Can we skip full days??

I would like to completely skip and take off the calendar next Monday and Tuesday if at all possible. The past several weeks have been the worst for Monday's and Tuesday's for various reasons. The last Monday actually early Tuesday morning I got a phone call informing me that my dad had had a stroke and was being taken to the hospital. I talked with him finally yesterday and his speech is slurred due to paralysis to the left side of his face. I don't know if this will ever correct itself or if it's permanent. He has use of his left leg or movement there right now. They cannot get him up to walk just yet due to an unstablized blood pressure. His is really high and they are working to get it down to a comfort level. He can move his left hand a bit but cannot grip with his hand yet. He has come a long way already and is improving daily. Please pray for healing and strength for him as well as strength for Julie. Angela and Matt are down there right now with him as well.

A highlight that has gone by the past couple weeks is August 4th marked 4 months until my due date!! Last night we felt the baby kick for the first time!! He was not gentle at all and at first I couldn't figure out what it was. :) I don't think he likes Taco Bell as much as I do. Dwayne had mentioned he was a more laid back baby and his mom said he didn't kick. I prayed to have that experience of feeling him inside me and I got it. Now in a couple weeks I might be rethinking that prayer. ;) Another highlight is we got the crib and portacrib this week thanks to a darling friend of ours!! We have not set it up just yet. I think we'll wait until closer to the due date. It is everything we wanted!! Friends are such a blessing in times like these!! Another set of our friends gave us a brand new matress and clothes we will be inundated with, as two of our closest friends each have two boys. I can't believe how close we are to welcoming this little guy into the world. Time has flown by so fast. We were talking with friends the other night and I mentioned that McKinley might come out a bit in a downer state of mind. The past few weeks have had me on a roller coaster of emotions most being sadness and frustration. We bought this book of Hans Christian Anderson stories that has amazing art in them, but were not prepared for the sad endings some times a bit morbid endings of the stories. I love me some Disney, happily ever after!! They gave us the book, "Guess, how much I love you" which we read that night after getting home.

I really can't wait to hold this little guy, kiss him, read stories with better endings to him, and just all around love him as my parents have loved me. I hope he's a strong gentleman like his Grandpa Dan and his daddy, who roll easily with life not letting the little things get them down. I hope he has the compassion, love and respect for the elderly like his Grandma Flo. I also hope that he has a love for quiet moments away from it all to collect his thoughts and just be, like his Grandma Flo too. I hope he has a bit of spit and fire in him like his Grandma Ruth, and his Aunt Angela! I hope he's even stubborn like his Great Great Grandma Leecy. I hope he has a work ethic and love for cooking like his Great Grandma Baker and Poppop Steve. I hope he has a love for working with wood and watching birds like his Great Grandpa Baker and Great Grandma Georgia. I hope he has a love for the outdoors like his Uncle Dana and Uncle Matt. I hope he is passionate like his Aunt Sherry. I hope he is musically inclined like his Aunt's Mara and Becky. I hope he can find a good deal and know it's that like his Uncle Randy. I hope he has an eye for photography like his Uncle Pete. I hope he has a love for dogs like his Grandma Julie. I hope he see's the good in people and doesn't look straight for the bad. Most of all I hope in all of these people he will see God.