elise lenore

wow is it amazing to type her name! for those who haven't heard, we had the baby...and it's a beautiful girl! her name is elise lenore. "elise" comes from j's great aunt elise and "lenore" is also my middle name picked out by my father when i was born. i have to laugh reading my last entry...because not even 9 hours after i made that entry, did my water break. yes, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas morning with the sells, came home and did Christmas together, and as we were getting ready to head over to my mom's, i decided to take a quick nap. no sooner had i laid down on the couch than my water broke. of course i was oblivious and didn't realized what had happened, until j said, "do you think your water broke?" as he said it, the "ah-ha" look came over my face...he was right!

we stayed home for a while because i had no contractions. we took a walk around the block (almost 3 times actually)...met some of our neighbors in the process...had my mom and doug come over (and they brought dinner...which was a delicious "last meal")...we watched a movie...and finally headed over to the hospital at 7pm...still hardly any contractions.

i can give the rest of the details to anyone who'd like to hear them, but the short version of the rest of the story is this: justin, vanessa and my mom were in the delivery room with me the whole time. contractions started around 9:30 pm, we endured naturally until about 5/6am when the doctor told me i was only 6 cm. with my muscles twitching uncontrollably, the pain increasing, and my strength gone, i asked (more like begged or demanded!) an epidural. this gave us all a chance to rest until about 9am. with some petocin we got to 10cm and after pushing for 2 hours, little elise was born at 3:02pm on december 26th.

she is beautiful! so here are some pictures. we are falling in love with her more and more each day and can't thank the Lord enough for all He's done in creating her and bringing her to us.

christmas eve

we spent christmas eve with j's family for lunch which was very fun. they have such great traditons with having the grandkids (or greatgrandkids now) decorate nan's tree. the house was full of people and i loved it.

then we spent the evening with my family. marmo took some great pictures that i'll share soon. even my brother came over which was fun. he adds a fun element to the mix that i enjoy. after dinner (russian shrimp of course!) we went to church for the Christmas Eve service. it's the first time that we've even gone since joining our church because last year we couldn't make it. it was wonderful. i'm so thankful for our church family. just worshipping with them and giving and receiving hugs from people we have come to know so well, and love so much, was amazing. Lord, thank you for the body of believers.

it is now about 5 o'clock in the morning. i'm wide awake as j continues sleeping. a good friend said to me last night that when you start waking up every couple of hours, it's God preparing you for when the baby comes. really, it's His kindness. as i sit here, wide awake, i agree with her. i'm sure i'll be exhausted later on today...

no baby yet...but i think it's coming soon...

lists

normally, i'm the type of person that has lists going of things to do...lists at home...lists at school. but now that it's Christmas and the baby is due so soon, my lists are more numerous and more extensive... pack the hospital bag, finish getting the baby's room ready, wash all the new baby stuff, get the Christmas decorations up, finishing getting things ready at school to leave for the sub...and the lists go on. my amazing husband has been incredible in helping me to cross things off those lists, and in getting things accomplished, i find myself very thankful and getting more and more "ready" for the baby to arrive (quotes are necessary because how "ready" can you ever be?!)

i wanted to share the latest things we've gotten done around the house. just the other night we finished the tree and the lights on the front of the house, as well as the lit garland on the steps and on the mantle. i love Christmas. i love the coziness of the season, i love being on the couch, looking at the lights and watching the room take on the warm glow from the tree and decorations. not to mention that jay found an amazing (and very large) tree this year...I LOVE IT! so here's our first year of decorating in our new house (as well as an updated belly shot). i hope you enjoy.

