Long Time, No Bloggy

Hi Blog friends. I have not forgotten you. I know that all my precious prayer partners are still out there. I hope you are all well. It has been very hard for me to sit at a computer and write for any length of time with a full time job and even more importantly, an almost 7 month old full time baby guy.

Currently, my not so little man weighs about 17ish pounds, is 28 inches long and is sitting up and rolling around like crazy. He is trying so hard to crawl! I think a tooth is in the near future as well. He love love loves all three of his puppies and thinks that bouncing in his jumparoo is way fun. He eats rice cereal, oatmeal, and any kind of #1 or #2 baby food as well as gerber puffs, cheerios, or mashed potatoes and other soft foods from Mommy and Daddy's plates. He is still nursing. I have outlasted many of the other Moms that started with me. For someone who feared nursing as much if not more than an epidural, I'd say that's pretty good! He is generally very happy, even though he has had a pretty rough cold and a case of thrush that he and Mommy have shared. (Ouch!)

Since I have returned to work full time for the fall semester (with tears in my eyes) Isaac spends two days a week with his wonderful babysitter, Miss Alana and her son Nathaniel, and two days a week at Mother's Day Out at church. He spends Fridays at home with Daddy having "guy time". Going back to work after spending all summer at home was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I am praying for a way to stay home, but God has me at work during this season for a purpose. And I am trusting Him for guidance and provision. But I know that even on Monday mornings when I cry because of the long week ahead, I remember that I am so blessed. I have a baby to leave at daycare! I would have given anything for that a few seasons ago.

A girl that Ryland went to high school with lost her little girl this morning. Her baby was a few weeks younger than Isaac and suffocated in her crib because of a blanket. I cannot even begin to fathom that kind of hurt. I literally had no peace until Isaac was in my arms today after work. It has taken me several hours to write this entry because I just couldn't put him down for very long tonight. As I have read "The Power of A Praying Parent" Stormie Omartian reminded me of something that I struggle with now more than I did. It was so much easier at the beginning of my pregnancy to put Isaac in God's hands and to recognize that Isaac IS God's. He is on loan to me, and I have no control over how long that will be. My prayer is that he grows up to be a man who follows God and lives to a ripe old age. But I have to daily put Isaac back into God's hands. I don't have what it takes to raise him the right way on my own. I can only protect him from so much- I have to trust God to do the rest. It's not easy when everything inside of me wants to micromanage and protect and control. Please keep the family who experienced loss in your prayers.

Isaac is going with Miss Alana and Nathaniel to the park tomorrow. Alana home schools Nathaniel and they have a show-and-tell day tomorrow with other home school families. Nathaniel asked me at church yesterday if he could take baby Isaac to show-and-tell. So Isaac will be on "display" tomorrow for a cute little group of home schooled kindergarteners. Nathaniel also informed me today that Isaac is his brother. He told me very matter-of-factly that he already has two sisters and he needs a brother. I told Nathaniel that Isaac could be his brother since Isaac doesn't have a big brother and he loves Nathaniel so much. It's great to know that Isaac is well looked after not only by his babysitter, but by his pseudo big brother.

My friend Miriam is traveling back to Guam tomorrow with her 7 month old son and two year old daughter. Her mother-in-law was sweet enough to make the 32 hour trip with them. You may remember her from an earlier post. Her son was at risk for having hemophilia and there are no hospitals capable of handling such a delivery in Guam. But baby William came out perfect and without hemophilia. Please keep them in your prayers also. It will be a LONG trip.

I hope you enjoyed Isaac's 6 month pictures that were once again done by my friend, Ashley Ofosu. Visit her at http://www.ashleyophoto.blogspot.com/ book her! She is amazing.

Love to you all. I'll try and visit blog land more often. It would be easier if the beautiful blue-eyed boy in the picture didn't spend so much time stealing my heart. :)

Mindy

A Super Summer Indeed

I am sitting in Marshall, Texas on a college campus in a four bedroom shoe-box apartment listening to Pandora radio. I am munching on a pop-tart and I have just put Isaac to sleep for the night. It is 9:27 PM. The last time I was on a college campus at 9:27 PM my night would have been just beginning, on the best of nights it would have included good friends, a walk on campus, a little studying and probably a trip to IHOP. Life has come full circle in four years......



