Chicken Pox

Harry on Sunday  - he didn't want to smile for me

One of these days I will look back on this time and smile. I will be able to make Harry laugh about how he looks. We have been invaded by the chicken pox!  Two weeks ago the kids were unknowingly exposed to chicken pox. My thought was that this wouldn't be too bad. If they got them then it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I remember having them when I was young. I knew they were very itchy and simply irritating. I didn't realize they could be as bad as Harry got them.

I noticed some spots on Harry Saturday night after bath time. I didn't notice any spots on Kathy until the next day. We stayed home from church and did some crafts to go along with a Bible story. We took it easy. I thought, "This isn't so bad." Harry woke up Monday morning covered - his back, chest,  face and neck had little red spots all over. Kathy only had about half a dozen. Harry was miserable all Monday. I stayed out in the living room with him Monday night so he wouldn't wake up Kathy all night long. Every time he cried I felt like crying too.  He looked terrible.

We suggested a bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) bath. He refused. The sight of the spots all over his chest scared him. We did get him to hop in the bath for a bit on Tuesday and it seemed to help him.

All this while Kathy was getting new pox but very few. Even now I think she may have two dozen. Harry must have a few hundred.

They are finally on the mend. I have learned that soda baths definitely help, and cream is better than lotion. I was also able to find some children's Benadryl at the local pharmacy. The kids slept pretty good last night.

Even then, it really hasn't been too bad. They've been pretty good about not scratching. Instead if it itches really bad they just rub that area lightly. I've seen Harry pat his head lightly - the ones in his hair are pretty annoying.  It looks funny because it seems like he's smacking his head. 

I hope they're pretty healed up by Christmas next week. Last year we all had the stomach flu the week before Christmas. Hmmm...what will we get next year? :)

December

Okay, so I've been wanting to blog again for a while now, but had put it off because I really didn't want to sit down and write out what we've been doing. For one thing it's a pretty normal life we lead now...uh sorta.  So, I thought I'd change the way I write about things.  I'm just going to add some pictures and write a little about each. Kind of just some highlights of things we've been doing. (since I can't seem to get the layout I want by putting pictures and text on the same page, go to PHOTOS to see the pictures!)

We started off December with a renewed tradition. One we hadn't been able to do in 2 years - decorating for Christmas!  We added a new tradition of making cookies together. The kids had tons of fun!

I have a dishwasher. Pretty amazing, huh?  Well, I hadn't used it at all since we got here. Then last week we had a party and I used it! Now I have suddenly remembered why I was so excited when I heard we had a dishwasher!!  I just load it up during the day and after the kids go to bed I turn it on. The next morning they usually help me unload it.

I've also been pretty creative this month. We get a lot of glass jars from jam, mayo, sauces and other things. These have to be recycled. So, I have a bag of glass jars sitting in my laundry room. Then I got pinspired!  (I'm pretty sure that's not original, but I like to think I came up with it :) I used a few jars to put our toothbrushes and toothpaste in. Some I even added ribbon and flowers to. I finally found a medicine jar for only 50p at a charity shop to store my cotton balls in. (I love charity shops!) I'll work on making it a little prettier.

Other pinspirations include a 3D  snowflake(I like to think of it as a star, it looks more like a star), paper snowflakes and organizing the kids colors and coloring books. Side note-don't look too closely at the carpet in the picture!  Yes, it is pink!!  But it's in the play room, so not a huge deal.

Another crafty thing I've been working on is stockings - that is Christmas stockings. Kathy and Audrey didn't have stockings. I bought plain ones and personalized them. They're far from perfect, but they're cute.

Audrey passed four months on the 3rd of this month. Shortly before that she started turning over belly to back. This gets a little annoying because she'll wake up screaming from a nap and be laying on her back. She gets upset since she can't turn back over. Then just the other day she turned over back to belly. She hasn't done it since, but I think she'll master that pretty soon:)

In a week and a half it's Christmas and a week after that it's the New Year. Then my birthday :D!

Hope you're having fun this month. I sure am!!

Another thing I plan to do before the Christmas: make some salt dough ornaments - I need to find a recipe that tells me the temp and time for a Celsius oven. Kathy never got a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament and Audrey needs one, so I plan on making those and some personalized 2012 ones (like with our family name and then a new fun one for Harry and Kathy each - think train and princess crown?).

Merry Christmas!!!

Adventures in driving and other things...

