Marriage Conference Deadline Approaching

Don't forget, the group discount deadline is coming up for Family Life's Weekend to Remember. The deadline is February 11 for the Dayton Conference and February 18 for Cincinnati.

If you'd like to register with our group, please use the Group #13600 to save $80 per couple! Call 1800.FL.TODAY to register. Please use the Group Code #13600 no matter which conference you are registering for. The deadline for the group discount is 18 days prior to your conference date.

FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Marriage Conferences:
February 29 - March 2, 2008 at the Dayton Marriott
March 7-9, 2008 at the Cincinnati Hyatt Regency

There are details, other locations and dates listed on their website:
www.familylife.com/conferences

Marty and I have gone twice and highly recommend it to all married couples. It's a wonderful way to re-connect with your spouse and re-connect with the Lord! This is an awesome way to bless your marriage!

Sickness at our House

Just when I thought I was getting better my cold turned into bronchitis. Sunday I had a fever and chills and felt really bad. Fortunately, my OB called in antibiotics for me right away. And thank God for my sister, Holly, being here to help with Luke so I could sleep.

I'm slowly starting to feel better, but am still not sleeping very well. The drainage and coughing keeps me up, but I'm hanging in there. And then Lexie likes to practice her gymnastics after 11:00 pm, which makes it tricky to fall asleep!

Poor Luke is sick now, too. His fever was 101.3 yesterday so I took him to the pediatrician. It looks like he has an upper respiratory infection, but since it's viral he doesn't need antibiotics. We're treating the symptoms while it runs its course. Poor baby... he's been miserable. Whiny and feverish with his nose running down his face. He lost his appetite, too. He'll only eat fruit and drink milk, but the doctor said that's fine as long as he keeps drinking fluids.

At least Marty's sickness was short-lived. He was a mess on Friday with fever and chills, but got better over the course of the weekend.

Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!

Lexie is Really Growing!

They did another ultrasound on Wednesday and everything looks good. The fluid levels and cervix length haven't changed, so all is well. At 27 weeks, Lexie weighs 3 pounds and is 15.5" long! She's going to be a big girl! I get to see the OB every 2 weeks now. I still have to take it easy and rest whenever the pressure gets bad, but I can deal with that. I'm just so grateful that our little girl is healthy!

I'm almost over my cold, but now Marty is sick. We're hoping Luke doesn't get it again since he had a mild cold when I first got mine. Please keep our family's health in your prayers.

That's about all for now. Hope you're managing to keep warm and having a great winter!

Starting to Feel Better

Thank God I'm starting to feel better and breathe better. I can actually breathe through my nose today. How about that?! Luke took a nice 3-hour nap today, so I did, too. What a luxury! It really helped; I felt so much better after that.

We even made it to our new small group this evening, and it was really good. Laurel and Maria took turns watching Luke which worked out well, and they both seemed to really enjoy him. He eventually got fussy and wanted me, but he was very mellow and cuddly. He was really good when you consider it was almost his bedtime. It's a bonus that this small group is only 6 minutes from our house and that we can bring Luke, too!

Taking Breathing for Granted

No, I'll never take breathing for granted again. This past week, I've been fighting a miserable cold. I still feel crummy and incredibly stuffed up; my head feels all full of cotton and I can't breathe through my nose! I can only take tylenol and sudafed, which aren't helping much. Since I haven't been sleeping well, I've been napping every day when Luke does. (Of course, I was doing this all along anyways since this pregnancy has me sore and tired.)

Okay, enough whining. I'm hanging in there and haven't missed any work, which is good. I've just missed all the fun stuff: church, scrapbooking, and a playdate. The good thing is that it is not settling into my chest like last time. So I'm just stuffy, achy and have sinus pressure.

At least all this extra rest has been good for Lexie. I can't complain of much pelvic pressure at all this past week. And I am starting to feel a little better today. Thank God!

A Little Under the Weather

Luke and I have both had a cold since Sunday. I think mine is a little worse, but Luke has been extra whiny because he has more teeth coming in. Poor baby! It's hard to tell if the runny nose and fever are due to the cold or his teeth. Tylenol and orajel are really helping, though. We're just laying low and avoiding most people so we don't get anyone else sick.

