As you know, we've had a lot of stress over the last few months (mainly, unemployment coupled with expecting very soon) and as calm as I've tried to be, there were days when I was just an emotional wreck. Hospital bills for services last year came in, our car started making noises, things around the house broke down, Christmas came and we weren't able to do anything for others or each other, etc. And yet, the weirdest thing happened... the longer we were faced with ongoing dilemmas, the more peace I (and Nick) had about the situation. This totally defeats all logic, as well as the way I function, so I know the only reason for it is that our church family and friends were interceding on our behalf and praying us through this season. This month, we've seen a lot of fruit from those prayers that have been poured out for months over us and I wanted to share some of them. God has been so good!
Towards the beginning of the month we were able to get a bedroom situation taken care of for the boys. We had originally planned on converting our third bedroom into Luke's big boy room and leaving the nursery as is for Samuel, however, a couple factors came into play that made us have to chuck that idea out the window. Mainly, Luke still needs a crib and I'm in no hurry to put him in a toddler or twin bed yet; our third bedroom is full to the brim with storage and used as our office and we have no place to transfer all that stuff to until we finish our basement; and of course, the financial aspect was part of the process as well. Due to all of that, I started checking out Ebay and Craigslist to see if I could find a toddler bed or a crib that we could add to Luke's room so the boys could share. Much to my delight, I found an even better arrangement that met our budget... a family with multiples was selling their matching 4-in-1 cribs and a combination changing table/dresser unit! The arrangement would fit much better than what we currently had going on in Luke's room and they were selling their set for a great deal. Even still, I wanted to see if we could throw in a low-ball offer, so I took a gamble and waited for three weeks to put in an offer (hoping no one else would snatch it up first). They came back saying they wanted their full asking price, but Nick & I were content with that since it was still a great deal. My father in law helped us haul the furniture in his trailer as well as install in when we got back. Here are some pictures of the boys "new" room:
You'll notice the boys have matching bedding which was another blessing that was a complete surprise. As much as I'd have loved to have their sets match, I didn't think that would be feasible and was okay with that. Luke's bedding was gifted to us at a baby shower and has since been discontinued, so to get it used is pretty expensive (it's Pottery Barn which apparently is like purchasing real estate... it goes up in value over time!). I was in disbelief then when I found that a gal in Denver was selling her baby's set for a third cheaper than anywhere else I'd seen online... and not only that, but she threw in the matching rug (that costs $200!), a Baby Style lamb chair, matching valance and finials! I couldn't believe it... I called up my great aunt and uncle who live in Denver and they were happy to pick up the set and mail it to me. All in all, we were able to furnish the boys room with things that exceeded my expectations for around the same price I was hoping to get one piece of furniture!!! I hadn't seen any deals like this before or afterward and I know it's just God's goodness that we were able to get everything taken care of before Samuel arrived.
Things just seemed to get more interesting as the month continued. After a week on bed rest due to a pre-term labor scare, I was so happy to be up and about. During the midst of that bed rest routine, I fudged and got up once to go to the sweet baby shower that the gals in our small group hosted for us. I was overwhelmed by their generosity and their creativity. They decorated everything to match the boys' bedding (greens, yellows, and lots of little sheep everywhere). My ever-so-witty friend Emily even made a cake with a sheep on it that said "Sam-ewe-l" (get it?!). I thought it was pretty crafty. Here are some pictures from the shower:
The sweetest hostesses (l-r): Katie, Katy, Emily, Lidia, Camille along with a very pregnant mePerhaps the biggest blessing of all this month has been good news on the job front. Nick had an interview with Cerner, a large local company that specializes in health care IT, and received an offer soon after. He will begin February 22, which should provide (Lord willing) a buffer of time so that he can be here for a while after Samuel's born. Knowing that a job's in store has brought a lot of peace of mind, as now he can actually enjoy his temporary time off! Also, because he'll be starting so late, he plans on going to another interview offered to him with another company so that he can chose between the positions. Considering the state of the nation's economy it is such a huge blessing to have multiple options, whereas for months we didn't have much to run on.
That's kind of the scoop here. When I get a chance I'll post some pictures of my mom's 50th birthday party. It turned out really well... she was very surprised and it was cute how in character all the young adults in attendance were (all dressed up for a vintage Hollywood themed party!).
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