A few weeks ago Don decided it was time I learned to drive our car, a manual.  While I wasn't very thrilled with the idea,  I knew it had to be done if I wanted to be able to go out and do things on my own,  i.e. go shopping without dragging everyone with me! :)  So we began our lessons.  The first time I learned to back up in the driveway and drive in and out of the garage.  Then we drove on a short stretch of road near our house, in town.  That was soon followed by a longer stretch right outside of town.  Before I knew it he was having me drive every other day.  To Asda, to church, halfway to Inverness,... I've caught on to the driving part pretty quick, it's the driving on THESE ROADS that makes me nervous.  In the States the streets are much wider and most have a shoulder before the ditch.  Many of these roads are very narrow and there's no shoulder before the ditch.  Thus we found ourselves with a flat tire on the way home from church on Wednesday.  Don had me drive home and I took the longer route so I wouldn't have to drive the curvy road home.  A double decker passed on a turn and I moved over too far.  When I began to speed up there was a loud thump thump!   I'm glad we were so close to home.  I stopped and Don slowly drove the rest of the way home.  We were able to get it fixed the next day.  And today I found myself driving to the grocery store all by myself!!!  I certainly didn't think it'd wind up being so easy.

The days have been nice.  A little overcast for the most part, but not bad temperature wise.  The kids have been enjoying playing outside some.

Audrey turned 3 months old this past Saturday.  She's getting her first tooth.  I was so surprised when I discovered this.  My other two didn't get their teeth until they were 6 or 7 months old. I finally got her bed fixed up,  so at night she sleeps in her cot(crib) and during the day she sleeps in a small travel bassinet.  She's almost grown out of the bassinet.  Her room doubles as Don's office for now since she only sleeps in there. So during the day she sleeps in the bassinet that is usually in my room.

I have very few boxes left to unpack. Only 2 or 3.  It took me a while to get to my craft supplies because I didn't have enough storage. Now we just need to put all the boxes and totes in the garage and do a little decorating and our house will be done.  I'm looking forward to it!!

Settling In

We have been here about 5 weeks now. Time seems to be flying for us. We are slowly settling in. Most of the furniture we need has been ordered or bought at a charity shop. Our house is filling up nicely. We're just waiting for a large bookcase and our dining set to arrive. Our boxes came in right before we left for a camp meeting in Arbroath. More on that in a bit. Many of them are unpacked. All that remains are maybe about 10 or so. They mainly contain my stuff for crafts and scrapbooking. My desk is getting pretty full. I think I'm going to have to either get another bookcase or some other type of storage unit so everything can be put away. Sadly a few things broke. I'll know better how to pack the next time. Things that were packed in totes were just fine.
Now to Arbroath. The missionary, Bro. Jim, that picked us up from the airport hosted a camp meeting in Arbroath just 3 weeks after we arrived.  We were able to get together with other missionaries around the country for a 4 day conference. There was food, fellowship, singing and preaching. We were all able to stay together at Windmill Christian Centre. It was nice to get reacquainted with missionaries we had met before, as well as meet others for the first time.
The kids are doing great. Harry and Kathy got their bunkbed and dresser a few weeks ago. Then we ordered some duvet covers for their beds. They are enjoying their 'new' room. They both picked out their own covers. Harry has a Thomas the tank engine cover and Kathy's is a princess cover.
Audrey is doing well. She slept through the night for the first time last week!  She's growing fast but still looks so tiny. She's more and more alert. The kids love to talk to her and play with her every time she's awake.
Don was able to find a nice desk and we ordered a bookcase for his office.  He turned 30 this two Sundays ago. We celebrated small. I made a big breakfast and lunch for him. Then we had pizza and ice cream for supper. Monday we went to Inverness so he could pick out some clothes. We had an enjoyable time there and were able to pick up some other things we needed.
This last Sunday we celebrated  our anniversary. We were able to leave all the kids with the Cashners and go to Trentham Hotel in Dornoch for supper. Don surprised me Saturday with flowers and Monday with jewelry!  It was a wonderful way to celebrate our seventh anniversary but first in Scotland.
All in all we are enjoying our time here. I'm still getting used to the shopping. I can't drive our manual car, so we a load up to go to the shop. It would be nice if I could drive myself places, especially shopping. So the other day he had me out in the driveway backing up and pulling into the garage. Then on Friday he had me out on the road. Just a short stretch of straight road out by our house. It's not as hard as I imagined it to be. I hope to be able to drive on my own soon. I believe he was going to have me drive to the store by the end of this week. I'm only nervous about stalling on the road while trying to drive away from a complete stop.
The days are getting shorter and fall has arrived. When we first got here everything was still so green. Just in the past week the leaves have turned and are falling. It's also been raining more than when we first arrived. We had snow, rain, sunshine, rain, snow in one day just last week.
For once in many years life is finally seeming normal again. We've gotten into a daily routine. Don will usually do some studying in the morning while I do some chores and the kids play in their room. These days the kids are always starving so lunch comes early or they have little snacks all day long. I think Harry is growing again because he'll always ask for something only an hour after we've eaten!! I'm just going to have to keep a lot of snacks around. :) Of course if Harry wants something then Kathy does to.
God has been so good to us. We are so happy to finally be here, in Scotland!

