Blessings.

Lately, Brian and I have had some frustrating situations and honestly, I needed to be re-inspired. Mt heart was too heavy, once again, to worship my Lord in the way I should. I learned a very important lesson before...not to ever allow myself to get in the way of being close to Him. And yet, I find that I get to this place quite often. Burdens and hurts consume me and I can't see past them to see HIM. What a weakling I can be.

So, today, I decided I needed a new song. I went on a search. Guess what the first one was???

Blessings.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Isn't the Lord a good and gracious God? Providing His children with amazing scripture over and over again...and also leading them to wonderful healing words of song.

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30 Day Organize-a-thon!!!

Last night, as we drove home from a day away, I realized that I did not want to go home to my messy house. I thought, "Boy Annie, that is so silly. You have the ability to change that. " So, this morning I did what any smart girl would do. I googled how to clean my house in 30 days. lol.

In my search, I came across this great program. It is free for you to download!!! Here is the link: 30 day Organize-A-Thon I snatched it up quickly!

After downloading and reading the daily tasks, I decided that I would like to change up the order a bit, just b/c I need to see some results in specific areas before day 13 or 21...or whatever day. But, I am going to print off the checklist at the end, and post it on the fridge.

Each week, I hope to get back here to log in and record what tasks I accomplished that week. There are 30 days in June, so it should be perfect. ;)

Anyone wanna join me???

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A Deal Worthy of Sharing. :)

So, I have a new site that I love. It is called Mammapedia. They offer special deals, normally 50% of certain websites, each day. All of these deals are for ladies who have children they love in their life! They also try to sponsor companies that are owned by moms!!!

Here is today's dealio:

Buy a $50 gift certificate to Zoolu for $25!!! Here are the outfits that I am getting Gracie Lu:









I can't decide which cow one to get. What do you think??? I love the dress...but those cow pants are AWESOME and she could wear them with another shirt as well. What do you think?

ALSO...if you wanna get this deal yourself, just go here: Mamapedia Zoolu Deal. There are plenty of great items for babies, mammas, and kids! From bottles, strollers, toys, and clothes!

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4 Months! Really?

My lands...my girlie is 4 months old! Hard to believe, huh? I wanted to write her accomplishments, so I don't forget them later.

Gracie's Measurements: She weighs 12lbs and is 23 inches long. 15% for her weight and 8% for her length. Little Peanut. :)

Gracie Can:

-Smile

-Say, "Ahhhh", "oooooo", "heeeeeyyyy" and bunch of other things that don't really make up words at all but are fun to hear!

-Sit and watch an entire 30 min tv show, with a smile on her face!

-Sleep 10 hours a night! This girl loves her sleep, but will not sleep if she is not swaddled. She is the best girl when it comes to sleep. No fusses. Just put her in her seat (she sleeps sitting up) and off she goes. LOVE IT!

-Eat 5 oz of bottle, every 3 hours.

Gracie Loves:
- She loves to lay on her tummy.
- She loves it when Isaac and Abbie talk to her.
- She loves it when Brian and I get her up in the morning and her arms are free of the swaddle blanket. Stretches like crazy and then smiles up at us like saying, "Thank you and good morning!"
- She loves going over hills. Well, maybe not, but we love watching her! She throws her hands up in the air and makes the "OOOHHHH" face! lol
- She LOVES baths!!!

I will have to come back and put picts up...sorry. :)

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Geocaching...our new past-time!

So, we have finally found a hobby that the entire family enjoys. Even Brian (although he tries to act like he doesn't) likes it! What is it, you ask...

GEOCACHING!

I know, some might be confused as to what this is. But, really, it is so simple! Basically, geocaching is like a huge, worldwide treasure hunt. People hide caches (boxes/containers) and include a log book, plus sometimes treasure, inside it. Then, using a gps, they write down the longitude and latitude coordinates of the hidden cache. The hider then brings the coordinates back to the internet and records the hidden cache on geocaching.com. They also leave information about the area and sometimes more clues! Then, the finder takes the information and goes out into the world to find the cache. Make sense???

So, with our GPS (which actually is not the best for geocaching since it only takes us on roads) we set out to find some. Our first find was literally beside our house! Not joking! Since then, we have found them at a battle ground, state parks, roadsides, cemeteries (my faves), and historic places. Lots of learning going on here as well.

