September 2009 Update

The procrastination ends here--I'm finally writing.

The first news is that our baby is due in just two weeks! All seems to be going well. I’m not hating the third trimester as much as I could be… I’m still in pretty good health and the baby seems to be doing well too. She’s pretty active and those lungs seem to be developing—as evidenced by her daily hiccoughs. I wonder if she’ll be as hiccoughy when she reaches the outside...

I’m down to weekly doc appointments now. Got my first ever flu shot. Last appointment the doc did an impromptu sonogram to check the baby’s position; her head is down but her body is a bit oblique. Her butt is sticking out towards my left hip and her feet are pointing over to my right hip. Doc says it’s nothing to worry about, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Also, I’ve been pretty steadily gaining weight at about three pounds per week for the past month. That’s probably more than expected (by me), but I’m still within normal ranges. Last of all, I’ve been having some pre-labor contractions for the past four days or so. So far it doesn’t hurt, but it seems to wake me up in the morning and happens several times a day for maybe thirty seconds at a time. My belly just tightens up and gets uncomfortable for a bit, makes me a little out of breath, and then it slips away again. I’m pretty sure this is the “dropping” phase since the baby seems to be sinking down a bit lower.

Oh, here comes another little contraction…

In other less exciting news, our renters in our San Antonio house have been having trouble paying their rent. This hasn’t been a very fun situation for any of us, least of all for them I’m sure. We’ve prayed for them every day this month I think. We’re feeling bad for them but learning that we need to be a bit tougher so we can avoid falling into their situation. Paying rent here and mortgage there isn’t sustainable for too long. Still, I consider this month’s mortgage payment like tuition in a real estate class. It’s just like Grandpa Walch says “Well then, that’s your thousand dollar education!” Shucks. Also, I think I’ve gained a better understanding of the gospel concepts of justice and mercy. I sure wish some savior would come to give our renters mercy, and to satisfy the justice our bank account demands. Still, the more time goes on and the more we hear about their financial woes, the more it becomes apparent that mercy for them might be to have them move into a cheaper place. As for us, we’re grateful to be feeling the peace and protective power of paying tithing.

Lastly, just to mention a little something of our life in Fort Worth this month, we finally tried out Uncle Julio’s, a Mexican restaurant close by that always has a full parking lot. After a beautiful walk in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, we went to Uncle Julio’s and pulled out all the stops with a lobster and fajita platter and they gave us a complimentary plate of sopa pillas. So delish. I think that’s about the most we’ve ever spent on a meal, so it’s lucky our grocery bill came in well under budget this week. You know, if it weren’t for our usual diet of rice, beans, cereal and PB&Js, I think I’d feel guilty. Instead I’ll just settle for feeling grateful.

House Rented: Prayers Answered

God ALWAYS answers our prayers. More than that, it seems like he typically answers in the way we want him to. We must be asking for the right things at the right times (at least 93 percent of the time).

Memorial Day weekend just passed and our house is now rented. A family from Virginia found us on the rental website. He works in construction and his brother-in-law, an airforce guy, lives in the neighborhood behind ours. Together they are particularly handy and there's no doubt they are going to look after the house even better than we would ourselves. They want to be the man-power behind all the little projects (like installing gutters, fixing the bathroom leak, and landscaping the backyard) like we've been meaning to do for a long time. We couldn't be happier to know that our house will be in the hands of people who will care for it. They also have a plan to move at the same time as us, so no worries about inconveniencing family or storing furniture. Now maybe I can sleep (so long as this baby stops squishing my insides -- Not a chance).