Drum Roll, Please...

Well, we had our Level 2 Ultrasound yesterday...and the verdict is....IT'S A GIRL!!! Crazy...shocking...bizarre...just nuts...but OHHHH so exciting. I never really let myself think that we'd have a girl, but now that we are, we are super excited. Logan went with us and thought it was great getting to see the "animal" baby as he called her and hear the heartbeat. He's very glad to be getting a baby sister. We went to The Gap afterward and he picked out an outfit for her, along with his Daddy. Jarrod would have you believe that "we" picked out this outfit, but seeing as how I only got to nod an approval of the cute little dress he picked up, I don't really think this counts as "us" picking something out. He won't let it show, but he is giddy--he loves little ones of any size, shape, color, gender...but baby girls steal his heart pretty easily and pretty powerfully. I think that he "needed" a girl more than even I did.

Our friend Ashley was so sweet to get her her first two outfits. They are SUPER cute and neither one is pastel pink! I love the color pink, but I don't love that most moms insist on ONLY putting their little girls in pastel pink outfits. Ashley shares this opinion and Baby Payton has many cute "non-pink" outfits that she looks super cute in. We're in a little trouble as far as names, clothes, bedding, bedrooms go...we've been ready to set up the nursery with all of Logan's nursery decorations. Somehow, I don't think that I want to set up a fishing room for this precious little girl...back to square one...

Weekend in Review

We had a wonderful, full weekend this past weekend. Friday, we relaxed and hung out as a family. We started Saturday off early at the donut shop, then picked out plants and trees to plant in the yard. We spent the morning and early afternoon planting, then went to the Third Day Concert and Ranger Game Saturday night with our church youth group. We had a blast--Logan eventually warmed up to the concert, although he was a little concerned that we were sitting on a hill and might fall down it. He LOVED the Ranger Game and he got to watch most of the game with some of his favorite adults--Miss Sandy and Mr. Michael (who happen to be the best youth minister and y.m. wife that we've ever come across.) He also got to have cotton candy for the first time--I wish I'd captured his face on his first bite...he of course loved it. Sunday we had church, then a birthday party and then small group. So, we stayed busy, but it was such a blessing to spend so much time doing so many different activities as a family.
Third Day concert

Sweet Day

Today was a day that I want to remember so many things about that I decided to write them all down here to have record of them later.

Logan had an extremely sweet day. He started the day as ornery as could be--up before 6:30, he came in and started jumping on the bed saying "Get up, Mommy! Get up!" I of course sent him back to his room--or so I thought. He came in about 10 minutes later with gum out of my purse, which he got taken away. He came back about 10 minutes later--no pants, no underwear...lovely. I had quite the mess in the bathroom and was perhaps a little upset as to his choice of morning activities. From that point on he was precious.

The following are some of the conversations and activities of the day:
*He told me that he didn't want to go to Waxahachie to Target. He would just stay with Daddy. I told him he couldn't because Daddy was working. To this he responded: "I wouldn't disturb him."
*He got a shark for completing an "I flushed the potty chart." However, I apparently purchased the wrong one. He said, but this isn't a shark (it was a saw shark)...I need the one with the BIG teeth (the tiger shark).
*Discussing with Jarrod why he got his shark, we asked him why he got a shark. "Because I got 5 stickers." Why did you get 5 stickers? "So I could get a shark." Effective chart...
*My favorite part of the day: We went to Brookshire's today where he pushed his own "little" cart. We were after crackers, which happen to be on the same aisle as the baby food. As we were leaving the aisle, he says: "Stop, Mommy, Stop." He runs back and grabs a jar of green pea baby food. I ask him why and he says: "The baby will need some food when it comes out." I started to correct him, but realized the sweetness of this precious moment. I hope it is the first of many.
*While at Brookshires, he actually talked to the sales lady--this is HUGE for us. He carried on a normal conversation, no fingers in his mouth, normal tone and volume in his voice. We got to the car and he says, "Mommy, I'm such a big boy to talk to the lady."
*I went to deliver food for some friends with new babies. Logan asked Jarrod, "Daddy, when am I going to get to call Mommy?" He called while he was eating dinner on the front porch and asked when I would be home from Cleburne (I was in Arlington.) He told me he wanted to call me and tell me: "Mommy, I'm a big boy, so I'm going to jump off of my toy bench in my room."
*Jarrod fixed steaks for him and Logan while I was gone. When they sat down to eat, he looked up at Jarrod and said, "Daddy, Thank you for cooking me dinner."
*"I'm gonna run so amazing fast"
*"The cooker mans" "The singer mans"
*"If the baby tries to get them, I'll hide them behind the chair" Hide what? "My toys"
*"When I have 5 brothers, I'll chase them"
*"My 2 brothers are gonna go with me" to the Ranger game tomorrow.

Black and White

Logan is extremely black and white...there doesn't seem to be much gray area for him--its either yes or no, right or wrong. He also has a lot of particularities that I don't quite understand. A few days ago, we were playing with his stable and all of the animals were laying down. I set them all up and he was distraught--you see the larger animals were on top of the smaller animals, hiding them. He's Jarrod's child when it comes to messes...he loves an organized mess...I love organized sans the mess.

