For the Journey


Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance." ~Psalm 65:11
I've celebrated seven Mother's Days, but I do think yesterday was the best one yet.  There was no breakfast in bed and certainly not a "day off," but I enjoyed celebrating my family and just . . . mothering.

I wanted a new watch so Seth and Hannah Kate went shopping for that on Saturday.  Mason didn't want to go.  He informed me that he'd already gotten me something.  That something turned out to be a small heart fashioned out of clay that he then painted red and blue.  He made it during art class at school and brought it home buried in the depths of his book bag.  So you have to use your imagination when it comes to looking like a heart, but I put it in my jewelry box to keep forever.  He was so proud of it, and it's probably the best Mother's Day gift I've ever been given.

When Hannah Kate got home on Saturday, she asked if tomorrow was Mother's Day.  I told her it was.  She and Mason both are very much into calendaring, particularly days of the week, months, holidays and who has the next birthday.  So after I confirmed that the following day was, indeed, Mother's Day, she asked, "Well, are you going to get my stocking?"  I just laughed and explained that she was getting her holidays mixed up.  Christmas is still several months away.  She makes me laugh all the time.

I was looking at my children yesterday, wondering when exactly it was that they got so grown.  I mean, Mason will finish 1st grade this week!  And Hannah Kate is 4 going on 21, it seems.

And the newest addition to our family . . . well, you can mark your calendar.  The birth date is scheduled for Monday, July 16 at 12:30.  NINE weeks!  I had another check-up today.  Baby's heart rate was 150 BPM.  And that's about it.  So I was thinking earlier today that perhaps it's about time to pull the rubbermaid containers down from the attic and start washing some newborn clothes.  And maybe I'll go ahead and put the cradle bedding on the cradle.  And I really think we need to go ahead and decide on a boy name.  I don't know why that's been so hard.  I have to tell you though . . . not knowing whether this baby is a boy or a girl is about to send me over the edge!  I can hardly stand the suspense any longer!  And besides that, I would always pray for our babies by name and gender.  I can't do that this time.  It's hard.  A friend of mine told me to come up with a nickname.  I have to be honest.  I'm just not one for nicknames.  But nicknames are pretty popular around here.  I know a Goat, Boobie (I guess that's how you spell it), Tootie, Jughead, Dinky.  I'll just stop right there.

Of course, Mason wants a boy, and Hannah Kate wants a girl.  When I asked Hannah Kate the other day why she wants a girl, she said, "So there will be two girls, and I'll have one to play with."  So I explained to her that she could also play with a boy.  She and Mason were having a conversation about it this weekend.  I heard Hannah Kate explain her logic to him.  So he responded that he wanted a boy so there would be two boys.  Hannah Kate thought about that for a minute, and then I heard her say, "I know.  We'll have a girl baby and then we'll get Connor back so that means we'll have two boys and two girls!"  She's a smart one, that girl.  She also wants to name baby girl Lily.  She's very adamant about that.  Now.  I like the name.  I really do.  But that's just not the name for our girl, if we have a girl.  So I'm not sure how that's going to go over.  We've tried to involved Mason in the process of naming a boy, but that hasn't worked out too well.  I thought we had a name a few months back that Mason had actually picked out, but he's obviously changed his mind, and he won't really talk about it anymore.  The only other thing we've been able to get out of him is Jack.  Well.  Again.  I like the name.  I really do.  But I just don't think there's a Jack moving around in my belly!

Speaking of the bump . . . here we are!