week milestone for me! Praise to the Almighty that my blood pressure is still within the normal range.

On the baby front, this little one is active. Very active. Waking me up at 3:00 in the morning active. I don't ever remember being awakened this early in either of my two previous pregnancies, but I really am enjoying these early morning chats with my little one!

It is a precious comfort to me to feel the little pokes and jabs. I often find myself wondering, "Is that a foot? a hand? does this baby have the hiccups?!?" During those moments, I take great comfort in Psalm 139 and know that God is continuing to form this little one into the person that God wants him or her to be.

Speaking of him or her, Monday is the big day. I am not yet counting down the hours, but boy am I tempted to start! I am so excited to find out the sex of this baby! Everyone is teasing me that I am hoping for a girl, and I must admit that I am bookmarking a ton of online tutorials for baby girl dresses, tights, and hair bows, just in case.

However, if this precious little early-morning kicker happens to be another boy, I will quickly begin focusing on the cute masculine fabric color choices at JoAnns and my favorite little quilting shop.

And how could I not be thrilled to add another little boy to these two cuties?

 

A Little Less of Me

Let me be a little kinder, let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those about me, let me praise a little more.
Let me be when I am weary, just a little but more cheery,
Think a little more of others and a little less of me.

Let me be a little braver when temptation bids me waver,
Let me try a little harder to be all that I should be.
Let me be a little meeker with the brother who is weaker,
Let me think more of my neighbor and a little less of me.

Let me be when I am weary, just a little bit more cheery,
Let me serve a little better those who I am striving for,
Let me be a little meeker with the brother who is weaker,
Think a little more of others and a little less of me.

Let me be when I am weary, just a little bit more cheery,
Think a little more of others and a little less of me.

I know this song was written in the 60s, but the message means so much to me today. This weekend, I am speaking at a ladies luncheon on "The Tie That Binds Us." Can you imagine how much God could use a group of ladies who followed Philippians 2:1-4 and the words of this song?
May God truly give me a heart that strives to think a little more of others and a little less of me.

Body During Baby Pregnancy Update!

In two days I will be exactly halfway through this pregnancy! In the last few weeks I have been trying to naturally keep my blood pressure under control, and it seems to be working! My average for the past week has been 122/75. That has been a huge praise!
This little peanut is starting to make his or her presence known, in more ways than one! While I love feeling all the little jabs and pokes, I must admit that I will be much happier when he or she decides to stop sitting on my bladder! :-)

We will find out what this little one is in a few weeks, and I am looking for a cute and fun way to share the news with family and friends. If you have any ideas, please pass them along!

Easter, Part Two

 

 

 

 

Easter Fun, Part One

 

 

 

 

Adventures with Andrew

Andrew: "I can't get this off my head."

 

 

 

Daddy to the rescue!

Mama Notes: For Pregnant Mamas: Body DURING Baby

Mama Notes: For Pregnant Mamas: Body DURING Baby
Today marks the beginning of week 17. I am feeling great, but I must admit that I am nervous for my blood pressure recheck this morning. I have been monitoring it at home since my appointment on Monday and my sentence of house arrest (aka bed rest). For the most part, my bp stays within the normal range, as long as I am sitting and relaxing. However, last night I fixed dinner and then went to church. When I got home my b/p was 155/109. Not good. Not good at all. It took a good fifteen minutes of laying quietly to get it down to a normal number.
This morning I was reminded by my precious niece of Psalm 61:2. I will cling to that verse today as I head back to the doctor's office at 11:00.

Mmmmmm . . . Cinnamon Rolls!

As a teen, my mom spoiled my family with hoomemade sourdough bread. This bread is lightly sweet, and it makes wonderful cinnamon rolls. After I got married, I followed my mom's tradition and made her sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls. I received many rave reviews, and never imagined a better recipe. That is, until I came across this recipe.

Pioneer Woman's.

They are out of this world, and the dough works really well as dinner rolls as well.
Make some Saturday afternoon to have for breakfast on Sunday.
That is, if they last that long!

House Arrest

Well, it appears that I am on house arrest until Thursday.

Not a good sign when I am only 16 weeks along!

My blood pressure was 144/102 at the doctor's office yesterday. (YIKES!) The good news is that it went down right away (within ten minutes of laying on my left side it was down to 133/84). The bad news is that this is the second time that my blood pressure has skyrocketed at the doctor's office (last time it was 180/80, but then went down right away to 132/74).

