Friday, February 27, 2009

Baby Um this Week

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Jen & Rachael Prekids



This picture was taken the summer before last (I think) at convention. It's a prekids photo for the Brooks & Umsteads. Jen is such an incredible woman and great friend. Love you Jen!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Answer to Prayer

Thank You Jesus!

Answers to our prayers:

I received my insurance card in the mail for Anthem - major answer to prayer after the last company was questioning covering my pregnancy

Thanks to our great appraisal - we lost our PMI and our mortgage payment was reduced

We had a great meeting with our realtor answering questions from a potential buyer - a local person and it's only been listed for a few days

My sister in-law had a good health report after being in treatment for a few months - this is such great news as she has had one stressful year (less than a year) with the death of my brother (her brother in-law) and the death of her only sibling. We are proud of you Steph!

Full Term - Baby Um

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Prayer Requests

A customer of ours who has heart problems and dr.s are not sure what is going on - I pray he gets to know God in a personal way

My Grandmother Galkowski's hip replacement

A potential buyer meeting in the next few days - that we have a sale of our business

Our house sells quickly

Our interview regarding a slip & fall law suit filed against us goes well (Saturday)

My Grandmother Pease's complete healing from knee replacement

Our attorney finds favor in her request against Vinny's mortgage company - a long and hard harrassment battle my mother and I have been fighting

Enjoyable delivery and most of all healthy baby!!

Things run smoothly at the business while we are at the hospital

A family (customers) see God's hand in their lives as the father faces death in the very near future due to terminal cancer

A young woman & mother at our church finds healing and answers to lungs and heart filling with fluid

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Thank You God

I just want to thank God for all the blessings in my life. We had a great blessing this weekend. The last time we got our house appraised (before renovations) it was around 20% more than we paid. We did the renovations but have been told that values have gone down and it may not be worth what we think. We got our appraisal back and it has increased $60,000. Thank You Jesus! It was such welcomed news!

Monday, February 16, 2009

OK - So My Scrabble Skills are a Little Rusty

Stacey, Mom and I played Scrabble this afternoon. I came in second by the skin of my teeth. I thought I would definitely crush because I expect nothing less of myself. I didn't. I got crushed. They are the ones who taught me to play, so I shouldn't be THAT surprised.

Mom, Zac and I went out to eat at Cody's after mom and I had eaten A LOT at her house. Needless to say, salad was the only option on the menu for us. We discussed some family business and found out Zac & Steph are doing a memorial for Chris on March 8 at their home.

The business went on the market today with Soundvest properties. We are not desperate to sell it but hoping it sells quickly so we can get settled into whatever the next thing is.

http://soundvest.com/businessopplisting.cfm?BID=65

Sunday, February 15, 2009

I Found Some Pictures







I was cleaning out a drawer in my room and I food some pictures from a couple of years ago. It was the last time Vinny, Zac and I got together to do pictures together. I think some of them are really funny.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Quote from Mike Huckabee

"I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich. I'm a Republican because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me." ~~ Mike Huckabee

By Thomas Reade

With guilt oppressed, bowed down with sin,
Beneath its load I groan;
Give me, dear Lord, a heart of flesh,
Remove this heart of stone.
A burdened sinner, lo! I come,
An heir of death and hell;
Oh! seal my pardon with your blood,
And all my fears dispel.
Nor peace, nor rest, my soul can find,
Until your dear cross I see;
Until there in humble faith I cry,
My Jesus died for me.
Oh! give this realizing faith,
This soul supporting view;
Until old things be forever past,
And all within be new.

Friday, February 13, 2009

What Baby Um is Doing This Week

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy hair that covered his body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely he's in a head-down position, but if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

The Battles Keep Coming

It seems like we are in a wave of battles lately (trials of life). It just made me think of this song:

Praise To The Lord
Bob Fitts

In the battles Lord
You are my peace
when I am broken
You are my strength you're my strength
You're my love You're my life
You're my joy and my song in the night
How I marvel at your mercy
And I sing
Praise praise to the Lord
Praise praise to the Lord
For He is good and merciful
His love is great
He's so wonderful
My Lord
For He is good and merciful
His love is great
He's so wonderful my Lord

Thank God for this faith adventure we're on and that He fights the battles for us - now it's just keeping myself in that frame of mind.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Youth Bowling Adventure

Last night Dave and I took a few of the youth from our church bowling. Here are some pictures from our adventure. Dave taught a great lesson from the life of Hezekiah on the way after we stopped and invited a few of the church neighbors to service. We all had a really good time.


Maggie - the first round champion

Rachael - the handicapped pregnant lady

Maggie, Cole & Madeline

Dave - the second round champion

Cole - the all time video game champion

A Few Pictures from 1/31/09 Baby Shower




B.J.'s Verses

What B.J. read at my baby shower:

Psalm 139:13-16

"For You did form my inward parts. You did knit me together in my mother's womb."...

"I will praise You for the wonder of my birth."...