Hill of Fearn, Scotland - our new home

The trip

Our plane flight went rather well, as previously mentioned.  The second night didn’t go as well as the first. We put the kids to bed at 8. But to Kathy it was 2 in the afternoon, because she woke up 2 ½ hours later and didn’t want to go back to sleep! Both of them decided after a few hours ‘napping’ it wasn’t time to go to sleep. They finally went to bed around 3 am. Don and I hadn’t slept at all up to that point so we were very tired the next morning. After just a few days we’ve gotten back into a routine. I think we’ve adjusted to the time pretty well.

The house

Friday we headed up to Tain. It was about a 4 hour drive because of the stops we made. We were welcomed at the Cashner's house with lunch – tacos – my favorite!!  The Cashners put up with us until evening. Then we made our way over to our house.  I must say that I love my house!!  I must try not to get too attached. We thought it only had 3 bedrooms, but there is a bonus room in the back. It’ll make a great play room/school room/craft room. The carpet is pink. I love the color pink, but it doesn’t make a good carpet color! I plan on putting down some fun large area rugs in there. Our room is an en suite. There’s a laundry room off the kitchen. In the garden is a wooden play house for the kids. Inside is a small dresser filled with toys. I don’t know who left it here, but the kids are enjoying it.

Shopping

Grocery shopping is pretty easy. They have different names for some things, but if you’re not sure what it is, just read the label. Other shopping is a little more complicated. For larger items, such as furniture, you mostly order online or by catalog. The catalog ordering reminds me of out-of-the-way places where people would order out of the sears/roebuck catalog. This is an out-of-the-way place!! The first Saturday we went to a charity shop(thrift store) and found a couch set, hutch and desk for me. Some things we will be looking for at charity shops, other things we’ll buy new. Don ordered our bed and mattress just the other day. It came just this past week, a lot sooner than we expected. We had to reorder the mattress since the one we had ordered wasn't to our liking. Oh, the joys of ordering by mail! If we order anything, it’ll take a while to get here. We've also been able to find a kitchen table/chairs, a bed and dresser for the kids, a bookshelf for the play room, a phone stand and a desk for Don. We ordered a few more things for our living/dining rooms. Little by little we’ll fill up this house.

Tain is a small town. We live in a neighboring village called Hill of Fearn. Someone told us people would keep painting over the ‘n’ to make it read “Hill of Fear.” It's very quiet unlike the noise of what we're used to in Rochester! We’re not too far from the water. The first Saturday we stopped at the hotel in town for sticky toffee pudding. It was great!!!  Something I have to learn to make! Sticky toffee pudding is a chocolate cake with a toffee sauce poured over it. Ours was also served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and a raspberry.

Bethel Baptist Church

Bro Keith Cashner is the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church.  Our first Sunday here was really nice. They have an afternoon service. It was a little different getting up on Sunday and not preparing for church right away. I kind of liked it since Sundays can be a pretty busy morning with a bunch of little kids. The Cashners are renting a room to hold services in. It took me back to the time my family was in Germany. After the church service we went back to the Cashner’s house for some fellowship. The second Sunday we were here the church celebrated their first year anniversary. The fellowship afterwards was a lot of fun!  We had such good food!!  Another thing I need to learn to make - roasted tatties.

I am really enjoying settling in. Tomorrow our boxes come in. I am so ready to have our stuff!!!  I am looking forward to unpacking and adding our personal items to the house!

Greetings from Scotland!