Well, yesterday he displayed this tendency in a battle roy-al before school. It was picture day, so I wanted him in a polo and jeans. He insisted on not wearing the shirt--it was "church clothes." It didn't help that Jarrod was the one dressing him and his patience level is low that early in the morning for such particularities. They fought and fought over this, resulting in Logan nearly ripping the buttons off of the shirt and pulling it in such a fashion that it nearly tore. Obviously, he was going to wear the shirt and it was a battle we were going to fight--trust me, we don't fight them all. However, it was a tough morning for all of us. I spoke to his teachers before school and told them about his morning. Ms. Amber just laughed and says..."its probably because I tell them not to wear their church clothes to school. I have some that wear frilly dresses and don't want to play on the playground, so I'm constantly telling them to tell their mommies not to put them in church clothes to go to school. You know he's so black and white." That was exactly what it was...my poor little guy was telling me not to put him in his church clothes. I just thought it was him being particular, but no, he was horrified that he'd get corrected at school--a trait he comes by honestly on both accounts. Needless to say, we got a good laugh out of it.

Remembrance, Reunion and Renewal

This past weekend, we went to Houston to honor our friends Brad and Jenny Wims. Brad has cancer and has been given a tough road to travel--you can read about their circumstances by clicking on their blog link to the right. It was amazing to see so many people there to pray, to sing, to visit and to just be with them. I think that I could talk about that time for more than you have time to read about, but lets sum it up like this--God is amazing, He is powerful and He is at work. I will never forget the old time AFC singing, the songs we sang in Thai, Soul Union singing and especially the time of heartfelt prayer and pleas for God to heal Brad's body. It was wonderful to catch up with friends we haven't seen in too many years and to see their kids and families, but more importantly, it was wonderful to unite in worship and in faith for our friend. There was a sense of never having been apart, a sense of knowing these friends as well today as we did 11 years ago, and of comfort knowing that everyone's purpose was the same--love Brad and Jenny, encourage them and beg God for a miracle that we have no doubt He can perform.

You know its funny--we had such an uplifting weekend that there is no doubt Satan is upset. We got home and the Wims got news that Brad's surgery is postponed, Jarrod had a horrible day at work yesterday, and I have had one little annoyance after another. Satan is attacking quickly to discourage, so it makes me smile to know that our time together was powerful and effective.

What kind of Mother

Logan is obsessed with t.v. We used to limit his time to 30 minutes per day; however, this has crept up to one Disney length movie on non-school days. He usually watches it first thing in the morning and we play the rest of the day. This has been the routine since we moved into our house 7 months ago; however, he asks nearly everyday after his nap if he can watch another movie. This is today's conversation:
L: Can I watch a short movie?
M: No, you know that. What kind of mommy would I be if I let you watch movie after movie?
L: Miss Sharla

I couldn't resist posting this. Sharla is my "pseudo" sister, my dear friend and someone I and my family love and adore. Sharla also lets Logan get away with whatever he wants to do and sometimes I wonder if he truly wishes she were his mother...

Let the Dreams Begin

Okay, since Logan was born I've had this HUGE (some call it irrational) fear of my child/children drowning. I don't know what it is, but I do get deathly afraid of this at various points. I think that it all started when I was pregnant with Logan and I realized that there were multiple dangers that could easily cause this...my in-laws had a pool with 2 back doors, their backyard backed up to the Brazos River and they also owned a houseboat in Arkansas. Let me stop here and say that I LOVE these things. I think in another life, I could live in the water--if I believed in that sort of thing. I can find no better relaxation than on the lake, sitting by/in any body of water or just looking at the water--as long as my child isn't with me. My mother on the other hand is scared to death of it--this was always so absurd to me, but no longer.

For many other reasons, we have not taken Logan to the boat since he was 9 months old; however, we have decided that it is time to get him acquainted, so in another month and a half, we'll be taking our first trip to Arkansas as a family since he started walking. This scares me for a huge variety of reasons, but the biggest being that there is a large gap between the boat and the dock that any child could slip between, but is not large enough for an adult to fit.

So, now on to the dream...last night I dreamed that Logan was jumping between two platforms over water...I was trying not to panic aloud in my dream, but I awoke in sweaty sheets with my heartrate at a million beats a minute. I woke up just after 2 a.m. and didn't get calmed down until after 7 a.m. Today, I checked my email and found this:

"Why do I have such strange dreams?Your hormone levels are all over the map and you're about to undergo one of the biggest life events imaginable that's enough to give anyone the occasional nightmare. In fact, vivid, bizarre, or even terrifying dreams during pregnancy are probably the mind's natural way of dealing with the anxiety, excitement, and fear that accompany childbirth, says Dr. Raina Paris, author of The Mother to Be's Dream Book: Understanding the Dreams of Pregnancy. "

Yet another thing I forgot about pregnancy.