Here's one last photo of D2 before we get to meet him in person! I had another ultrasound this morning so we got to see him all snuggled up and sleeping. In this photo, he's using his hand as a pillow for his nap.
We did find out as well that he is currently head up. Since I really, really do not want to have a C-section, please be praying with us that this little guy would decide that being head down is more fun and will be much easier on Mama! We still have about a month for him to turn on his own without too much difficulty. Anything after that will require some contingency planning between us and my doctor.
It sure is fun getting to see him again! We're definitely ready and excited to meet this new little man (hopefully either on time or even a little bit early this time around!).
Here's a quick peek at books we've read recently or are currently reading (John's got some on the list this time too!).
1. "Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup," by Laura Jana 2. "The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want--and What to Do About It," by Joan Blades 3. "The Importance of Being Foolish," by Brennan Manning 4. "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis 5. "What's So Amazing About Grace?," by Philip Yancey 6. "The NIrV Read With Me Bible" (for some variety for Brennan) 7. "The Teammates," by David Halberstam 8. "In-n-Out Burger: A Behind the Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain that Breaks All the Rules," by Stacy Perman.
We got the good word from our realtor earlier this week that an offer was made on the townhouse! We were definitely excited and encouraged by this news, but somewhat disappointed that the offer was a bit less than the list price. However, our realtor advised that we should go ahead with submitting the paperwork for the bank to review. After all, the worst they can say is no and then provide us with a price they would accept.
All our financial paperwork is in, so I guess the waiting game begins now. We would love your continued prayers for quick processing--and especially that the bank would accept the current offer. We'll keep you posted!
I recently finished reading an absolutely wonderful book called "The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want--and What to Do About It" by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. Now, when I first got it from the library, I was slightly skeptical that it would be over-the-top feminist, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was far from it. It had its moments, but overall, it was very pro-family.
The premise of the book is all about moms, dads, and ultimately the nation coming together to start a revolution of sorts--one that works as a grassroots movement to promote family-friendly social policy change in the United States. It shared many stories of women who are facing challenges with raising families, as well as statistics that demonstrate time and time again that family-friendly policies can only be beneficial to the nation, both socially and economically.
There are six basic manifesto points that were emphasized throughout the book: 1. Maternity/paternity leave: provide paid family leave after the addition of a new child to the family. 2. Open, flexible work: give parents the opportunity to structure their work schedules and careers in such a way as to meet both business and family needs, including flexible work hours and locations and more part-time opportunities. 3. TV we choose and other after-school programs: creating a way for parents to choose what TV shows (and stations) will be shown in their homes, supporting quality educational programming for kids, and increase access to and funding for after-school programs. 4. Healthcare for all kids: provide quality, universal health care coverage for all children. 5. Excellent childcare: make quality, affordable childcare available to all parents who need it and provide childcare providers with livable wages and health care benefits. 6. Realistic and fair wages: parents need to be paid fair wages that will allow them to provide adequately for their families.
It was a fascinating look at how unfamily-friendly the United States is and how much change is required just to catch up to the rest of the world. It inspires me to write to my Congressmen to voice my opinion about changes that need to be made. There are also a number of petitions and form letters that can be signed and submitted via the Moms Rising website, if anyone is interested.
Among the many things that stuck out for me was learning that the CEO of Wal-Mart made nearly $23 million in 2004, while the company pays wages that tend to be so low that many employees need food stamps and other government assistance just to make ends meet. That may actually cause the end of shopping of Wal-Mart for me!
Brennan loves his yogurt--so much so that he cried yogurt tears when we switched back to his normal kind after a brief stint with something slightly cheaper. Lesson learned! Yogurt makes for one happy boy!
We purchased a townhome back in 2005. It turns out we bought at the worst possible time in one of the worst possible housing markets in the nation. The collapse of the housing market has definitely impacted our family.
When we moved to Richmond back in March 2008 (been here almost two years now!), we had tried to sell the place, but had no luck. So we opted to rent it out with the hope that we’d be able to sell it at some point in the future. Unfortunately, the rental market had also essentially collapsed in that area as well. With so many people unable to sell their homes, they turned to renting them out, which in turn drove down rental prices across the board.
We were eventually able to rent the place out, but at a great cost. Just to hang on to the place, we’ve lost several thousand dollars over the past two years (not to mention the severely declining value). With John’s recent unemployment and potential childcare costs for when he does go back to work, we made the decision to do a short sale on the property to ease some of the financial burden.
Even doing a short sale has come with its share of difficulties, mainly in the shape of our tenant and management company. Now that some of those difficulties have been ironed out, we are finally starting to progress slightly. The home was finally shown this past Saturday. We are praying, and would covet your prayers as well, that this process would proceed quickly, that the right buyer would come along, and that we could lay this piece of our past to rest.
For me, it’s a wonderful relief to finally be so close to lying that part of the past to rest. It’s no secret that those 4.5 years we spent living in the land of constant summer were incredibly difficult on many different levels. Moving to Richmond brought a sense of relief and sheer freedom that I hadn’t felt in years. It’s given me the opportunity to start healing and processing things from that former time. But despite finally being in a much better place locationally, we’ve still retained ties to our former place through paying a mortgage on a house there and dealing with all the fun issues that come up with a management company and tenant.
Now that the end is finally in sight, I feel like the day we’ll get to sign the closing papers will bring some much needed closure and give me the ability to finally (fully) move on. Now we just need a buyer and some divine intervention in this short sale process!
When I first began researching maternity leave benefits when Brennan was on the way, I was absolutely appalled at what I found. The United States is 1 of only 4 nations in the entire world that do not offer some form of paid maternity/paternity leave. The other nations: Swaziland, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea. What's wrong with this picture?
With Brennan, I was lucky enough to be able to be home with him for seven months before going back to work part-time. With D2, I'll be lucky to be home for seven weeks before heading back to work.
With FMLA, only my job is guaranteed for 12 weeks. It's unpaid leave--only AFTER you have used up all your vacation and sick leave (if you are lucky enough to have accrued any).
It's a distressing thing for sure! Ever since I first began researching maternity leave over two years ago, it's become my new crusade. When will the United States catch up to the rest of the world in regards to supporting families? Just when you need an income increase, it's taken away. While I'm not suggesting that the US go as far as most nations in Europe (who provide up to two years paid leave), I am suggesting that the US make FMLA paid for at least the full 12 weeks.
As the birth of D2 draws closer, I find myself thinking about this more and more. I came across a grassroots organization called Moms Rising which helps facilitate people getting more involved in political issues that revolve around families. Thanks to Moms Rising, I found a great article that articulates matters better than I ever could. The website also has some great facts, statistics, and resources on it that are definitely worth checking out.
But until the US enacts a law providing paid maternity/paternity leave, we'll make the best of a not-so-good situation and enjoy whatever time I'll be able to take off when D2 makes his grand entrance into the world.
I am 28 weeks pregnant today. Only 12 more to go! The end of April feels kind of far away still (especially in light of our recent snowstorm and the promise of more snow this weekend), but thinking that he will arrive in a mere 12 weeks makes it feel quite close! Time to finish getting his room ready!
We did find out as well that he is currently head up. Since I really, really do not want to have a C-section, please be praying with us that this little guy would decide that being head down is more fun and will be much easier on Mama! We still have about a month for him to turn on his own without too much difficulty. Anything after that will require some contingency planning between us and my doctor.
