Just a quick prayer request.
Please pray that I naturally go into labor within the next 2 weeks. If I do not then I am going to be induced the weekend of March 12th. This gives me 2 1/2 weeks to do it naturally and so far, other then a few contractions, I have had no labor signs. Next Thursday 3-5-09 my doctor is going to check for dilation, and this is when we schedule the induction.
Induction is soooo much harder on the body and it could take several days to even start labor (I will be hospitalized the ENTIRE time). Then I will be in the hospital, obviously, while I am in labor, and then the 24-48 hours after labor...
Please pray that everything goes smoothly, that I have a healthy baby, and that I remain healthy through it all. Pray that I start labor NATURALLY.
Thank you for all your prayers and blessings!
February 24, 2009
February 23, 2009
Contractions
This cartoon could not explain any better how I feel right now. I am soooooo ready to have this baby. I am very uncomfortable, and my nights have already started to become long...
Last night I had contractions for about 3 hours... I knew it was not serious and I did not need to call me doctor, because they where NOT consistent and they where not getting stronger. However, they where painfull enough to keep me awake half the night. They where also enough to just tease me to think MAYBE I was beginning labor... NOT.
I am two days shy of being 37 weeks, but I feel like I am 50 weeks. Tired, fat, swollen, achey, cant tie my shoes, cant pick up anything from the floor and I feel unmanageable. Some people handle the last month of pregnancy well, however I am not one of them.
Pray for me to have patients and wisdom on how to handle being so uncomfortable- because I feel exactly like the lady in the cartoon.
I just have to keep reminding myself of the prize at the end!!!!!
February 18, 2009
Day-Care
I never realized how stressful it can be to find a reliable, safe, caring and loving daycare for your child. When I was 3 months pregnant I had contacted a women who used to watch my 13 year old nephew when he was a baby. She did daycare services out of her home and she was WONDERFUL. At 3 months pregnant she told me that she would ensure that she had a spot for my son when he was born. I called her on Friday to follow up with her and make sure she is still available and she told me she is no longer accepting anymore kids. Her max is 5 and she wont take anymore. I was sad, and started to cry. I dont know anyone else to watch him.
She told me that she would contact a few women who go to her church who also babysit and that she would have them give me a call... well, of course, nobody has called. I called her again today to see if I could get there phone numbers and contact them myself and she did not answer. I asked her to call me back and still have not heard from her.
While I know a daycare center will probably be much more reliable it bothers me that my son will not get the one-on-one care he would get if she babysat for him. Daycares are germ infected and sometimes unsanitary. You also dont know what these employees do once you leave your child there. At this point, I am stuck sending my son to one of these places, however, they all have at least a 2 month waiting list. Which means I need to be put on the list like yesterday.
I am making it a point on Friday to go to several places in Los Lunas and check them out. I will then narrow my search down and put my name on a list. I hate this, and I am soooo freaked out. I just want the best care for my son.
Please pray that the Lord leads me in the right direction and that I find my son a healthy and loving place for him to stay 40 hours a week.
She told me that she would contact a few women who go to her church who also babysit and that she would have them give me a call... well, of course, nobody has called. I called her again today to see if I could get there phone numbers and contact them myself and she did not answer. I asked her to call me back and still have not heard from her.
While I know a daycare center will probably be much more reliable it bothers me that my son will not get the one-on-one care he would get if she babysat for him. Daycares are germ infected and sometimes unsanitary. You also dont know what these employees do once you leave your child there. At this point, I am stuck sending my son to one of these places, however, they all have at least a 2 month waiting list. Which means I need to be put on the list like yesterday.
I am making it a point on Friday to go to several places in Los Lunas and check them out. I will then narrow my search down and put my name on a list. I hate this, and I am soooo freaked out. I just want the best care for my son.
Please pray that the Lord leads me in the right direction and that I find my son a healthy and loving place for him to stay 40 hours a week.
February 11, 2009
My Incarcerated Cousin
Gary at my wedding in August 2004
Gary in March 2008 when I went to see him in prison
When I first started this blog I briefly talked about a cousin who I have that is incarcerated. Many of you know the reason he is incarcerated and many of you don't. Today is the day I feel like talking about him!
Let me start by telling you a little about his past and what he has achieved. His name is Gary Hernandez and he is 28 years old. He was valedictorian of his high school class and went on to receive a full ride scholarship to Stanford University. He graduated with honors from there and received a double Bachelors degree- one in Urban Studies, and one in Business Management.He also received a Masters degree in Psychology. He also completed these 3 degrees in 4 years!
Once he was done with Stanford he went into the Army, was stationed in El Paso, where he was a Master Sargent. He got married in 2006 and started a new life as a married man.
Before he got married he had an addiction. His addiction was to internet pornography. Keep in mind, I was VERY close to my cousin and I had NO IDEA that he even had a problem, nor did the rest of my family. To make a REALLLLY long story short he had sexual relations with three seventeen year old girls when he was 24. These encounters where ALL consensual, and they where all video taped and pictures where taken, again, all consensual. Because of his addiction to internet porn he put these pictures and videos on the internet and attempted to make profit from them. An FBI agent pretended to be a "potential customer" who was interested in purchasing these items. This is where he got busted. He was convicted of child pornography and each photo/video he distributed added time onto his sentencing.
I went to his sentencing in September 2006 and saw two of the three girls in question. Trust me when I say this- you could NOT tell that they where minors. They where 17 at the time. In the state of Texas legal consent to have sex is 16. However, on the federal level, you must be 18. 18 is the age to have sexual intercourse, and allow permission for pornographic pictures to be distributed of yourself, whether it is via web, cell phone etc... He ended up getting sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. In the federal system you do NOT have the option for parole, so unless he can prove he was misrepresented (which he was) by his lawyer, or get approved for an appeal (which he as already tried and been denied) he will be serving his full 20 years.
Since he has been incarcerated (3 years) he has changed his life for the better. He lives his life for Jesus Christ now. He realizes what he did wrong and he also realizes how his story has definitely changed his way of thinking. He has admitted to me that before he was an over cocky guy who treated women like trash. Now he see's the importance of women, family, and the gospel.
Since he has been incarcerated his wife has filed for a divorce. She was aware of EVERYTHING before they got married, however, he had not been convicted of anything at the time they said there vows. I can not condemn her for what she has done, because I am not in her shoes and I do not know how she feels.
Keep in mind, I am not saying that what my cousin did was OK in any way. He deserved to be punished for his crime. However, I do not believe the punishment fits the crime. You see people who murder other people, or commit these heinous crimes and get MAYBE 10 years. But he received 20 years for having and taping/photographing sexual relations with seventeen year olds and distributing this media on the internet. When you hear CHILD pornography, you think of a child... These girls where not children and they where NOT raped or bribed into anything. All three where also aware that he was distributing this stuff via the web. One of the girls, till this day, has a myspace page with pornographic pictures of herself posted...
Needless to say, he has turned his life around and COMPLETELY serves God. I can say he is a changed man.
Please pray for him that he receives some type of leniency with the law. Once he gets out of prison his plan is to become a counselor for inmates, and also counsel inmates who where incarcerated for several years and are now in the free world- to help them adjust to real life and get jobs! His psychology degree will help him in the endeavour.
Gary in March 2008 when I went to see him in prison
When I first started this blog I briefly talked about a cousin who I have that is incarcerated. Many of you know the reason he is incarcerated and many of you don't. Today is the day I feel like talking about him!
Let me start by telling you a little about his past and what he has achieved. His name is Gary Hernandez and he is 28 years old. He was valedictorian of his high school class and went on to receive a full ride scholarship to Stanford University. He graduated with honors from there and received a double Bachelors degree- one in Urban Studies, and one in Business Management.He also received a Masters degree in Psychology. He also completed these 3 degrees in 4 years!