A Great Job

Working at the church part-time has worked out very well for me, especially while being pregnant. It's only a few hours a day 3 days a week, which is perfect. Then I can head home and rest while Luke takes his afternoon nap. (I forgot how tired I get while pregnant.) I plan on trying to work until April 15 when I will be 39 weeks pregnant.

It was a bit stressful when I was trying to do freelance design at home before my laptop computer died; very tricky to do with a toddler running around. Luke kept wanting my attention and to be hugged or held. (Not that I mind!) It's just a blessing in disguise that my design computer died so I can no longer do freelance work. Being creative takes a lot of focus and was tricky unless Luke was napping. And I know it would've been even more difficult with 2 kids at home under age 2.

I'm so grateful for the job at the church and my steady babysitters: Grammy, Papa Robbie, and Laurel in the summertime. It's been a perfect arrangement for our family!

A Lousy Day

Yesterday was just a bad day for me, both emotionally and physically. My head felt like crud, my lower abdomen was very sore with tons of pressure, plus I felt extremely irritable. It was one of those days when it worked out best for me to just stay home and not interact with people. I wasn't even up for going to our new small group. I just was perturbed, to put it kindly, at everything and everyone, for no reason whatsoever, and I didn't want to risk biting someone's head off.

Thank God I was able to sleep for both of Luke's naps yesterday, which helped a lot physically. (And he was such a little sweetie that it made getting through the day easier.) The emotional crud wasn't gone until I woke up this morning. (Crazy pregnancy hormones!) Marty thanked me for warning him I was in a bad mood, but I know I snapped at my poor mother before I realized it.

Since Lexie is measuring big, maybe she can arrive a couple of weeks early so I can be done with being pregnant a little sooner. Is that terrible to say?

A Blessing in Disguise

I won't be teaching at Clark State this Winter Quarter after all. Only 3 people signed up for my class, so they were going to cancel it. They gave me the option of teaching at a reduced rate, but it wasn't worth it with having to drive 30 minutes each way and gas prices being over $3 a gallon.

It's a blessing in disguise since I'm supposed to stay off my feet as much as possible for the rest of this pregnancy due to the fluid build-up and pelvic pressure.

They promise to keep me in mind to teach in the summer and definitely can use me in the fall. They may even need someone to teach art or design at the Greene Center, which is less than 15 minutes from my house.

I had been worried about teaching since I'd have to be on my feet for 2 hours straight 2 evenings a week. It's so nice to know that God has a plan and is taking care of this baby and I!

24 Week Ultrasound Update

Well, Dr. Banias wanted to do another ultrasound to check Lexie's growth. Apparently she's measuring a little on the big side: 77th percentile. She now weighs 2 lbs and is approximately 13.3" long from head to toe. She's very healthy, moves like crazy and is defintely a girl!

Something we have to keep an eye on though is the fact that I have fluid building up above my cervix. Dr. Banias said it's probably just mucus which is normal. Apparently that is the reason for all the extreme pressure and soreness I keep feeling down low. At this point there is no cause for concern since my cervix is still long and only a few millimeters dilated; He'd be concerned if it starts to shorten because then it would be a sign of pre-term labor. He's monitoring me very closely. Thank God for ultrasound technology!

A very good thing is that if I had to deliver early, the baby would survive since we're into the 24th week.

So, my next appointment will be in 3 weeks. In the meantime, anytime I feel that extreme pressure, I'm supposed to lie down. Sitting isn't enough because my entire upper body is still putting pressure on my cervix. So, I'm trying to lie down more, which is a bit tricky with a toddler running around. Luke thinks it's great fun to climb up and sit on me when I'm lying on my side on the couch! Thank God for a sweet husband who's a huge help in the afternoon and evenings!

The Krause-Rentz Side the Family

Here is a great family photo with my parents and all 7 of us siblings and our significant others! A rare occasion to have all of us together at once!

Our Favorite Christmas Present

Here's a great shot my sister-in-law took of Luke playing in a box: