One of the paradoxes of life is understanding that there is so much we can't control, while being diligent with that which we can control. For example, we don't have much in terms of final control over the future, but we have been given the responsibility to obey God with what little we know about what's to come. So when Saharh and I decided to wait until our baby was born to give him a name, little did we realize that the first name was already settled in God's eyes. Early in the pregnancy, we bounced around several first names and found many of them just didn't seem to fit. As the months have gone by, we've submitted several names and asked the Spirit to show us which one fits.
Well shortly before Thanksgiving, we went from being uncertain about a first name to finding ourselves being unable to think of any other name for our son than one of the earliest names we considered. Saharh and I spoke about it several times and found ourselves released to not only finalize the first name, but also to share it with everyone else. We told most of our family at Thanksgiving that his first name will be Ethan.
Ethan was a difficult name for me at first, because I associated that name with a character from Lost that I didn't appreciate very much. Those of you who've seen Lost know what I'm talking about. Those of you who haven't will find it easier to enjoy the name, so kudos to you! Saharh, however has liked that name for a very long time. As we studied the history of the name, I was very surprised to find that the writer of Psalm 89 was named Ethan. The psalm is fairly wordy, like me, so I began to appreciate the name a bit more at that time. The name also means 'firm and steadfast'...or stubborn, which is very Burke-like as well. (Saharh can be stubborn too, but you didn't hear that from me.) Those who wanted to rescue me from the fictional character that gave me a bad taste for the name, promptly reminded me that the lead character in Mission Impossible was named Ethan. I've always wanted to be a super-spy so now we have a trifecta and that's a can't miss. Any way, the name fits very well and we've enjoyed being able to call the baby something other than, 'Hey you'.
As we've gone through the pregnancy, we've watched a few couples go through pre-term deliveries. One couple that we know had their child after 26 weeks! Another had theirs after seven months. We understand this is very common, but it's a miracle nonetheless to watch God protect something so small as it grows to nine months. If there's anything we've tried to focus on, it is that Jesus is enough. There are lots of things that we can do physically, but Jesus controls the final outcome. As it is said in Proverbs, the soldiers prepare for battle, but the battle belongs to the Lord. So as we accept what we can't control, and learn diligence with what we can, we have found peace in knowing that the Lion is enough.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Funny Thing About Names
Probably the first question we get...after "when are you due" and "boy or girl"...is "have you picked a name?" There's nothing wrong with the question. When talking about upcoming children, it's only logical conversation progression. (I'm sure there's some right-brain involvement there as well). The only hang-up is that Saharh and I are really unsure what we're going to name him. The reason for this is two-fold, involving some of Saharh's spontaneity and some preferences of my own.
I'll start with the reason why I prefer to wait until he's born. The story of how I got my name is rather lengthy but ultimately it wasn't decided until my first day in this world. I learned later that mom and dad already had some names picked out and the way I was born only finalized the decision. However, after hearing about that through my childhood and adulthood (using the term loosely of course:) ), I've always pictured naming our firstborn upon his arrival and no sooner. Does that mean we don't already have some possibilities? No. Does that mean we only have a couple possibilities? Ha! No. Which brings me to Saharh's portion of this story.
For those of you who know Saharh, this won't come as a surprise, but she's a bit unique. She's sort of an 'against-the-grain' sort of person. Usually when you show her what everyone else is doing, she wants to see what the unique and quiet minority is doing. She's doesn't always want to do what the smaller groups are doing, but she is certainly not a follow the crowd kind of person either. I like this about her, even though it drives me crazy. For example, it never even occurred to me to give the child more than one middle name. For Saharh, it never occurred to her to give him only one. For myself, I like the traditional spellings of each name we've thrown into the list. In her wild and imaginative mind, she likes to find alternate spellings. She'll write them out and analyze how the letters look. Two names are appraised on combination, based on whether or not the first of the two names ends with a consonant and the second of the two begins with a vowel. It's an incredibly analytical, left-brain process, even though it is governed by creative, right-brain freedom.