Yes, we are here! The moment we have been waiting for since God called Don has finally come to pass. The journey that began 5 years ago has led us to this - home.  Five years ago God called Don to Scotland. Two years ago we began our deputation travels and now here we are.
We began this week with our last Sunday service at our home church. Pastor preached a special service and afterwards he and the officers of the church prayed over Don. He then read the passage from Acts 13. One verse he particularly emphasized, verse 3 "...and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" After the service we had a dinner. Don preached the evening message.
Monday was hectic. Packing was quite a chore. We bought one new suitcase that was bigger, but I had to send Don out to get another one. I packed those bags to nearly bursting. I was afraid they were over the weight limit which they were. We did get everything packed and by the end of the day I was very tired. Don did a great job of keeping the kids out of the way.
Tuesday I was up early and we literally shoved in the remaining last minute items. Pastor Martin and a few people from church came by and we prayed together. Then off we went at about 10:30.
Let me say now, it is very difficult to travel as far as we did with 3 little ones!!! :) Our first stop was Chicago. I'm glad we had changed our flight and had 3 hours there, because we needed it. We had to go through security again and then make it all the way to Terminal 5 before our gate closed. It was nice that on the long flight they let families go first. One thing that was hard with ours being so small is that Don and I carried all the carry-on luggage. We didn't have much, but what little we did have made it quite a chore. :) They did do very well though. Kathy had a short crying spell when we arrived in Dublin because we had  to wake her up so she could walk off the plane. As soon as she was in her stroller again she was fine. Tip: if you're traveling with an infant and toddler, take a baby carrier/sling and an umbrella stroller. By putting Audrey in the carrier, my hands were free to push Kathy in the stroller. There were a few stressful moments, but all in all it went pretty well. Much better than the disaster I was expecting.
And now we are here!  The kids napped on the back from the airport. They went to bed early and didn't wake til 10:30 and 11 am!! I think as far as time we're doing good on recovery.
Today we went to Arbroath along the North Sea for some fish and chips. They were the best!!! 
Tomorrow we head up to Tain. After we have lunch with the Cashners we will go to our house! Please pray as we hunt for furniture. We want to be able to find some quality items that will last, but for a decent price.
Sometimes it seems like we're just visiting. I think it'll take a few weeks being in our own home to really sink in.  I'm looking forward to settling in and getting acquainted with the shops and people. I've already been trying to tell Harry and Kathy some of the different words to use. They find it fun.
Tonight Harry prayed: "And Lord help us to bless the people that they all get saved!" Amen!

The last days...

A lot of things have happened since I last blogged. With minor delays and much frustration we completed the paperwork for our visas and sent them off. Within a few days we heard from them that we had not sent our marriage certificate. Now this at first seemed to be somewhat of a problem., since our license was on it's way across the Atlantic on a big boat.  Then I remembered that I could request a certified copy by mail. We sent out the request overnight and received that within a few days. That had to be sent overnight to New York. They received that this past Monday and a week before our departure we received our passports with our visas. We have seen God's hand throughout this process.  It's amazing how quickly everything came together. Sometimes it seemed that with every paper or process we completed we were met with another obstacle, but in the end we simply needed to trust God to bring it all about on time. These past two months of getting everything together to apply we have definitely been tested and learned patience again and again.
Now the wait is almost over. In two days we board a plane to the place God desires us to be. I don't know what lies ahead for us, but I pray that whatever we do, wherever God leads us that we do all to glorify Him.
Today is Sunday, our last Sunday in our home church for a while.  We leave loved ones behind and we will miss them! We had a special commissioning service with a dinner afterwards.
We've been granted a 3 year visa which is the longest time frame they give. The kids are excited about going. I don't think they understand the time frame we will be gone. They know it will be a long time,  but I wonder when they will begin to ask if they can visit nana and papa, or Oma and Opa.
I'm ready to get into my house and buy furniture. Don can't wait to just finally be there.
"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, THEY SENT THEM AWAY." Acts 13:3 KJB

Look who's 1 month old

New Title

So, the time has come to make a change. I don't know if I'll remain with the title, but for now I've renamed the blog mwinscotland.blogspot.com. In case you're wondering, mw stands for missionary wife. In about 3 weeks we embark on a new adventure. Our 'first term' as missionaries in Scotland will begin. While I will miss our family and church people, I am looking forward to the move and what God has for us over there!

She's home!

