Good News!!

Nathan's aunt Susie is cancer free!

She has had such a long and harrowing journey. Thanks be to God and thanks to all who prayed!

A Sigh of Relief

Today I was a bit stressed out, standing in the customer service section of Target, calling AAA roadside assistance while baby Luke was chewing on the telephone wire and trying desperately to jump out of my arms. We were at the last of our pre-trip preparation errands (we fly out to Texas tomorrow). I tried to start the car and nothing happened. My key remote was going haywire and would not unlock or lock the doors and the engine was just not responding.

Great, I thought. Prefect timing. I left my phone at home too. I was tired from a cold that I am still getting over. It was just not a good day for me. Then I started praying the God would keep me calm and help us out of this mess and walked back into Target to make my call.

Roadside assistance was helpful, but said that I probably wouldn't be able to get a ride because car seats are not recommended in tow trucks. Ugh.

Then things turned around. The tow truck arrived in 5 minutes! 5 minutes! I am going to call to thank AAA for their speedy service. I thanked the driver over and over. Next, the driver said that his wife had the same car and had had similar trouble. He opened the hood fiddled around with the terminals on the car's battery and tried to start the car. It worked! The car started right up with no sign of any trouble. The driver explained that my terminals were loose, and therefore the battery was not connecting well.

I thanked him again, and Luke and I headed home. Luke was very good through the whole ordeal. God was looking out for us. The perfect tow truck driver came to help and everyone was so helpful!

Home

Not us. Luke and I are still in Escondido, but Bethany is now home from the hospital. She is resting right now and trying to eat some. Hooray! She really looks good for having surgery only a few days ago. Clara was overjoyed to see Mommy again and squealed when she saw her. She loves her Mommy very, very much!

Today Kathy and I cleaned and fixed up a room for her and bought a mattress topper for the bed that is 3 inches thick. It is very comfy and was a great deal from Costco. We bought some flowers too to cheer up the room and create a bright, peaceful space.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and please continue to pray for a smooth recovery.

Bethany is ok!..... What a Day!

First and foremost: Bethany came through surgery very well. The surgeon removed the cyst from her liver using laprascopic technology and a small incision, without complications. She needed no blood transfusions (1-2 units were predicted). The surgeon was so pleased in fact that he thinks Bethany will be able to come home in 2-3 days (half the time originally estimated). Praise God for his blessings!

Also, today I watched Clara and Luke and we all three had colds, Clara's being the worst. I was very worried that both of them would need me at the same time and I would go crazy. As it turned out, Luke had a looooong nap this afternoon (very unlike him), Clara woke up happy after her nap (very unlike her right now), and Kathy Huff- a family friend came to help from 3-6pm.

While Kathy was here and Baby Luke was sleeping, Clara, Kathy and I all cleaned house. We did laundry, dishes, vaccuming, and mopping the floors. The video below shows Clara pretendng to be Cinderella with the little duster. She had a grand old time!

After Kathy left at 6, I was tempted to have a melt down. Luke was fussy, Clara missed her mommy and repeatedly asked for mommy, daddy, Grammy.... anybody but me. But in the end, she got her bath, Luke got his bath, the dog was fed, and the two little ones went off to dreamland. Whew! Hats off to mothers of two. One keeps me busy enough. It was cute though- when Clara cried a little (I got water in her eyes during the bath), Luke stopped to watch. I looked at him and told him that he could not cry if she was crying and stuck a binky in his mouth. He gace me a pouty look, but then accepted his lot.

Things I have been reminded of tonight: Bethany and I have great kids. God is good and gives enough strength no matter what the situation. God answers prayers both big (Bethany's surgery), and small (watching 2 kids).

Right now I can not sleep because of all the unfamiliar noises in the Jones house and because I am paranoid about not hearing Clara or Luke. The mild earthquake a few minutes ago isn't helping my nerves either. Whew again! Maybe I will just rest here on the couch....... :)

For Bethany:

Get well soon! Here are some shots of our day:

Aetna paid up

I got the check for Luke's birth today. There are only a few more charges in dispute, but the bulk of our insurance payment came through. Yay!

Happiness is...

Happiness is waking up at 4am with the cutest little boy in the world and snuggling next to his soft cheek and smelling his milky aroma.

Happiness is watching your husband play with his little boy after a long day at work.

Happiness is having good friends over and just enjoying one another's company.

Happiness is finally getting things done that you have been needing to do for a long time and resting easier at night.

Happiness is homemade dinners and the smell that permeates the house. (Try this one- it is economical too!)

Happiness is watching you wee one grow each day- smile at you, roll onto his side, play with his mobile, coo while eating, and talk to you when he wakes up in the morning.

I realized this morning how happy I am right now.

8 hours

Yep, he slept 8 hours straight last night. 8:30-5:30. Hurray!

Mama is Calm

Thanks to those who recommended the Mama Calm for treating anxiety. I had my first taste of it yesterday. It was very lovely to drink it in a hot tea form..... and I slept much better even after a rather harrowing evening (baby didn't get a proper afternoon nap and was pretty hysterical).

For anyone else interested, I bought my six week supply on Amazon for $15 including shipping.

Dental Bliss

Just a quick note:

I went to the dentist last night and was told that I have no cavities and that all my previous work still looks good. Hurray! That was unexpected.