The end result has been an amazing combination of possible names. While waiting to hear what he will be named, many have asked to hear the possibilities. I'm very sensitive of how rude it may come across, but we've also avoided that. In this case, Saharh and I are both somewhat against-the-grain, which is a pretty interesting observance of how we've grown together. Today I asked her if we could at least provide hints. My hints are usually pretty vague but they'll also give you a sense of how we've gone through the process, if it could be called a process. She agreed to the hints and so I've thrown a couple below. Understand in advance, that we were working with a set of four or five possible names for almost a month and then two more entered the fold. I say that so that you know, these hints may not fit the final outcome. I can't tell you how much I long, as intimidating as the experience would be, for an angel to come down and just give us a name. The Spirit has been working in other ways though and so here are the hints.
- Jesus has often been referred to as a lion and we have found many many variations of names relating to lions. We love Jesus and how he's often portrayed as the 'lion and the lamb', so this has factored pretty heavily in the naming process.
- We've avoided using family member names because we have so many great family members and can't name him after all of them. To me, picking one of those names is too much like picking favorites, so I'd rather not do that.
- We're not locked into English words, which should be a no-brainer because Saharh is Persian and has a rich cultural heritage. A few of the names we've considered have Persian origins.
- Recently we've been learning a lot about God's love for Israel. Because of this, names related to Israel and names of Hebrew origin have come into play as well.
- We've tried to limit the name to two-middle names and no more. :) A friend of mine has three.
So if the suspense is killing any of you, be sure that it's having the same effect on us. I often go to talk to him and am not quite sure what to call him yet. Regardless of this, I still enjoy simply calling him 'my son'. Thanks for everyone's prayers and patience with our peculiarities. We can't wait to unveil our son and his name to everyone in January. (Preferably no sooner than that and if you knew how many times we've been to the hospital because of contractions, you'd understand that statement.)
I'll start with the reason why I prefer to wait until he's born. The story of how I got my name is rather lengthy but ultimately it wasn't decided until my first day in this world. I learned later that mom and dad already had some names picked out and the way I was born only finalized the decision. However, after hearing about that through my childhood and adulthood (using the term loosely of course:) ), I've always pictured naming our firstborn upon his arrival and no sooner. Does that mean we don't already have some possibilities? No. Does that mean we only have a couple possibilities? Ha! No. Which brings me to Saharh's portion of this story.
For those of you who know Saharh, this won't come as a surprise, but she's a bit unique. She's sort of an 'against-the-grain' sort of person. Usually when you show her what everyone else is doing, she wants to see what the unique and quiet minority is doing. She's doesn't always want to do what the smaller groups are doing, but she is certainly not a follow the crowd kind of person either. I like this about her, even though it drives me crazy. For example, it never even occurred to me to give the child more than one middle name. For Saharh, it never occurred to her to give him only one. For myself, I like the traditional spellings of each name we've thrown into the list. In her wild and imaginative mind, she likes to find alternate spellings. She'll write them out and analyze how the letters look. Two names are appraised on combination, based on whether or not the first of the two names ends with a consonant and the second of the two begins with a vowel. It's an incredibly analytical, left-brain process, even though it is governed by creative, right-brain freedom.
The end result has been an amazing combination of possible names. While waiting to hear what he will be named, many have asked to hear the possibilities. I'm very sensitive of how rude it may come across, but we've also avoided that. In this case, Saharh and I are both somewhat against-the-grain, which is a pretty interesting observance of how we've grown together. Today I asked her if we could at least provide hints. My hints are usually pretty vague but they'll also give you a sense of how we've gone through the process, if it could be called a process. She agreed to the hints and so I've thrown a couple below. Understand in advance, that we were working with a set of four or five possible names for almost a month and then two more entered the fold. I say that so that you know, these hints may not fit the final outcome. I can't tell you how much I long, as intimidating as the experience would be, for an angel to come down and just give us a name. The Spirit has been working in other ways though and so here are the hints.
- Jesus has often been referred to as a lion and we have found many many variations of names relating to lions. We love Jesus and how he's often portrayed as the 'lion and the lamb', so this has factored pretty heavily in the naming process.
- We've avoided using family member names because we have so many great family members and can't name him after all of them. To me, picking one of those names is too much like picking favorites, so I'd rather not do that.
- We're not locked into English words, which should be a no-brainer because Saharh is Persian and has a rich cultural heritage. A few of the names we've considered have Persian origins.
