“This one is going to be MY Buddy.”
Hugs from Auntie Emily and meeting Anna. Katriel plans to catch up with her within the year. 😉
Some time with Nigel. He thinks I am pretty small. 
Month: February 2013
Coming home day…
Meet Ducky…
Katriel Summer made her debut in a ROUGH delivery I will blog about soon.
It. was. hard. Vicious. Messy.
But she is worth it.
And God was there…
Later and later…
In a few hours Ducky will be 5 days late. He or she will hold the new record in our house. I’ve already explained that his or her pregnancy was one for our memory banks and this last accomplishment need not be pursued, but still s/he stays tucked in.
Every guess entered on the ExpectNet Baby Pool has passed. Heh – MY guess passed 5 weeks ago! The winner here is Ducky. Growing strong and well, we hope.
I’ve been reminded by those who love me that God has a plan.
I am praying hard that I won’t be “bullied” into an induction. I put that in quotes because my doctor has always shown himself to be overwhelmingly understanding of my preferences and convictions. Still, I am working on standing up to any suggestions he has early this week to induce me. Should it become medially necessary I will not be stubborn, of course. But I prefer to let nature take its course.
The kids are as antsy as John and I. This waiting is trying on them, too. There are lessons to be learned as we are all refined. And I keep reminding them, and myself, that once the baby is actually here, it will not matter one iota when it arrived.
But we all hope Ducky comes tomorrow. 🙂
I’m still rooting for a 9-lb baby. I think it is a boy. I’d be happy to be wrong, though. Either is welcome.
What’s in a name?
For months I’d thought about writing this blog entry, but I just never made the time. Seeing as how Ducky is biding his or her time to arrive and I have a few minutes, I may as well record our weirdness preferences in naming our children.
We have rules. I think most families do to some extent. Even if someone claims they “have no rules,” that is a rule, right?
Some of ours may make more sense than others to the reader… but they all make PERFECT sense to us. 😉
Rule #1) Since our last name begins with a /B/ sound, the end sound of the first name shall not end with a /B/ sound. (ie. Caleb Baxter. It would sound like Cale Baxter or Caleb Axter.)
Rule #2) Since our last name begins with a /B/ sound, the end sound of the most common nickname shall not end with a /B/ sound. (ie. Abraham = Abe, or Gabriel = Gabe. See rule 1. Say them outloud.)
Rule #3) Since our children’s middle names begin with S (except for the child whose first name begins with an S) the first name shall not end in an /S/ sound. (ie. Pierce Samuel, or Rhys Silas, etc. See rule 1.)
Rule #4) Since our last name ends with an /–er/ sound, the first name shall not have an –er, –ir, –ur, etc. (ie. No Esther, Arthur, Spencer, Oliver.)
Rule #5) We will not repeat any letters of the alphabet for our children’s first initial. We already have J, M, N, S, & T. There are still 21 other letters before we repeat. 😉
Rule #6) The name will preferably NOT be in the top 500 names according to the Social Security Administration website for the three most recent years. (We’ve made concessions a time or two for this, however, have universally avoided any names trending toward more popular usage levels.) http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Rule #7) Despite rule #6, we will not invent any name or use a name that can’t be found in average baby books.
Rule #8) The name has to have a meaning that appeals to us, or it has to have a personal meaning to us. “Lives by a cliff,” or “Tends farm animals,” isn’t going to cut it along side of, “Named after my grandfather,” “Champion,” “Named after Jesus’ mother,” “Resurrected by St. Peter,” and “God is gracious.”
Rule #9) Middle names are fun. Do not worry about what the world thinks about the middle name!
NEWER RULE
Rule #10) As we prayed about a name for Ducky, we also added this rule for a girl. If it is a girl it can not end in another /-uh/ sound, as the last two girls names do and it is getting repetitive to our ears.
And finally – above all else –
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE – Pray about the name. God has given us the name for each of the other children either in the form of confirmation, or breathing the entire thing to us in spite of our initial dislike or shock. These are His children and we desire to ask Him what He would have us call the child. Amazingly… God has followed all of the above rules as He has directed us. 😉
(Bet you really want to know Ducky’s name now, huh?) 😉
Yeah – um, SO DO I!!!!!!!
I’ll give you a hint… the middle names starts with an S. 😉
40 Weeks + 1 day
It’s been 12 years since I had the privilege of being “overdue” for anything but library books. That’s not to say I’ve always been on time for things. Since about child number three, I can occasionally run late for appointments. And we’ve come into church just as the worship leader has greeted the congregation more times than I care to admit. But late with babies?… I haven’t done that since 2000.
So my history, coupled with the red flags the doctors had been throwing out since mid-pregnancy, led us to believe we wouldn’t be post-due this time around, either.
But we are.
And I don’t feel the least bit “ready.” I’ve had none of my usual signs that the baby is on its way.
So yes, I’m still here. Waiting. I feel like the last two years have been a continuous lesson on God’s timing. This fits. Exquisitely.
I’m still betting on a 9lb., blue-eyed, baby boy. However, at this rate I may change that to 10lbs…
Hope your monitor is in color!
She’s the first Butler 2-year-old to have a dresser in her bedroom. We’d always avoided that with the other kids. In preparation for Ducky, however, we blessed Johanna with her own dresser just before Christmas. So now she has access to all her clothes. So each day, during quiet time, she dons a second (or third) outfit OVER the day’s original. She has got to be warm! Originally, we was wearing a pair of pink pants and a pink and purple top. Apparently, that was not zesty enough for her. Check out her new look.
Fully Dressed
When I was six, or eight, or ten, I could not name the elements to the Full Armor of God. Truth be told, I didn’t know them until about age 33. Sometimes I am so envious of my kids. My prayer is that while it is just being absorbed now, that later on it will be valued by them.
We did this activity once before almost five years ago.As a matter of fact, it was included in my first blog post.
I suspect I will have the opportunity to supervise the same project at least one more time, in another 5 or so years, with Johanna and Ducky. Stewart will be 17 then.
I am so blessed.
5/19/2008
Dear Ducky,
We are delighted that you did not come 10 weeks ago, when things were at their scariest. We are grateful you did not come 8 weeks ago, when your fluid-filled home abruptly changed. We are so glad you did not come 6 weeks ago, when you approached a milestone, but were still very small. We are also glad you did not come 4 weeks ago, or even two weeks ago, and especially not during the big snow storm on February 8th.
We are so pleased that you have found comfort and protection in the womb God planned for you for as long as you have. We have thanked our loving Father again and again for His miracle.
Dearest Ducky. It is time to come. We know how snuggly you are and how you probably hear us talking about how cold and yucky it is outside. We don’t blame you for wanting to stay put. But it is time to meet your family. Please listen to Mommy and make haste.
Your family is getting SO eager to meet you! We wonder if you are a boy or a girl. Will your arrival even up the pack again, or skew it forever in favor of girls? Will you have brown eyes or blue? Will you create a balance between the two colors or make it so the brown-eyed Butlers outnumber the blue-eyed ones forevermore? Or will you surprise us with a completely different color? What is your name? Will you still have tons of hair like you did in your 33 week ultrasound, or will you have lost it all by now? As yet, only God knows these answers… we’re counting down the minutes until we get to know, too.
So, come on little one. Your room is all ready. Our bags are all packed. We are all longing to meet you.
Love,
Your Mama
Your Mama
P.S – Mama is going on record as guessing a 9lb, blue-eyed, baby boy. But I am okay if I am 100% wrong. 
Dayspring Disciples 
