Adventures in NSTs: week 2

So I had two more non-stress tests this week, one on Tuesday and another on Friday.

Tuesday's test was a walk in the park compared to the inaugural test last Friday. I was back in the recliner, but resigned to not get on my side as much as last time and had to defend my choice to the nurse. She got the heart rate right away and Harper kicked and rolled his movements onto the printer and we were in and out of the office in a little under an hour,
cutting our previous experience in half.

Friday, I knew I was going to have to see the nurser practitioner because my doctor was out of town. This was altogether a different experience than any of my other appointments over the last eight months. There are five doctors and about three nurse practitioners and three sonogram technicians, which translates to a lot of patients and a lot of traffic. I am usually having to wait to see the doctor or the sonogram tech for about 15 minutes each at least. I don't think I have ever gotten in there before that. However, on Friday, I wasn't even seated for a minute before getting called up (knowing the stares and sneers coming from the rest of the ladies waiting for who knows how long...I only know this because I do the same thing, thinking, "who the heck is she and how come she gets to go in so fast?") So this time I'm on the other side of the office and have my NST in a regular exam room and get to lay down on the padded exam table. By now, you've got to know I am feeling so justified, so wide-eyed (almost like Georgie on a Christmas Story) you know, all the things you feel just before reality sets in that there is no such thing as greener grass, just a different a different type that still needs regular maintenance and still has it's share of weeds. To all appearances, laying on a bed would seem easier and much more comfortable than the recliner, but the receptor gelled up on my belly was sitting right on the rounded edge of my prego belly and was having difficulty staying flat to pick up Harper's heartbeat. Finally the nurse practitioner had to come in to find a solution, which was to go get another Velcro strip to attach across the top to keep it flat. "Can you raise up your hips so I can slide this under you?" she asks. I begin to say sure as I attempt to follow her instructions only to find out that lying flat on my back in a presumably more comfortable position has sent my sciatica into twitching and lifting my hips seems to be much more difficult than I had thought....good grief!! He did very well and my appointment with the nurse practitioner was good and brief.

All this a reminder of the suffering Christ did for us so that we may know live life abundantly. And although it is no comparison, I must remember that this momentary suffering is all to benefit this baby boy thumping in my belly so that he can have the safest arrival possible and it is sooooo worth it!

www.cindybeall.com has been restored

Where did she go??

Just a quick update for those of you who also read Cindy Beall's manna....I mean blog... and may be wondering what's going on. She should be up and running soon after accidently deleting her hosting account which also deleted her blog, but all is being restored. So for those of you who are part of her daily readership, hang on, it is coming and for those who haven't been there yet, check it out. She offers great chunks of truth and humor about everything from marriage to American Idol. Cindy is one of the most amazing people I have ever known and she clearly writes with a passion to share all that God has shared with her....LOVE HER!!

"The Elephant in the Bedroom"

So our pastor has been teaching a series called "the Naked Truth" and has been exposing myths about sex in marriage and the truth of God's word...I know pretty controversial for some, but something that is talked about everywhere, why not talk about the truth of it in church?

Ok, so this week was titled, "The Elephant in the Bedroom," and was about the dialogue that should be happening between husbands and wives concerning sex. One of the points was about "unmet expectations" and just thought I'd give the quote since it made me laugh out loud.

"Every time can't be like the 4th of July, most times it's more like Groundhog Day."

My question to pastor Toby: was this in reference to the hype behind the 4th and ending in fireworks as opposed to the majority of insignificance placed on Groundhog Day...or the brief nature of the rodent sticking its head out and then hiding away again for a year?? Just curious?

Things behind the things...

I find that when I am writing songs about what has happened or happening in my life that I tend to write about the end result. I forget to tell the story about how I ended up here or there. I know that it seems like the first thing that you would start writing about (if you were writing a song or story) is the journey to the end result.

::Most of the time I forget to do this::

So here I sit thinking about the journey of my life listening to "The Album Leaf."

Simple yet profound (at least to me)
Barrett

First of the NSTs...

So, today I had the first non-stress test, I'll be having 2 a week from here on out. I wish mine would have been comfortably laying down like the cartoon drawing, but instead, they had me in one of those weird recliners and I had to lay on my side in the recliner. It took a while for the lady to get the receptor on Harper's heartbeat consistently because he started moving around. Then she leaves me in there and says she'll come back to check on me and gives me a JEOPARDY type button to press every time I feel Harper move. So after about 5 minutes, the stupid machine starts making this horrid alarm sound. I'm in the chair trying not to freak out about what is happening when finally the lady comes back in and pushes some buttons on the machine. In the midst of this, she turns off the printout to try and readjust the receptor so that it is in a position to keep picking up his heartbeat regardless of where he is positioned in my belly. So now after about 8 minutes of moving it around, she has it positioned where it is picking up his hearbeat really strong, then again leaves the room saying she'll come back and check on me. About 10 minutes later she comes back and I have to tell her that it isn't printing, to which she first tries to explain that it has to be picking up consistently to print (which it had been for the last 10 minutes while she wasn't in there and continued to while she was standing there) then says well, no it should be printing. Then she hovers over the machine totally bewildered why it isn't printing (all I could think was that she doesn't even remember turning the dumb thing off when she came in after the whole alarm deal). After a few minutes of staring at the machine, she finally hits the red button to make the printer turn on again. The thing is that they have to have like 20 minutes worth of data for this test. I had already been there like 45 minutes and now we are having to start again...if only that had been the last "snag" but no, then the stupid printer paper startes feeding back into itself while I'm in there once again by myself awkwardly situated on the stupid recliner with the JEOPARDY buzzer in my hand trying to reach across to yank the printer paper feed out of the printer. When she came back in, she was so pleased to see the length of the paper like she had some great stuff, only to be shocked by the length of paper that was blank because it had been folded ontop of itself in the printer. ARRGGHH! About 15 minutes later I was finally done, well done with that part. Now I had to do the usual, pee in the clear plastic SOLO cup (don't see this kind in the PARTY-PICS) then had to sit in the room for a little while before my nurse came back in to get me to weigh in and then do my blood pressure. Now back to the examining room, wait some more to see the doctor who really just needs to come in to measure my belly, tell me everything looks great and to make sure I'm there on Tuesday and Friday to go through the whole thing again...all this to say I've been a cranky mess all day and I'm ready to be done with today. Can I get an AMEN?

