'Round and 'Round

• We are visiting Ricky's family in Ohio right now. In a week's time, we have gone from a court reporting convention in Atlanta to my maternal grandfather's funeral in Greensboro to a wedding and visit with friends in Kentucky to here in Ohio. After a few more stops, we hope to return home this weekend.
• I am halfway through my second pregnancy (20 weeks) and womb-baby is the size of a small cantaloupe. We have shared the gender with both families as of now, so I hope to post that announcement next.
• BIG NEWS: Ricky was offered a job as an official court reporter (working for the state government) last week. We have accepted this position and hope to start around Labor Day. While we will still be in North Carolina, we will be moving five hours away -- from the beach to the mountains. So, our next month is a little wild ;)

• I would share more pictures, but I am afraid that most of them would only show Aolani in her car seat!
• Verse to memorize this week: Psalm 49:3 ~ My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

Storing Up, Smartly

"It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day." ~ Matthew Henry

"Our choice of where to store up treasures dramatically affects how we face death and the afterlife. If someone lays up treasures on Earth, every day he gets closer to death, he moves away from his treasures. To him, death is loss.
He who lays up treasures in Heaven, however, looks forward to eternity. He moves daily toward his treasures. Since his heart lies with his treasures in Heaven, to him, death is gain, for it will bring him at last to what he most treasures." ~ Randy Alcorn

"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." ~ Matthew 6:19-21

Hall Games

• We leave tomorrow for Aolani's first long car trip. First, we head to Atlanta for the national court reporting convention. We are staying with a friend, who will take care of Aolani and myself while Ricky is away at meetings during the day. We have more traveling plans from there, but they are currently up-in-the-air as my maternal grandfather is in a coma and may pass any moment. So, we'll see...
• I have been researching and gathering car activities for Aolani. I'll post which ones are a hit and actually work well for a 17-month old (today). And car snacks...
• I am 19-weeks pregnant today, and later today we get an ultrasound to hopefully reveal the sex of baby #2! However, we will not share this information for a week or two with anyone until we tell our parents (preferably in person).

Playing Where'd Aolani go?

Reading in the hallway after dinner

Spaghetti-face

• Verse to memorize this week: Luke 12:32 ~ "So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."

Keeping On {An Update}

About a year ago, I wrote about some of the things I did to feed the spirit, both in Aolani and myself. One of the most important things I do for us is Bible memorization.

Well, I have added a bunch more verses (and all of Philippians) to the memorization list that I quote to Aolani. So, how do I repeat it all aloud daily? I don't.

What I do:

• As far as Philippians goes, there are four chapters in the book. I quote one chapter a day to her, while nursing, and read two chapters on one of the weekend days. This way the book gets spoken in its entirety twice in a week's time. (I hope to start memorizing other whole chapters soon, now that I finally have the verse references in place for the book Philippians.)


• For all the other verses: First, I go through them in the order they appear in the Bible. Second, I split my chunk in two and just read one part a day, for six days. This way every verse passes through my lips (and heart!) three times a week. I also quote these while nursing. Right now, I read the Old Testament and the Gospel verses together at once and I put the rest of the New Testament verses together. [If you're interested, here are the verses I quote as of now: Dt. 6:5; Ps. 19:14, 27:14, 34:8, 34:18, 37:4, 42:11, 73:28, 105:4, 118:8; Prov. 3:5-6, 15:16, 16:9, 16:25, 19:21; Is. 26:3-4; Neh. 8:10; Mt. 6:33, 11:28-9, 22:36-9; Mk. 4:19; Lk. 9:23-5, 12:9-10; Jn. 3:16-7, 3:30, 4:14, 14:6; Rom. 5:3, 12:1-2, 12:17, 14:17, 15:13; 1 Cor. 2:9, 6:9-10, 15:58; 2 Cor. 5:7, 5:17, 12:10; Gal. 2:20, 5:6, 5:22-3, 6:7; Eph. 4:29, 5:20, 6:4; Col. 4:6; Philemon 1:8-9; Heb. 4:13, 10:31, 11:1, 11:6, 13:8; 1 Pet. 5:7, 5:10; 1 Jn. 2:17]

Here is another thing I do during my repetitions. This has become pivotal to me and my spiritual growth. And, it helps me reap more benefits from all this memorization. I will say a short prayer, to myself, after some of verses. Everyday it's different -- the verse, the prayer. I'll give an example: Mark 4:19 ~ ...but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful. I might pray something like this: Oh, LORD, please protect my heart from being bogged down or deceived or unfruitful! Flourish Your Word in me!