- Recently we've been learning a lot about God's love for Israel. Because of this, names related to Israel and names of Hebrew origin have come into play as well.
- We've tried to limit the name to two-middle names and no more. :) A friend of mine has three.
So if the suspense is killing any of you, be sure that it's having the same effect on us. I often go to talk to him and am not quite sure what to call him yet. Regardless of this, I still enjoy simply calling him 'my son'. Thanks for everyone's prayers and patience with our peculiarities. We can't wait to unveil our son and his name to everyone in January. (Preferably no sooner than that and if you knew how many times we've been to the hospital because of contractions, you'd understand that statement.)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Still Here...Still Pregnant...
Well...at least, Saharh is still pregnant. I am still not pregnant. It has been several weeks since our last post so some of you may be wondering whats going on. Or you may have plenty to do in your own lives and perhaps occassionally allowed a short thought regarding our lack of posts. We of course wouldn't even think of judging you if you're one of those people that simply forgot about our blog and that we're expecting. Whichever of those classes of considerate/inconsiderate people you fall into... :) ...we're here to provide an update on the whirlwind of events that have taken place since our last post.
For those of you who have children, you may have heard of Braxton-Hicks contractions. I don't know who Braxton is and I certainly don't know why they'd put a slang term for redneck in the term, but those little events have caused quite a stir around here. We've spent around sixteen hours in Labor & Delivery because they gave us and the doctor a bit of a scare. We recently had our hospital tour and kind of smiled at each other when they said we were about to visit Labor & Delivery. Saharh and I were already pretty familiar with the area. The tour was very interesting though, and we're especially happy about the emphasis Brookwood is putting on skin to skin contact for the baby after he is born. We also took a class on natural child-birth. I thought I was going to be bored, after all it was three hours long, but I ended up taking three pages of notes. We're going to shoot for unmedicated. All things are subject to change of course but we're hoping for the best.
Saharh has just entered her third trimester and is...well...very pregnant. We've been gearing up for our son's arrival. For starters we purchased a new car for Saharh to be able to transport the little guy around town in style. We've also upgraded the kitchen from an appliance standpoint. There's also the small matter of actual baby furniture/equipment. We've re-arranged the furniture in the house about twenty-three times and still have a bunch of work to do before his arrival. Throughout all the scares and changes, God has been bringing Saharh and I closer to Him and each other.
It hasn't been very easy, especially on Saharh. She's still struggling with strong back and SI-joint pain. Sleep doesn't come easily either. She's staying busy around the house though because she becomes bored very easily. I've kept her from adding on a second wing to the house and tearing down the wall to make room for an in-door pool but I'm not sure if I can keep her from re-organizing her craft room. I cannot emphasize how proud I am of her and how she's taken this life-changing responsibility. She doesn't cease to amaze me.
All joking aside from my opening statement, thanks to all the support we continue to receive from friends and family. These are not easy times for a lot of people and its amazing how often you take time to check on us and clamor for more of my awesome blog posts...true story. :) Until the next post...and no, it won't be delayed until after the baby is born...bless God.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Quite Simply...
...It's a boy!
At 3:30 p.m. today, Saharh and I received confirmation that we were having a baby boy. I say 'confirmation' because we both have had visions and dreams regarding a boy. We've been trusting God that those visions were from Him and now we have the confirmation! Both Saharh and I would've been really happy with either gender, but there is an interesting amount of peace that comes when we see that God has been directing this before we even knew it would begin. That may or may not sound strange to some but then again, everything does.
Now the next question that will inevitably come: Which school are we going to send him to?
Ha! Just kidding, we aren't going to send him to school. Things worked out for Arnold Schwarzenegger in that movie Twins. All he had were some books and a canoe...ok ok, I'm just kidding about that too. The real question on everyone's mind is probably going to be the name that we've picked for him. Here comes the bad news...it's a secret. Well, it hasn't been settled yet and it's a secret. The truth is, the name could change a lot between now and January 27th so it's best we don't let anyone sew it into a blanket or engrave it into a future Hall of Fame plaque just yet. Some have asked how to pray for the unnamed boy and all I can think to say is that you would add his naming process to your prayers! I wasn't named until the day I was born and I think that's a tradition that we'd like to uphold. He may look at us and provoke us to say, "he looks like a Ralph." (No, it won't be Ralph). We could give you a codename to use for now, like 'Tittlywinks" or "Albus" but that would probably have negative results down the road.
As far as health is concerned, I'm feeling great. But you're not worried about that. :) Saharh and the baby are doing very well. The heart beat was keeping steady between 126 - 132 while we watched him today. He attempted to do a somersault, while sucking his thumb so his athletic prowess is looking good. On a serious note, Saharh has had substantial problems with her SI joint and sciatica so please keep that in your prayers.
Thanks to everyone for the love and support you've shown. I am amazed at how a baby brightens some of the most cynical and jaded of us all. It seems as though new birth was something of a sticking point for Jesus. Until the next time...God bless you and Jesus is Lord!
At 3:30 p.m. today, Saharh and I received confirmation that we were having a baby boy. I say 'confirmation' because we both have had visions and dreams regarding a boy. We've been trusting God that those visions were from Him and now we have the confirmation! Both Saharh and I would've been really happy with either gender, but there is an interesting amount of peace that comes when we see that God has been directing this before we even knew it would begin. That may or may not sound strange to some but then again, everything does.
Now the next question that will inevitably come: Which school are we going to send him to?
Ha! Just kidding, we aren't going to send him to school. Things worked out for Arnold Schwarzenegger in that movie Twins. All he had were some books and a canoe...ok ok, I'm just kidding about that too. The real question on everyone's mind is probably going to be the name that we've picked for him. Here comes the bad news...it's a secret. Well, it hasn't been settled yet and it's a secret. The truth is, the name could change a lot between now and January 27th so it's best we don't let anyone sew it into a blanket or engrave it into a future Hall of Fame plaque just yet. Some have asked how to pray for the unnamed boy and all I can think to say is that you would add his naming process to your prayers! I wasn't named until the day I was born and I think that's a tradition that we'd like to uphold. He may look at us and provoke us to say, "he looks like a Ralph." (No, it won't be Ralph). We could give you a codename to use for now, like 'Tittlywinks" or "Albus" but that would probably have negative results down the road.
As far as health is concerned, I'm feeling great. But you're not worried about that. :) Saharh and the baby are doing very well. The heart beat was keeping steady between 126 - 132 while we watched him today. He attempted to do a somersault, while sucking his thumb so his athletic prowess is looking good. On a serious note, Saharh has had substantial problems with her SI joint and sciatica so please keep that in your prayers.
Thanks to everyone for the love and support you've shown. I am amazed at how a baby brightens some of the most cynical and jaded of us all. It seems as though new birth was something of a sticking point for Jesus. Until the next time...God bless you and Jesus is Lord!
So close and yet so far...
Today we find out, boy or girl. That's pretty much all I wanted to say in this post. I'm just so pumped about it, I had to post something. :) The results will be posted tonight.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
There and Back Again...
Well, the baby has now been to the Bahamas, though it obviously won't remember. Saharh and I just got back from Exuma or more precisely, Georgetown. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. This is the fourth time Saharh and I have been to the Bahamas and this may have been the best trip yet. After a fairly tough week for Saharh, this trip was a great opportunity for her to sleep and being in the water for an hour was like days of physical therapy. The rest helped her recover from a lot of sciatic and muscle pain.
We were hosted by our friends and owners of Out Island Explorers (http://www.outislandexplorers.com/), Dallas and Tamara Knowles. Visiting them and their two sons (Joss and Emit) was the best part of the trip. A couple days into the trip, another couple (Joel and Ann) arrived with their three sons and they were fun to be around also. All in all, Saharh and I got exposed to five boys at various ages, so it was an interesting glimpse into what things might be like if we have a boy. (We believe we will.) We also can't leave out O'neil and Lindsey, with whom we shared a lot of laughs.
The weather was hot, but that made jumping in the water that much better. Saharh was followed around the ocean by a Barracuda...and she loved it...not. They are a rather creapy type of fish and tend to follow you around, hoping to scavenge whatever you may leave behind while spear fishing. I basically consider them the vultures of the ocean. Saharh did overcome her fear of the annoying critters and then she and Tamara proceeded to Wikipedia the fish just for fun. (That and Sea Urchins...don't ask which part is edible). I also managed to up my career total of speared lobster from one...to three. Staggering numbers, I know.