Ryland is leading worship for a session of Super Summer Texas. This is a dream come true for him. And I am so proud that me and Isaac got to witness it. I started crying during worship tonight. Ryland was doing his song "A Thousand Singing". (It's Amazing! Buy it on I-TUNES! - SHAMELESS PLUG!!!) I looked at the little man in the stroller and the big man on stage and I was just overcome with how generous God is. Ryland is so talented and more than that, his heart is in it for all the right reasons. He genuinely desires to worship God and to help others do the same. Good singer/musicians that seek their own glory and a paycheck are a dime a dozen, I know a few too many of those unfortunately. Ry, you are fantastic and I am so proud of you- but mostly proud of the heart inside you. I can't wait to see what other adventures that God has for you. I am so glad that I get to do life with you, my best friend.



We took Isaac to the doctor for his 4 month check-up last week. I cannot believe that we have had this sweet boy for 4 months already. Time flies. He is 25 and 1/2 inches long (75-90%) , He weighs 14.7lbs. (just under the 50% mark), and his head circumference is in the 90% range. The doctor said his brains must be growing a lot. :) He got shots which always hurts me to watch. And we got the green light to start him on rice cereal. He sleeps a 10-12 hour stretch through the night starting at about 9 Pm. He has also learned to roll from his tummy to his back, and uses his exersaucer to practice for the day when he will walk. He babbles a lot, we talk all the time. And EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. He is happy, full of laughs and smiles and absolutely charms me. I know all Mommas arfe probably enchanted by their children but I just look at him and melt. He is the most special thing I have ever laid eyes on, this side of heaven. I just wonder what God has planned for him. I pray that I get many years to watch and be a part of his life.



Our pastor spoke recently about using your gift to share the gift of salvation with others. I don't really know what my "gift" is, but he mentioned blogging specifically. I don't know who is out there in the world that reads my blog. I don't think that I write anything that is too terribly interesting that would make anyone outside of my friends and family take notice, but on the chance that there is, I just want to throw this out to the universe: There is a God, the one and only. He sent his son, Jesus into the world. Jesus was perfect. He never gossiped, or got snippy with his spouse. He never lied, cheated, stole or hurt anyone. He was without sin. He came to be a servant and to bring love. He died in the most heinous way imagineable. He did it because he loves me. He loves you too and wants to know you. He paid for every bad thing that you and I have ever done and will ever do. If you are interested in knowing the creator of the universe, please respond to this blog. I'd love to share with you. I am not crazy. I won't come to your house and make you wear a robe and shave your head and throw away your beer. I just want you to know and share in the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want to share the secret to eternal life with you. Interested???



On the topic of salvation, I have never quite thought about it as much as I have since Isaac was born. Obviously, it is the most important thing in this life, but it is the one thing that no matter what I do, or say, or buy, I cannot provide that for Isaac. But of all the things the world has to offer, it is the thing that I desire most for him. I pray all the time that even now, God shows himself to Isaac and whispers a call into his ears. While I was pregnant my Dad even made the point that Isaac can choose never to believe, never to follow. I can't even imagine the heartbreak that would overcome a parent that has to deal with an unbelieving child at any age. I pray that I never have to know how that feels, but my heart goes out to anyone out there dealing with this. Salvation is a precious gift, bought with a great price.

Good night with love from Texas. God is good and just keeps getting better. All my love,

Mindy :)

Mother's Day

I am sitting in my living room tonight watching a SNL rerun. It's 9:22pm and Ryland is putting Isaac down for the night. My sweet baby has been sleeping through the night for several weeks now. And it has been great! It is amazing what a few more hours of sleep can do for you. He sleeps usually from 9:30 to about 7:15. I am so blessed to have a baby that sleeps and good books to help me sleep train my little guy!

As you know, tomorrow is Mother's Day. MY first Mother's Day. A day to celebrate mothers like ME. The last two Mother's Day holidays were so hard for me. They just served to remind me of what I didn't have. And tomorrow, I will no doubt rush around my house like crazy, be stressed out, forget something, and probably be late. But I will be taking MY son with me, because I am a Momma. I am so thankful for the gift God has given to me. My friend Stepheny gave me a packet of forget-me-nots to plant in memory of my three angels who have gone on to be with Jesus. I will carry them in my heart but know that Isaac is the perfect fulfillment of God's plan for me.

To My Fellow New Mothers: I am so glad to be sharing this sweet time with you. May we never take for granted the wonder and the miracle that brought our babies to us. I love knowing that Joia, Claire, Elliana, Mia and so many others will be sharing life with Isaac. We have so much to be thankful for. I pray that God blesses and guides us all as we raise a new generation.

To My Mother-in-law, Cyndi: Thank you so much for raising such a wonderful son. I am the luckiest woman in the world to get to share my life day in and day out with Ryland. My prayer since I was pregnant was that Isaac would be the kind of kind, loving, generous man that Ryland is. You did a great job and I am receiving the blessings from all of your hard work. Thank you for all you have done and for all the love that you have given over the years. I love you and I am so glad you are in my life.

To My Momma: Mom, I could write a novel and I couldn't say enough. Thank you for singing bye-o, bye-o to put me to sleep, for taking a car load of kids to big splash every summer, for letting the whole neighborhood swim in our pool, for letting cold kids come in for good food during snow days, for sending me to camp every summer, for paying for cheerleading uniforms, for letting me go to Chickasha, for (finally) accepting that I am a slob, for loving my dogs and for helping me transition into being a Momma myself. I love you so so so so much and I hope I can be half as much fun as you were and still are.

To all Moms past, present and future. I am so glad to be in your club. How blessed we are that God let us be women and be present during the act of creation. Happy Mother's Day.

To My Momma- Thank you so much for 26 years of fun and love. I hope I can be half as good as you were and still are.

Where's the Instruction Manual?

The days just keep flying by and my baby boy just keeps growing and growing.......

At his 2 month appointment 3 weeks ago he weighed 11pounds, 11 ounces (50th percentile), and was 24 inches long (75th percentile). He is in the 25th percentile for head circumference. My Mom says he has the Clapp acorn head! I think he has flown past 12 pounds and just gets bigger all the time.

He is such a smiley face now. He is very generous with his big toothy grin and has charmed everyone from his great Grannie B to his babysitter with it. It is amazing to watch him react to things. He loves to play with the toys hanging from his mobile and will even smile and reach for our dogs if they get in his line of vision.

He is sleeping 6-7 hours a night. YES!!!! If he can do it for about 5 more days I am going to move him to his big boy crib and see if we can transition to it. I cannot believe it has almost been 3 months since I first met my sweet baby. I feel like I am going to blink and having a little boy and not a baby.

Going back to work has been very hard. I still have days when I cry after dropping him off. Fortunately, I have the BEST babysitters in the world and they love Isaac. That makes all the difference. They enjoy their time with him. I think they view it more as fun and less as a job, which is better for everyone!

(my apologies to any men who may be made uncomfortable.) I am breastfeeding. Before I had Isaac I told people that my biggest fears were the epidural and breastfeeding. Well, the epidural was FANTASTIC and I had no idea how wonderful breastfeeding would be. It just seemed weird and foreign to me. I decided I would try to do it until I went back to work. Now my goal is to do it for a year. God blessed me with a baby who is a good eater and I have a very abundant supply. The last week has been hard. Isaac went on a "nursing strike" where he didn't want me, he just wanted to the bottle. My milk supply started to wane a little and it hurt my feelings! It made me so sad that he would cry and push away from me. After calling a lactation nurse who suggested ways to help. I had a breaking point, and it happened to be my breatspump! My friend had given me a breastpump and I was the 7th person to use it. And it was in the process of breaking causing it to lose suction and decrease my milk supply. So I used what was left of my Target gift cards and bought myself a $300 breast pump. So I need to have at least 5 more babies to apy for it. :) I never thought that I would fight so hard to keep breastfeeding. I enjoy it so much and God is so good to provide for us and give us a bond in breastfeeding. What a great thing to be a mammal mommy!

I am continually asked about Gurt, the child that we are adopting. Are we still doing it? Where are we in the process? Etc.? Well, to answer the questions, we ARE DEFINITELY STILL ADOPTING. But we are on hold for now and I don't know how long we will be on hold. That is a big matter of prayer. We do not feel that God has released us from the call to adopt, but we feel that for now we need to focus on Isaac. He is such a precious gift from God and we don't want to make him share attention yet. Also, there are some considerations that weren't there before Isaac came. And honestly, it is a lot of work and daycare for two would be WAY expensive. We just want to be smart and fair to all our children and more than anything, we want God to lead us to Gurt and right now we feel that God is telling us to be still and wait. So please continue to pray for Gurt and that we will be sensitive to God when He tells us to move.

My little blessing is calling! I must be off to shower him with kisses.

I am more blessed than I can possibly tell you.

Mindy

Dedicated

Yesterday we had parent/child dedication at our church. It was another emotional milestone that I am so thankful for.

We committed to raise Isaac to know and love God and to be examples of how to live. I know that I fall very short of being able to convey Christlikeness, but having Isaac makes me want to be better and to try harder.

You can watch the dedication ceremony on our church's website http://www.waterlooroad.org/live.html it will be on until sunday, after that you can view it on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/waterloo-road-baptist-church .