Once he was done with Stanford he went into the Army, was stationed in El Paso, where he was a Master Sargent. He got married in 2006 and started a new life as a married man.
Before he got married he had an addiction. His addiction was to internet pornography. Keep in mind, I was VERY close to my cousin and I had NO IDEA that he even had a problem, nor did the rest of my family. To make a REALLLLY long story short he had sexual relations with three seventeen year old girls when he was 24. These encounters where ALL consensual, and they where all video taped and pictures where taken, again, all consensual. Because of his addiction to internet porn he put these pictures and videos on the internet and attempted to make profit from them. An FBI agent pretended to be a "potential customer" who was interested in purchasing these items. This is where he got busted. He was convicted of child pornography and each photo/video he distributed added time onto his sentencing.
I went to his sentencing in September 2006 and saw two of the three girls in question. Trust me when I say this- you could NOT tell that they where minors. They where 17 at the time. In the state of Texas legal consent to have sex is 16. However, on the federal level, you must be 18. 18 is the age to have sexual intercourse, and allow permission for pornographic pictures to be distributed of yourself, whether it is via web, cell phone etc... He ended up getting sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. In the federal system you do NOT have the option for parole, so unless he can prove he was misrepresented (which he was) by his lawyer, or get approved for an appeal (which he as already tried and been denied) he will be serving his full 20 years.
Since he has been incarcerated (3 years) he has changed his life for the better. He lives his life for Jesus Christ now. He realizes what he did wrong and he also realizes how his story has definitely changed his way of thinking. He has admitted to me that before he was an over cocky guy who treated women like trash. Now he see's the importance of women, family, and the gospel.
Since he has been incarcerated his wife has filed for a divorce. She was aware of EVERYTHING before they got married, however, he had not been convicted of anything at the time they said there vows. I can not condemn her for what she has done, because I am not in her shoes and I do not know how she feels.
Keep in mind, I am not saying that what my cousin did was OK in any way. He deserved to be punished for his crime. However, I do not believe the punishment fits the crime. You see people who murder other people, or commit these heinous crimes and get MAYBE 10 years. But he received 20 years for having and taping/photographing sexual relations with seventeen year olds and distributing this media on the internet. When you hear CHILD pornography, you think of a child... These girls where not children and they where NOT raped or bribed into anything. All three where also aware that he was distributing this stuff via the web. One of the girls, till this day, has a myspace page with pornographic pictures of herself posted...
Needless to say, he has turned his life around and COMPLETELY serves God. I can say he is a changed man.
Please pray for him that he receives some type of leniency with the law. Once he gets out of prison his plan is to become a counselor for inmates, and also counsel inmates who where incarcerated for several years and are now in the free world- to help them adjust to real life and get jobs! His psychology degree will help him in the endeavour.
February 05, 2009
Super Bowl
This cartoon above got me thinking... What makes us happy? For my husband it was the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Super Bowl. Donovan is the ultimate Steelers fan. The ten years we have been together he always has been. Since he loves them so much I am a little fan myself. Otherwise, I could care less about football.
What makes me happy is the Lord. I love going to church, and I love talking about Him. Somtimes in my life I am not as Christian as I should be, and I am the first to admit that. But I am also the first to admit that I do try my best to be Christian and live by His word. I dont always do my best, but I try to catch myself and when I am not living His way, I pray that He forgives me.
So when I saw this cartoon in my church bulletin I had to post it. It combines the 2 things that my husband and I love: the Steelers and the Lord! It is sooooo true. We see THOUSANDS of people get together for Super Bowl, thousands of people dress in their favorite team, and thousands of people get SUPER excited. We also hear THOUSANDS of people talk about the "big" game and who is going to win. Then when it is over, even more people are talking about how great/bad it was, and all the highlights, INCLUDING commercials.
Why cant we do this with the Lord?
Gotta love those church mice!
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