We can't get over how much we enjoyed being down there. The reason I titled this post the way I did is because we went there and just want to go back again. There were several memorable quotes that come to mind when we remember the trip:
"Backpacks?!"
"Mommy pretty" < Joss said this whenever he was in trouble.
"This looks like a picture of my mage dealing out some sweet crits."
"Mad cap gunman..."
"Go to bed!"
and I'm sure there were more.
All of this is part of the grand legacy we are getting ready to hand down to 'newburke'...actual name classified...because we haven't decided on one yet. For those of you who haven't been down, check out the outislandexplorers.com website. We'll take this opportunity to thank everyone we spent time with down there and tell all that we can't wait to see you again. The next time we'll be able to get down there, we will be three instead of two!
Week 15 and counting...
We were hosted by our friends and owners of Out Island Explorers (http://www.outislandexplorers.com/), Dallas and Tamara Knowles. Visiting them and their two sons (Joss and Emit) was the best part of the trip. A couple days into the trip, another couple (Joel and Ann) arrived with their three sons and they were fun to be around also. All in all, Saharh and I got exposed to five boys at various ages, so it was an interesting glimpse into what things might be like if we have a boy. (We believe we will.) We also can't leave out O'neil and Lindsey, with whom we shared a lot of laughs.
The weather was hot, but that made jumping in the water that much better. Saharh was followed around the ocean by a Barracuda...and she loved it...not. They are a rather creapy type of fish and tend to follow you around, hoping to scavenge whatever you may leave behind while spear fishing. I basically consider them the vultures of the ocean. Saharh did overcome her fear of the annoying critters and then she and Tamara proceeded to Wikipedia the fish just for fun. (That and Sea Urchins...don't ask which part is edible). I also managed to up my career total of speared lobster from one...to three. Staggering numbers, I know.
We can't get over how much we enjoyed being down there. The reason I titled this post the way I did is because we went there and just want to go back again. There were several memorable quotes that come to mind when we remember the trip:
"Backpacks?!"
"Mommy pretty" < Joss said this whenever he was in trouble.
"This looks like a picture of my mage dealing out some sweet crits."
"Mad cap gunman..."
"Go to bed!"
and I'm sure there were more.
All of this is part of the grand legacy we are getting ready to hand down to 'newburke'...actual name classified...because we haven't decided on one yet. For those of you who haven't been down, check out the outislandexplorers.com website. We'll take this opportunity to thank everyone we spent time with down there and tell all that we can't wait to see you again. The next time we'll be able to get down there, we will be three instead of two!
Week 15 and counting...
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Our Favorite Number, 13
For those of you that don't know, Saharh and I are particularly fans of the number 13. I was born on June 13th, 1979 and Saharh was born on July 13, 1985. This was part of the reason that we ended up getting married on January 13, 2006. My brother was even born on August 13th. This is relevant because we're entering Saharh's 13th week of pregnancy.
It hasn't been quite as smooth during weeks 11-12 as it was in the first ten. The discomfort is increasing and there have been a few scares when it comes to pain. For the most part, it appears to be just the hyper-awareness of two very eager first-time parents. All reports, however indicate that the baby is very healthy and growing pretty rapidly. The baby is now three inches in length with a heart rate in the 160s. We've watched it roll over in the ultrasound and sometimes I believe I can hear it. Saharh has felt some movement but not any blatant kicking yet. The first time she felt the baby move though she had tears in her eyes and was very happy.
The naming process is still underway. I think we've settled on a couple hundred names, so I think we're making progress. I'm mostly kidding here of course...mostly. For those who have asked, we do plan to find out he or she. It reminds me of a movie quote where a stranger asked a couple if their baby was a boy or girl; to which the father replied,"Gee, I hope so."
We're reorganizing the house. Those of you who've been here will find it quite different when you visit again. We're also trying to unpack everything and dispose of what we really don't need anymore. I have no idea why I've kept a Wheaties box from 1993 for this long.