Sharpen your Sword with me!

He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ~ Deuteronomy 8:3

The Hand That Feeds Me

• We took Aolani to the nursery for the first time this past Sunday (almost 17 mos) and never made a peep while we were gone. She had been staying with us during the service until we got "kicked out" two weeks ago. Aolani just kept screaming (albeit joyully but still with too much gusto), so Ricky took her outside. But, she was still too loud and disruptive, and we had to go to the car! The time had come.
• Aolani's antics: She says Yes, has learned nose and mouth, walks gleefully on our bed, and dismounts off of her horse.

• I am over 18 weeks pregnant (over 4 months) with baby #2. Baby has a great heartbeat. My belly button has popped, and I have an outie once again. Aolani loves to climb up on my foot stool and pat my growing belly :)
• When I open the master bedroom door to go in to the bathroom, Aolani will race in ahead of me, point to the light switch for me to turn on, and proceed to the toilet room to show me where to go ;)

• Verse to memorize this week: Romans 12:1-2 ~ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

My Unbent Knee

Let me tell you a story, a true story about a healing experience I had in college.

It all began while I was still walking with the help of people or nearby sturdy objects (to aid my loss of balance). I was visiting family, and I slipped in the bathroom trying to get up off the potty alone. My right knee twisted outwards, and rip! Yep, I tore my MCL (tendon in the middle of the knee, beside the famous ACL). In one split second, I was on the floor with a leg that would not straighten ut remained bent.

With little balance and coordination, I could not hop or use crutches. It was straight to a wheelchair for me. This was not how I imagined myself beginning to use the wheelchair, which I thought would be gradual use. This was sudden. A moment. Oh well.

I was to return to college in a few weeks. First, I went to Guatemala, which is a whole other story! Basically, I endured an entire semester at college with a bent leg. It was challenging as I did all of my own transferring.

I came home for Christmas break with my leg still bent and hurting. I went to the orthopedic doctor about it, who confirmed that it was still torn and obviously not healing on its own. He recommended me to a surgeon in Kentucky to have the surgery done up there once I returned to college. The surgery was set for late January.

Meanwhile, Ricky (we were dating then) kept praying that God would miraculously heal my knee and surgery would not be needed. But, he did not share this with me. During the break, I saw one of my dad's friend's wife. Random. She told me, out of nowhere, that God did not want me to have this surgery and that He was going to heal my knee. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" I thought.

Then, God gave my mom this miraculous vision!

I return to Kentucky for the spring semester of college my senior year. And then, it happened one night -- the night before classes resumed.

I went to bed with a bent knee and pain. I awoke, stretched my leg out, and transferred to the wheelchair on a straight leg. Pain-free, too. Praise just broke forth off my lips! God did surgery on my knee while I slept!

I share this great news with Ricky, and he informs me that he had been praying this all along and knew God would heal my knee.

So, no surgery required. Never had pain in my knee again. Praise Jehovah Rophe!

A (smaller) Statue of Liberty

• So much activity, and I was away from the computer for four days...
• Kylie, our niece, had her second birthday party over the weekend. When it was time for us to leave, she waved and dismally said Happy Birthday ;)

Kylie's princess tent

We found Aolani playing cornhole.

• Ricky's parents drove down for a four-day visit over the holidays and got to stay with us in our abode (that's a first!). They took Aolani to the beach for me, since I am not a beach person.

• Aolani's weekly antics: says eyes and pokes her eyes with her thumbs, knows hands and nose and fan and book, holds our hands and bows her head (usually) when we say grace before we eat, and finally figured out how to generate the farting noise when she blows on my belly!
• Verse to memorize this week: Psalm 34:18 ~ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

No Pit So Deep

"There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." ~ Betsie Ten Boom

I need more than 15 minutes to develop and type a thought, so a quote will have to suffice ;)

First Trimester Stories

First, let me share how we told our families about baby DiMartino #2 (if anyone wants an idea), and then I'll tell a story.

Olivers: We told them on Easter Sunday. At the dinner table, Ricky nonchalantly said, "We thought that since Aolani has two cousins, (pause briefly) it was only fair for Kylie (our niece) to have two cousins, too!"

DiMartinos: We told them on Mother's Day, while we were visiting so that it was in-person. We were at a restaurant and had made "the news" our gift. We wanted to give the gift as a family before we even ordered. We had printed out that same sign that Aolani held for the blog announcement that read I am a big sister. I held her on my lap (at the front of the table so everyone could see), and Ricky flipped over the sign on her lap.

