Changes and Beautiful Anticipation

This fall has been a whirlwind so far! Two days after Nathan's birthday on September 18, we got a call from our land lady. She informed us that she had plans to turn the house we were living in into an adult foster care home. She'd been in the process of getting the go-ahead from the state for several months but she had held off on telling us (probably for fear of loosing money if we had moved out sooner). She gave us thirty days to find a new place to live.

We have several conditions that made finding a suitable home difficult. One is that Nathan drives a company truck and in order to use that truck and also because he's on call a lot, he has to be within a certain distance from his work. Another is that we have several animals, including a horse, that require lots of room and an agreeable landlord!

We searched every day for weeks and were getting close to the deadline, as well as becoming increasingly discouraged, when we applied for a place between Terrebonne and Madras. The house was less than ideal but it was our only option for a place with land. It turns out that they had given us false information and it had already been rented. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were just going to have to find a small place in Redmond and board the horse until we found something at a later time.

Then the most amazing thing happened. Nathan and I both separately just got a feeling that we were supposed to look in Madras. Within one day he found a property management company, I called them, viewed a house, and put in an application! We were accepted right away and we were thrilled. We ended up moving in a week before we had to be out of our old home and it was an easier transition than I had anticipated.

The house is a lovely four bedroom home on several acres which we can fence for our horse. Nathan loves the fact that it has an attached garage and I am enjoying the extra storage, especially the pantry! We still have a few things to put in order but for the most part we're settled in. We are so thankful to God for how everything worked out for the better and it was such a journey in trusting Him. He is our gracious Father and it is so precious how He blesses His children even when we don't deserve it!

Now that I'm thirty-six weeks pregnant, the mood around our household is switching from business and chaos to a calmer, more prepared anticipation. I was able to order an actual birth pool online and Nathan's insurance reimbursed us for it. It is so large and comfortable! We took it for a "test run" and I can see it working beautifully for the birth.

Angel talks about the new baby a lot. I'm pretty sure he knows what's going to happen. Jazmyn loves to pat and kiss the belly and we tell her that there's a baby in there but I doubt she can comprehend that. We are planning on having both the children at home for the birth so the transition should be smooth.

After discussing it with my midwife, we decided to have four lovely ladies at the birth. We will have our main midwife, Tiffany and her assistant Annie be our primary care-givers and their two assistants, Jenny and Nikki be there as well for support and assistance if need be. I'm very blessed to have such an awesome, supportive team to share this experience with. I love them all : )

We are all very excited about this birth. I know it's going to be an awesome experience and I'm really looking forward to meeting this baby. I have my suspicions that this baby is going to come early but I'm hoping for December fifteenth. For some reason I picked that date and I'm sticking with it! We'll just have to see when this baby decides to show up. Whatever the date, it's going to be amazing.

" You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you" Isaiah 26:3

My New Baby Resolutions

It has been a while since I've posted anything to my blog! Summer always seems to be a busy time for everyone. I think the warm weather kicks everyone into high gear and it's all a rush to get things done before fall sets in.
I know that I have my summer projects ahead of me! I'm not the kind of person who makes New Year's resolutions, but if you ask my husband, he'll agree that I definitely make new baby resolutions! With every pregnancy we've had, I've made a list which he'll swear is a mile long (it's really only a few yards) of things that we have to do and buy to get ready for the new baby. The list for this baby is by far the longest yet.
Fortunately for our ridiculously tight budget, most of the items on the list can be found second hand and the other things listed are things that require good old fashioned elbow grease and time spent indoors. All of which my dear hubby will no doubt greet with unbound enthusiasm I'm sure! He really is a sweet heart for understanding my need to have everything "just so" before the new baby.
As I said before, the list is quite long, but a few things on it would be decorating the master bath and bedroom, organizing and putting items in storage to make more room, finishing the spare room and study, buying baby clothes sized 3-9 months, and completing my doula certification.
I'm very thankful that Nathan's days off are now Wednesdays through Fridays. Since not a lot goes on around town on those days, it's not such a sacrifice to stay home. I'm also thankful that our kids have such sweet grandparents who offer to watch them for a little bit so Nathan and I can get a break now and then! One thing I know we would both like to do would be to take a weekend to ourselves before the baby comes.
For family news, we've had quite a fun kick off to summer. We were able to visit friends and family in the "Valley" as well as the zoo and our other favourite, Ikea! There's been grilling and horseback riding, swimming, fireworks, and fun in the sandbox. I'm looking forward to more summer fun and I'm hoping that this pregnancy will continue to be as easy on me as it has been so far!