The preparation for being parents is intimidating. I am learning in an experiential way what my parents and other parents have told me about being parents. Of course, what we've learned in the past couple of weeks is like a couple drops of water compared to the typhoon that's coming. That's ok to us though. Others have gone before us and God saw them through as well. Until the next post...here's an ultrasound to keep you occupied:
It hasn't been quite as smooth during weeks 11-12 as it was in the first ten. The discomfort is increasing and there have been a few scares when it comes to pain. For the most part, it appears to be just the hyper-awareness of two very eager first-time parents. All reports, however indicate that the baby is very healthy and growing pretty rapidly. The baby is now three inches in length with a heart rate in the 160s. We've watched it roll over in the ultrasound and sometimes I believe I can hear it. Saharh has felt some movement but not any blatant kicking yet. The first time she felt the baby move though she had tears in her eyes and was very happy.
The naming process is still underway. I think we've settled on a couple hundred names, so I think we're making progress. I'm mostly kidding here of course...mostly. For those who have asked, we do plan to find out he or she. It reminds me of a movie quote where a stranger asked a couple if their baby was a boy or girl; to which the father replied,"Gee, I hope so."
We're reorganizing the house. Those of you who've been here will find it quite different when you visit again. We're also trying to unpack everything and dispose of what we really don't need anymore. I have no idea why I've kept a Wheaties box from 1993 for this long.
The preparation for being parents is intimidating. I am learning in an experiential way what my parents and other parents have told me about being parents. Of course, what we've learned in the past couple of weeks is like a couple drops of water compared to the typhoon that's coming. That's ok to us though. Others have gone before us and God saw them through as well. Until the next post...here's an ultrasound to keep you occupied:
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Longest Two Weeks
So we've gotten the pregnancy confirmed via blood test, but we hadn't been able to see the doctor yet. As a matter of fact, the doctor typically waited 7-8 weeks into the pregnancy to see the expecting mother. I was a bit surprised by this but apparently it is normal and I'm no expert.
Saharh and I waited until June 24th to see Dr. Duke for the first time. The way it felt to come home was so different during this time and has been even more ever since. Not to mention, Saharh's beauty seemed to grow in my eyes more and more each day. The last few months it seemed as though the Lord has been bolstering our love for one another, despite the typical intense fellowships that can arise over all aspects of life.
Also, during this time Saharh had definitely already begun to show. Again, if you know her, she's fairly petite so it wasn't too much of a shock. However, the reality of what was happening continued to come with every sign.
Despite all of the evidence, it was still hard for me to believe what was happening. That all changed on June 24th when we watched the ultrasound technician reveal the baby to us. There was a heart, beating 168 beats per minute, right there in front of us. I couldn't even speak and Saharh thought it was just awesome. Her whole face lit up even more as the technician showed us the formation of the arms, legs and head. At that time, the baby was only a couple of centimeters long. The technician then told us that Saharh was already 9 weeks along! This was big news in more than one way, but we'll get to that later.
Expected delivery date, January 28th 2011!
Saharh and I waited until June 24th to see Dr. Duke for the first time. The way it felt to come home was so different during this time and has been even more ever since. Not to mention, Saharh's beauty seemed to grow in my eyes more and more each day. The last few months it seemed as though the Lord has been bolstering our love for one another, despite the typical intense fellowships that can arise over all aspects of life.
Also, during this time Saharh had definitely already begun to show. Again, if you know her, she's fairly petite so it wasn't too much of a shock. However, the reality of what was happening continued to come with every sign.
Despite all of the evidence, it was still hard for me to believe what was happening. That all changed on June 24th when we watched the ultrasound technician reveal the baby to us. There was a heart, beating 168 beats per minute, right there in front of us. I couldn't even speak and Saharh thought it was just awesome. Her whole face lit up even more as the technician showed us the formation of the arms, legs and head. At that time, the baby was only a couple of centimeters long. The technician then told us that Saharh was already 9 weeks along! This was big news in more than one way, but we'll get to that later.
Expected delivery date, January 28th 2011!
The Beginning as a Birthday Present
The day was a fairly normal day, June 10, 2010. Saharh and I were planning a couple of different activities to celebrate my, then upcoming, 31st birthday. The day was sunny and getting hotter with the middle of Summer. Saharh's white roses were blooming to the left of our front door and the newly re-landscaped area beneath the media room window looked great. Both Saharh and I were at work and I can't really remember if anything major was happening there at the time.