Story: Okay. So, one morning when I was around 6-7 weeks along, I woke up and ate breakfast. Then, a little bit later, I vomited big time. Well, I was expecting morning sickness/vomiting to show up any day. I thought that this was the day and quickly gathered all my barf buckets to be ready. But, then it hit again. I had to go to the restroom and felt horrible. We laid me on the bed and kept giving me liquids and food. I couldn't keep anything down -- must be a stomach virus (I had Chinese food the night before!). Anyway, I knew soon enough that this was not from being pregnant! It went on all day and into the night. I was soon dehydrated. Aolani was fussy because I wasn't producing enough milk for her. We were concerned for the womb-baby. I was on the verge of passing out; so, we went to the ER to get some IV fluids into me. I told them, repeatedly, what was the problem. But, because they heard the word pregnant and since I was vomiting, they completely ignored everything I was saying and the facts. They "knew best" and wanted the quick and easy answer, even if it was wrong. I was very frustrated. Let's just say that the stomach virus lasted less than 24 hours, and I have not thrown up since :)

People and Parties, All Year!

• All week it has been one social thing after another! We prepared dinner for a missionary family, played with five kids (that even put all the toys back before leaving!), went swimming with another family, and hosted a missionary. It was a lot of attention for Aolani, who ate it up!

• The question I get the most often: Doesn't Aolani walking make things more difficult? No, it is actually easier! Mainly because once she could crawl, all she would do is wiggle and squirm on my lap, sometimes very forcefully, bringing stress. She is so active and wanted to go off on her own; I just held her back. We were both miserable, wrestling all the time. I was just counting down the days until she could walk! Oh, and now I can go to the restroom when I want -- SCORE. Yes, she does get into trouble, but we are still happier :)
• I am over 16 weeks pregnant, and we hope to find out the sex in the next few weeks. The doctor has moved my due date forward a whole day to Dec. 12 -- I just say mid-December or whenever baby is ready!
• During my first trimester, Ricky would make toast (cinnamon-raisin) every morning and feed us girls in bed! Alas, this time has come to an end, and Aolani is devastated that her breakfast-appetizer tradition is no more :(
• Our niece, Kylie, calls Grandma (my mom) -- Moggle ;) We'll say G-G-Grandma. She'll say G-G-Moggle! It's classic.

• Aolani's newest antics: She shakes her head no when you offer her the wrong thing, stacks her stacking rings and blocks, copies my laugh by throwing her head back and gasping, carries purses and bags around and especially to the door so that she can turn and wave, says bye-bye to us from inside her crib when we leave the room, and loves to take her diaper off (I am not a fan of this skill).
• Verse to memorize this week: Matthew 22:36-9 ~ “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Destroy and Transform

"Because if fire has the power to change all things into itself and, having first destroyed in them all that is contrary to its nature, to transmute them into its own form and perfection, how much more will the consuming fire of God destroy every impurity in our souls and transform them into His likeness?" ~ Richard Wurmbrand

What I Do Around Here

I thought I'd write about what I am able to do to contribute to the running of our household.

[Insider info: Most people do not have any understanding of my disease, Friedreich's Ataxia, nor do I expect them to! They see a normal-looking girl in a wheelchair and classify me as such -- a girl in a wheelchair. Therefore, I just do things from a sitting position; if they can do it sitting down, then so could I, right? Well, this is where assumptions are most likely going to be wrong. You see, I have to juggle minimal trunk balance, spasticity, bad dexterity, holding myself upright (thus, one hand to hold the wheelchair and one hand to use when I lean or bend), keeping my feet in place, focusing my eyes, extreme fatigue, and not-dropping-everything-I-finally-get-my-hands-on. Yeah, don't recruit Butter-Fingers here to be on your flag football team. Anyway, so things are a little trickier for me than say the paraplegic in a car accident (not to diminish their unique struggles that I do not experience). Anyway, this blurb was not meant to complain, just to provide some insight.]

I'll just make a list:

• laundry (we have a washer/dryer-in-one that is front-loading)


• make most of the household/hygiene products we use


• balance the budget and pay bills


• purchase any and all household goods (online shopping)


• make menu plans


• grocery shopping (I order items online from Harris Teeter and then Ricky just has to drive up for the workers to load)


• keep our calendar/schedule (appointments and such)


• all miscellaneous paperwork and filing and computer/online stuff


• cleaning and pick-up that is not too overwhelming or too tough


• overall, I have a zillion lists everywhere


• oh yeah, and take care of myself and the toddler

I try to do whatever does not require walking or accessibility (since our condo is not accessible). Basically, I am the brains and Ricky is the brawn ;) Yeah, right!