From Pennies to Paperclips

If you've been following my story for a while, you're probably familiar with how I keep an eye out for pennies and other coins.  It all stems from my grandma's habit of picking up coins on her walks and then dividing them among our stockings at Christmas.  When my mom started doing the same thing for Ella and her new cousin, I decided that I would join in as well.  I am very proud that I found $4.86 in loose change during my pregnancy with Ella.

I realize that it's just a silly little habit, but when I went back to work in January, I admit that I was a little disappointed that I wasn't finding many pennies.  I tried to keep an eye out for them, but perhaps I was just too busy or too stressed to notice.  I mused that maybe God figured that I didn't need the pennies anymore after the raise and the promotion with which He blessed me.

But it was never about the monetary value--rather, it was more about the "warm fuzzies" that I got each time I found a coin.  It was a moment of solidarity with my grandma and my mom--two amazing women who I love and want to emulate.  And in my own special way, each coin felt like a "reminder" that God was looking out for me and my baby. 

Lately, I haven't found many pennies, but I've noticed that I've been finding paperclips absolutely everywhere!  Granted, I work in an office and the daycare affixes an invoice to our check-in sheet each week, so I'm bound to come in contact with them on a regular basis, but I'm finding them in unexpected locations.  If I looked funny bending over to pick up pennies in the middle of the grocery store when I was eight months pregnant, I probably look just as silly bending over with a six month old in my hands to pick up a lost paperclip!  Let others think what they want; and yes, I realize that they hold even less value than a penny, but it still makes me feel good to find either shiny little item.  (I do, however, draw the line at staples--though I got a good chuckle when I opened my car door in a parking lot and saw a pile of dumped staples shining in the sunlight).

Today's blessing was hearing that Ella was back to her happy self after a rough day at daycare the day before.  She has been sleeping so well lately, and was totally happy throughout the weekend, but then had a rough night on Sunday night, and just wasn't happy on Monday morning.  It breaks my heart when she's upset, but God blessed her (and therefore us) with a good night sleep last night and lots of joy today. 

$4.86

If you've been following my story, you may remember that I keep an eye out for pennies and any other change that I may find.  As I previously shared, I try not to get too caught up in them being "signs"--like an "omen"--and I don't quite believe that they bring me "luck", but they do brighten up my day.  I guess I think of them as little reminders from God that He's looking out for us.

I found my first penny on the morning that I took the pregnancy test that eventually led to Ella.  That was back in January.  Throughout my pregnancy, I continued to find pennies and other coins, and each one felt like a little reminder from God that everything was going to be okay.  He gave Noah a rainbow...I feel like I got pennies.  And not just pennies, but nickels, dimes, and quarters as well--in fact, $4.86 worth through the 40 weeks of my pregnancy.  That breaks down to:

• 61 pennies
• 6 nickels
• 22 dimes
• 7 quarters

I totally realize that $4.86 won't even buy me a small package of store brand diapers, but it's not really about the money.  It's about trusting God's plan for my life, and watching for how He is looking out for me, one little penny at a time.

I continue to watch for pennies, and they continue to show up, and God continues to bless us.  Perhaps I'll get Ella a piggy bank when she gets old enough to appreciate not only the value of money, but also the significance of these particular coins.  For now, they are in a little trinket box which was a gift from my Grandma--the same woman who inspired my mom and me to watch for coins in the first place.  (I should also mention that we have opened a real savings account for Ella...but something tells me that a bank teller isn't going to share the same warm feelings about my coins if I bring them all in).

Yesterday's blessing was learning that my dad walked away from a car accident (it happened a 1/2 block away from our house, so he literally walked home).  He was rear-ended as he was turning onto our street, and while the back end of his car is completely smashed in, he was unharmed.  He says that he's a little bit sore--but he doesn't know if that is from playing basketball that morning prior to the accident or if it was from the impact.  It was an older car with lots of miles, but he took really good care of it, and probably won't get all that much for it, so he's a bit worried about replacing it.  Please keep him in your prayers as he deals with the hassle of working through the insurance company and figuring out what to do.  But either way, we are so blessed that God kept him safe!

He's a Good Husband...

...but something tells me that he's going to be a great "Daddy". 

