How Big Is She?

Avery is a great eater and it is absolutely delighting my heart! Gavin did not have a strong sucking reflex as an infant and it was very difficult to get him to latch on initally. This involved visits with lactation consultants, bi-weekly weigh-ins with his pediatrician, and supplementing with formula. This little girl is a different story.

As I mentioned previously, Avery came out of the womb smacking her lips and sucking like a vacuum cleaner. She hasn't had any problems eating. At all. It's sort of blowing my mind, actually. I don't even need to pump to increase my milk supply. I'm getting a bit lazy with pumping, in fact, because it's such a delight to feed her. Her weight is great, and she's been gaining about 11 ounces per week for the last three weeks. Crazy that she left the hospital at 7.7, and is now well over 11 pounds in less than two months.

I love this chubby little girl and it is so gratifying to know that I am feeding her 100% and helping give her life. Maybe you'll understand when I say that it's even...joyous! Mommy sigh.

Getting It Done

A lovely photographer named Lindsay took Avery's photo when she was nine days old. We were really pleased with the photos of the baby, although the family photos weren't so hot. I know I was still on serious pain medication during the photo shoot because I let Lindsay photograph the family sitting on our unmade bed. First of all, that looked pretty crappy, and second, Joe was toppling over as Gavin was jumping on him and looked super uncomfortable in every shot. Boo.

Seven weeks later, I finally placed my order for Avery's photos tonight. The family shot may not have worked out, but there is a precious one of Gavin with Baby A. If I had a digital copy I would share it here, but in the meantime, enjoy a few of the babe.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl

We are thrilled to announce the birth of our baby girl, Avery Pearl, born September 21, 2011 at 10:18 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 1/2 ounces, and 19 inches.

Avery was born via planned c-section, and her birth went very smoothly. Her OB was on-hand for her birth, which greatly put my mind at rest. I think I experienced a few contractions the day before Avery's birth (I say "think" since I'd never before experienced a contraction), so rested on the couch that entire day so as to not take any chances on an early arrival.

That Wednesday morning, Joe and I headed for the hospital at about 8:30 a.m. (Gavin was already with his grandparents) where I checked in and began surgery prep. My doctor came in to check the fibroid one last time and, sure enough, it was so big she could literally touch it (gross!), leaving no doubt that I was headed for surgery. After she prayed with Joe and me, because she's just awesome like that, they had me walk into the OR.

Unlike Gavin's birth, where the details are a little fuzzy because of nerves, I was really alert and aware of everything happening this time. This had benefits since I wanted to really absorb Avery's delivery, but it also had its pitfalls since I was pretty aware of everything happening with the surgery! I kept thinking about the advice my friend, Jenn, had given me weeks before, just after her c-section as the same hospital, "Just don't look up into the light above your head since you'll be able to see part of the surgery in the reflection."

I didn't have the shivers and shakes during the spinal this time, but did have what felt like an electric shock, which according to my doctor meant that the medicine found it's way to the proper place. I must say that Joe didn't do a very good job distracting me throughout the beginning of the surgery since he was so nervous. "Hey, Joe, do you think you could talk to me so I don't have to listen to surgical tools cut my body open?"

After 20 minutes or so, beautiful Avery was lifted out. What a set of lungs! And what hugely chubby, kissable cheeks! She had a shock of brown-black hair and cried non-stop while they cleaned her up and weighed her. Joe then brought her near my face, where I softly began talking to her. She abruptly stopped crying, opened her eyes and stared intently at me. It was magical. The girl then had the nerve to start smacking her lips...loudly! It was like she was saying, "Okay, I'm out. Now feed me." Not surprisingly, she was a great eater, latching on and not wanting let go.

I can't imagine a more amazing experience than the birth of my children. God really outdid himself with the creation of all of us, didn't he?

Almost There

Baby McG #2 will be here in less than two days. Yikes!

Perhaps I felt this way the first time around, but my mind is so preoccupied with the c-section surgery that I haven't even processed the fact that a real, live baby will be coming out of me shortly. Not to mention we'll be taking that real, live baby home with us. Forever. Double yikes!

