There's one life, and there's no return and no deposit...
I begin this entry cautiously, almost with trepidation...
So much has happened this past summer, an alarming amount of sadness that has literally overwhelmed me. I have been without words for so long. Even now I sit here, wondering how to describe it all.
Please note: this is not a post that seeks a response. This is merely an explanation, a reply to all the wonderful emails I've received, all of you lovelies who have questioned my whereabouts, the pregnancy, my health, etc. I miss you all greatly. Yet, lately, I've been focusing on just what is right in front of me...my son and husband, my wriggling fetus...and the many who have had a tougher time than I can express in a single post.
At the end of June, my sister was attacked at gun point. She was robbed, sexually assaulted, then forced to lie face down on the cement while the man stood over her, pressing the gun to her head.
This man was caught. He is going to prison for a long time. That being said, my sister's entire life changed in a single evening.
This is where most of my time has been spent, caring for her, housing her, talking with her for hours and days on end. It's never enough. She's moving forward slowly, but this horrible incident has changed her life...not forever (my sister hopes), but for a very long while.
Beyond this, some close friends have gotten very sick, very suddenly. One friend is now recovering from a mastectomy, another from having his prostate removed. And our cousin found out a month ago that he has pancreatic cancer and probably won't live to see the end of the year.
To quote my father, "It's ENOUGH already!"
It truly, truly is.
So that's where our energy has been spent, and will continue to be spent for some time. All of these wonderful friends are, in essence, our extended family. So we're sticking it out...together!
In happier news...
Ethan is doing tremendously well in Kindergarten. He's LOVES his teacher, loves art and music and physical education; he loves his playgrounds and the library and the older kids and...well, everything. We're relieved and thrilled!
We discovered a couple of weeks ago that we're having a BOY!!! His first and middle name is all picked out: Phineas Asher!! He looks gorgeous in the fuzzy ultrasound and he wriggles about like a pro. My weekly injections are moving along and, structurally, so far, I appear to be carrying him fine. At 18+ weeks, I'm exhausted and moody (and my skin is stretching so damn much!), but I'm also feeling mighty GIDDY. We know we're not out of the woods yet; heck, I'm not putting the nursery together until I'm at least 30 weeks. But the feeling of moving forward is wonderful.
Adriaan's exhausted from all the whip-cracking I've been doing. In just the past weekend, he's stacked five cords of wood and moved three rooms around. This coming weekend, he's excavating cement blocks from our walkway. Yes, I'm nesting. Yes, I'm probably very annoying. But it NEEDS to get done now before the winter, before the baby. At least that's what I keep telling him. :)
So that's it in a nutshull. I don't know when I'll be back to regular entries on LJ. It may not be for some time. Or it may be in a week. Right now, though, I'm cuddling up with my friends and family and not letting them go for a long, long time.
In parting, I leave you with my very favorite song. It's taken on a different meaning these past few months. Personally, I think it's one of the best songs ever written:
I Am What I Am
from the musical La Cage Aux Folles
♥
So much has happened this past summer, an alarming amount of sadness that has literally overwhelmed me. I have been without words for so long. Even now I sit here, wondering how to describe it all.
Please note: this is not a post that seeks a response. This is merely an explanation, a reply to all the wonderful emails I've received, all of you lovelies who have questioned my whereabouts, the pregnancy, my health, etc. I miss you all greatly. Yet, lately, I've been focusing on just what is right in front of me...my son and husband, my wriggling fetus...and the many who have had a tougher time than I can express in a single post.
At the end of June, my sister was attacked at gun point. She was robbed, sexually assaulted, then forced to lie face down on the cement while the man stood over her, pressing the gun to her head.
This man was caught. He is going to prison for a long time. That being said, my sister's entire life changed in a single evening.
This is where most of my time has been spent, caring for her, housing her, talking with her for hours and days on end. It's never enough. She's moving forward slowly, but this horrible incident has changed her life...not forever (my sister hopes), but for a very long while.
Beyond this, some close friends have gotten very sick, very suddenly. One friend is now recovering from a mastectomy, another from having his prostate removed. And our cousin found out a month ago that he has pancreatic cancer and probably won't live to see the end of the year.
To quote my father, "It's ENOUGH already!"
It truly, truly is.
So that's where our energy has been spent, and will continue to be spent for some time. All of these wonderful friends are, in essence, our extended family. So we're sticking it out...together!
In happier news...
Ethan is doing tremendously well in Kindergarten. He's LOVES his teacher, loves art and music and physical education; he loves his playgrounds and the library and the older kids and...well, everything. We're relieved and thrilled!
We discovered a couple of weeks ago that we're having a BOY!!! His first and middle name is all picked out: Phineas Asher!! He looks gorgeous in the fuzzy ultrasound and he wriggles about like a pro. My weekly injections are moving along and, structurally, so far, I appear to be carrying him fine. At 18+ weeks, I'm exhausted and moody (and my skin is stretching so damn much!), but I'm also feeling mighty GIDDY. We know we're not out of the woods yet; heck, I'm not putting the nursery together until I'm at least 30 weeks. But the feeling of moving forward is wonderful.
Adriaan's exhausted from all the whip-cracking I've been doing. In just the past weekend, he's stacked five cords of wood and moved three rooms around. This coming weekend, he's excavating cement blocks from our walkway. Yes, I'm nesting. Yes, I'm probably very annoying. But it NEEDS to get done now before the winter, before the baby. At least that's what I keep telling him. :)
So that's it in a nutshull. I don't know when I'll be back to regular entries on LJ. It may not be for some time. Or it may be in a week. Right now, though, I'm cuddling up with my friends and family and not letting them go for a long, long time.
In parting, I leave you with my very favorite song. It's taken on a different meaning these past few months. Personally, I think it's one of the best songs ever written:
I Am What I Am
from the musical La Cage Aux Folles
♥