I just wanted to share a couple of the sweet things that my husband has done lately in preparation for our baby girl:

• When I brought up the childbirth classes, not only was he more-than-willing to go, but he created a document that organized all of the various dates (highlighting our preferred and alternate dates), locations, costs, and additional notes. 
• When I suggested that we start thinking about the nursery (and how to move his "man cave" into the office to make room for the guest room, so that we can make room for the nursery), he created a Visio document to map out all four rooms and where the various pieces of furniture can go.
• After initially balking at the list of things that we "need to have", "should get", and "would be nice", he had an "ah-ha moment" and realized that it's perfectly fine to register for all of the above...and then fill in the gaps bit by bit.
• He started a new IRA about a month ago to save money for our baby girl's future (and then freaked out just a little bit yesterday when he couldn't figure out what the charge was going towards).
• He found a quarter on the ground yesterday and brought it home for me, thus indulging me in my quests to keep an eye out for pennies and other coins.
• Being the (lovable and sexy) computer nerd that he is, he priced out night-vision cameras that he can install in the nursery that will be able to stream live video to the computer in our bedroom so that we can watch her on the TV screen.
• He started the important conversations with his supervisor to lay the groundwork for a promotion (he's due for one anyway...but I was impressed with how he took the initiative to get things started).
• He listens to my crazy pregnancy dreams every morning after morning after morning without thinking that I'm crazy.
• Although he works 1-1/2 hours away from my doctor's office, he makes it a priority to attend my appointments with me (and has only missed two so far--one when he was out of town, and the other when there were two scheduled in the same week).
• As a drummer, he softly plays little drumbeats on my belly and teaches her the name and significance of the beats...and yet he also suggested that perhaps it is time to sell his drum set to make room for her arrival (which breaks my heart and makes me so proud of his sacrifice, all at the same time).

He may never be the other-the-top romantic type, but yet he's so sweet and accommodating in his own unique way.  Like I said--he's a good husband to me...but something tells me he's going to be a great "Daddy" to our baby girl.  There is no one else with whom I would want to share this experience.

Aside from my husband, today's blessing is my brother, who is wise beyond his years and helped me through a difficult morning in dealing with family drama.  It's days like today that make me wish that I lived closer to home so that I could hang out with him (and the rest of my family, despite the drama) more often, but it's a blessing to know that he's only a phone call away...and he's always there for me.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

...that's what little girls are made of.

We're having a girl!  And everything--from her brain to her heart to her kidneys to her femur--looks great!  When our doctor had made her 70% guess three weeks ago, she thought that the baby was a girl...but it's nice to have the confirmation.

I finally convinced myself this morning, long before going into the appointment, that everything was going to be fine.  I got the worries out of me in plenty of time to enjoy the show (which didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked, but even just the shortest glimpse of our baby girl is fabulous for me).  Unlike our Ultrascreen when she was totally asleep (thus resulting in a long viewing), it's as if she was a perfect model this time, and was super accommodating to the ultrasound technician.  She was showing off everything, as if on cue.

We had a quick appointment with my doctor afterward, and she confirmed that the fainting was "normal" at this stage, and confirmed that I was doing the right thing in guzzling water.  She also agreed that the shooting pains I experienced were probably round ligament pain--again, totally normal at this stage.  She is impressed with all of the measurements from the ultrasound, and says that we're right on track.  So I'll see her (and our baby girl) again in three weeks.  Yeah...three weeks instead of two.  I kind of figured that I was setting myself up for a three-week rotation when I agreed to it last time.  But I got through these last three weeks, and now that the baby is moving more noticeably (I feel very confident that I felt her totally kicking away last night during LOST), I know I can make it another three weeks again.

After the appointment, we did a little bit of shopping.  I finally bought a belly band, and am impressed with it so far (I slipped it on in the car in the parking lot).  Then I bought some clothes for my niece for her birthday...and I admit that I admired and dreamed of purchasing some of the items for our own little girl in a couple of years.  We also looked at baby furniture--just to get ideas and price things out.

And for anyone who has followed our journey and remembers my story about the pennies, how cool is this?  Throughout the afternoon, I found $0.23!  I know that seems so insignificant (and it's certainly not going to pay for the furniture I liked), but if you think about it...that's five coins!  Ever since my mom told me about finding pennies, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for them (or any form of money).  I'm lucky if I find one per week...but I found five today--three pennies, and two dimes.  Like I said...how cool is that?

Today's blessing was seeing our baby girl, and being able to share the experience with my husband.  I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness in blessing us with a healthy pregnancy and baby girl.  I truly am blessed.

The Difference Between Fourth and First

Perhaps this post would have been more effective while the Olympics were still on.  I admit that this concept dawned on my while the games were still on...but I had other things on my mind at the time. 

Anyway, while the Olympics were on, there was a little piece on how close some of the races were.  In multiple cases, the difference between first place and fourth place was less than a second.  It's crazy how the difference between a gold medal and going home empty-handed could be so slim.  That poor fourth place guy or gal worked just as hard...and yet only has memories to take home.  No one highlights a fourth place finish...no interviews, no newspaper headlines, no offers for "Dancing With The Stars".  But first place and a gold medal, and you're all over the place!  You become a household name and a "golden child".

