Break my heart for what breaks yours

I recently read a blog written by a wonderful woman with a huge heart. Her words immediately resonated in my heart and I had to share with you. Now to fore warn you the first link is about adoption and God's provisions in it all, which are truly inspirational. The second link however is quite graphic and serious, I prayed that God would break my heart for what breaks His and that is just what happened when I sat weeping for these children in the Ukraine orphanage. This just confirmed what I thought that Whitney {Hope} is living in right now. Please read this and pray harder than you've prayed before, this is so sad that another human hand could treat these children this way.




All for His glory,
Rachel

Whitney {Hope}

Since my last post not many hours ago, God had been moving something inside of me, deep in my heart and to my soul. I have shed so many tears over this whole situation. I have found a sweet itty bitty girl. She looks like my daughter with Down Syndrome, she is so beautiful, it breaks my heart to think that she doesn't have anyone to snuggle her up and give her huggies or kiss her tiny little toes. She has captured my heart after one look at her picture, I know she is in my life now forever, whether it be because we need to adopt her or to help her to get adopted. I am becoming a warrior for her and regardless of if she becomes mine {ours} then I want to help her and a wonderful family to take care of her the way she needs. God brought to my knees today to pray for her. I love her and don't even know her. Please help me to get this sweet girl where God wants her to be.


Sweet Whitney {Hope}



All for His glory,
Rachel

Location:Home

Heavy Heart

My heart is so heavy and aching for these children. Cildren who need families, children who have Down Syndrome and are living in orphanages in another country and will be institutionalized if they are not adopted. By that I mean, kept in restraints or in straight jackets because they are apparently incapable of doing anything. I was on here earlier tonight, and reading how so many children need to be adopted ASAP or they will be moved to a "remote area" and "out of reach" this makes my heart ache so awful, my eyes are welled with tears just thinking about these sweet babies who are never given a chance. Would it be so awful to make changes in my life, to be challenged a little so that a baby can have a chance? I am literally bawling and praying over this. In church today visions from 2 years ago when I saw a sweet downs baby needing to be adopted and me falling all goggly eyes over him came to me. I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray about the next step, is this something I want or what God wants for us. Please pray for these sweet sweet babies and for God's guidance in all of this.

With a heavy heart,
Rachel

TIME {TMI}

Well I think the end is nearing... or at least I hope it is. I know that I only have 11 days till my due date but when my body starts going into weird mode and doing all these "preparation-al" things then I really know it's close and it just makes it all the more exciting. As you know I was wicked sick last week so I know that is one of the signs for me, I have been getting strange nausea, nothing like I am going to throw-up, even though I did throw up in my mouth a little earlier in this week which was totally gross, but like just random times, I get a tummy ache and feel nauseous.  Besides, the extra ahem leukorrhea, {don't say I didn't warn you about the TMI}, Braxton Hicks, not being able to sleep, the constant pain{mainly because of my Diastasis Symphysis} but also my Bowel Movements! TMI WARNING: So throughout this whole pregnancy I have had a hard time going, like major constipation, not that I was a regular person anyways but this was just ridiculous, well the past week, I feel like I need to go and WHAM! I go. Its pretty amazing and a good feeling, It makes me feel better , in more way than one, but mainly because I am terrified to go on the Delivery table, how embarrassing! It's one thing to talk about it, but to actually have other people see you defecate, yucky! OKAY END TMI


So yes, the end is in sight, I read that the hormones that you produce at the end of your pregnancy cause these things to happen, your body is ridding itself of all the "toxins" before birth. Now I need to start drinking raspberry tea and.. anyone up for a sex discussion??? Nope! not me either! However, I do have a fun fact for you, Sex is a for sure. Semen has prostaglandins in it, which help ripen the cervix and orgasm releases oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions.  That's all I'll say on the subject. 


Not much else to update. Josh is still probably going to be deploying in June, he will be finding out more on the subject when he goes into drill this weekend. Oh! Our 7 year anniversary is coming up on Valentines Day, hmmm lucky number 7, maybe we will have a beautiful baby girl this year as a gift! But then he goes and drills on the 15th thru 17th, I can just stay in the hospital hehe. Everything is good to go as far as our preparation for Katie~bug. I still need to pack a hospital bag and the kids' overnight bag though. 


