Tomorrow, Ethan will be two months old and it has been an adventure! I couldn't really begin to describe the last eight weeks without first thanking all of the people that have supported us through prayer, giving and service. The sheer consideration that has been given to us by co-workers, friends, family and even strangers goes to show how God uses children to pull people together toward a common goal; even if that goal is simply the expression of selfless love.
Thanks so much to both sets of our parents who have helped us with everything from household maintenance, preparing the nursery, making cloth diapers, food, laundry, cleaning, advice, and companionship. Thanks so much to our church and my co-workers for the gifts of food, diaper bags, other nursery supplies and even a plaque for us to keep his footprint and handprint for the years to come. We are truly, truly blessed to have such good family and friends. I also want to thank everyone for the prayers. Of all the help we have received, I have to say that the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, has been the greatest gift of all. Even if tough, scary or exhausting situations, Jesus has been there to remind us that His Father, is also Ethan's heavenly Father. As much as we love Ethan, God's love dwarfs that exponentially.
For example, last night we took Ethan to the Children's Hospital ER for the first time. We had grown concerned about a reduction in wet diapers and a decreased appetite over the last couple of days. While talking to the on-call pediatrician we came to realize that he's just settling into normalcy for an infant his age, but then we asked about the diaper rash. We had noticed some differences that made this rash a little odd, and when we told the pediatrician, she immediately suggested we take him to the ER. She revealed that she was concerned it could be a Staff infection.
I guess any parent can understand the immediate concern that came over us when we heard that statement. I've never heard of a mild case of Staff and the concerns began to assault us. Saharh began to wonder if it was something she had done, something in her blood stream. I began to wonder if I hadn't been washing my hands thoroughly enough before changing his diapers...the list went on and on. The enemy was relishing this moment to say the least. We got in the car and drove to what we thought was the Children's Hospital, only to find out the right place was much further downtown. Frustration and anxiety kept trying to build up in both of us.
However, the Holy Spirit wouldn't let any of that stuff settle in our hearts. Before we had left, we prayed over Ethan and trusted the Lord with the outcome. Just like the night before the morning Ethan was born, I could hear the Spirit of God telling me, "I've got him, son. He's going to be fine." For every barrage of fear, the Spirit parried with peace. We didn't even call anyone because we just began to believe that this wasn't as bad as it sounded.
Eventually we got to the hospital and the look on the nurse's face when we described the situation was kind of funny. The disbelief was evident on her face and it was clear that this didn't look like any Staff case they'd seen. They admitted him anyway and gave us top priority because of Ethan's age. Several doctors and nurses looked at the rash, and while mentioning that it looked odd, didn't believe it was Staff. Ethan had no fevers, and was in a perfectly compliant mood. He ate around four ounces while we were in the hospital and we had to change his diaper three times! So much for our concern about his appetite and diapers. :)
After a couple of hours, they discharged Ethan and just told us to keep doing what we were already doing. To show even more, how God is mighty to save, the rash was gone this morning. Some may say that the pediatrician overreacted. I however am grateful for a doctor that errs on the side of caution, especially when they can't see Ethan in person. Everyone was very helpful and took the matter very seriously, no matter how unusual it seemed. God provided all that was needed. We're thankful for the experience because we got to find out where the hospital is located, learned the process for getting admitted and got to see how God provides. All in all, it was a great night and praise the Lord.
Not every parent gets to hear the results we did. We would be naive to believe that good news is the result of every prayer. We're thankful that last night's good news was good, but if not, even still, we praise the Lord! He's redeemed us from the cursed heart.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Ethan Aridae Israel Burke has arrived!
For pictures, go here: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2562714&id=7024408&l=3044335518)
Well, Saharh was sure it would never happen, even though it was inevitable. Ethan Aridae Israel, arrived at 9:40 AM on January 13th, 2011. He was seven pounds, eight ounces and twenty and two-thirds inches long at birth. The entire labor was around fifteen hours long, starting with some fairly strong contractions at 6pm on the 12th. As I started grabbing hospital bags, I asked the Lord if that was the night and He said 'Yes, son...here he comes.' Peace and determination came over us as we prepared the bags and headed toward the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital around 7pm and the contractions were already bordering on the unbearable side for Saharh. The on-call doctor arrived and much to our elation, shared with us that we were looking at 6-8 hours of labor, combined with a couple of hours of pushing. The only thing that registered in my head was 'oh boy' and that peace started to get hit with fatigue.
Ok, so the hospital considers 'active labor' at 4cm dialation. However, try telling Saharh that she wasn't in active labor at 2am on the 13th, even though she was only 3cm at that time. The contractions, in combination with the back labor (a term I'm using to describe the severe backpain she had after each contraction) were painful for me and I wasn't even the one going through them! Saharh's labor coach arrived early during the labor and we took turns massaging different spots on the back, helping her move around and occassionally breathing in her face (that last one wasn't a good thing for all you future dads out there).
Around 2:30 am, we asked the nurse how far she had progressed as the pain was getting more severe every half hour. Keep in mind that Saharh was attempting to go completely unmedicated through this, so she had no pain medication at the time. The nurse said that she hadn't progressed in the last four hours and Saharh said,"Oh come on!" The difficulty breathing, combined with some dehydration started to raise her anxiety over the baby's saftey, but the doctors re-assured us that all of his vitals looked great. This helped a little, but ultimately Saharh decided to accept some demoral so she could calm down, get hydrated and slow her breathing.
Although the medication helped her rest a little, she basically woke up for every contraction and this continued until 5am. The meds started to wear off and that's when things really started to get interesting. The nurses came and said that she had just hit 5cm so now she was in 'active labor'. Saharh's parents were in the family waiting room so I went to tell them an update on Saharh's progress. By the time I got back, she was 7cm and her water had already broken! I had promised her parents an update by 8am, thinking things would continue to progress slowly, but I didn't have another opportunity to update anyone.
Saharh reached the full 10cm around 7:30 am and the nurse gave her the go ahead to start pushing. By 9:00am she was ready to deliver and the doctor arrived to complete the task. Now, I was determined to play centerfield during this whole event and not catcher. I knew that I may or may not be prepared for everything so I stayed next to Saharh's head the whole time. However, when I observed the doctor putting on galoshes, gloves that went to her neck and a blast shield over face...I became somewhat alarmed.
Shortly after the doctor was in position, we were able to see Ethan's head. A couple of pushes later, out came a lizard. :) All Bill Cosby jokes aside, Ethan looked great and almost immediately after he'd been born, Saharh scooped him up into her arms. Saharh would later look at the nurses and say,"Since I took Demoral, does that mean that I didn't go all natural?" The nurses replied that as far as they were concerned, she certainly did. She managed to go without an epidural after all, though they may not have had time to apply one anyway.
That lizard...ahem...boy...was Ethan Aridae Israel Burke and he looked great! He cried for a couple of minutes but calmed down shortly after being so close to his mother. Eventually they cleaned him up and several minutes later, we were headed upstairs to their room. The doctors and nurses were both very impressed with Saharh's controlled nature. She only broke one of their arms and the window can easily be replac... :) But seriously, Dr. Duke commented on more than one occassion on how controlled Saharh seemed to be. Saharh would later say she didn't feel that way, but I was impressed with the way she handled it all.
We also wouldn't have done very well without her birth coach, Shannon Rossi. At one point in time, I had to get some rest and wouldn't have managed the two hour nap without Shannon being there to help while I was out.
Even with the peace that God gave us for the experience, it wouldn't have been the successful delivery that it was, without His being there with us. When things got severe, Saharh would say to herself,"Your grace is sufficient" and continue enduring. When I began to panic in my mind, His voice would say, "I have her son, it's going to be ok." I had a difficult time listening and believing, but His assurance remained and soon after, we had Ethan in our arms.