If you haven't joined in on the new craze...give it a try! Many times you don't even need a GPS, just good Mapquest directions. ;) Here are some pictures of our new found love.

I don't know why, but for some reason, it seems as though Governor O'Bannon would not have minded this.

The Constitution Elm...it was under this tree that the Indiana constitution was signed!

This one was a fishing pole attached to the inside of a PVC pipe! You had to use the rod and lure to get the log book out of the bottom of the pipe. Isn't Abs hair in the wind just plain awesome?

And creatures discovered on one of the trips.

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Barney...take 3.

We have now entered into a new...yet old...world. For the third time in the Shaw Family history, Barney has become a child's favorite. Yes, Gracie now loves her Barney. Abbie and Isaac keep saying..."NO, don't let her watch it!" But, only b/c they don't want to!!! lol. Today, they are gone with Daddy, and Gracie is discovering what babyhood is all about. Barney.

She is giggling and talking back to the tv. Kicking her feet to Icey Creamy Ice Cream. And her eyes are bright and smiling at that big purple dinosaur.

Welcome to the world of silly songs, ABC's, manners, and PBS, little Miss Gracie Shaw. Enjoy it while you can. :)

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There is something so breathtaking to watch your child sit and listen intently on words of truth flowing through her heart and head. Even at the age of 3 months....and 9 years old. I put this lullaby DVD on for Gracie tonight, and sat her little "punkin" seat down in front of it so she could watch the amazing shapes and pictures. I then left to get some work done. After a few moments, I heard a sweet voice floating from the family room. Peeking in, I saw Abbie sitting beside her little sister, singing these beautiful words:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and Hears me when I call

What an amazing gift. To see my Abbie teaching her sister how to praise THEIR Lord. Lessons learned:

1. Be Still and Praise My Lord. In the bustle of the day, stop and remember His sweetness.

2. Do not grow weary of well doing for in due season you shall reap! Abbie has been rough lately. Her mouth has not been uttering blessings, but harsh words. To see a fruit of all the hard work that we are putting into her...well...just encouraged me to press on.

3. Do not assume b/c Gracie is an infant, that she does not need to be reminded of the GREATNESS of her Lord. He is HER Lord, every bit as much as mine. I need to be reminding her of that more.

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Teeny Tiny

Someday, I will forget how teeny this little girl was. Someday, she will be running around...yelling her head off about how Isaac is chasing her with a bug. Someday, she will be putting on makeup and learning how to drive. When that someday comes, I want to be able to look back and remember that she was just a little Kelly Jelly Bean.

This bottle is actually a 2 oz bottle. So, think of a normal sized bottle. Cut it into 4 pieces. She is "holding" one of them. Amazing that it seems like it is the size of her head.

I love this picture because not only does it show Gracie's tininess, but it also shows her fragility. Once we got her home, we soon forgot that she was to be handled with extra care. She reminded us quickly though that she was not a normal newborn. Amazing that this child size band-aid looks like a cast on her little hand.

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St Patty's Day 2011

Trying to find the "Luckiest" coin.

It was above their heads hanging from a clothespin.

Lucky shot of Abbie without hair in her face. Growing bangs out...STINKS!

(above) Gracie's first hunt.

The Magical Loot

We love celebrating "fake" holidays. St Patty's Day is one of those. lol. Every year, we all make sure to dress in green. Most of the time we actually purchase new Irish shirts for the occasion. Some years we go to an Irish restaurant to celebrate. One year we went downtown to check out the festivities. Last year, we flew home from Florida...all dressed in our GREEN!

BUT, one thing that remains the same...year after year....we always have a "Luck Coin Hunt". Nothing super special, just a big bag of chocolate gold coins hidden throughout the house/yard. The kids can either keep their chocolate, or trade it in for real coins. Both of them traded this year. Another amazing sign that they are growing up. Isaac bought his new video game with his money and Abbie...well, Abbie is still saving hers.

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Gracie's Story

Short Story: Grace Kelly Shaw arrived in our family on January 14th, 2011 at 4:36am. She was 4lbs 15oz and 18 inches long. Labor was very long (30 hours), but totally worth it. The only complications that this little preemie had was severe jaundice (not normal baby jaundice, but preemie jaundice) and bacterial pneumonia. We are very very blessed!!!

Here is the long version:

At 31 weeks pg, we were told that something was just not right with my growth and Gracie's. We were watched closely.