Also, (unrelated) I think I am drinking about 2 gallons of water each day.

Lovely Morning at Starbucks

Since there is no baby in my arms this morning, I decided to go about my normal routine.

I woke up, got Nathan's coffee, lunch and breakfast together. Then I said prayers, ate a little and took a walk. This morning was especially nice in Huntington Beach- only 70 degrees and overcast. I grew up with much hotter summers than that! After the walk, I headed to Starbucks to study for the CPA. I am almost through the 4th of 5 chapters for the Business portion of the exam.

The Starbucks by our house is especially nice. There is a great seating area outside and comfy oversized furniture inside. While I was in line, a very sweet old bent-over man with a cane walked up to me and said, "Good luck, Honey. New babies are the closest this to seeing God. They are fresh from his hand." I smiled and said thank you. I felt a little like crying. Thank you Lord for these little encouragements. I will try to think about that during labor.

Today it was pretty crowded so I had to sit down next to someone on the large couch, but I still had room for my computer and my textbook. The man sitting on the other side of the couch looked over and asked if I was expecting. I told him yes, and probably this week. He beamed and told me how wonderful life is with children- he had three of his own. I saw their pictures- Roman, Sophia, and Dominic (can you guess- yep a Catholic family). So precious. It is a beautiful thing to see a happy, loving family. He counseled me to stay home or only work part time if necessary. His family gave up cable TV and other little luxuries to make it possible.

Promotion Day

My new signature for work:

Kathryn Jones
Audit Senior Associate
KPMG LLP

The "Senior" part is new. It also comes with a bonus. Yay, two years of hard work. :)

Yay! We've been accepted!

Well, we should sign the lease in a couple of days and be set to move in mid-July. The landlady accepted our application! I will take pictures the next time that we walk by so that everyone can see our little dream house. :)

Thank you Lord for providing a place for us and our little one. He who had no place to lay His head allowed us to have one.

The Resolution

I am so grateful for good medical and dental care. Doctors and dentists have so much power. They see you usually when you are weakest and most vulnerable. A bad dentist can scar you for a long time. My first SoCal dentist was like that. Now I can't even drive down the street that she is on without feeling a little sick. My new dentist does not take advantage of me. She spent a lot of time with me, told me the options that I had, and didn't even charge me for my check-up today. She has done that before also.

Anyways, the results of today's visit were good. She looked everything over and said that I have no major issues right now. (Whew- big sigh of relief) Just to keep using a mouth rinse and rinsing with salt water in addition to my usual brush/floss routine. She also said that it was good that I came in because she needs to know if I think there is a problem. That helped me psychologically. Yesterday, I spent too much time on WebMD reading about how my pregnancy gingivitis can lead to teeth loss and other very unpleasant things, so I was ready to have her level the boom on me today. (a rarity in commercialized medicine)

I have learned a lot of hard lessons through my teeth experience.

1. Humility- Baring your mouth is kind of like baring your soul to a small degree. You have to do it to expose what is there and begin to take care of it.
2. Courage- Going to the dentist for a procedure that is going to hurt and change your moth forever is hard, but necessary for healing.
3. Trust- Putting a piece of you into the hands of someone else.
4. A good physician is necessary- Along with trust above, having a trustworthy physician is key. Thank goodness we have a good Lord who does not take advantage of us, who loves us, who has sacrificed for us.

Gap and Yard Sales

Two things that don't usually go together... GAP and yard sales. They do go together for me though. Now that I am actually getting a little bit bigger, I am beginning to need a few more maternity things, liek long tops that cover the maternity pants so that I don't look silly for work. My best finds have been at yard sales and GAP. For example, I found two very cute dresses and a nice shirt at GAP. The total bill was $21. At yard sales, I have found two pairs of jeans, two dresses, and a few long tops. The total bill: $10.

Hurray for cheap maternity!

Oh, and I am going to post something more substantial later. I was away this weekend at a Women's retreat for church and it was very good.

A huge praise!

This week has been great, especially considering what it could have been.

Most people know that I work A LOT, and this time of year is especially bad. I was very nervous this past weekend knowing that I would be moving onto a client that has had a bad history of problems, long nights at works and weekends. This does not jive with an almost 3 month pregnant woman. I prayed a lot about it though, asking God to 1. provide me the strength to endure, 2. provide my supervisors with a measure of compassion when I need it most, and 3. for a relatively uncomplicated audit.

1. So far, I have been feeling much better, feeling sick only after about 7:30pm. I know that this is partially due to where I am at in my pregnancy, leaving the first trimester, but I believe wholeheartedly that it is also due to Grace.

2. The job that I was dreading has not been super demanding. We are working 12 hours a day, but I spoke with my supervisor, who is allowing me to get in at 7am, eat my lunch at my desk, and leave at 7pm at night. (Someone also brings in dinner for the team, so I get fed premium stuff. :) Last night was a salmon salad from Panera and fresh french bread. Its fun to ask a pregnant lady what she wants to eat) These hours may sound bad, but I know that it could be infinitely worse. Also, my supervisor has given me a rather light load. He is a father and reminds me that "stress is not good for the baby." When he said that today, I wanted to cry. Someone cares in this world of high paced business and go, go, go.

3. Only time will tell on the audit. We have just begun.

Praise God who provides for needs both great and small.