November in Review

Life Lately

What a month. My husband got into a scary car wreck that totaled our vehicle. He also had pneumonia during said car wreck. My daughter had a terrible stuffy nose that was leading to throw-up episodes at night. And now I am down with said stuffy nose and an accompanying cough.

All of that sounds bad - and much of it was, but looking back it was rather a sweet month full of blessings. My friend’s dad made a joke about our reformed theology saying we probably thought the car wreck was part of God’s sovereignty and I had to laugh at this poor attempt at a jab because of course it was.

Nothing but good came out of the car wreck. As I mentioned, my husband had already been struggling with pneumonia for some time when he hydroplaned. But we thought it was on the mend after a round of antibiotics, so much so that he felt “okay” going back to teaching and participating in some of our closest friends’ wedding. (His high schoolers did not think he was okay lol. They kept reminding him that his cough sounded terrible… a point I actually agreed with them on.)

When we took him to the ER, the doctor, going over the results of the CT scans, said, “You weren’t hurt in any way by the accident, I’m actually more worried about this very impressive case of pneumonia you have developed.” Had he not been in the wreck, a checkup on his pneumonia might not have happened for several weeks. So the accident spared him from a much worse case of pneumonia and we returned home with a load of pneumonia paraphernalia.

The help from friends and family that came out of the car accident also was such an encouragement to me in a season where the homemaker loneliness has really been weighing on me. We don’t have a second vehicle that is usable right now (RIP to my blue car from my California days) so I was in a bit of panic when I received the phone call that he was on the side of the road. Our friend/pastor who Justin was on the way to see picked him up and helped us get a new car seat. Then our friends who had gotten married only the past weekend came over, lent us a car, fed, bathed, and put our daughter to bed while we were at the ER.

The whole situation taught us to laugh a little in these chaotic moments - in the borrowed car on the way to the ER we ran over a nail and on the way home from replacing the tire I was pulled over for a minor problem with the vehicle. These two unlikely events made the whole thing feel like a Seinfeld episode.

My in-laws are helping us look for a new car and have been generous in allowing us to use their car in the meantime. We are blessed that my husband can walk to work (we practically live on the school’s property) and only need one car. And we got much more than we expected from the insurance company for the vehicle. So in an odd sort of way, God provided for our needs as we prepare for more medical bills when this next baby is born.

Through the accident, we were blessed by the generosity of friends, spared from more serious illness, and provided for financially. The initial moment was rather terrifying but God only used it for good. A strange sort of mercy.

All the sickness and such also gave us almost 3 weeks at home together. Justin and I were remarking to each other last night before he had to return to work today, that in all that time cooped up together, we never bickered. It was truly just a nice time - despite all the coughing. And! In all of that, we were part of a very simple and beautiful wedding for two very good friends.

Pregnancy Updates

Both pregnancies have been a battle with hypochondria in some way. The first was mostly imagined hypochondria. But this one does have some significant troubles that I try not to dwell on too much.

I am still very anemic (cold temps, fast heart, etc.) and am trying to work through that. Any tips about upping iron levels would be appreciated. I’m currently taking an iron supplement three times a day and trying to cook more meals with red meat… but beyond that, I’m not really sure what to do.

Baby boy is small - but that’s not too new. And breech. Our first was only 6.10 lbs at 41 weeks. This smallness means extra ultrasounds as baby boy is hovering above the percentiles for fetal growth restriction. This, coupled with my history of postpartum preeclampsia and his current breech presentation, makes me worry about c-sections and how that would affect our desire for a large family.

And after all that, this silly cough is really weighing me down. My stomach of course already aches a bit from the *ahem* stretching it has undergone. But now my stomach and my ribs hurt from coughing. A cold is just overall not a nice addition to a pregnancy.

BUT baby boy is healthy. He has been extremely active in the last couple of weeks. We can’t believe how fast this pregnancy has gone and are amazed that once the holidays are over we will have a very short time before we meet him! This whole pregnancy is giving me an opportunity to anticipate joy in the midst of struggle and a reminder that I truly do not sustain myself. God does that. It’s not easy to trust him but that does not nullify his trustworthiness.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

Books

Five for Sorrow, Ten For Joy - this one reminded me very much of Rumer Godden’s other book about nuns, In This House of Brede. While I am not Catholic I very much appreciate these windows into a more rhythmic and hidden life and the opportunity for healing they present for broken people.

News of the World - such a charming and tenderhearted story in a very harsh setting. The paternal love the Captain comes to feel for the little girl in his charge moved me to tears by the end.

Simon the Fiddler - this novel, while by the same author as the above book, was very different than News of the World. This novel was much more of an adventure story and much more… fun. I can’t say that I loved it but I did thoroughly enjoy it.

Podcasts

The Lila Rose Podcast: E166: The Truth About Babies, Big Families, and Happiness w/ Catherine Pakaluk. Hannah’s Children was a joy to read and Catherine Pakaluk is a joy to listen to. Every time I hear someone cite a reason like stress or grief for not having children I want to point them to her insights. Children bring joy.

The Theology Pugcast: Cloning, Sheepzilla, and Transhumanism. Rather an odd episode but this was very interesting. Many of the ideas in this episode felt far-fetched - at least for my lifetime, but their implications are still important.

As always, the Daily Poem and the Christian History Almanac are great daily listens and a wonderful way to start your day.

Coffees

I haven’t made a lot of new coffees this month. I did attempt to make eggnog only to realize at the end of the process that a strainer is indeed integral to making an edible product. It’s not very enjoyable watching the work of an hour and a half a carton of eggs go down the drain. The flavor was great though.

I did succeed at this coffee creamer and it was superb. I used heavy cream instead of half n half and it was much thicker.

Recipes

We made a big Thanksgiving breakfast before going over to family lunch later in the day. Breakfast included pumpkin pancakes, bacon, and a big egg casserole.

• Egg casserole - I used hashbrowns on the bottom instead of bread and it was so tasty! Also a good way to get some extra protein in the morning - from the eggs… not the potatoes lol.

• Spanish Rice

• Molasses Cookies - we eat these way too fast and alas, I have no link for them because they are a family recipe. If anyone is curious I can send you a picture of the recipe!

Coming Up

• An essay about Middlemarch and the role of marriage in the novel.

• A list of Christmas cookie/cookie adjacent recipes.

• At some point, a list of resources that have helped me and my husband as we’ve navigated our thoughts on birth control/family planning.