Gavin has had a good run as an only child. Nearly 3 1/2 years of Mama and Daddy's full attention and being adored on both sides of the family as the only grandson. He's taken up a very special place in all of our hearts, and, for me, it's hard to imagine what life will be like with two kids. Especially when I love this kid so much. But, I am counting on the advice of many: "Your love simply grows and you have more than enough for all."

Fellow Mamas--how exactly does this work? What is the adjustment period like? I'd love some feedback on what life is like with two.

9/11 Remembered

Ten years ago today I was about to catch a flight to New York to interviews "spokeskids" for Operation Christmas Child with my buddy from Samaritan's Purse, Paige Greene. My next stop was to have been Washington, D.C. I had no idea the severity of the airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center--or that they were terrorist attacks--until a colleague from work called me and said, "This is a terrorist attack and you are not going to New York today. Turn your car around and come into the office."

What followed was a marathon week at work as our entire PR staff worked with media around the clock to provide them with voices of faith and comfort for their programming. We provided interviews with spiritual leaders like Franklin Graham, Bill Bright, Greg Laurie, and even Jerry Falwell--each one of them in demand as Americans asked, "Why, God?" I remember the producer from Wolf Blitzer's show on CNN calling me on 9/11 and asking to interview Franklin Graham. She was crying on the other end of the phone line and in an anguished voice asked, "Why? Why is God letting this happen? I don't understand." People were looking for answers.

Three weeks later I finally made it to New York for those interviews. Flying into Manhattan, I was in disbelief over the vast smoking craters marking the earth in the place where the Twin Towers once proudly stood. The amount of smoke and haze over the city, even three weeks later, was shocking. I had the opportunity to spontaneously join a team from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for midnight visit to Ground Zero that evening, where we simply walked the perimeter of the site, offering prayer to firemen and visitors alike. The stench was something I'll never forget.

Fast forward ten years and the quest for spiritual knowledge of the God of the Universe has slowly dissipated in our country. That's why I was so proud last night to be affilated with the Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie as they held an evangelistic outreach in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on the even of 9/11. Not surprisingly, LA media didn't pay much attention to this gathering; but they should have. More than 50,000 people packed into the stadium, seeking answers to why tragedy occurs and how they could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Nearly 6,000 people responded, making it the biggest altar call in Harvest Crusade history. Coincidence? I think not. God is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Countdown

The final countdown has begun. Baby McG #2 will make an appearance at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21--just three weeks from today, and one day before our ninth wedding anniversary. I certainly hope the husband doesn't expect additonal gifts. Ha!

My milestones for the summer are all but done at this point. Yesterday Gavin started preschool and I was hoping and praying that the baby wouldn't decide to come early prior to this happening. The last milestone on my checklist is to complete all of the advance work for the upcoming Los Angeles Harvest Crusade on Sept. 10 at Dodger Stadium. I won't be going to work on-site (for obvious reasons), but I'm busy pitching media and putting together interview schedules to give to my replacement. This will keep me pretty busy up until 10 days prior to the baby's birth.

Part of me is bummed that I've kept myself so busy up until the last minute, but mostly I'm very grateful for the opportunity...and the income. We found out last week that my sweet husband didn't get his dream job working at the Chicago office of IDEO, so it's back to the drawing board for a career for him. We know that God's timing is perfect, but it's hard not to feel a bit stressed out by all of the changes happening right now...especially since neither one of us will be employed after Sept. 10. It will be an adventure to watch things unfold and to see what God has in mind for our family.

Any Takers?

Anyone want to buy a condo in Evanston? It's been on the market since March with nary a nibble, which is fairly depressing. At this point, it looks like the new baby will be sharing our room until next Spring. I hope I make it that long since it's not a fully enclosed room. Sigh.

In other news, I found out today that I am, indeed, having another c-section, which brings my delivery date up to September 21. I won't complain about that since I'd rather be 39 weeks pregnant than 41 weeks pregnant at delivery. My last Harvest Crusade event of the year is September 10, so I might just make it!