We were blessed to have several family members join us as well as several that had to watch live due to the lovely unseasonable snow storm that hit Saturday. One family member in attendance was Ryland's uncle Kent who has always held a special place in his heart. Kent and Ryland have never been a typical uncle/nephew relationship. It is something a little more special than that. Kent invested a lot of time and love into Ryland during his younger years and as a result Ryland was a state champion baseball player, a singer of great music (like the Indigo Girls), and in my opinion, a better man for having spent time with and another great man. Kent honored us by writing the following article for his two newspapers in the Augusta, Kansas area where he is a publisher for Gatehouse Media. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did:

When memories and activities converge it adds to the meaning of an event.As you turn the page at the end of a chapter of life only to reveal many blank pages still waiting to be filled, it leaves you anxiously waiting to see the story yet to be told.As my family prepared for a weekend trip to the Sooner State that would culminate with the dedication ceremony for the newest addition to our family, many items and incidents brought to mind the history that laid the foundation for the present.As a raging winter storm threatened to interrupt our plans to travel south, I looked in the closet for a coat and saw my leather coat that I hadn’t worn for years.That coat took me back to another winter storm that threatened to interrupt plans for two young lovebirds.About a decade ago, my nephew Ryland was at a Christmas dinner at my mother’s house while hoping a storm would leave his plans unchanged. But as snow began to fall, his parents were quick to tell him that his trip to see his girlfriend, who lived in the northeast corner of the state, was canceled. Crestfallen, the young man who always held a special place in my heart kept a smile on his face despite the circumstances that conspired to rob him of a rare opportunity to see his future wife.This was no ordinary uncle/nephew relationship. He sometimes called me Uncle Kent, but more often I answered to Buddy. It wasn’t a nickname, it was a title – like doctor or professor. I was his buddy.When his mother taught piano lessons, I watched her two children after I got out of school. We grew even closer as I coached his baseball team every summer.It wasn’t a normal relationship. So my response wasn’t normal when his plans were being short-circuited.I told him if his girlfriend could find a way to meet us half-way, I would get him there before the snow had a chance to pile up. Her mother agreed to leave a family Christmas dinner, as well, in order to complete the transaction. My future wife and I loaded him in my car and took him to his house to pack. He ran through his room grabbing everything he could to prepare for a few days snowed in away from home.We got to Stroud a couple of hours later as snow and the temperature continued to fall.As fate would have it, he had forgotten his coat. So much for any chance for fun in the snow.Thinking quickly, I took off my coat and dug through the trunk to find some gloves to help him keep warm.Needless to say, he had a great week and my position as Buddy was forever etched in stone.That young couple went on to marry and recently began trying to expand their family. The joy of pregnancy was snuffed out by miscarriage three times. The pain grew each time like an avalanche ripping through their hearts.Then came Isaac. He wasn’t affected by the same conditions that had hampered those who had come before. On February 3, he sprung forth as evidence of the faith that refused to die.As we prepared to spend a weekend in Oklahoma before his dedication ceremony, we rushed to beat the weather and saw that same old coat that had been part of this story from the start.As freezing rain and snow hit the windshield Friday, I thought about that night so many years ago.As I sat in their church, worshipping with so many friends and family members, that sweet little face seemed to overshadow all of the times in the past when pregnancies ended in sadness.His name means “laughter” and that laughter erased all of the tears that fallen before.I hope he continues to bring joy like his father brought me.He’s off to a good start.

We love you Kent- thank you for being there on Isaac's dedication day. We look forward to a new generation of fun memories.

Isaac Hates His Carseat

I am officially the mother of a six week old baby. Time has flown and the days seem so short...

One week from today I head back to my classroom, only this time I won't be taking all of my heart with me. I swore I'd never be one of those mothers who got all bent out of shape having to leave their child to work. But I never knew that I'd worry every single minute about his health, safety and happiness and whether or not his caregiver would know what his cries mean and how he likes to be snuggled to fall asleep. I am one of those mothers and when I cry my way to work next week I will try and remember to thank God for my job and that I am in fact a mother to begin with. I am still amazed that Isaac is here at all, that I actually have the baby I always dreamed of.

Isaac smiled today. It wasn't a gassy smile, or the oh-so-cute " i'm falling asleep" smile, no, he looked at me wide awake and smiled a beautiful, toothless, smile. It surprised me so much that I squealed and it startled him enough to make him jump. It absolutely melted my heart.

Isaac went to church for the first of many times last Sunday. I heard so many people speculate on who he really looks like. Most of the time I hear Ryland or my brother, Lane. The truth is, I think that if God let me put Isaac together myself I couldn't have done a better job. I know he is mine but sometimes I just stare at him, he is so perfect, so healthy and beautiful. And I am obviously not biased at all.