In order for Audrey to come home she had to meet some goals. These four goals were: Don and I take a CPR class, pass her Echo, PA/Lat x-ray, and car seat trial. I was able to schedule a CPR class for Friday the 17th. Wednesday morning her nurse, Kim, calls me and says she was able to reschedule our class since Audrey would most likely be released on Thursday. So we took our  class Wednesday afternoon. By that evening she had her car seat trial and Echo.  The next morning early she had her x-ray and by 11 they said we could come get her.  We still waited around the hospital another 1 1/2, but eventually we were on our way home.
We are so glad to have our little bundle finally with us.The kids love having her home.  They're always wanting to touch her , hold her or look at her. Occasionally Kathy will get upset if she can't constantly be looking at her.
She's been home a week now and is doing great. Since she was constantly sleeping on an incline at the hospital we have found this is the way she sleeps best.
She had a follow-up appointment on Thursday and they said she looks really good. We'll be seeing them once more before we leave for Scotland. At that visit they will give us a copy of her medical history along with a DVD of her Echo. Then when we get to Scotland we can have a family doctor refer us to a cardiologist to continue her care. For the first year she'll need to be seen every few months and then just once a year after that.
Our paperwork is falling into place. Everything is taking place much quicker than anticipated. I know we were a little concerned with the time frame to get her birth certificate, sscard, passport and then apply for our visas. But God knew that and has supplied everything speedily.
To begin with I thought I'd have to apply for her certificate by mail and then it would take a few days to receive it. When I went to the courthouse to get it notarized they told me I could get it right there. Audrey's sscard came in a lot sooner than we expected. Then we just had to get her passport. At the courthouse they told us they didn't take infant photos there. We had to go to Sears. When we came back there was a different lady waiting on us and she explained that they can only expedite it in 2-3 weeks time. But if we went up to the cities we'd have it in 3-5 days. That was what we wanted. We waited til the next day to go. We got that taken care of very quickly and were told it would be in by Saturday or Monday at the latest. We received it Friday!! 
With all of her things now taken care of we sent the last of the paperwork to our sponsor. Soon we will get our sponsor number and next week we will be able to begin the visa process. Within a week or two we could have our visas!!  And in 4 weeks we leave for Scotland!!!!
Don also called the airline and added Audrey to our tickets. What's nice is that Kathy and I will be sitting behind the bulkhead. I'll have use of a bassinet for Audrey during the longer flight.
We've accomplished much this past week.  We're just counting down the days til we get home. :)

Finally!!

no breathing tube!!

Sunday morning at 7:45 AM we received a call from the hospital. They were going to remove the breathing tube!!  We were able to go up and visit shortly before 1 o'clock. Sure enough she was breathing tube-free!!  It had been 5 hours since the removal, so it was time to begin her feedings.  She was very hungry. They told me it was okay to go ahead and nurse her right away.  Audrey did so well!!! And mommy was certainly thrilled. :) I was half afraid she wouldn't take to it so quickly. We took the kids up last night. They hadn't seen her since Wednesday. We didn't really want to take them up while she still had the breathing tube in. Harry looked at Audrey a little bit and then began circling the room and asking about everything. You'd hear him say things like, 'What does this do?,' 'Look a computer!,' 'Why are you doing that?'  Kathy was content to look at Audrey. We didn't stay very long and when we left Kathy, again, was not very happy. She wanted to keep looking at her baby sister. It'd be nice if she always has such an affection for Audrey. :) They told me today she ate  pretty good through the night and she's been having good diapers. Today she nursed really well again.  All in all the weekend has been very nice. Tomorrow or the next day they hope to see the chest tubes and some of the other IVs come out. Then she'd only have one IV left that checks her blood pressure and allows them to draw blood without sticking her foot every time. Some of the goals before she goes home are: CPR class for Don and I, chest front and side x-ray, echo, and car seat trial. We may have our baby girl home by this weekend!

Update on Audrey

Well, we are hoping today is the day they remove the breathing tube. She is doing well, but there are a few things that have taken place that have prevented the removal of the breathing tube.  They aren't really setbacks because they are things that can be expected to happen sometimes because of surgery. The second day she was still a little puffy so it was delayed then. Today one of her lungs deflated a little so they are doing some therapy. This afternoon they will do another chest ultrasound and possibly move forward with the removal later this afternoon. These delays keep pushing off her ability to begin feedings again which also pushes off her return home. She's had the surgery so all we want now is for her to be able to come back home with us. But we don't want her coming home before she's ready. Other than these little happenings they say all looks positive. She's mainly sleeping, but with just enough sedation to allow her to still move around a little. Day by day she is losing the tubes and IVs. It's nice to go in to see her and find something else removed. Yesterday she turned a week old.