Here's hoping.

Calling Mexico

Gavin is obsessed with calling Mexico. Or should I say, pretending to call Mexico. I walked in to my room yesterday and caught him dialing numbers into the phone. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "I was trying to call Mexico, Mommy, but it went straight to voicemail."

Waaa...waaaa...

Bad Blood

I guess Gavin listens to our conversations more closely than I thought. While I was in Atlanta last week, Joe sent me an e-mail describing a conversation he had with Gavin--obviously absorbing all of our discussions about my gestational diabetes and all of the "testing" that mommy does with her blood.

Gavin drinking apple juice at Homer's:

Gavin: "This is not a good drink for me."

Daddy: "Why not?"

Gavin: "Because it makes my blood go high. It went up to 100. I can't swim with my blood that high. This morning my blood was good."

Daddy: "Oh, what was your blood this morning?"

Gavin: "It was really good. It was at 10."

Daddy: "Wow!"

Cute, Cute, Cute!

I think my son is the cutest thing ever, and isn't that how is ought to be? A mother is always biased toward her children...hopefully! One of these days I'll begin downloading photos again so Gavin's little stories are accompanied by photographic evidence.

For the sake of not forgetting Gavin at age three, I give you some anecdotes.

• Gavin hasn't been that excited about having a new baby in the house. When we ask him if he wants the baby to be a boy or a girl he says either, "I want to be surprised" or, "It's a baby puppy." He also likes to tell me that he has puppies in his belly. But the only child syndrome aside, over the past couple of weeks he has been walking up to my stomach and saying, "I love you baby." So sweet...and hard won.


• Gavin wants to call the new baby, "Face." He thinks this is hysterical and giggles madly when he says it.


• I feel like Gavin can really communicate with us now and sometimes when he's upset he'll say, "I'm upset right now!" The other day he finished brushing his teeth and said, "Mommy, I just brushed my teeth all by myself. Are you proud of me?"


• Gavin has two obsessions: music and numbers. It makes sense because these two disciplines are closely related. He practically has a song memorized after hearing it once, and can identify different artists and instruments. For instance, he knows that Buddy Rich plays the drums. But, his favorite music is any sort of kids' praise CD, and he has hundreds of songs committed to memory. He also spends hours at his grandparents house "playing" the piano and composing songs. No joke. He has several songs in his repertiore. One night I asked him to play my favorite, called "Pretty Mommy," and he said, "Okay, Mommy, but it's going to be a while before I play it since it's song number twelve."


• The number thing is off the chain. Gavs can count to 160 with no prompting and can count backwards from 100. I'm not sure what his preschool teacher is going to think about this.

Gavin is a sweet, loving little boy and his favorite thing is to hang out with Mommy and Daddy, going to the beach and then eating Cozy Thai for lunch. I love this sweet time with him before the new baby arrives, and we're trying to create special moments with him this summer. I'm a little bit sad to have to share him, but I know life will be even richer with two. Right?

Animal of the Day

So, Gavin has a fun new game. Each morning when he wakes up he tells us what animal he is that day, prefaced by "baby." So, today he climbed out of bed and announced, "Today I'm a baby puppy!" After that he says, "And you're the mommy puppy and daddy puppy."

Wuff.

Tippy, Tippy Toes

Today was Gavin's first physical therapy appointment for his feet. It didn't take the therapists longs to figure out that he definitely has gait issues, probably caused by his not using his stomach muscles because of his hernia. Crazy how it all ties together!

Basically, the child walks on is tippy toes and uses his back muscles for support, not his stomach muscles. This results in him leaning forward and stretching his back out constantly, which we (and his pediatrician) thought was an excitement reflex. So, today we concentrated on having him walk with his "feet forward" which forces him off his tip toes. We'll meet with the therapists once a week through the summer and do daily exercises at home.

I'm so grateful we are undertaking this therapy now rather than when the new baby is here. Night boots are a future possibillity, but we should know more in a month or two.

Now if we could only figure out how to potty train him, we'd be well underway! Poor kid...he is a trouper in the midst of all these doctor appointments.

Change is in the Air

Have you ever been so busy that you suddenly realized that hardly anyone in your life knows what's going on with you? That's how I feel right now. And thank goodness for blogs when you don't have time to call people you would have liked to have called.

The last two weeks have been a doozy in the stress/life change departments. We're doing what we can to be flexible and leave our home whenever a realtor calls with a showing, so that's fun. And, we're waiting with anticipation for Joe's graduation from Northwestern on June 17 with his Masters in Product Design & Development, but of course there is that small detail of he and his team completing their final product. Needless to say, between that and job searching, he has been extremely busy.

So, working off that baseline (because we're a little bit insane, not to mention our insurance is due to expire in August), we decided to go ahead and schedule Gavin's surgery to close up an umbilical hernia. He had the surgery about ten days ago and I'm happy to report that he is doing really well. This is a condition he had at birth and it does close up for many kids by the age of three; unfortunately, his didn't, so we opted for surgery. All of you parents can empathize with how stressful it is to watch your child go in for surgery, so you can imagine what a relief it was when they called us in to the recovery area and let us help wake him up. After a little bit of crying and wanting his daddy (yes, he is the ultimate daddy's boy), he asked for a gyro sandwich, so that's when we knew he'd be okay!

But as worriesome as that surgery was for our family, it actually wasn't the most stressful part of my week. The day prior to Gavin's surgery I went in for my 20-week ultrasound, the one where you typically find out how the baby is doing. I honestly didn't realize how anxious I was about this until I began exhibiting physical symptoms. Sleeplessness, upset stomach, and my blood sugars shot through the roof to the point where I almost picked up the phone to let my endicrinologist know I was ready to go on insulin. I didn't link these symptoms to my appointment until my mom pointed it out to me and I had to examine why I was feeling so stressed. Bottom line: I had an overwhelming fear of something being wrong with my baby--especially things like Downs Syndrome that can be easily identified on a Level II ultrasound.

I'm sure this is a fear for many moms, but it really made me question myself. As an over-40 mom, am I too old? How would we handle a problem with our child? My severely handicapped niece just died in November and I witnessed first-hand the energy that my brother and sister-in-law poured into her sweet life over eleven years. And then there is the issue of the fibroids, which made an ominous appearance during Gavin's birth.

But, God is ever-faithful and gave me great peace during the appointment. He certainly would have walked us through this sort of situation (and who knows what is still to come), but the ultrasound revealed a very healthy baby and a good situation so far. Oh yeah, the fibroids are huge again and I may have to have a c-section, but you know what? That is really the least of my worries. How funny that it was my largest concern just three years ago.

And God has a sense of humor!! Joe and I went into the hospital chapel to give a word of thanks after my appointment and the Bible in chapel was opened to Psalm 92:12-15.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, "The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him."

How's that for a promise?

Three Years Old!

Gavin turned three a couple of weeks ago and we had his yearly check-up with Dr. Shana today. All I can say is that kid is tall! He's 39 3/4 inches tall, which is in the 90 - 95% and he's nearly 32 lbs, so he's shot up to the 50% range in weight (formerly at 20%). Long and lanky. He definitely go the height from my uncles, brother, grandfather, etc. Not from me and not from Joe. Now if I could find some pants that fit in length...

Blood Sugar

Last week was a horribly frustrating week trying to keep my blood sugar down. Everything just seemed to fall apart and I was constantly battling with food, either eating too much or not enough of the right things and feeling pretty crappy. Well, let's be honest here. I was a sobbing mess on Sunday afternoon, deciding that the doctor was going to immediately put me on insulin the minute she saw my numbers for the week. Thankfully, that didn't happen. As bad as my numbers were, on occassion (and they weren't really that bad, just borderline), my mornings sugars improved greatly due to some new things I tried (read: eating ice cream at 10:30 at night), so I'm off the hook for now. This week has been tons better, and I'm feeling better, too. In fact, I felt so good today that I marched right over to Hot Mama and bought two sun dresses for summer. I figure if I look good I will feel better...right? That's my crazy logic, anyway. And spending money on clothes somewhat satiated my craving for vanilla cupcakes with icing, the likes of which I won't be tasting until, oh, October.