I have been monitoring my blood pressure at home regularly, and while I do have periodic high spikes (around 150/90), most of the time it is within the normal range that they want.

So, until Thursday at 11:00 I am on "limited bed rest" (which feels more like house arrest to me). We will see what my doctor says then.

In the meantime, I am trying to look on the positive side and do all of the things I can do while laying down. (Who knew a person can fold laundry while laying on her left side?!?!)

To help me stay on the bright side of things, here are my goals for the next few days:
Hopefully I can get caught up with our church's Bible reading plan!
I can finish the book I started a week ago!
I can organize my recipes! (Something I have been meaning to do in the last three months!)

Those are my lofty goals. We will see if I can accomplish them!




:-)

Sewing Update

Well, the skirt is cut out, but I had more pressing matters to work on first (as in VBS deadline and a pair of pants that fit my belly).
I did manage to remake my jeans that were on the way to the thrift shop.
I started following a tutorial I found online, but quickly deviated to my own idea. I really like having jeans that fit my ever growing tummy and yet still feel like "my jeans."

 

 

So, these are the finished products. They are really low, which I like because then I have no crazy high rise pant waist covering my belly. They also do not fall or slide.
Now, after I finish my skirt, I might take a look at a few of my pairs of capris. Maybe I can remake them into maternity pants . . .

Future Sewing Projects

Once I get my machine back from her annual cleaning, I hope to begin my long list of sewing projects. Here are just a few of the things I am planning to make in the near future:

Cute, cute maternity skirt

Nursing cover


Baby sling

Yes, I hope to be able to finish these and a whole list of other fun projects before this little one arrives, Lord willing around September 7.

Christmas Reflections

The following is our Christmas Letter for 2009, for anyone who is interested! HOPEFULLY my cards will be in the mail on Monday!

Once again, the hustle and bustle of the holidays is upon us. And, in the midst of baking gooey cinnamon rolls and sipping warm, strong coffee, I am reminded of the importance of taking the time to gratefully reflect on this past year.

God has blessed our family in many ways. Nat and I continue to be amazed at God’s grace and faithfulness in our lives. In Him we find our hope and joy, and we are humbled that God chooses to teach us and use us together as a couple in His service.

Nat is serving as the associate pastor of Germantown Hills Baptist Church. We both enjoy ministering in this area, and we couldn’t ask for a better, more loving church family. We are honored to serve with them.

I am enjoying my role as a stay-at-home mommy. It is a blessing to be able to devote my time to my boys and to Nat and his ministries. In my spare time (ha, ha!) I am teaching piano lessons, occasionally freelancing for Crossway books, writing, and sewing. I enjoy these opportunities greatly, and I appreciate my husband’s household help in the busy times!

Jack is now seven and absolutely loves first grade at Germantown Hills Elementary School. He is thriving in his class, and his love for reading and learning is starting to spill over at home. He is one of my piano students and is doing well, though he would rather “create” his own songs instead of practicing from his lesson books.

Andrew is now four, and his main goal in life seems to be to keep us all on our toes. He has an active imagination, and he is learning (sometimes ever so slowly) to curb his temper and to obey with a happy heart. He loves to sing and play, and he still seems to be a die-hard Cubs fan. (Yes, the rest of this Kealen household prays that he will come around to the Cardinal side of life!)

Well, that is about it for the Kealen family. To see pictures of us and our crazy lives, visit our family blog, erinlk.blogspot.com.

We love you all!

Nat, Erin, Jack, and Andrew

Test for our Christmas Drama

Okay,
So I wrote another play for our Christmas Dessert Theatre, and there is a short scene on the play where the kids are visiting the blog of a missionary who works with an orphanage in Africa. Baptist Children's Home has graciously allowed us to use some of their images for this quasi blog, so this is a test to see if it will look okay onscreen at our church.

Here it goes!

Vacation, Part One

We spent a long weekend with some friends at Lake Michigan.

The boys loved the icy water.

The sunsets were breathtaking.

We had a wonderful and relaxing visit. The only downside was that Jack developed Strep throat while we were there. Poor Peanut was sooo sick! We did get a few pictures of him at the water, but he spent most of his time enjoying the view from the sunroom in the cabin.

Vacation, Part Two!

Jack and Andrew on the beach.

The view from the steps of our friends' cabin.

Lake Point Sable Lighthouse, about a mile from the cabin.