Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

     We had our twenty week doctor's appointment yesterday and you can see the results of the ultrasound to the right.  It's a girl!  So, since we have one of each we can stop now, right?  Just kidding!  We're just off to a very balanced start.  Joshua's clothes can be put away now and I can start collecting little girl items!

     We made it safely back from our trip and we have many pictures and stories to share about our adventures in the Deep South.  While Eli and I were excitedly touring sight after sight, Joshua was learning how to use his legs.  Something clicked for him the Saturday before we left and he realized that he had the balance to begin walking without too many humiliating falls.  Sunday his uncles, aunts, and grandparents got to see some of his first steps and he perfected this fine art while we were gone.  Every evening, in our hotels, he would practice walking from bed to bed to chair to TV stand and by the time we got back, he could be labeled an official walker.  Joshua had a good time on the trip, but I think he is just as happy to be a homebody as a tourist. 

     And I agree.  It's nice to take a break from the daily routines, but after two weeks of living without them, a little peaceful predictability is nice.  As our trip drew to a close, I began looking forward to such mundane duties as cooking for my family and even doing the dishes.  I had pretty thoroughly cleaned the house before I left and I was all pumped to keep up on things when we returned.  After a very long day of traveling to get back (that story will have to come later), we unlocked our own door and walked into our own home.  For a moment, I glimpsed the house as a visitor might see it and then we put our stuff down and breathed a sigh of relief.  We were Home! 

     For a few days I did the dishes after every meal and by the end of the second day all the laundry was done and the luggage was put away.  Then I got a breast infection.  I am familiar with breast infections, having had several, so I didn't worry too much about it.  I settled down to rest on the couch under grated ginger packs and expected it to get better soon.  But since Joshua weaned while we were gone, this infection is slower to leave.  I have had several days of feeling under the weather and you could tell by looking at our house.  So much for keeping on top of things!  Well, I think my body is finally gaining the upper hand in it's war on the bacteria and soon I should be able to launch a full-force attack on the kitchen.

     In the meantime, I'm taking lots of baths, letting Joshua enjoy himself on our back deck, and enjoying the feeling of our little girl moving inside me.

     A new blurb from my thoughts will be coming as soon as I write it down.  For now, I'm just thankful for the little graces that God, in his loving care, provides: that Joshua is so good at entertaining himself and that I didn't wean any sooner in our trip or I might have been sick before we got home. 

Fewer Movies, More Books
   Books to read in 2007

Amanda's Short Stories...
NEW! Go Back to Sleep, Baby
Amy's Math
The Importance of Fathers
The Little Yellow Dress with Blue Flowers

...and Book Reviews
The Golden Age,
     Kenneth Grahame
Horatio Hornblower series,
     C. S. Forester
Kim, Rudyard Kipling
Reforming Marriage,
     Doug Wilson
Story of the Trapp Family Singers,
     Maria Trapp
So Much More
     Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
Stepping Heavenward
     Elizabeth Prentiss

Links
Exodus Provisions
Karen's Cookbook
Choosing Home
Stoos Gallery
Walker Gallery
Jal Duncan Photography

...Etc.
January 24th, 2006
     The Birth Story
     A Letter to Joshua
December, 2005
     Christmas Letter
March 5th, 2005
     Bridal Shower

     If you have any questions, comments, corrections, or communications, I can be reached at "amanda at exodusbooks dot com".