1 week old, the day after surgery

I'll be thinking of a different name for the blog soon. We're not on the road anymore and we are not living out of a minivan. Something that would be fitting for us living in Scotland. We'll see...

A new role...NICU mommy

Last Friday we welcomed our little girl, Audrey Elaine into this world. She passed her first due date and was still transverse, so we decided at that point she would probably not turn. We then scheduled a c-section for Friday, August 3rd. She was 7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long. She's a perfect little baby.
When she was just three days old a nurse noticed an abnormality in her heart rate. An ultrasound was ordered and thus it was found that she has coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta. I thank God we were still in the hospital when this was discovered. They immediately started her on medication to keep her extra duct open so she would still receive blood flow to the lower part of her body. Since we're from Rochester they were able to transfer her the same day to Mayo by helicopter. I was also able to be discharged the same time she left.
For the last few days she has been in the St. Mary NICU. I didn't really like the idea of returning home without her, but I know she is in capable hands. Other than the heart issue she is very healthy. She is able to nurse whenever I am there. She likes to sleep a lot like any newborn and hates having her diaper changed! She looks rather big compared to the other babies around her. Tomorrow morning she goes in for surgery.
....It's now Thursday morning. We left her about 2 hours ago. Now begins the wait.
She was asleep and looking very peaceful when we left her. By tonight or tomorrow morning she should be free of her breathing tube. I'm praying for a quick recovery. Hopefully by this time next week or a few days before that we will be able to bring her home.
Last night after the services we took the kids up for a quick visit. Due to the late hour Kathy was very tired and cried on the way back to the van. She didn't want to leave!  She really wants Audrey to come home and kept saying, "I want to look at her!"  It was such a sad picture! She's having a hard time understanding why she has to stay in the hospital.
We have canceled the rest of our west coast meetings. But God is still taking care of us. We just heard that another church has taken us on. God is still blessing.
The movers came on Tuesday and now most of our worldly possessions are on their way to Scotland.
Through all of this I also thank God for an understanding husband.  He has been such a great help with the kids and with other things. My recovery has gone well, but with all the moving about my feet haven't had much of a chance to return to their normal size. They are very swollen and this has limited my ability to do more to help much longer than I had anticipated. When I'm not at the hospital I'm sitting in the recliner at home with my feet up.  It's good to have his mom right by to help us out also. 
It's been a trying time, but through it all God has been good and will continue to be good! Don sent an e-mail to our supporting churches and other friends. We have a large network of people all over the USA praying for us and Audrey, especially today.  What a blessing to be part of the family of God!!!

...and another week has come and gone

It's Monday again and that means another doctor appointment.  Last week on Thursday and Friday I was experiencing a lot of discomfort - back ache, pressure, etc. Saturday I felt great again. Yesterday I felt pretty good with occasional contractions. With all this taking place I keep hoping things would pick up and start happening, but no not yet. So here we are at another appointment. Since we have reached one of the first edds they may begin doing a stress test to see if all's still well with the baby. The waiting is crazy, but I know the end will come. She can't stay in there forever! I'm also not sure if she's turned yet. I believe she's done quite a bit of growing in the last week and so it's become more difficult to figure out how she's laying. I do have a pretty good idea that she is still transverse.
In other news we've been keeping the kids pretty busy this past week. We took them to the Mall of America on Tuesday and they had so much fun!  After looking around in Legoland they were able to go on a few rides. It happened to be Toddler Tuesday so the points for the rides were half price for them. On Friday we took them to the fair to see the animals. Saturday we went to a birthday party for their cousin Nolan. They had so much fun and slept soundly that night.
Don preached last night since it was the fifth Sunday of the month. We had a Mexican Fiesta fellowship afterwards. I believe Kathy is like her mom and loves tacos. She ate two and wanted a third.
Wednesday is already the first of August and next Monday the movers come. It won't be long and we'll be on our way to Scotland!

So, when's the due date?

