Baby Girl!

Why Jade Elizabeth?

I knew from my time in China that Jade is important to the Chinese as a symbol of strength, beauty, and dignity, and the more we researched this symbolism, as well as the meanings of similar words in other languages we're learning in our family, the more it seemed like the perfect name for our new Baby.  "Elizabeth" is of Hebrew origin, and refers to how keeping covenants with God leads to eternal life.  Add to that the character of individuals on both sides of Baby's family who carry the same name, and it seemed a good choice.  We asked her opinion, said a final prayer, and felt like we'd chosen the right name at last.  As David likes to say, "So let it be written, so let it be done."

God Hears and Answers Prayers

The e-mails say it best:

May 19

Hello Family and Friends,

Getting close now!  Mommy and Baby are healthy and growing (yes - both
growing! :) in every good and expected way.  When people ask me how I
am doing, I say I am tired but doing well.  If they ask if I'm anxious
to not be pregnant anymore, I tell them no, but I might be if I didn't
know what I was in for.  And so it is.

There is one complication.  This past week, we discovered that Baby,
who by now should be head-down and ready to go, is actually laying
sideways.  I am grateful Heavenly Father led us to this discovery,
which is often not looked for this late in pregnancy (especially since
a few weeks ago she was head down!), rather than after many hard hours
of confusingly unproductive labor.  The challenge now is to get her to
turn, which is more difficult than it may sound.  I have been given
some excercises and other things to try, but time isn't on my side
anymore.  The good news is that we live in a day when a C-section
delivery is safe and very likely to be successful, but that is not the
kind of delivery I have been preparing for and looking forward to.

So, again, I am asking for prayers.  Pray for whatever you feel is
right.  I asked David for a blessing and in it I was instructed to not
fear and to trust Christ and the power of His atonement, among other
things, but never mentioned whether Baby will turn or not.  I am
praying that Baby will turn, but also the strength to willingly
receive whatever lessons the Lord has planned for me and my family.

I am determined to be happy about this no matter how it goes - and do
my best to do my part to make sure it goes the way God intends.  Thank
you for your love and prayers!

Hugs and Smiles from all of us!

Ashley

May 20

Hi!

Went to the doctor today and Baby is head-down!  Thank you all for
your support and love and thoughts and prayers and words of
encouragement.  But it's not over until she's out and safe, so please
keep praying for us - could be any day now!

Love you all and thank you!!

What Sneakers are Called

This scene played the morning after David picked out the sneakers he got for his birthday.  He picked her up and put her feet in the new shoes, and she started walking with them.

Charlotte: Shoo.
David: Yeah, shoe! Zapato.
Charlotte: Shoo
David: Za-pa-to.
Charlotte: Issa shoo.
David: Well I guess you told me!

We love our little Princess. We may need to take a different language-learning strategy with this one :D

Reduced-Guilt Ramen Noodles

I craved ramen incessantly during my first trimester of pregnancy, but I couldn’t shake the guilt that came from knowing how nutritionally useless ramen was for me and my growing child.  So, I read the ingredients list and tried a few things until I got something that came out right most of the time.

At first I would just add my own seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper) to the packaged ramen noodles as they boiled and just not use the flavor packet (which is the really unhealthy part of the whole experience).  Later, I would add an egg or frozen broccoli to the mix so it looked and felt a little more like food.  Now, since I’ve gotten better at feeding my hunger before I’m ready to eat my own fingers, I can put a little bit more time into it and make something with some actual nutritional value.

So, this is how I did it yesterday (it’s a little different every time):

Boil water in a medium-sized pot – about half full.

Add about a pound of pasta noodles.  I used half white elbows and half wheat elbows.  Set timer for “al dente” time on the box.

·         Short kinds (rigatoni, elbows, bows, etc.) work the best.  Spaghetti broken up could be good too.

Add two generous tablespoons full of “Better Than Bouillon” brand chicken base.

·         Forgive the plug for this brand, it really is the best.

·         Chicken, or beef, or whatever kind of bouillon you like the best is the most important ingredient in this recipe, so don’t be stingy when deciding how much to put in.

Add the other spices quickly-ish, stirring them in occasionally, so there’s time for all the flavors to blend.  I don’t measure, and you’re tastes will be different anyway:

·         Seasoning salt (mine has chili powder in it, so I don’t add chili powder when I use this).

·         Oregano (for Italian flavor.  Don’t add too much; it’s a strong flavor and hard to reverse.)

·         Pepper (mine is coarse ground)

·         Garlic powder

·         Parsley – just a dash

Let it all boil together until the pasta is done.

It would probably be a good idea to taste the broth to see if it needs to be adjusted before it’s done, but I’m a wimp when it comes to hot stuff so I usually don’t.  

When the timer goes off, lunch is ready.  Don’t drain it – just spoon out into bowls and enjoy!

I ended up adding a little water to my first bowl of it so it wasn’t as strong, but my daughter liked it as-is.  If you want to hit another food group, you can add frozen veggies when you add the spices or (especially if carrots are involved) when you first turn on the burner to boil the water, and adjust the amount of water and spices accordingly.  Or you can just steam some to serve on the side.  Experiment and have fun!  Good luck!

Good Morning, Charlotte!

We don't usually do this, but this morning David was up very early and had come back to bed, so he wanted to sleep for just a little longer after the children woke up.  I asked M and C to play a little while and we would get up soon.  They ran in and out several times - I knew closing the door wouldn't help them stay out or be quiet.  One of these times, C told me in her way that she needed to - or had - gone potty.  Then I heard her take her diaper off.  I had just sat her on the potty, so I wasn't super concerned.  I did want to get up and help her before she went on the floor, but met some resistance because David was holding me and was still asleep.  Then she threw the diaper at our heads.  I grabbed it and was grateful to find it was perfectly dry.  That woke David up.

"Did she just throw a diaper at us?"
"Yes," I said, and got up to help her sit on the potty.
"A dirty diaper?"
"I don't think so."

Then he moved, and found what he described as a "jolly little hand grenade" (when retelling this story to his parents moments later) on the bed where our heads had just been.

Yes, friends, we're potty training.  Not because she's reached a magical age, or because at nine months pregnant I feel up to it, but because we have no choice ;)  Have a wonderful day!