Walking in Wisdom

Good morning!

So, my husband and I bought some Dunkin' Donuts coffee and started brewing it yesterday morning - my oh my what a difference good coffee makes! Yesterday I woke up and ate breakfast, got myself and Aidan ready and was out the door by 9AM. The doctor's appointment went well, we got to hear sweet Alivia's heartbeat (which sounded good) and I spoke with Dr. Diamond about what's going to happen in the weeks to come. He said next Tuesday's appointment (week 37) will be a normal one, followed by him checking to see if I've dilated/effaced any at 38 weeks. Should we so choose, I can be induced at 39 weeks if I haven't gone into labor on my own. I am really, REALLY hoping my body starts this process on its own, but it's too early to be impatient. In the next two weeks I have a TON to do... our house still isn't ready for our newest addition and my bags aren't even packed. I guess I'm just putting it off - although I did start a hospital stack in the bedroom last night!

After Alivia's appointment Aidan and I grabbed a bite to eat and headed home. He laid down for a nap which allowed me to get some work done, and then, around 3 o'clock, it hit me. I got a burst of energy! Those are few and far between these days.. there's so much to do but I have been physically exhausted. So, I took advantage of my restlessness and got up and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. After vacuuming and sweeping the living room (our house has laminate floors throughout, which makes sweeping up all the dirt and dust a chore) I made the trek into our bedroom, also known as the catch all for yard sale stuff and laundry. I moved some things around, hung some art and took down some shelves, and finally, oh finally.. it is almost clean! I will have to post pictures as soon as I get it finished. I am so happy with the way everything is turning out... our house is finally coming together as a home!

Yesterday I told myself I was going to program the coffee pot for 6:45, wake up and have another productive day. Unfortunately, my body told me to wake up at 5:52 this morning, so I laid in bed until I heard the coffee pot start brewing. I got out a book that I keep in my nightstand (I got it as a gift in high school from a lovely lady that I admire) called Starting Your Day Right. As I read today's passage, I understood why I got up so early.

"It is wise to seek God early each day before we start making decisions in order to know ahead of time what we ought to do, and then to receive the grace to do it. Wisdom keeps us from a life of regret."

I want to operate in wisdom, and I can only do that through Christ. I feel the need to share this passage this morning, because I want everyone to start their days right, too. Even if it's just for a moment, it's important to have time every day just you and God... and I have found the time for me. From this day forward I have made a promise to myself, and to God, to have a personal time out when I first wake up.. to thank Him for His many blessings and to pray about the day in advance. Although I don't know what it holds, He does... so why wouldn't I seek His knowledge?

Feeling refreshed after reading I got up, fixed coffee and a bagel for me and made Joey a sandwich for him to take for lunch. It's now a half past 8 and I've seen him off to work, fed and dressed Aidan, started a load of clothes and unloaded the dishwasher. Maybe they grind a half a cup of productivity into Dunkin' Donuts coffee bags. Who knows?

March Madness

So... March has almost come and gone, and I haven't blogged since January. Almost two full months to be exact. Maybe it's because I've been so busy. Maybe it's because I don't know what to say. Maybe it's because I'm overwhelmed. Yeah, that's it.

The past two months have been rough in every way possible- emotionally, physically and financially. I quit my job to begin working from home (which seems like it would be easy, but it's not). With a toddler who gets into absolutely everything, it makes sitting down and actually focusing on work hard... because I have to break my concentration to keep him from sticking balls of tissue paper up his nose and standing on toyboxes to turn the lights on and off. And no, I'm not kidding. :) It is definitely worth it, though, because I get to spend all day with Aidan, and soon we will be adding Alivia to the equation. I find myself constantly wondering how I'm going to handle it all, and while know that I'm strong enough to do it physically I'm not sure that I will be able to handle things emotionally.

When I quit my job Joey had found one and was set to begin working at the end of February, but due to circumstances beyond our control the position fell through and he had to continue the search. It has now been two months and his unemployment benefits will run out soon (actually, about the same time Alivia is due), which has added even more stress to things. In the past few weeks we have updated his resume and broadened the search, looking for positions as far away as an oil rig in Texas. Confident that God would bring us a position and with a prayer for jobseekers, the two of us have remained positive and this week his luck seems to be turning around. After being offered a position with Woodmen of the World (a commission-only insurance company) Joey decided that he was definitely interested in getting back into the business, although not with WOTW. A few phone calls and an interview later, all he has to do now is study for and pass his insurance license test next week... and he will have a big boy J-O-B! Hallelujah! It has been a long road but we are sure that God has a plan for our family.. and best of all the position is right here in Douglas, so he won't have to miss out on spending time with Ansleigh and Aidan, and he will get to be here for Alivia's arrival.

Even though I'm expecting a baby in the middle of the quarter, I signed up for one class for the spring to continue my Business Administration degree. Actually, two weeks ago I just passed an exam and became an official Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Word 2007 (which I am super proud of). I should get my Excel 2007 certification at the end of spring quarter.. and then if all goes well with Joey's job I'm going to see if I can find a way to go back to school full time (once Alivia is old enough).

Today marks a whole 36 weeks of our pregnancy, with maybe a month left to go. I'm really hoping that I go into labor on my own, and some days I feel like she's so low she could fall out! Hahaha. Everything has really been weighing on my emotions lately-- you would think since I've been through having a baby before that I wouldn't be nervous, but it's actually the opposite. I think I am MORE nervous because I know what to expect. Labor and delivery was a terrible experience for me, but I got through it... I just wish I didn't have to go through it again to get to hold this beautiful baby girl that is growing inside of me. Tuesday morning I head to see Dr. Diamond for my week 36 checkup, maybe he'll give us a heads up as to if I'm beginning to dilate already or if my cervix is thinning out. I have so much to do in the next month, though.. including planning Aidan's second birthday party, which I'm thinking is going to be Elmo themed, but shhh! Don't tell him! ;)

Until next time, which will probably be Tuesday after the doctor's visit...

- From the Burnams, with love.