After my ultrasound I decided to check my calendar to see if my dates were correct since the ultrasound estimated due date(edd) was off by 3 weeks. I did find that my dates were off by a week. This moves my new edd to the very end of July/beginning of August. Still, from the two ultrasounds I have two other dates that are more toward the middle of August. So, in all this confusion of edds, I have decided that when she is ready she will come. Also, she is still in the wrong position which is transverse right now. She does move around a lot, so I know she can do it if only she would decide to.  I am certainly ready for Audrey to join us and hope it won't be too much longer. The waiting continues...

Getting closer

We are down to the last!  I have about 2 weeks left, more or less and I'm hoping it's less!!  I have had my first appointment and so far things seem to be against me having a successful vbac, again. With 2 weeks left, Audrey is not in the right position yet. I have an ultrasound today to check things out and see where she is, but I feel she is still not where she should be. I know with God all things are possible and I'm praying for a last minute miracle. It'll be fun to get to see her inside once more before she's born. I'm hoping we'll see her in person in the next week!
As far as housing in Scotland, as I mentioned previously we did not get the house we were looking at, but another one became available. It is 5 miles from Tain. It is much bigger than the first with lots of storage, a two car garage, patio, fenced-in yard and....a dishwasher!!!!  We'll see what happens:)
Today it is raining.  I'm hoping this cools things down really nicely. Being pregnant during the summer is not the most pleasant thing. Now towards the end I have a hard time getting comfortable at night anyways ad then to be really warm on top of that makes for some lost sleep. Only a little while left though!
With the move to Scotland fast approaching I'll have to think of a new name for this blog. We won't be traveling anymore so the name won't be very fitting. Hmm...

Another Week Closer...

...And another week has gone by. We've gotten a lot done and yet there is still plenty to do! We were not able to get the house in Tain, but another nearby is available. We know God will provide us with the perfect house to fit our needs.
We have begun packing up more of our things. It's not much, mainly toys, books and clothes. We have a shipping company lined up and need to make up our inventory list of the boxes we will be shipping over. It's pretty exciting that the time is getting nearer, but then again it's kind of bitter-sweet.
We're also a week closer to the baby being born. I bought a car seat today at a local consignment shop, since we had gotten rid of the one used by Kathy and Harry. Still looking for a traveling bassinet.
With the summer heat comes a different experience  than with the other two, who were born during the late winter/early spring. I am ready for this little one to join us! I know I can't say this enough. Not just because I feel big and warm all the time, but the time seems to be going by slowly. Being on the road the time seemed to pass so quickly, but these past two weeks seem to have taken forever! I always had the next destination as goal in mind. That would go from Sunday to Wednesday to Sunday, etc. Here the next event we're waiting for is Audrey's birth and that's still 4 weeks away.
Next week we'll take a nice little break and go visit Don's sister and her family in Sioux Falls.

Back "home"

We have arrived!  We are back in Rochester, MN, our "base." It seems rather strange, but Rochester has become the city our home church is in, but it doesn't quite seem like home anymore. We are so close to our departure to Scotland that I'm looking towards that as home now. It is nice to be in a steady place now and get back into more of a routine. I also love seeing  our church family again and will surely miss them all when we leave.
A week before we got back to Rochester we were able to visit my parents in southern Illinois. We had a great visit there!  I was able to see my brother Thad and his family - probably for the last time for a long time.  Before they went home we all went to a fort that was near where my parents live. What fun just hanging out with family and being goofy! I have enjoyed these quick stops at my parents' house while we've been on the road. I know I'll see them only once more before we leave. I thank God for my parents and the way they raised me!
I've now reached 35 weeks. Countdown continues!!  I was able to find a doctor that will give me the care I desire. It took me three days of calling, but God is good! The hospital is up in St. Paul which is 1 hour and 20 minutes away, but my labor is not short, so I think we'll be okay.
We may possibly have a house all ready for us when we get to Scotland!  I am so excited about the way God has provided!!  The Cashner family that we will be working with is moving into another house and they were able to talk with the owner about renting to us. We have been in contact with the realtor and it looks like we may be able to rent it. Again, there is a lot of paper work involved, but we are getting it done as quickly as we are able to. I can't wait to set up house again!  I'm looking forward to getting there and meeting the people, shopping in the shops and settling back into a steady routine with the kids.
Some prayer requests:
-we have applied for insurance for the rest of the pregnancy and haven't heard anything as of yet
-we'll be able to rent the house, Lord willing
-safe delivery of Audrey, due in 5 weeks
-after she's born we'll need the social security card and a passport quickly
-...simply that all the remaining paperwork we need done between the time she's born and our departure is taken care of
- we need to find a good moving agency to send our boxes over
We appreciate your prayers!!