Well I enjoyed our fun little chat! 
Keep warm,
Stay safe,
Many blessings,

18 days

 I went to the doctor yesterday and saw the owner of the practice, she is kind of hoity toity; so she was kind of short and vague when I was asking all sorts of questions. As you know I have been in a lot of pain, I try not to let people know how much because life goes on and there isn't much I can do about it, except gain a lot of weight! AHHHH anyways, my friend has this same condition and told me to check into it and talk to the doc about it, which I did yesterday and she confirmed it for me. So I have what you call Diastasis of Symphysis, here is a link explaining everything  ,but the shortened version means an abnormally wide gap between the two pubic bones at the symphysis pubis joint situated at the front of the pelvis.The non-pregnant gap is 4-5mm but in every pregnancy there will be an increase of at least 2-3mm due to the fact that ligaments which ‘tie’ the joint become slightly slacker under the influence of the pregnancy hormones. So there isn't anything they can do for it and it will go away {completely heal} after about 5 months postpartum. She said since this is my 3rd and I have gained a good amount of weight {36 lbs which isn't that much but she is the one that gives me the hard time} that my body is just reacting differently this time. I am not really dilated, she said just a fingertip, which I figured cause I was having a lot of cramping all night Wednesday night so I was hoping I was dilated a little. She said that if I want to I can be induced my 39th week which is the 14th, but really I want to wait until Katie~bug is ready not when I'm ready, also Josh is drilling {Marine Corps} the 11-13 and then 15-17 and we are watching our 14 yro niece Alyssa so it would be a hassle to have her that week. Everything else is pretty much set in motion, I only have to pack a hospital bag, and overnight bags for the kids and we can get out the door! I am so excited and have never felt more prepared then I do with Kate :)  


Have a wonderful Day!

Drained

It is almost 1a.m. and Kate just stopped kicking and wiggling and playing for the first time since 8p.m.  She is such a little mover and I love it! Especially when I am trying to take a nap and my arm is laying across my stomach and I move it and she pushes out until I put my arm back and then she stops moving again {little snuggle bug}. I cannot sleep these days however, I remember not being able to sleep with Joshie and Faith as well; but man alive! I really mean I can't sleep, I am in constant pain, due to the fact that I think I am suffering from this which I just found out about last week, I knew that there had to be something more than "oh ya that's normal for your third child" but I didn't know that there was a specific label. My friend {who is only 10 days ahead of me with her baby girl} has it too and as we were talking about the extreme pain we are always in and how rolling over in bed makes us cry out, she told me this is what she had been "diagnosed" with and that I might have it too. SO tomorrow when I go and visit the doctor I am going to ask her about it. Which I am totally not looking forward to. I hate going and getting "internals" weekly; as if there isn't already enough pressure and other things going on down there I need her to be invasively checking me. I think it's because with Joshie and Faith my last doctor had; a}really long nails ;b}felt the need to "speed things up" by stripping my membranes, I know TMI, but goodness gracious! Talk about pain, why not let the body just do things naturally; c}Josh came to practically all my appointments with Faith and Joshie and he has only come to 2 with Kate, understandable, I'm a big girl, I just hate being there alone this far along I guess.  Okay enough right.  Well on a positive {sort of } note; I am sick! I have a major sinus head congestion thing going on. This is a good thing though because I ALWAYS get sick a couple weeks before I deliver, so it means the end is near, I am happy about that. 


This past weekend, we thoroughly cleaned everything and finally took down our Christmas decorations! The only room in the house that isn't clean right now is the Toy Room, and since that is a never ending battle I am really not going to even let that stress me out. Kate's cradle, changing table {and soon} glider/ottoman is now in our room, I have my pump all clean and sterilized, Kate's clothes all washed and put away, Faith and Joshie's clothes completely organized and put away, just a few more loads of laundry and then I am all caught up {which if you know me is a HUGE accomplishment}, all 3 car seats detailed and ready to go. Now I just need to pack a hospital bag and the kids' overnight bags.  I feel pretty good, I even got new batteries, charger and case for our camera, which has been out of commission since 2009, so we are pretty well set. 


I didn't think that I was going to breast feed with Kate, because I had absolutely horrible experiences with both Faith and Joshie. But my Mom bought me {when I was preggers with Joshua} The Womanly Art of Breast feeding, written by the Le Leche League. It has changed my whole perspective on Breast feeding, I am going to give it another try and not be so discouraged about it. I've learned a lot of new things and I am actually really excited about it now.  With that being said, I am waiting on a couple of tanks and bras to come in the mail so that I can be fully prepared. 


Well, I really should be trying to get some sleep, my nose is itchy, I can't breathe, so my mouth is dry from constantly being open and my body aches and it's pretty much inevitable that when I get into bed, no matter the time, one of the kids wakes up and I need to go in and put on a blanket or find Joshie's binkie or calm Faith down from a bad dream {just explaining, I know it comes with the territory} so with that being said, Goodnight sweethearts!

Remember {Part 2}

There are 3 parts to my devotion that I do and I wanted to share the second part with you today since yesterday was so great! Today asks some equally challenging questions, remember, God wants to spend time with you and see you grow into the best you that He designed you to be! 


REFLECT & PRAY:


~ What "enemies of the soul" {busyness, etc.} cause you to sometimes forget to take time with God?


~ How much time do you spend daily preparing your heart for the day?


~ What are some ways you can become more balanced in this area of your life?