Oops, I never posted this picture from last week’s sonogram. Here’s Laura Marie at 36 weeks:
Packed and Ready
Carolyn is at week 37, which means that Laura Marie is now technically considered full term. So the family bags for the trip to the hospital are now packed and waiting on the living couch for the big moment.
From left to right: Daddy’s bag, Baby’s bag, Mommy’s bag:
In case you’re wondering why the baby has her own bag, it’s because her mom has several different outfits picked out for her to wear home. She wants to wait until the baby is born so she can pick an outfit that best matches her personality. And each outfit is accessorized–matching hat, bib, socks, etc.
i am second
This Sunday at CrossWay Church we’re starting a new sermon series called “i am second.” I’m pretty excited about it! It’s something that several pastors in the community have been working on for a few months.
The idea came from a website by the same name. You should check it out at iamsecond.com! It has a lot of short testimonial videos by a bunch of different people. Some of them you’ll recognize; others you’ve probably never heard of. The series starts on Easter with a video from Brian Welch, formerly of the band Korn. The second week’s video is by Chris Plekenpol, with videos the next two weeks from Shannon Culpepper and Josh Hamilton (slugger with the Texas Rangers).
The idea behind the series is that for Jesus Christ to be first, I have to put myself second. We’ll look at how that works out in real, daily life beginning this Sunday.
“He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30
The Other National Pastime
When my younger brother Dylan and I were kids, we used to amuse ourselves by taking baseball cards and doctoring them up a little bit. Recently I came across a few samples:
Two-Dollar Catheterizations at McDonald’s
One of my brothers refers to McDonald’s as “McLaxatives” because of the unintended medicinal value of their food products. Now they have apparently decided to expand their healthcare services. At the McDonald’s near my house, they’re offering help–and comparatively inexpensive help–for those who are having difficulties ridding their bodies of liquid waste products. Here’s the proof:
I’ve heard of fast food, but that’s a little too fast. I think I’ll stick to the natural processes.
Little Laura Marie’s Foot
For my latest painting I decided to paint my favorite picture from Laura Marie’s first sonogram. Here’s her precious little foot after 19 weeks in the womb:
3-D Laura Marie
Yesterday we went for a 3-D sonogram at RMS Sonography in Salisbury. It was so cool to see the baby again! Now she’s much bigger and has some fat on her, plus the 3-D shots made it possible to see her much better. Carolyn says they make her look like a clay baby, and you’ll probably agree. When we got home last night we watched the DVD of the sonogram they gave us. It’s so awesome! On the DVD you can see her yawning, moving her mouth like she’s talking, playing with her toes, punching Carolyn’s guts–even opening and closing her eyes! Amazing stuff.
Here are a couple of the 3-D photos:
We’ll have one more sonogram (a regular one, not 3-D) before the baby is born. The doctor orders this one to make sure that the baby is ready to come out into her new world!
Laura Marie’s Email Signature
Our creative friend Katie designed this email signature using some of our ultrasound photos. Is it cool or what?!? Thanks so much, Katie!
Laura Marie’s First Baseball Shirt
Laura Marie got her first piece of Nationals gear yesterday. It was a pretty exciting moment for me, and I’m sure for her as well.
Her mom wasn’t so sure. Last summer we went to a Nationals game at their new stadium, and the fans were almost as bad as the team… and that’s saying a lot. At one point the booing got so bad that the fans booed a 12-year-old ballgirl when she booted a foul ball. When I told Carolyn that Laura Marie could wear her Nats tee to a game this summer, she said, “You can’t take a three-month-old baby to a baseball game! Besides, they’d probably boo her.”
Maybe I should raise her to be Phillies fan. (Of course, you talk about mean and rowdy fans! No offense Christi–you’re the rare exception.) That would be strange since I’ve never been a Phillies guy myself, but Philly is as close as Baltimore or D.C., so the baby should have her pick.
Anyway, here’s the shirt:
First Finished Painting
Yesterday in our painting group I finished my first painting! I’m not satisfied with it, but I could work on it forever and never be satisfied with it. At some point you just have to say, “Enough!” So here it is:
What I mostly worked on yesterday was the face. It still doesn’t really look like Bobby Murcer, but at least it doesn’t look so much like a Neanderthal. Here’s a closeup:
Now I don’t know what to do with the painting, ’cause I’ve never finished one before. What’re you supposed to do with them once they’re done?