A few more weeks...

I have reached 31 weeks!  I can’t believe I only have 9 weeks left or even less! I was able to have an ultrasound at 29 weeks.   My friend Brittani gave me a list of places that do ultrasounds. I found a really good place in Edmond, OK. I was able to get a DVD of the session since Don wasn’t able to go with me.  We were going to wait and be surprised, but at the last minute decided to find out what we’re having. Can’t wait to meet our second little girl!  This has definitely been a bit different from the other two pregnancies as far as the time of year. I am usually always cold and frequently cover up because Don likes the air on high, but often now I’m the one feeling warmer.  I can tell I am smaller than I was with Kathy and the ultrasound showed the baby may be small. I am very thankful for this!  This may be a positive for me trying to deliver without a C-section this time.

We are a month away from our return to Minnesota. I am getting anxious to return!  I have enjoyed our many experiences on the road and I know we have a few more weeks of traveling after the baby is born. I am looking forward to the rest and opportunity to be settled for a while. We will still have much to do. The main thing will be packing up our things that we haven’t packed up yet. Then after the baby is born we have the rest of our paper work to file. The day will come when we won’t be living out of suitcases! 

Harry and Kathy are extremely excited about the new baby. The other day Kathy wanted to hold the baby and kept telling me to take it out!  She’s really looking forward to this baby sister. I hope she does well. She still cries and gets upset if I hold other babies. I think there will be extra mommy and Kathy times after the baby is born! They’re both getting so big. They’ll be great with her.

Don tries to find things to do with his time now that his making phone calls to set up meetings is pretty much done.  He’s already been planning a few things with his dad and brother to do when we get back.

So, two more weeks before we head to Missouri and then two more weeks after that and we head home.  The time is passing quickly!

The Latest from Us

Our official departure date is September 25, 2012!  That's only a few months away now!!!!  We are still trying to get everything together as it involves sending a lot of paperwork to our sponsor and taking care of many other things.
I'm so thankful I have no problems during pregnancies, I would hate to be sick on the road!  I'm almost at 23 weeks and things are going well. I'm still wondering when I'll set my next appointment. It's hard to know who would be willing to see me only once.
Harry has passed his 4th birthday. He loves doing schoolwork which consists of learning to write his alphabet and his numbers. He's really eager to learn and asks 'Why?' all the time. I don't know all the answers, but he seems to think I do!! :)
Today is Kathy's birthday. She talks too much and has to repeat everything that's said. She still loves to sing. It's really sweet to hear her sing Bible songs especially ones that have long words in them. One of her favorites in "My  God is a righteous God,..." She can sleep in a 'big girl' bed. This is really nice, because we were able to get rid of the pack n play we were taking with us.
We are now at 66% in our support. We've seen a lot sights in the last few months, like the Grand Canyon, the Alamo, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Right now we're in Texas. We're really enjoying the nice weather. By the middle of June we'll be back in Rochester to pack and get ready for the baby. I'm looking forward to September!

A New Year

The end is in sight!!!  September will put an end to our deputation travels. We have tickets purchased and are well on our way to getting all the necessary paperwork together to make our move.  Just recently we were able to apply for Harry's passport. Since the rest of us went to Scotland last year we already have our passports. I am looking forward to this move but not the rest of the packing! I know we have 8 months left but it will come quickly.
We are past 50% of our goal. Over the last two months we've traveled in Colorado, Utah, California and Arizona. We have a few meetings in New Mexico now and one in Colorado before we head into Texas.
I'm so thankful we were able to fly out to Illinois for Christmas and visit my family. We had such a great time visiting together. I had the fun task of trying to find places to put all the gifts for our return trip. The sad thing is that when we were out in California somehow our sd card broke and we have no pictures from Christmas or California. I had forgotten to put them on the computer.
I have entered a new adventure of being on the road: pregnancy!  We're expecting in July and don't plan to be back til May or June. God is still providing though!  I was able to have a doctor's appointment and labs for free!!!  Now I'm just praying somewhere along the way God will provide us with a free or inexpensive ultrasound.
Harry and Kathy are getting so big. Harry has to know about everything, he's so curious!  Kathy loves to talk and sometimes it can be too much!! :) She has started using a potty chair occasionally. I hope she learns this before the baby is born. She seems to be much easier than Harry was.
Will write again soon !

Tabitha