Isaac hates riding in his carseat. He screams the majority of the time he has to be in it. But tonight as Ryland and I endured a 30 minute cryfest I just couldn't help but think how happy I am. After all this time, I have my baby in the backseat, and the crying just reminds me that he is here. And I am so blessed.

I love this kid.

My Beautiful Boy

Isaac in his blankie basket.
Asleep in Daddy's guitar case.

Listening to a lullably.

Getting mad.

Peaceful.

Wide eyed.

Under his name in the nursery.

Bentley can't be left out.

Sleepy face.

Look alikes.

His favorite snuggle spot.

Our happy family.

Talking to momma.

How blessed we are.

I cannot believe it has almost been three weeks since I first held my sweet Isaac. I was told that time would fly as soon as he got here and that is so right. He is getting big so fast, eating well, sleeping decently well. I have never wanted to freeze time so badly before. I live in fear of March 25 and going back to work. I left Isaac with Ryland for 2 hours the other day and thought my heart was going to break. I love him so much. My Aunt Glenda described it as watching a piece of your heart parade around outside of your body. I am trying to savor every sweet moment that I can while he is little. We had our wonderful Ashley Ofosu come and take Isaac's pictures last Friday. Enjoy them and continue to keep us in your prayers.

Mindy

Also Congratulations to two other new mommies of sweet boys - September Wade with her son Jonas and Jessica Marshall with Jason.

The Birth and All the Fun After

Yay! I finally feel coherent enough to update you all on what my life has been like for the last week and a half. If you are a mother, you can totally relate when I say that having a baby is like a break in a timeline of your life. From the moment that you are handed a wet little crying baby there is the life that you had before, and the life you have now. Kind of like when you find your "one true love", for me there was life before Ryland and life that came after. But the funny thing is, it seems like life has always been this way, somehow even though it is new and scary, it all fits, just like a perfect puzzle piece.

The Birth Experience
On February 3rd we checked into our room at approximately 7:41AM. At 7:42 Linda, the best nurse ever, came in and made me change into my lovely hospital gown. She hooked me up to an IV, took my vitals and did all the stuff they do. Dr. K came in shortly after 8 and tried unsuccessfully to break my water. I was dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced at this point. This was one of the most painful parts of the day. They started me on a pitocin drip and I started having a lot of little, non-painful contractions. The nurse kept asking me if I wanted to have my epidural but my goal was to dilate to a 5 before I got one.

Family started to trickle in during the late morning and early afternoon. My brother, Lane was the first to get there, followed by my parents, Ryland's parents with his siblings and nieces, Ryland's grandparents Kenneth and Rosalie Bush, his uncle Kenyon, my cousins Chris and Debbie. (Please forgive me if I forgot anyone, I was on drugs at this point.)

Dr. K came back about 1:45 and was able to successfully break my water and I quickly dilated to a 5. I asked for an epidural around 2:00. :) The epidural was the scariest part of the process but Ryland stayed with me and looked right in my eyes throughout the whole ordeal. I immediately felt better.

I started feeling really intense pressure around 3:45 and told my nurse that I felt like I wanted to push. The nurse told me that I was 9 and three quarters dilated and it made perfect sense that I would feel the need to push. (Sidenote: It is amazing that your body knows exactly what to do. My body is never going to look like my pre-pregnancy self, but I will never take for granted how amazing it is.) The pressure became so intense that I needed more of the good stuff in my epidural. The anesthesiologist gave me some really good stuff and I was completely numb from my waist down. I even fell asleep for a few minutes before I started pushing. At one point I was so loopy that I told my dog, Sadie, to "lay down".

The nurse had me try and push to move the baby down. I pushed unsuccessfully through several contractions and they called my doctor to come in. At one point Isaac's heart rate dropped because the umbilical cord was around his neck. The team moved me to my side and he quickly recovered.

Dr. K showed up around 5:00 and began having me push. Isaac was stuck on my pelvic bone and wasn't moving down like he should. Dr. K made the decision to use forceps to grab him and then I pushed him the rest of the way out. Ryland and my Mom were both there to witness Isaac's entrance into the world.

At 5:32 I laid my eyes on the most beautiful, slimy little creature that I have ever seen. They laid him on my chest and my whole world shifted. I saw all the tears and heartaches and bad days wash away and I saw God's mercy and goodness wash over me. God gave me my perfect, complete, nothing that I could have done on my own, Isaac.

Next to sealing my wedding vows with a kiss, it was one of the most perfect moments of my entire life.

The Aftermath

Our anxious clan of family members waited to meet Isaac but the doctors left him with us for about 45 minutes so that I could feed him and we could bond. It was a precious time to reflect on what had just happened.

Our families flooded in shortly there after and passed him around to get a good look. The nurses whisked him off to give him a bath and check him over.

On Wednesday were had tons of visitors and we appreciated all the love that has already been poured upon our sweet boy.

The Recovery

Having a forceps delivery has presented some interesting facets of getting better. I had to have an episiotomy and on top of that I had third degree tearing up into my muscle tissue. I was unaware of just how painful and long the recovery part would be. Today Isaac is 9 days old and it is the first day that I have not taken any prescription pain medication. Simple things such as going to the bathroom or sitting flat were intensely painful. Much more so than actually giving birth. Fortunately my wonderful Momma came home with us and stayed for 4 days taking care of cleaning and laundry so that Ryland and I could focus on Isaac. These four days were the worst pain wise and I don't know how we would have done it without her.

At Home

Isaac met our furry kids and they have all gotten along great. Sadie takes every opportunity to lick Isaac on the head. Lexus treats him like a puppy and lifts his bottom up with her nose if he has a dirty diaper, she also gets very upset if we don't get to him immediately if he is crying. Bentley ignores him for the most part which is fine since Bentley is the most spoiled of all my dogs. I think they are all going to get a along great.

Ryland and I are learning the finer points of sleep deprivation and caring for a helpless little person, but more than anything I think we are are constantly in awe of what God has done through us. Everytime Isaac smiles or cries or eats we are reminded of where we came from and that even at 4AM we need to be thankful for the opportunity to change a poopy diaper or rock a crying baby. There was a time we prayed for that. And God answered our prayers with Isaac.


Please keep us in your prayers as we learn and love our precious gift from God. Pray that time moves slowly and that we can enjoy every minute that we have with our sweet baby. Thank you for the prayers along the journey, we couldn't have made it without them. And sleep well tonight, most likely we will be awake taking care of the best thing God ever gave us. We love you all.

Mindy, Ryland, and Isaac

Pics of Isaac

Here are a few snapshots from his first few hours....
Isaac and Joia, his 7 week old cousin. They are almost the same size.

Dr. K

Isaac Getting Weighed.

Ryland and his Mom and Dad with their first grandson.

Isaac Wade Russell is here!

Mindy holding our prescious Isaac. 7 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches long. Born at 5:32 pm. Pictures to come soon!

Ryland

Ps. Thanks for all your prayers, he is perfect!

All My Dreams Come True Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day. My son will be here tomorrow.

As I think back about the things that have lead to tomorrow I can't help but be amazed at all that God laid the foundation for when I didn't even know He was doing it. In short:

10 1/2 years ago I laid eyes on a scrawny little singing baseball player that was too young and immature for me to waste my time on. I was too old and cool for him. But God laughed, and before I knew it I was head over heels in love with the little boy who is going to be the best father in the world come tomorrow.

7 years ago I went to college with dreams of becoming a print journalist. But God laughed, and guided me toward my life calling of becoming a teacher and loving kids who don't have parents at home who fill their little love tanks. These needy ones taught me more about the importance of being a parent than any book ever could.

3 1/2 years ago I got married to my sweetheart and I thought that life would be easy and perfect. But God laughed, and cried I think. He lovingly took us through 2 very hard years of praying for and trying to have a baby. My body failed, my faith wore thin and I lost hope many times over. But in the end, God gave us the desire of our heart to show us mercy and help us to have more for others.

4 hours ago I heard my son's heartbeat and I cry now because tomorrow I will see his face and see in the flesh how God has tied so many loose ends and given me the third greatest gift in my life. And tomorrow when the doctor hands Isaac to me for the first time, God will laugh. He'll see once more that my silly plans could never have amounted to the joy and gratitude that will stare me in the face at that moment, when I meet my Isaac, whose name is laughter.

In the weeks and months and years ahead, God will laugh as he watches Ryland and I transition from a duet to a trio and hopefully more someday as we wait for Gurt or whoever else God has planned for us.

Please Pray for the following:
1) A safe and easy delivery for Isaac above all else. We will check into Baptist tomorrow morning at 7:30AM to begin the festivities.
2) For my anxiety. I am scared of the delivery, but I also know that I am not the first person to have a baby, and that women seldom die anymore. :)
3) For Ryland and I as a team. We have a life adjustment coming, help us to stick together and hold each other up as we learn what it is going to take in the next few weeks and months.
4) For safe travel for both sets of our parents.
5) This one is frivolous - My dog Sadie has started chewing a big, yucky spot on her leg. I thought it was a hot spot but the vet said that she is reacting to stress in her environment and that it is a nervous habit. I wonder what he could be talking about???? I don't know where she could be encountering stress?????? Maybe a psycho cleaning nazi mom who cries a lot???? Pray that she calms down and that I don't make it worse for her. My furry babies are being boarded by the wonderful Miss Connie for a few days and I hope that doesn't make things worse.
6) For our attending doctors and nurses, that they will be able to troubleshoot and care for any complications that may arise.

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom Psalm 90:12

My son's days begin tomorrow - may his life bring us closer to knowing God in all of his greatness as He continues to laugh at our plans.

Mindy

This Time Next Week....

I went to see Dr. K yesterday in the middle of our lovely "ICE STORM 2009" (wind blowing sound effect) to have a pelvic exam to see how things are progressing.

After examing me.......sigh........ he told me that I am only dilated to a 1 and a half and that I am not progressed enough to be induced this week.

Of course I was bummed. I am the ultimate planner and in my mind I had already planned to be induced on Thursday when the weather was good enough for all of our family to get here. But alas, it is not to be that way.

Dr. K scheduled me to be induced next Tuesday, February 3, if Isaac hasn't decided to appear before then.

So in the mean time I am sitting at home, trying to count my blessings and wait on whatever is to come. This time next week I could be kissing my son and having all my dreams come true. I've waited 2 and a half years, one more week won't kill me, right?

I am taking Monday off of work and planning on just spending a quiet night at home with Ryland on Monday night. It may be our last night alone for quite some time and we are looking forward to enjoying it. I relish spending time alone. I have always been very content and happy to spend time by myself and that is REALLY about to change, but for the better, I think.

I will miss my students though, they have been such a fun group and it will be hard to say goodbye for so long on Friday. They are so vested in this pregnancy and feel such a sweet ownership and responsibility for this little guy. I can't wait for Isaac to meet my other 24 kids. I'm sure March 20something will be here before I know it and way before I am ready to send my Isaac to a caregiver during the day.

Please keep Ryland, Isaac and me in your prayers. Pray for an easy delivery for Isaac and that I can absorb all the hard stuff for him. Pray that Ryland will be the calm, strong, wonderful man that I can always depend on. And pray that our families can make it safely to meet Isaac. The journey is almost over and I hope that next Tuesday we are posting pictures of our miracle on this blog.

Stay tuned.

Mindy

BIG GIANT baby News

I am not exaggerating about my BIG GIANT baby news. I saw Dr. K today. This was my last weigh-in, blood pressure, pee in the cup appointment. Next week I FINALLY get to find out if I am dilated and possibly schedule Isaac's arrival. I can barely wait!

I asked Dr. K if he had any idea how big Isaac might be. He pressed around on my belly and said, and I quote, "Oh, probably 8 pounds, well, maybe 7 and a half pounds." I am not done and Isaac gains roughly a half pound or more a week. Holy cow. If he for some reason stays in there until his due date then he is going to be a mammoth baby! I told my Mom that he will probably come out and ride his tri-cycle home.

Anyways, I am pumped and we are just a little closer to holding him. I can't wait!

Keep praying! All my love.

Mindy

2 Weeks, 3 Days - It feels like 2 months, 3 weeks

I am a little self centered, I have to admit. I think that I am an exception to a lot of rules. That gets me in trouble a lot. I start thinking that I deserve special treatment and reprieves from stuff that happens to normal people and then I get mad when stuff happens to me. I thought that maybe since the first trimester of this pregnancy was so miserable that maybe the last two-thirds would be easy. Well, the second trimester was great, the beginning of the third was great. This last stretch is not as fun as I had imagined in my little pea brain. FATigue, sore hips, swollen everything, leg cramps, 2oz. capacity bladder, breathless, anxiety, psychotic bouts of cleaning and list making, and general discomfort, sounds like fun right? I find myself saying things like "I'm done", "I'm sick of being pregnant", "I'm soooo ready to have this baby". I rationalize it by thinking that it is okay. I have always felt sympathy for women that are "this" pregnant, no one is going to judge me for feeling like this, every woman that has ever had a baby knows exactly what this feels like. But God whispered in my ear and reminded me of something...

