Sunday, June 26, 2011

A great Sunday!

I absolutely love it when I go to church and come home feeling uplifted and inspired and ready to take on the world! Many Sundays go by that I sit in the hallway holding my squirming, thrashing, screaming two year old. Some Sundays if is rough, but I learned a long time ago that simply attending church meetings so that your children can learn how wonderful it is, is reason enough to be there. It may be difficult for a while, but eventually they grow up a little and sit reverently and sometimes quietly! Today, my sweet husband took our two year old into the hallway for the majority of the times that she needed to be taken out. I am so thankful for him! His kindness allowed me to sit, and actually listen to the guest speakers, the St. Louis Mission President, his wife and his counselors. What an awesome Sunday!

To top that off, I was able to eat my snack, which I can't go without these days, and get into Sunday School before it really got underway. The lesson topic was "Love One Another". So simple, yet so profound. Charity, the pure love of Christ, can have an amazing effect on our lives and the world around us.

Then, as we were about to get things ready for Relief Society, our women's meeting, we were asked to join the Priesthood, men's group, and the youth for a lesson. What an unexpected surprise! President Layton, one of the counselors in the Mission presidency, taught the lesson. You guessed it...on missionary work. The real difference with his lesson was that he made missionary work seem easy. He explained how we can use it in our daily conversations. He made it a lot less scary!

Being the introvert that I am, it is very hard for me to want to share my belief with people, for fear of rejection or simply a negative response. I don't ever like to offend and I don't like confrontation. Although all my experiences with sharing the gospel have gone well, I still get nervous. I really enjoyed the way President Layton took a spin on it. It can be simple.

I can home feeling good, feeling uplifted, feeling inspired, feeling like I can actually share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with out it being an intimidating task.

I am so thankful for the Gospel in my life and the blessings that it brings on a daily basis. I'm thankful for a wonderful and loving husband who is so kind and forgiving and caring and for my awesome children who sometimes test me and try my patience so that I can grow and become the women I am meant to be. My children have a way of putting a smile on my face when I need it most!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Is it a girl or a boy?

We went to have an ultrasound last Tuesday. My OB told me I was being sent for a "Level 2" ultrasound. I looked it up online, but couldn't really tell what it was. I asked several different people I spoke with as I made the appointment and they weren't sure what to tell me. So, we get into the office...finally...we waited FOREVER...and when I asked the tech she didn't even know what a "level 2" ultrasound was. Hahaha!

I am guessing that the purpose of the ultrasound, according to what the doctor said the last time I saw her, was to check to make sure amniotic fluid and such were at an appropriate level. Being over 35 they are taking a few extra precautions.

The tech did a lot of measuring and showing us the baby's cute profile and then when she was looking for the sex she struggled. 16 weeks is really rather hard to be sure of the sex. She said she didn't see anything that indicated a boy, but she would let the Doctor make that call. After waiting for another few minutes the Doctor arrived.

Though I had already stated, several times, that I do not want any genetic testing done, she proceeded to tell me the risks of down syndrome, and other disorders. I was thinking, "Lady...they tell us not to stress out when we're pregnant, so why are you bent on telling me things that are raising my blood pressure?" I'm so glad I had my wits about me enough to patiently listen and calmly refuse the testing, yet again.

We chatted about the possible sex of the baby and she told us that she never makes a call on the sex until at least 20 weeks. She took a peek; she printed more pictures, took more measurements, and checked on the sex. She said, "There is no way at all that this is a boy!" So much for "never" making the call at 16 weeks!!

Another girl? Could that even be possible??? Okay...I was mystified! Not shocked, like I was when they told me Alyssa was a girl, but it was kind of an "OH!" moment; pleasant surprise! Todd and I both had felt that it was another boy. We even had just a boy's name picked out because we were so sure that it was a boy. Boy...were we wrong! Haha! I had had a tiny inkling in the last couple of weeks that it might not be a boy, but hadn't said anything. I figured it was just me doubting. Hehehe! Now, with no girl's name picked out, we are doing a lot of thinking, asking for suggestions, and making lists. Yeesh! I like to be prepared and go to the hospital with a name. I don't like to wait. So, the fact that we don't already have a name has been a source of anxiety for me.

Before we left the Doctor's office I asked why I wasn't feeling the baby move yet. She showed me that the placenta is in the front of the baby acting sort of like a sponge. So, when the baby kicks, it's being absorbed by the placenta. She said I should be feeling movement by the time I come back for... yet another ultrasound... in four weeks. That was comforting.

Step back world...another little girl is coming to join the Cantwell Clan!