The Long and the Short of It

Life is busy these days. Really busy. And yet, I don't really go out more than an evening or two a week; mostly because I'm so drained from the days. Someday I'll remedy that...like when my youngest child is in school. This past week we pulled off many miraculous feats including, but not limited to:

• Completely de-cluttering and cleaning our house (not to mention removing wiring, patching walls, sanding and painting) so our realtor could senda photographer over to take photos of our place for the listing.


• Completely cleaning our place again and having the entire family out of a spotless house in time for a 9:30 a.m. Broker's Open House.


• Planning and cooking for a three-year-old birthday that involved 25 guests, and then cleaning our house in 30 minutes after the aforementioned party ended in order to show it to potential buyers.


• Two doctor's appointments for me, including one with my endocrinologist, who told me that if my fasting blood sugars don't improve this week I will have to begin insulin. Yes, shots in the stomach daily.


• Breaking down and sobbing in the endicrinologist's office after hearing that I may need to begin insulin, and having the doctor shift uncomfortably in her chair while telling me, "I forgot how hard this can be to hear. Most of my patients have regular diabetes and are used to this." Well, I'm not, sister!


• Feeling the baby's first kick at 15 weeks and 1 day.


• Having my husband begin his job search...woo hoo!


• Spending hours upon end on a client project that launches next week (yeah, like three full days).


• Realizing that two-year-old tantrums have got nothing on three-year-old tantrums. And since when does a three-year-old think he can negotiate his own discipline??

Today is the first time in months I haven't had a deadline looming at the end of the day, so I'm going to enjoy it. Maybe I'll even read a book while Gavin is napping. Imagine. And then I'll go to the prayer retreat at church, have a date night with my husband, and take a deep breath.

Good News!

The last time I had some sort of good news headline on a blog post it turned out I was pregnant, so this time I want to announce that...I'm pregnant again! Somehow my life seems much more hectic and interesting when I'm in the family way (family way...what is this, Little House on the Prairie?), so hopefully I'll be recording it all here. Let's see, where to start? Perhaps I should answer the questions I am receiving most frequently:

"You're pregnant? Ohhhh...were you trying to get pregnant?" Yes. People, I realize that I'm as old a Mariah Carey, but this is my second child. It's only her first. And I'm still younger than Nicole Kidman and she has a newborn. So there.

"When is your due date?" September 28, but remember that pesky fibroid situation from my first pregnancy? Yeah, I may need to have another c-section scheduled before then.

"Are you sure you're not having twins?" Yes, another mother asked me this question and all I have to say is...really? Granted, my belly has popped out much sooner (I saw it at 10 weeks), but strangers still don't know I'm pregnant. But to add insult to injury, my doctor did tell e that at 14 weeks I'm measuring 16-17 weeks, probably due to the fibroid.

"How is your pregnancy going?" Well, let's see. Constant nauseau and vomiting, which is par for the course for many women. And you know how all you want to eat is carbs when you feel nauseas? Yeah, well I already have gestational diabetes so I can't eat them. Consequently I'm down two pounds since I got pregnant. Don't worry, all the cashews and plain full fat ice cream I'm allowed to eat will soon pack those pounds back on!

Hopefully my entree into the second trimester will give me a new, rosy attitude. For now, I need to go take a nap.

So Sad

My little guy sustained his first big injury last night. Just as we were walking in from a Super Bowl party in the late evening, Gavin's finger got caught in the door of our building. I have never felt so helpless in my life.

The poor child cried for 30 minutes straight, screaming, "H-h-h-help me, Mommy!" I now truly believe that the worst feeling in the world is seeing your child in pain.

We called the doctor on-call and he said to ice it and give the little guy a pain reliever. Gavin's poor finger swelled up and turned red and then blue, but after a time he could wiggle it, so we were relieved it wasn't broken.