For pictures, go here: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2562714&id=7024408&l=3044335518)
Well, Saharh was sure it would never happen, even though it was inevitable. Ethan Aridae Israel, arrived at 9:40 AM on January 13th, 2011. He was seven pounds, eight ounces and twenty and two-thirds inches long at birth. The entire labor was around fifteen hours long, starting with some fairly strong contractions at 6pm on the 12th. As I started grabbing hospital bags, I asked the Lord if that was the night and He said 'Yes, son...here he comes.' Peace and determination came over us as we prepared the bags and headed toward the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital around 7pm and the contractions were already bordering on the unbearable side for Saharh. The on-call doctor arrived and much to our elation, shared with us that we were looking at 6-8 hours of labor, combined with a couple of hours of pushing. The only thing that registered in my head was 'oh boy' and that peace started to get hit with fatigue.
Ok, so the hospital considers 'active labor' at 4cm dialation. However, try telling Saharh that she wasn't in active labor at 2am on the 13th, even though she was only 3cm at that time. The contractions, in combination with the back labor (a term I'm using to describe the severe backpain she had after each contraction) were painful for me and I wasn't even the one going through them! Saharh's labor coach arrived early during the labor and we took turns massaging different spots on the back, helping her move around and occassionally breathing in her face (that last one wasn't a good thing for all you future dads out there).
Around 2:30 am, we asked the nurse how far she had progressed as the pain was getting more severe every half hour. Keep in mind that Saharh was attempting to go completely unmedicated through this, so she had no pain medication at the time. The nurse said that she hadn't progressed in the last four hours and Saharh said,"Oh come on!" The difficulty breathing, combined with some dehydration started to raise her anxiety over the baby's saftey, but the doctors re-assured us that all of his vitals looked great. This helped a little, but ultimately Saharh decided to accept some demoral so she could calm down, get hydrated and slow her breathing.
Although the medication helped her rest a little, she basically woke up for every contraction and this continued until 5am. The meds started to wear off and that's when things really started to get interesting. The nurses came and said that she had just hit 5cm so now she was in 'active labor'. Saharh's parents were in the family waiting room so I went to tell them an update on Saharh's progress. By the time I got back, she was 7cm and her water had already broken! I had promised her parents an update by 8am, thinking things would continue to progress slowly, but I didn't have another opportunity to update anyone.
Saharh reached the full 10cm around 7:30 am and the nurse gave her the go ahead to start pushing. By 9:00am she was ready to deliver and the doctor arrived to complete the task. Now, I was determined to play centerfield during this whole event and not catcher. I knew that I may or may not be prepared for everything so I stayed next to Saharh's head the whole time. However, when I observed the doctor putting on galoshes, gloves that went to her neck and a blast shield over face...I became somewhat alarmed.
Shortly after the doctor was in position, we were able to see Ethan's head. A couple of pushes later, out came a lizard. :) All Bill Cosby jokes aside, Ethan looked great and almost immediately after he'd been born, Saharh scooped him up into her arms. Saharh would later look at the nurses and say,"Since I took Demoral, does that mean that I didn't go all natural?" The nurses replied that as far as they were concerned, she certainly did. She managed to go without an epidural after all, though they may not have had time to apply one anyway.
That lizard...ahem...boy...was Ethan Aridae Israel Burke and he looked great! He cried for a couple of minutes but calmed down shortly after being so close to his mother. Eventually they cleaned him up and several minutes later, we were headed upstairs to their room. The doctors and nurses were both very impressed with Saharh's controlled nature. She only broke one of their arms and the window can easily be replac... :) But seriously, Dr. Duke commented on more than one occassion on how controlled Saharh seemed to be. Saharh would later say she didn't feel that way, but I was impressed with the way she handled it all.
We also wouldn't have done very well without her birth coach, Shannon Rossi. At one point in time, I had to get some rest and wouldn't have managed the two hour nap without Shannon being there to help while I was out.
Even with the peace that God gave us for the experience, it wouldn't have been the successful delivery that it was, without His being there with us. When things got severe, Saharh would say to herself,"Your grace is sufficient" and continue enduring. When I began to panic in my mind, His voice would say, "I have her son, it's going to be ok." I had a difficult time listening and believing, but His assurance remained and soon after, we had Ethan in our arms.
For pictures, go here: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2562714&id=7024408&l=3044335518)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Lion is Enough
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.
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.
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.
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