Oh My...

6 WEEKS to go!  Wow!  Yes, only 6 more weeks before Harper will be here!

What does that mean?  Well, here is my abbreviated list:

• I need to sew Harper's crib bedding (I know you are thinking, does she sew? Not really, but I am going to) curtains and recovering the glider and ottoman
• Transform our guest room into a nursery capable of still hosting guests- this includes painting, clearing out the closet and refilling it, taking down the guest bed and putting up the crib and changing table, moving in the glider and ottoman, and accessorizing
• reorganize the hall closet to accommodate items from the previously mention guest room closet
• wash all the tiny clothes and blankets
• get all the baby toys, swings, bouncers, etc. down from the attic and cleaned and figure out what things take what kind of batteries
• get the carseat/carrier cleaned and ready to go
• get all the bottles and nursing gear out and find a place to house it in the kitchen

Ladies, am I leaving anything out??  Help me add to my list if you see something I am forgetting.

It has been a while...

It has been quite a while since our last post, and we apologize. The culprit is called pregnancy! Seven weeks and counting until our little Harper will be here. Melanie and I have been so exhausted and we have actually looked at each other and said, "We need to post to our blog!" and then we went to bed.

So let me fill you in on what has been going on:

::sickness::
Melanie and Whittaker have been and still are sick. I have learned that pregnancy and sickness make an already tired mama even more tired. This pregnancy has been great for Mel but my sweet wife is tired. Please be praying for her.

::Whittaker::
Our sweet boy is turning into a little man more and more each day. From the discovery of the words "I can't," to the fascination of turning on every light switch he passes in the house; he is a great joy to us.

Just a short story. I was out in the yard picking weeds, and it was Texas hot. I was in the middle of thinking "this sucks" when the back door opened and Melanie asked me if I would mind if Whitty was out there with me. I said "no problem." (Whittaker has a new love for the outside since discovering that he can pee on a wooden slat fence. have people clap for him and get candy. Hey, wouldn't you???) As he came outside with his puffy eyes that had just woken up from his nap too soon, he was fascinated with the mayflies that would fly up as he walked the yard. So we talked to the neighbors over the fence and saw the puppy next door and then I went back to picking the weeds.
As I bent down to pick up each weed, there was Whitty bending down with me. He was mimicking my every move and picking out a few of his own. Then he walked up next to me and rubbed in the sweat and sunscreen beading up on my head and said "I lud you Daddy." My exhaustion went away just like that. What a sweet boy we have. He is getting more excited about seeing his little brother every day.

::Melanie::
Melanie has taken on a part time job at the church designing the background graphics for the worship for all 3 campuses at Cross Timbers and she is great at it. For any of you who have not witnessed the brilliance in Melanie's design sense, you are missing out. She has been searching frantically to find the fabric to design Harper's bedding and room with much disappointment, but we now have found all that we needed. We have not even started on the room but that is quickly rising higher and higher on the to do list. She is officially to the point that she feels really pregnant. She has noticed in the last few days that Harper has started to drop and she is realizing as we all are, "Oh my!!!......OH MY!!!!!!!......he will be here fast!" Please be praying for a safe and speedy delivery, as well as continued health for her leading up to the delivery. Please pray for Whittaker as he welcomes Harper into our family and for a smooth transition. He is so sweet with other babies and I am sure he will do great but prayers cannot hurt.

::Barrett::
I am enjoying being a husband and father more than I ever have. Melanie and I continue to become closer and closer and our marriage is continuing to grow as well. I love what I do for a living and I am still amazed that I get to lead people in worship every week. It is what I was made to do. I took vacation time 3 weeks ago and we did nothing but stay at home as a family and be together for 7 days. It was the best vacation I have ever been on. After vacation and going back to work I told Mel that I was grieving the loss of it. We realized it had been 2 years since Melanie and I got to go to church and worship holding hands and actually ride to and from service in the same car. What a blessing!
To be brutally honest with you all before I went on vacation I was Barrett the "worship leader" or Barrett the "pastor." Those titles held my worth and gave me my value. But after spending 1 week alone with my family I have rediscovered the value in being a husband and father first. What value is there in helping lead people to Christ if you are not leading the ones in your own home first?

::Harper Josiah::
He is doing great and growing like a weed in that sweet belly. God has shown His greatness through showing us He is more powerful than any doctors diagnosis. Because of the two-valve umbilical cord, Melanie has to begin doing non-stress tests on the 18th which means she will be in the doctors office at least twice a week. Her doctor told her that she will pretty much feel like she has a second family there.
Harper will be here sooner than we even realize and our life will be turned upside down. The countdown to no sleep has officially begun.

::Our Family::
To sum it all up God has been so good to us. We have recognized His power to save us from ourselves and from the things of which we have no control. I pray that He begins to show you the same, and that you recognize His affection for you in your own life.

We love you all,
Barrett, Melanie, Whittaker, and Harper