I hate to admit it (and yet I'm okay with it), but I think I'm treating this fourth pregnancy as...well...a fourth pregnancy.  I realized the other day that I took pictures of the tests from my first, second, and third pregnancies, but neglected to do so with this fourth pregnancy.  I did cute things to show my husband with the first three...but simply woke him up this time.  With the first pregnancy, I had planned to wait a few weeks to tell my parents, brainstorming different ways that I could creatively announce it to them.  I ended up calling my mom during that first pregnancy to ask for prayers when the spotting started, and have yet to experience that big revelation moment with them.  I now share pretty much everything with my mom on nearly a daily basis--she knew the night before I took the test that I would be testing in the morning.  My announcement was "well...I'm calling first thing in the morning...so you know that that means...will you pray for me please?".  We told my father-in-law on his birthday about the first pregnancy, but then never got around to telling them about the second or third pregnancies until it was too late.  This time, we played it safe and told them after that first amazing ultrasound.  With the first three, I started to share the news with my good friends so that they could share in our joy.  Now, I'm much more cautious.  I've only told my church friends who can hold me up in prayer (and of course, this wonderful community).  I spoke with a good friend--one of my bridesmaids--on my birthday who asked point-blank if we were trying again.  I eluded her questions and just told her that I was trusting God's plan for our lives--which is the legitimate truth--but I'm just not ready to share this with her yet.

Perhaps later on down the road, I'll wish that I had the cute little momentos of pictures of pregnancy tests or memories of creative "We're Pregnant!" announcements.  But for now, I'm okay with just my own special moments with my fourth pregnancy.  I loved my first, second, and third babies, but I love my fourth baby just as much.  I don't care if there aren't any headlines or pictures or highlights--this pregnancy is still just as precious to me.  If anything, my experience with the first, second, and third have helped me to appreciate this fourth pregnancy even more.  I don't care if this child ever earns a medal--I love him or her just as much as if they were standing high on the podium.  Even if this is my fourth pregnancy, this child still has a special place in my heart.  The love, awe, and sense of wonder is still the same, no matter if it's my fourth or first.

My blessing today was pretty amazing!  This morning, I flew from Arizona to Colorado Springs for a conference, with a short layover in Denver.  My mom happened to be flying from Sacramento to Albuquerque, also with a short layover in Denver.  Our flights came in within five minutes of each other, two gates apart.  It was a quick visit, but it was still so absolutely wonderful to see my mom--even for just twenty minutes.  Since we spent the holidays with my husband's family in Montana, I haven't seen my parents since their visit in September.  And although it's still too early for me to show, this is the first time that my mom has ever seen me pregnant.  We may have looked silly to other travelers, but before boarding my plane (again, two gates apart), she put her hand on my belly and we prayed--thanking God for allowing our paths to cross and praying that He continue to care for, protect, and bless this next generation growing inside me.  And how cool is this--within minutes of finding each other (I should also mention that we realized our travel plans were coinciding last night when I talked to her), we discovered two pennies on the ground.  She took one, and I took the other.  It's amazing how God works in mysterious ways!

Pennies

I've shared previously how amazing my grandma is.  She's the type of grandma who would send me the most amazing chocolate-chip cookies while I was in college...and would send along a check for $15 to get the milk to go with said cookies.  She also sends advent calendars each holiday season to my nieces and nephews on my husband's side of the family.  I shared just last week about how she sends us each seven birthday gifts so that we can open one for each day of the week leading up to our special day.  Another really cool thing that she does is pick up coins that she finds along the side of the street on her daily walks, and then divides her loot between her five grandchildren as part of our Christmas gifts.  It never amounted to more than $5 per kid, but it was still such a sweet gesture.

In preparing for her own future role as "grandma", my mom has started picking up coins off the street as well.  A few days, she called me excitedly to share that she has been finding a lot of pennies on the ground lately.  She works in Downtown Sacramento with parking meters galore, so it's understandably a prime location for her to find loose change; but in my mom's "magical thinking" sort of way, she blissfully thinks that the universe is bringing the pennies to her, giving her hope that this pregnancy will continue to develop and thrive. So she is pretty pleased with the stash that she has saved up, and I earnestly pray that she has the chance to wrap it up as a Christmas gift to my child, the same way that my grandma does.

I try not to get too caught up in "signs" or "serendipity", but I have also found two pennies since finding out that I'm pregnant again.  The first was on the morning that I took the test, and the second was the day after I had the penny conversation with my mom.  I'm still not giving them too much credit as a "sign"...but rather than just throwing them in my purse, I brought them home and put them in a little box...given to me by none other than my grandma.

My mom and grandma are so different, and yet each so amazing.  I'm blessed to have them both as role models of how to be a good wife and mother.  I pray that I am able to bless both of them with this child in their respective roles as "grandma" and "great-grandma".