" My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret, and intricately and curiously wrought in the depths of the earth."...(carefully created)

" Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days of my life were written before they took shape."...

words from 4 men in the Bible:

Job: "They hands fashioned me. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

Solomon: "The Spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child."

Isaiah: "Thus says the Lord Who made you, and Who formed you from the womb."...

" The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the body of my mother."...

Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."...

Book of Luke: "When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb."...

Saturday, February 7, 2009

7 months




It's been 7 months since Vinny entered eternity. I can't say that I miss him any less or that I don't cry at some point everyday. I can say that I am thankful beyond measure to have him as my brother, to have been so close to him and to know that he loved God with all of his heart.

Molly talked with Jake, one of Vinny's good friends, the other day. What she said about Jake reminded me so much of Vinny that it made me happy and sad at the same time.

Love and miss you Vinny!

Friday, February 6, 2009

What Baby Um is Doing this Week

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight

35 Days and Counting

We have 35 days until my due date. It's getting more exciting everyday. We think we have the basics we need for the baby minus a few minor things we'll pick up soon. We also know, being first time parents, we have no idea what we'll really need until we bring Baby Um home.

35 days makes me think how much a life can change in such a short time. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I was watching a show on TLC about first time parents bringing their baby home. The mother was able to introduce her baby to her grandmother just before she left this world. They showed a photo and said, "It's so neat to see the beginning of life and the end of life in this photo". I thought to myself, we have no idea what the end of life looks like. Then last night I was thinking that only God sees what the beginning of life looks like as we are being formed in our mother's wombs. We may see someone who appears to be in the end of life but only God knows our end and tomorrow isn't promised to us.

The end of life can look like a young woman 9 days after her 20th birthday driving home. She hits a patch of black ice and within 24 hours she's in heaven (Cristina Hadley). It could look like a man overseas just weeks before his promotion to Colonel and his retirement serving his country. He gets hit by a vehicle and within 24 hours he's in heaven (David Frankenhauser). It could look like a young man getting up on a beautiful, calm fall day to do what he has done everyday for years. He gets in his lobster boat to start hauling traps, waves to his friends at noon and within hours he is gone. Never to be seen alive on this earth again (Chris).

Or in the case of some very faithful customers and friends of ours, it could be a husband and wife just getting into the groove of life together after raising 3 children and helping them in early adulthood. He has pain in his legs and within weeks they find out he has 4th stage pancreatic cancer and is given less than 3 months to live. Dave just found this out last night and my heart and prayers go out to this couple. They have been such great supporters of ours and we just hope that God gives us wisdom in sharing His love with them in this very difficult time.

This all brings me to a work I ask God to do in me - don't live in fear (that' not of God) - but treat your relationship with God like you could meet Him face to face today. Appreciate the people around you and those people we'd rather not be around - pray that God would fill us with love for them and they would see Him through us. To live life with God's purpose and not my own agenda (something I struggle with). That is my prayer.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Nothing Could Be Finer Than Eating at the Diner






Here is the place we frequent after our now biweekly Centering Pregnancy Classes. We had one tonight. I was on a "good" eating roll until we hit Moody's... I won't tell you what "we" had. The class was great - less than 37 days until the due date. I'm due on March 13, but they say something about the full moon draws people into labor. There's a full moon on March 11. We'll see. We are trying to narrow down our name options and we seem to have taken a completely different road with some of our choices.

How I feel about the Snow

Sunday, February 1, 2009

40 Days to Go and More

40 Days to go until my due date! Time is flying by!

My mom had a great shower for me on Saturday. Mom had TONS of food and Molly had a beautiful cake made. I need to upload the picture. Teresa had fun games and I got A LOT of great gifts: tons and tons of great clothes, gift certificates, a beautiful hand made blanket and matching sweater, hamper, sling, swing, cd, traveling bed, books, growth chart, bag, jogging stroller, toys, flowers and more. B.J. read some great verses from the Bible about babies in the womb. Thank you so much everybody!

My grandmother Charlotte couldn't make it because she is in rehab for her surgery. A bunch of us ended up staying at my mom's house chit chatting for an hour or so after the shower. We were laughing and having fun. On my way home my mom called and said she forgot to cut a piece of the cake off for my grandmother, so I decided to bring the rest of the cake over to show her what it looked like. I ended up staying with her until 8 pm. My grandfather came in about and an hour and half after I did, so I visited with him too. When I left I carried the cake back down stairs (all of the patients are on the second floor of this nursing home). The cake is on a huge sheet of glass so it's pretty heavy and awkward to maneuver. I was trying to back my way out of the second set of front doors and it didn't seem like I was doing it right, so I kept pushing. Well, I ended up setting the alarm off. I guess they lock the front doors at a certain time which isn't unusual, but usually there is a sign. I called my grandfather on his cell and he got someone to come downstairs and let me out. It isn't the first time I've been locked inside of a building.

Church was great today. Pastor Sheff preached a great message.

I started thinking that I'm not sure of the name again. I go back and forth between a few names.