Did you happen to see?

The most beautiful girl in the world. The first picture is a profile view at 20 weeks. The second was taken today at 28 weeks. She is looking straight at the "camera". The sonographer could detect hair! She weighs 2.8 lbs. currently and looks healthy. She was covering her face with her hands at one point. What a marvel. Some people think that ultrasound pictures are too personal to share. I obviously am not one of them. Seeing a live ultrasound is indescribable. They should be public service announcements. They show life, Life, LIFE!

NYC Pictures

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150683&id=562275959&l=ea83999b61

Pictures from the trip! We had a great time, mostly just being together in a different place. We got a City Pass which gave us admittance to 4 museums, the Empire State Building, and the Circle Line Cruise Tour. We were so tired we skipped the Guggenheim. You could spend a month in Manhattan and not experience all the sites you wanted. A week was plenty of time though.

Honestly, the most relaxing part of the trip was renting a comedy and belly laughing in our hotel room! I did love attending worship service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The music was so powerful, I had to hold back the tears during the rehearsal of their praise songs! The message was equally powerful.

No big shopping sprees, but we ate very well. We got Jay a little remote control dog from the big Toys R Us in Times Square and little Sarah got a princess dress from the World of Disney store.

Only regrets: couldn't get into see "The Rege" (we waited for stand by tickets at Regis and Kelly, but they book out 6 months in advance) and not seeing "Wicked"). The big shows like Wicked and Jersey Boys don't offer discount tickets. We put our names in for the lottery, but no dice. If I was still earning the big bucks (snark) as a full time teacher, I wouldn't have hestitated paying $300 for a pair. But not so.

We were so fortunate to have hotel points given to us and airline miles to off set the cost. We actually stayed in some pretty nice hotels. Our first hotel (The Barclays Intercontiental) had the Secret Service posted on every floor due the the proximity of the UN and the G20 being in town.

I would recommend staying in Times Square due to its proximity to shopping and Broadway. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Times Square. Modern and very nice.

And I'd definitely recommend ordering big ticket shows in advance! And packing really good sneakers!

Just a thought...

Each step of life brings its own lessons and insights. Lately, I've thought about learning to walk. Jay is walking and falling and getting up and exploring and loving his new freedom. Today we went to the library and I didn't put him in a stroller. It took a while, but I held his hand (sometimes his wrist) and we walked in together. Once inside, I'd let him break free for a moment and he wanted to go in every direction. Later on at home, he walked around the cul-de-sac while I watched him. He waved to our neighbor's house, expecting to see the two little kids who live there. He pushed a walking toy. He bent over, his jeans drooping and showing off his little plumber's crack.

It's a cliche that children can bring you the most happiness and pain in life. Today, I was brought the most ordinary moments of laughter and pride.

The insight that dawns on me as I learn how to parent a toddler is the long-suffering and patience and good humor of the Lord for his own children. Walking from point A to point B would be a lot easier for the parent if the child was being carried. But the child wouldn't learn or have anything to accomplish. And so it's true for believers.

Thank the Lord for his patience!