"that's Jesus' birthday!"

when talking with a little boy the other day, I told him the baby was supposed to come on Christmas. i loved his innocent, but very excited response: "your baby would have the same birthday as Jesus!" you don't hear that name much in the public these days...you can hardly say, "Merry Christmas!"...so it was music to my ears to hear a little one say the name of Jesus without hesitation! and with our due date being that special day...we are already less than four weeks away! at our appointment tonight they officially gave us the "36 week paper" which told us when to call with our contractions, how far apart they need to be, for how long, what number to dial, what color clothes to wear, how to do my hair...just kidding on those last ones. but already here we are...less than four weeks to go. the baby is head down still...doesn't seem to want to move out of that position, as evidenced by the butt bump i often feel right under my rib cage.

we had our last baby shower yesterday. the ladies i work with threw me a surprise shower...and they did surprise me! (pictures coming soon) we got the best gift...a message board full of MONEY! they had collected money but instead of getting a group gift, we got cash. it was so neat (and so creatively presented-thank you joanne!) we also were given a book basket which i loved, as well as a number of other individual gifts. what a blessing to feel cared for and so supported by those i work with. i am so thankful for joanne and pam who worked so hard (and so secretly) to pull it all together.

so with that, we start the countdown..."little one" is due in 26 days :)

we were showered with blessings again

this past saturday, justin's family threw a baby shower for us. what an overwhelming blessing it was. God has provided for us and this baby in so many tangible ways. the love, support and care i felt by so many at this shower was amazing.

this is the cake Aunt Bonnie made (the best cake there is!) with justin's christening shoes on top

here are the ladies that put it all together. THANK YOU!

i couldn't have made it through all of the presents without marm's and eva's help (at times i wasn't sure who was more excited about the gifts...me or them!)

my sister was the photographer of the day (by the way mare, i think we have the same noses)

i'm so glad mom and mare could be there too

my, how time flies

just this weekend, we went to a child care class at the local hospital. i was so thankful for the detailed information about what to expect in labor. i'm sure i'll still be surprised and overwhelmed and a ton of other emotions, but it did make me feel better to be more informed. we were then realizing that this "little one" of ours is going to be coming very soon! Thanksgiving is next week and six weeks from tomorrow is Christmas! woah! and what if this baby comes early?! it's amazing how fast time goes...and there are so many details to take care of before we welcome this baby into the world! Lord, give me peace and faith that it will all get done.

there aren't words

yesterday, i was "surprised" with a baby shower thrown by my church care group. they were kind enough to release me from having to do thank you notes (which is quite a blessing), but i still want to thank them. thank them for the gifts? yes, of course. what a reminder of God's provision, to have friends and family around us providing so much for the baby yet to be born.



more so, i want to thank them for their hearts and their prayers. we spent a good amount of time praying. they prayed for me, for jay, for the baby...they encouraged me, uplifted me, pointed out evidences of God working in me...and my eyes teared up multiple times. they read a letter that my husband had written, which made me tear even more. i cannot express in words how my heart was touched by that meaningful time with them. to think that we've only been at this church for a year and a half or so, and the Lord has been so faithful to provide us with fellowship, friends, accountability, and support. it was such a gift to be the recipient of such encouragement and love. then to add to it, there were women there who have known me since my high school years (including my mother who has obviously known me longer :). one woman in particular thanked God for His faithfulness to my mother and me over the past ten years or so. and all i could think was, "Lord, she's right. Were it not for you, I would have fallen away. The only reason I'm still walking with You is because You've kept me close."

some others commented on my evident love for my husband. i heard that comment a few times and it struck me..."Lord, with my background and history...is it possible that my husband and i are marked for the love You've given us?" anyone who knows me at all, knows this is an unbelievable blessing...that God has not only changed the family patterns, but made Himself so evident through our marriage.

i came home and struggled to find the words to express to my sweetheart, how i had been touched by the few hours i had spent with those ladies. i continue to struggle for words even now as i write this. i cannot thank them enough for the time they invested to prepare and their generous gifts...but more so, for their hearts, their love, their friendship, and their hearts for the Lord that continue to point me back to the our heavenly Father as well. God thank you for caring for me and showing Your love in such tangible ways.