"A Taco... and some Diet Coke!"

Yesterday, I was stir crazy. It's rather hilarious that I used to leave our home every day and now I can go almost a week (most of the time) before I have that itch to leave.

I had.. um.. volunteered Brandon to help move furniture back to the children's wing so if I was going to go out, I was going to have to take all four, by myself.

This task was much easier before the boys turned into willful toddlers. So I try to avoid it. But I couldn't help myself yesterday.

I took the children to Target to pick up a few things. I had a short list and plenty of time. In general this is the best formula.

Xander turned into a comedian as we were checking out. First, he apparently was traumatized that I had to remove the shower curtain from his death grip to put it on the conveyor belt so I could pay for it and not make headlines in our TinyTown.

"Pregnant mom of four shoplifts shower curtain, blames son!" I could just see it.

Then he decided to make faces at the lady behind us. Luckily, she was not offended at him sticking his tongue out at her. *phew* I even apologized profusely!

And then he decided to announce to the world that he would like "A taco and diet coke."

Yup, you read that right. My 2 year old would like a taco and diet coke.

I asked him if we should try to convince Daddy to go to Chick Fil A. But no, only a taco and diet coke would do.

Where does he come up with these things?

I told Brandon the story when we picked him up from the church and he thought I was totally joking.

Until he heard the voice in the backseat say. "Goggy! (Daddy!) I wanna eat a taco and diet coke!" Plain as day.

So we did it. We went to Moe's so he could have a taco. (He really had a burrito but I'm not getting technical with my 2 year old.) And yes, I did let him splurge and have a diet coke. (I'll probably get comments about how bad diet coke is for anyone much less a growing child, blah, blah, blah... I'm all about picking my battles.)

Apparently the Diet Coke hit the spot?

And this was what he thought of his meal:

That is two thumbs up for those of you not in the know. :)

Nothing better!

~Stephanie

PS: I've had a few people ask about the lack of belly pics. With each pregnancy I show faster and faster... Be kind!

Isaiah 18 weeks!

It's... a

-nother boy!

We were all shocked. Even Brandon thought it was a girl this time!

The best news of my appointment is that there is NO EVIDENCE of a subchorionic hemmorhage.

That is right...

NONE.

Praising the One I know and love!

There is still a need for prayer though. I have a marginal previa which means that the placenta is too close to the cervix. There is still plenty of time for it to move... well it doesn't really move, the uterus stretches and the placenta goes with the uterus.

Anywho, it does make me at risk for more bleeding and if it doesn't move, then I could need a repeat csection.

But I've been taken off of bedrest and told to take it easy. (No heavy lifting, etc.)

Once again, I'm surrendering this to God. He knows how our baby will come. Julianne needed a csection to get here safely. And as a mother, I'm willing to sacrifice my comfort and desires for my wee one.

Oh and his name is Isaiah.

A few months before I knew I was pregnant, we were studying a passage in Isaiah and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I love lots of passages in Isaiah. I told Brandon after service, that the name Isaiah really stuck with me. When we were scared we would lose our baby, several of my friends sent me verses from Isaiah and it again, made the hair on the back of my neck stand up... God is just soooo good like that!

My favorite passage, one I repeated several times a day on bedrest was from Isaiah is 40: 28-31.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men will stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. " (NIV)

Love that. What a powerful passage to those that are demoralized and weary.

Isaiah's middle name is Samuel.

1 Samuel 1:27 is often quoted.. but rarely do you hear the next verse with it.

"'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him....' " - 1 Samuel 1:27

and then:

"So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.' And he worshipped the Lord there." - 1 Samuel 1:28.

What a powerful statement. One of surrender and trust. And faith. And worship!

Brandon and I have walked a long road so far. We've had trial after trial here lately, and we are still living joyfully in a relationship with God. But we realized that this baby isn't ours. He's the Lord's. We prayerfully hoped and prayed while surrendering... and what a sweet surrender that was.

I can't wait to see Mr. Isaiah Samuel. His story started before his birth... and I've already learned so much from him!

~Stephanie