As far as what was going on in the world around us...well, the usual craziness. The oil spill in the gulf was still spreading, politicians were still arguing and the state still struggling. Hopefully by the time our newborn is old enough to read this, some of that will have gone away. :)
Saharh and I have been talking about children since before we were married. I entered marriage with a definite desire to be a daddy and Saharh was a little more hesitant. The first couple of years, unknown to me, she had carried a very heavy burden because she knew how much I wanted children. When she told me this, the Spirit of God gave me the wisdom to release her of that expectation. This didn't mean that we had resolved to not have children. I simply wanted her to know that I was not holding her to a timetable, and for that matter I wasn't holding God to a timetable.
Over the four years of our marriage, we've talked more and more about children. We both definitely have a heart for them; we are supporting a child in India, are both pro-life (unashamedly), and even began to seriously prepare to adopt. The next generation is a ministry for us in the Kingdom and we both know it. However, the timing...the 'when', to have or adopt...well that took prayer and patience. To be honest, I got so caught up in the 'stuff' of daily living that the idea of being a parent was somewhat on the shelf. Little did I know...
Saharh texted me at work and mentioned that she was feeling terrible. She actually asked me to call our doctor. If you know her, you know that's often the last thing she wants to do. This immediately triggered a sense of urgency in me and I immediately started talking to Jesus in the Spirit. I called the doctor, mentioned the symptoms and they called back an hour or so later with a prescription for an antibiotic. I called Saharh and let her know. She was heading home and would pick up the medicine on the way.
Now, this is where God shows Himself awesome. On some very good wisdom, Saharh decided to take a pregnancy test before taking the antibiotics. A few minutes later I was walking through the door and with a smile on her face, she said,"We need to talk." I was amazed and couldn't believe it was happening. Even after the doctor confirmed that she was expecting...for the third time...I could hardly believe it. With all the talking, planning, and hypothesizing we had done about this moment, there was something so divinely simple about how it came to pass.
The weekend came and on June 13th, my 31st birthday, I announced to our families that I had just received the most remarkable of birthday presents.
As far as what was going on in the world around us...well, the usual craziness. The oil spill in the gulf was still spreading, politicians were still arguing and the state still struggling. Hopefully by the time our newborn is old enough to read this, some of that will have gone away. :)
Saharh and I have been talking about children since before we were married. I entered marriage with a definite desire to be a daddy and Saharh was a little more hesitant. The first couple of years, unknown to me, she had carried a very heavy burden because she knew how much I wanted children. When she told me this, the Spirit of God gave me the wisdom to release her of that expectation. This didn't mean that we had resolved to not have children. I simply wanted her to know that I was not holding her to a timetable, and for that matter I wasn't holding God to a timetable.
Over the four years of our marriage, we've talked more and more about children. We both definitely have a heart for them; we are supporting a child in India, are both pro-life (unashamedly), and even began to seriously prepare to adopt. The next generation is a ministry for us in the Kingdom and we both know it. However, the timing...the 'when', to have or adopt...well that took prayer and patience. To be honest, I got so caught up in the 'stuff' of daily living that the idea of being a parent was somewhat on the shelf. Little did I know...
Saharh texted me at work and mentioned that she was feeling terrible. She actually asked me to call our doctor. If you know her, you know that's often the last thing she wants to do. This immediately triggered a sense of urgency in me and I immediately started talking to Jesus in the Spirit. I called the doctor, mentioned the symptoms and they called back an hour or so later with a prescription for an antibiotic. I called Saharh and let her know. She was heading home and would pick up the medicine on the way.
Now, this is where God shows Himself awesome. On some very good wisdom, Saharh decided to take a pregnancy test before taking the antibiotics. A few minutes later I was walking through the door and with a smile on her face, she said,"We need to talk." I was amazed and couldn't believe it was happening. Even after the doctor confirmed that she was expecting...for the third time...I could hardly believe it. With all the talking, planning, and hypothesizing we had done about this moment, there was something so divinely simple about how it came to pass.
The weekend came and on June 13th, my 31st birthday, I announced to our families that I had just received the most remarkable of birthday presents.
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