{Perfect Chaos}

Perfect chaos. Those two words describe the past two weeks of life for our little family. My predominantly sanguine husband might say it's been one adventure after another. At least that was probably true for the first of the two weeks. The second of the two weeks, however,  has given his melancholy characteristics an opportunity to shine! Chaos, indeed!

I'm writing from our cozy little suite at the Staybridge Inn. It's a lovely extended-stay hotel tucked nicely between Southeast Christian Church and Bluegrass Harley-Davidson. (Sense my sarcasm!) After we moved out of our home at warp speed (7 days to be exact), we landed here. By "we" I mean Brian, Madeleine, William, and me . . . and the 2 dogs, 2 fish, 2 sugar gliders, and a hamster! Cozy = crowded! The dogs are not taking the change very well.  They bark and whimper and are generally anxious. Ruby decided the place needed a little color; so, she escaped from her crate and knocked blue nail polish off the sink. We were able to get all the polish cleaned up, but poor Ruby is still sporting one blue paw. I'm not sure which was more upsetting--the blue polish or the hole she left when she tried to dig her way out of the room (from inside her crate)! Poor pup. She doesn't seem to be handling all of this too well! The rest of us are doing just fine! We really are, all things considered.

Ruby . . . blue paw, big hole

Hopefully, we won't be here too much longer. We made an offer on a house last week and received the signed contract today!  We are still in awe and give God praise and glory for His divine provision. I am being reminded again and again of two important truths: 1.  He is concerned with the details of our lives--both big and small, and 2. Divine providence can be seen in our lives as He works in every situation--both big and small. He's working one miracle after another for us. There is no doubt it's God. He's God in the midst of chaos. And, He sees us, in the midst of chaos.  I am so thankful for that.

New House

Baby Girl is due to arrive in just over 10 weeks. That's 74 days! I am pleased to report that we have started registering for baby items, making lists, making plans. That makes me feel so much better. This weekend we made the first purchase for Baby Girl.  You might think of a bassinet, crib, or car seat. Or maybe a going-home-from-the-hospital outfit. But, no. Here's what we bought. . .

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Sleep sacks! Please don't ask me to explain that one! I have no idea.

She's growing! The baby bump is expanding, meaning my lap has essentially disappeared.  I cannot seem to position  myself in any way to dissuade her from all her moving about. Her bumps and kicks are turning into rolls and jabs. Space is getting tight, I suppose! She especially likes to wiggle and roll when I'm lying down trying to rest. (That must be God's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights to come.) We had to take a glucose tolerance test today.  That means I had a yummy breakfast, and she put on quite a show with all her acrobatics. You know that point where it actually hurts when the baby moves? We're there.

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Though I wish I could have the delicious glucose drink every day, I have managed to find a reasonable substitute. Chicken and dumplings has become a favorite. In fact, I've had them about 4-5 times in the last 7 days! Comfort food. The kids are officially tired of Cracker Barrel and Chick-fil-a. I can't say that I blame them. Even still, Baby Girl seems to be a fan.

Madeleine starts playing club volleyball this week.  She tried out in the beginning of November for a non-travel team and made it! She's very excited. We all are. She recently performed in her first Performing Arts Club production, "Rock Solid". She was great! All the kids did an awesome job. She always surprises me. I think she surprises herself too. Her violin recital was last week. She did a fabulous job. We were all excited to have Poppy and Grammy be able to join us.

William is getting ready for his annual Christmas program at school.  He's been singing and practicing hard. It's one of my favorite programs of the year. This year we managed to get his little shepherd costume together before the night of the performance. We did not, however, manage to get a cute picture of said costume! Maybe, tomorrow.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you. Just know that we're here and all is well. We're taking it one adventure at a time...one chaotic moment by one.  And in the midst of our chaos we've had the opportunity as a family to be still, stand firm, and know that He is God. (That's been hard!) But when we manage it, our chaos becomes something more. Something good.

Perfect. Chaos.

It's just one of the beautiful things that comes with belonging to Him.

{Pink or Blue? Phoebe or Phoebo?}

Finally! We know the answer to the million dollar question. The topic has been debated in our house from day 1. William wanted a baby brother. Madeleine wanted a baby sister. Brian had a "hunch" it was a boy. I had a feeling it was a girl. In reality, it didn't really matter! Today as we walked across the parking lot heading toward the doctor's office William made an announcement: If his prediction was correct, we should pay him $700. If Madeleine's prediction was correct, then she should be paid. She tried to explain why this was an unreasonable bet and offered an alternative: If it was a boy, William would have the honor of naming him. If it was a girl, she would have the honor! Of course, we agreed to neither! :) We kept walking.

It was a painfully long walk from the car to the door. With every step a new wave of emotion swept over me. Excitement. Joy. Anticipation. Then, apprehension and anxiety. I was more anxious than I realized, and by the time the elevator doors closed I couldn't breathe. Before we reached the fourth floor a vivid memory smacked me in the face. I remembered walking into the same kind of appointment 15 years ago completely oblivious to the fact that something might be wrong. I also remembered walking out of that appointment knowing something was terribly wrong.

Jesus, I need You.

Then, calm. Peace.

Nothing is wrong. Baby looks great. And I am thankful. That is what matters.

Baby Girl Jones!

So, here's a 20-week photo of Baby GIRL! It's a profile shot. If you look closely, you can see a little arm and hand covering her precious little face. She weighs in at about 12 oz.!

The next order of business is naming her! We already have a list going. We thought it'd be fun to hear what you think. What's your favorite Baby Girl name?

[polldaddy poll=5536224]

{Hello world!}

Hello family and friends! Welcome to our blog. This is the place to be to get the scoop on what’s happening with the Jones family. Trust me when I say that ALOT is happening. You can subscribe to the page and receive an e-mail notification when the blog is updated. Go to the right-hand column and enter your e-mail address. Then click "Sign Me Up." You won’t have to miss a thing, and it is sure to be anything but boring! Read on and enjoy!

Most of you know we’re pregnant. This will serve as the first official update since we’ve spread the news. So, may I direct your attention to the picture at the top of your screen.

Week 13

This is “Junior.” Please do not get attached to the name. I promise it’s not going to stick! (More on that another day!) The image was created last week during our second ultrasound. Look closely and you can see the baby’s profile. Everything looked great, though I wouldn’t say the baby was cooperative! The good report was welcomed given that this tiny being is causing such a ruckus for Mommy, which in turn causes quite a ruckus for everyone else!

I’ve been SO, SO sick. Terrible nausea has been my constant companion nearly all day for most days the past few months. I have already determined that God graciously allowed me to forget the sometimes unpleasant details of my previous pregnancies. The first time I turned green-faced and raced to the bathroom, it all came flooding back. But I have to say that so far, I’m having fun. I marvel at the miracle taking place right under our noses. Sure, my blue jeans don’t fit (actually not much of anything is fitting), nothing tastes good, my nose is on overdrive, I’m exhausted, I’m sick, and I spend a good majority of the day in the bathroom, BUT it’s good.

It’s good and I’m grateful.

Here are a few tidbits of info:

First,  the estimated due date is February 10. That means we are 13 weeks 3 days along. (Woo-hoo for the 2nd trimester.)

The next doctor’s appointment is August 30th. We do not know the gender yet. We do plan to find out.  We may or may not tell. :)