Of course we let him have a cup of apple juice, four M & M's, and the special treat of falling asleep in our bed. By the end of it, I think we felt worse than he did since we just wanted to hold him close and lavish him with love. He went to sleep talkative and happy at 11 p.m. We went to bed drained and exhausted.

Ah, parenthood.

Reviewing

I've become a book blog reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishers recently, and it is great fun. I just received my first book, so look for my review in the next week or two. And if you love reading and writing as much as I do, you, too, can be a reviewer. Well, if you have a blog, that is. Check out Book Sneeze for all of the details.

Humiliation At Its Finest

Do you ever forget that other people can read what you post on Facebook? Well, today I did. Big time. I relayed what I thought was an interesting little anecdote in response to a comment made by my friend, Juan. Juan is working with formerly-of-D.C.-Talk musician Kevin Smith (he now goes by Kevin Max) on an illustration project and made an off-hand comment about their work together.

Did I mention that I used to have a big-time crush on Kevin Smith/Kevin Max? Of course, this was back in my 20's. So, check out the following humiliating conversation thread:

Juan Carlos Baez: Just got off the phone with Kevin Max. Big things happening with Fiefdom of Angels!

Me: Oh, I thought he was so cute back in the day! I met him in Detroit when I worked for Promise Keepers since D.C. Talk was one of the bands playing at the conference. He asked me where I bought my cool glasses and like a dork I said, JC Penny."

Juan Carlos Baez: Knowing Kevin I can just imagine his reaction! Must've been priceless! At least you didn't say K-Mart. That would've killed him!

Kevin Max: "Back in the day." I'm even better now darlin...

Me: Humiliation #2...

Watered Down Gospel

I was really disturbed by a post I read this week on Cathleen Falsani's blog, The Dude Abides (http://www.cathleenfalsani.com/). Falsani is an excellent journalist, specializing in religion coverage, and has worked for the Sun-Times and written several books. I took a special interest in following her work when I moved to Chicago since she was local, and since I have a couple of friends who went to Wheaton College with her and have spoken about how sharp she is.

This week she wrote a blog post called "A Gay Awakening in the Church?" and it left me sad and shaking my head is disbelief. Why? Because in the post Falsani discusses Jay Bakker's newest book (he's Jim Bakker's son) and endorses his opinion that Christians have been translating scripture on homosexuality incorrectly (Leviticus), when, in fact, there's nothing wrong with it. She seems to be just one of a growing handful of evangelicals/emergents who are now making the move to embrace the gay lifestyle in the church. She ends her post by asking, "Might the evangelical church be on the verge of a gay awakening?"

Further disappointing was pastor and author Brian MacLaren's endorsement of Falsani's post just a few days later.

Interestingly, I could begin my own blog post in a similar way that Falsani began hers: "Some of my dearest friends are gay. Most of my dearest friends are Christians." But unlike Falsani, my friends and I agree to disagree when it comes to this particular lifestyle choice. It doesn't make us love each other any less, and some have gratefully left the lifestyle behind. Although many people struggle with this choice and find relief in "coming out of the closet," others find relief in getting out of the lifestyle.

Can you be gay and a Christian? Of course. But how long can we keep watering down scripture?

What do you think? Are Christians compromising in this area?

Outta Here

In approximately two hours I am out of here for the weekend. It's time for our annual MLK weekend retreat with two other couples, the Bells (flying out from Atlanta) and the Krons (local). We've gathered each MLK weekend for approximately 12 years and it is nothing short of fabulous! We have a no-kids-allowed rule, so come 4 p.m. today, I will be a true grown-up for three whole days.

Ah, three days to hang out in sweats in a rental house, doing nothing but talking, eating, watching a video series from John Ortberg (the enrichment part), and drinking wine. Oh yeah, and watching the Bears in the playoffs and the Golden Globes. Sounds like heaven on earth, no? Believe me, we don't leave the house until Monday afternoon.

There's nothing like great friends to restore your sanity.