a meandering of thoughts

My pregnancy is plugging along--16 weeks. The little person inside is growing bigger and my clothes are getting tighter! Mostly out of a desire for comfort I have already turned in most of my normal clothes for the more forgiving early-pregnancy maternity pants that I have on hand. Despite the fact that I have to keep pulling them up all the time (which is quite annoying!) it is much better than sitting around with my pants unbuttoned all the time. It seems like when I wake up things are somewhat normal, except for the morning sickness which still lingers, but by the end of the day my belly seems huge. Of course, I don't look pregnant at all, just chunkier. The joys of pregnancy!

It feels so much different this time around. Last time I was thinking about the growing baby all the time. Now I find myself still thinking mostly about that first baby, Lewis. As my belly really grows it will be harder to avoid thinking about this second child. But for now, Lewis has my undivided attention. I hate to confess that a lot of this thinking would fall into the category of worry. He is making strides in a lot of areas, and we are thrilled with that. But it feels like there is a brick wall that we can't seem to knock down and it is standing in the way of some breakthroughs for him.

We are picking a new speech therapist on Monday, and I have been praying all week for wisdom in making this decision. We are longing to find the right person who can really help us in working with Lewis. God knows exactly what we need and who would be good with him, but it is so hard to trust him sometimes. It's harder to trust myself though, which always drives me back to trusting God, after much worry, of course!

If you think about us, please pray for us on Monday. Specifically we are longing for someone who is willing to try a variety of methods with Lewis to see what works with him. We are praying for someone who can help teach Lewis simple communication like nodding, shaking his head and pointing. It feels like our lives would be completely changed if Lewis could at least do those things. Beyond that we want him to explore making sounds and/or signing.....but it will take a special person to get through to him, or possibly the right technique which we have not found yet.

I know every family has issues, and ours are certainly not greater than anyone else's. Still, we'd appreciate your prayers the next few days. Please feel free to post your prayer requests too, either here or at the Facebook page.

Update: Our meeting for today (monday) was cancelled by our coordinator due to illness. We were disappointed and have not rescheduled yet, but we'll keep you posted.

transitioning to a crib?

I started a "discussion" on the Facebook group the other day, but wanted to post it here for those of you who may not be members (yet!). Just wanted to get some feedback from those of you who have transitioned from a crib to a big boy/girl bed. What age did you try this at? Did you feel it went well? Did you use bedrails or anything like that to keep your child from falling out of the bed?

Our 2nd child is coming right when Lewis will turn two years-old. We're leaning toward getting another crib for the new baby, but could use your advice!

So far we've had one response from Amy Udy in Hong Kong:

I have 3 kids and the first two started sleeping on beds when they were two. Both did it very well and successfully. We put an extra mattress on the floor just in case they fell.
However, I am a bit "lazy" to transit the third child to bed from cot even he is two now. Mainly it is because the house we are living at has door handles which are lower enough for the kid to open the door by himself. So, when I put him to his room to sleep, he gets off the bed and opens the door to get out. It takes me time and energy to put him back to bed again and again every night / during the afternoon nap.

This didn't happen to the older two kids cos' they couldn't touch the door handles in our previous house. So, they got out of the bed but couldn't leave their rooms,therefore, eventually they went back to beds to sleep.

BTW, Congratulations on your pregnancy. Hope you have a safe and smooth delivery.

Therefore, my youngest one is still in cot...sigh. Howeve, I think I should start putting him to bed though...

Hm...should pray for that.

Any other comments/advice appreciated!!

new format?

Well......it's been a while. I could use my pregnancy as an excuse for not blogging, or the holidays for that matter. But despite the fatigue that captured much of my first trimester, there were certainly times that I wanted to share something or vent my thoughts, but there just hasn't been a lot of inspiration as of late.

But it's a new year and I'm getting into my second trimester which means my energy level should be bursting forth anytime now. To get things moving, I've toyed with the idea of creating a group on Facebook. Many of you are on Facebook already, and it would allow for any group member to start a discussion on whatever topic is on your mind at any time.

If you are my 'friend' on Facebook you should have received an invitation to join this group already. If you don't have an account yet, but I have your email address, you may have received an invitation as well. If you would like to join and didn't receive an invitation, just post a comment with your email address or email me directly at shelleygwen@gmail.com.

We are dealing with all kinds of parental issues at our house and I personally need all the help I can get. I hope that together we can be an encouragement to one another, building each other up and sharpening one another to be better moms to the glory of God. It is something that often feels overlooked or mundane, and yet we are shaping lives of people who will grow up to lead and have families of their own.

We have discussed a lot of good topics through this blog already, but as kids grow the issues grow and change, and so if your child is not the same age as my child, hopefully the new format will provide a greater chance to share with other moms going through the same things you are now, or maybe who have been through something similar before.

If you're still checking this blog, thanks for hanging in there. You all have been a great encouragement to me, and I hope that you take something away from here occasionally to make your day a little brighter too.