Last year on MLK day, I came home from a professional development day and found out that I was pregnant with number three. This was at the end of the 2 surgeries and six months of fertility drugs. I thought that number three was FINALLY the one. But that wasn't the case. God had Isaac for me. He lovingly reminded me of all of the tears and disappointments and prayers of rescue that I had prayed, asking for a baby. There was a time that I NEVER thought I would carry a baby to full term. And here I am, almost 38 weeks when 37 weeks is considered full term. And I am sorry for the complaints, it doesn't make the symptoms go away but I am going to try and concentrate on the blessing of being a big uncomfortable walrus. It means that all that I thought was broken has been repaired by a loving and merciful God. My once despised body has become the hiding place for a miracle, and as unworthy as I am, I get to participate in it. So as much as I want Isaac out of my belly and in my arms, I am so thrilled and full of hope for the future of our family.

There hasn't been a Gurt update from DHS yet this month but we are still praying and waiting. God has done such a great job in taking care of Isaac that we trust He will do the same in bringing our other sweet baby home.

A week ago Saturday I had a beautiful baby shower given to me by the women at my church, Waterloo Road Baptist Church. It was decorated in teddy bears, had wonderful breakfast food and I got so many precious things for Isaac. He is going to be a sharp dressed little guy, that is for sure! I didn't think dressing a boy would be very fun, but you would be amazed at the cute things they have for little boys. I got a bible from our new pastor's wife. It is a picture bible, which I love, and it has cute little bible stories that Ryland and I can read to him. We got a phase 2 car seat which will save us a ton of money in the future and it will also prepare us for Gurt if he comes and is bigger. I cannot express how special this group of women are to me. From Cindy Bergren sharing her maternity clothing, to Priscila and Emily sharing their pregnancies with me, to the prayers offered up for Isaac, to the words of encouragement and advice, and the days when I just needed to cry or talk, these women have ministered to me in a way that I can never express enough gratitude for. I am so blessed to get to be part of a unit that truly works as God's hands and feet. I can't wait to bring Isaac into his church family where he will have so many wonderful surrogate grannies and aunts. To all of you who follow my blog - I love you very much- thank you again for sharing this great season of life with me.

I may have put this in a previous post, but we bought a selfish gift for our parents (and ourselves) for Christmas. We bought webcams for my parents in Barnsdall and Ryland's parents in Cabot, AR. Since none of them live close enough for daily or even weekly visits we wanted Isaac to be able to see them all at least weekly. Ryland I both grew up with our grandparents being in the same town. We saw them at church every week, they came to sporting event, plays, anything that we did, really. It would be fantastic to be able to raise Isaac this way, but unlikely. So with the webcams we can see and hear them whenever we are all home. Just yesterday I sat and talked to my parents while I folded laundry, it was great! We have been able to talk to Fred Cyndi, Hil and Hayden and see what they are doing at any given time. I am so excited that they will be able to see Isaac and that he will know their voices and faces even though we can't always be together. Technology is a huge pain sometimes but I think that webcams are a great piece of equipment for this family!

I have a big praise to share. My friend Miriam from Guam had her baby boy last week. I shared in an earlier post that he was at risk for having hemophilia, a rare condition that cause blood not to clot and puts the person at risk for bleeding to death even with a minor cut. Her husband is in the Air Force and had to stay behind in Guam when she and her daughter had to move here last October because there were no facilities in Guam equipped to handle such a high-risk birth. Her husband, Rob, got here at the first of the month and was able to be there when his 9 pound, perfectly healthy, little William was born. It still brings tears to my eyes. Rob will be here for a few more weeks before he returns to Guam and then back to the Mid-East in a few months. Even though everything turned out great, please keep them in your prayers. Miriam, her 2 year old Maggie and baby William will be headed back to Guam at the end of the summer when William is old enough to travel. Rob won't be there when they get home and it will be a hard adjustment for them all. But Miriam is a terrific mother and God has blessed her with an amazing attitude and spirit and I have no doubt that she will be fine.

Please keep the following in your prayers:
1) Dr. K and the hospital staff we will be working with - that they will continue to make wise choices on behalf of Isaac and me.
2) Ryland - that God blesses him for all he has endured with me and that he will be able to deal with all the Daddy moments ahead. I am so blessed to get to share parenthood with him. Also that Isaac doesn't come during the United conference that Ryland has scheduled for the week Isaac is due- we could use the money- we are going to have so many new expenses!
3) That God will prepare my body to do what it needs to do to get Isaac here safely. And that I be brave and calm, not anxious and freaked out.
4) Traveling mercies for all of the traveling new grandparents who will be coming to meet Isaac.

Love to you all. I hope I am posting pictures of a sweet baby boy soon! I can't wait!

Mindy