At 33 weeks pg, we discovered that my amniotic fluid had dropped to 4.5 cm, but baby was doing fine. We were admitted to the hospital for a few days and then sent home on bedrest.

At 34 weeks pg, the fluid had dropped even more to 3.4cm, barely. Again, admitted to the hospital...this time to stay until delivery. Delivery was estimated at 36-37 weeks.

Here is where it all started. lol. Admitted at 2 in the afternoon on Wed, the 12th of Jan. I was having some minor contractions and was 1cm dilated. Was told that I was not allowed out of bed for anything other than going to the restroom. And needed to take in as close to 4,000 calories a day as I could!!!!! SERIOUSLY! My weight had dropped, and they were concerned that baby Grace was suffering from a lack of food. AKA slowly starving. (Horrible to be told that your disease is causing your baby to starve.)

By 7:00pm, Brian and I were all resting easily with our laptops and tv going. We were preparing our minds to 2 weeks of hospital bed rest. THEN...whamo. Our nurse came in and told us that the dr had discussed with a specialist and decided that the risk of keeping Gracie in...was greater than her risks out. And, we would be inducing in just a mere 3 hours!!!! Honestly, the Lord had already prepared my heart for whatever was going to come. I was not attached to any dreams of how labor would happen...I just wanted my daughter to be born alive.

At 10:00pm on Wed evening...the induction began. I actually asked for an Ambien so that I could sleep some. Moderate cramping in my back set in, contractions 5 min apart or so, and an ache in my hips that would not go away. Livable by all means. Starting to think that maybe this would go quickly and that by the afternoon, I would have my baby!

At 12:00 on Thursday afternoon, the contractions were every 3 min apart. They were strong...but not strong enough. I was at the maximum level of Pitocin. And, I had only dilated to 2.5 cm. By this time, my contractions were still very manageable, but the pain in my hips was causing me a lot of problems. Also, I was sick to my stomach and was needing to go to the bathroom every 20 min. I am not joking. Finally, they put a catheter in at 1, b/c I was just really struggling with the bathroom issue. We played Phase 10 for awhile...I had to finally call it quits though.

At 2:00 pm on Thursday, the nurse could tell I was starting to enter the stage of not coping with the pain as much. I still felt that the contractions were not horrible and confident that I could continue, but the catheter and hip issues were sending me over the edge. I was now dilated to 3cm...and they wanted me to consider the epidural b/c my body needed to relax. I took it, even though I felt I could have gone on more. It paralyzed one side of me and didnt effect the other side at all. Interesting.

At 5:00pm on Thursday, they broke my water. Contractions were every 2-3 min apart and getting stronger. We thought, this is it! Wrong. lol

At 10:00pm on Thursday, I had been in labor for almost 24 hours. I was quite discouraged. Still 3 cm, still no change. Still sick. Still half paralyzed. And struggling a little mentally from a lack of sleep. The dr came in and asked if I would consider a pressure point massage b/c she felt it would help push things a little faster. Baby was doing fine...so I agreed. Massage Therapist was a weird one, and we all got a kick out of her later on. Also around that time, my Dr gave me the option of a C-Section b/c she knew that I was just not ready. After all, they were trying to make a baby come...and it was just too early for her! I declined and told her that if by 10 the following morning, I was still pg, then we could discuss it.

At 2:00am on Friday, I awoke to crazy insane pain. And drenched in sweat. Epidural was no longer working. And would not work again, except for a tad bit of relief here and there. The pain was basically there to stay. BUT, my body had finally kicked in and things were moving. From there on, things went fast. From 3cm to 10cm in less than 2 hours.

At 4:00am, I told them that I felt that it was time to go. Sure enough, it was. With now no pain meds in me... I started pushing. After 12 great pushes, Grace Kelly Shaw entered into our world at 4:36 am. Alive. She did not cry at first, but looked great. Preemie everything. She weighed in at 4lbs 15oz and 18 inches long. 8 out of 10 for her apgar score!!! The ped specialist just looked over at Brian and shook his head. She was a miracle. They were floored that she was so perfect. Our nurse even cried over the fact that the Lord had done such a mighty work in this little ones life.

From that point, we have had several setbacks...Including a week on the bili blanket and a NICU stay for Pneumonia. BUT, the Lord is a good and gracious and merciful Lord, and Gracie is evidence of it. Even if things aren't always exactly perfect in my eyes.

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