Isaac David

yup, he's here! he arrived very quickly on wed, june 3rd at 6:39pm. i'll attempt the short version of his arrival. as justin left for work, i told him i was feeling some pressure, which then followed with an early morning phone call to him, saying that i was contracting...but it wasn't much. then i asked vanessa to come over and she spent the day with lisey and i. after two rounds on the breast pump (that thing is amazing!)...my contractions started to pick up in intensity. by the time justin got home from work, we were about ready to go to the hospital. papa picked up lisey to go stay with him and oma (and by the way, she had an awesome time with her cousins who were also over there!) then my mom and doug brought over dinner, which i never tasted. instead, we left the house in a three car caravan headed to the hospital during rush hour. we seemed to get behind every senior citizen on the road on the way there...all the while i went from 6 to 9 cm. during that car ride. justin was a fantastic driver! once we got there, and i was wheeled through the ER in a double wide wheelchair (all that was available)...to then realize it was too wide for the elevator...vanessa and justin held my arms while i contracted up the elevator, down the hall and into the labor and delivery unit. it seems many of the staff had just left for dinner...so the few that were there, helped us. within minutes i was in a room and told, "you can push when you're ready."

there aren't many words to describe going naturally. it had been my desire and going quickly helped tremendously in making it happen. about 15 minutes of pushing and Isaac was here. but i will say...the phrase "ring of fire" is very, VERY real!

i have so much to say about this whole experience, but the main theme of it all was thankfulness. i couldn't stop thinking of the gazillion things i was thankful for. God provided and was so kind in so many countless details. i will write more later. but for now, here are some pics. please note, it happened so fast, justin barely made it back to the delivery room with the camera. so our pictures are few. mary and oma have a ton more pictures that i will post soon.

groundbreaking

yesterday, our church had their groundbreaking ceremony. in about 10 months, we're told we'll be in our new building. the theme was God's faithfulness...and our pastor said...that has been the theme all along...ever since the church was planted 15 years ago. it was so awesome to be part of this ceremony, as a member of this church family, and rejoicing over how faithful God has been, continues to be every day, and how faithful He will be to those who come to the church years from now when we're all gone. everyone was encouraged to bring their own shovels. as was said, this church will not be built by just the "big-wigs" but by every member of the church...so instead of just one shovel going in...there were tons! even elise got into it! we are so very grateful for this church family God has brought us into.

pigtails

elise looked so stinkin' cute yesterday, i couldn't help but do a photo shoot...and then it dawned on me that this could potentially be her last solo photo shoot. so here's her latest (with pigtails!):

wow...

well, i just finished being the recipient of a full body prenatal massage. my wonderful husband got it for me for mother's day. our friend's sister came to the house, with table, music, lotions, you name it...and i got the royal treatment! (if you're interested, i'll get her contact info for you...she was awesome!) for a moment after i got up, i almost didn't feel like i was even pregnant! i have to admit, i'm secretly hoping it relaxed me enough that i'll go into labor soon...but as my OB reminded me today, only God knows the timing of that.

but for now, as i sit here, totally relaxed, all lotioned and smooth, and craving Friendly's mint chocolate chip ice cream...i am so grateful for justin! what a blessing and a gift from the Lord to have a husband who would not only listen enough to my daily ramblings to know what would bless me...but then secretly schedule it, not tell me, and leave me a note on the kitchen table, which basically said what i was to do today, where i was to be and when...and that he had arranged childcare for elise for the whole afternoon! i almost don't even know what to do with myself! so Lord, thank You...for such a kind, loving, and gracious husband.

and with that thankful heart, i'm off to run a few errands that are going to be much easier without elise...and maybe just maybe...stop at Friendly's :)

a little sicky

what do you do when you wake up from a nap with a 102 fever?...you snuggle up with your favorite blankie and toys, of course.

and when you're starting to feel better you go to the park for a little fresh air. (for as much as she LOVES the park...she has no patience for the swings...as you can tell by her face)

mother's day

it's sad that it's taken me so long to write about mother's day, but better late than never. it was a great day. i know that's not a very profound or deep statement, but it was. here's elise that morning in her oh-so-cute outfit, saying "cheese." (oh, and in case you're wondering what she's doing...she was dropping the uno cards around the house as if practicing to be a flower girl. she's got it down for any of you out there in need of a flower girl!)

here's my prego belly shots. (the only ones i've even taken this pregnancy!)

finally, a family shot! we haven't taken one in so long!

lisey and jojo. what a pair they are! they are as different as can be, but seem to so enjoy being in each other's company. i'm so grateful elise can grow up near most of her cousins.

elise and her dada.

oma and her crew...i can't believe they're all looking!

silly faces!

may is here

in welcoming may, we also got to celebrate my birthday this weekend. justin treated me like a queen, and we had a relaxing day together as a family. i couldn't have asked for more.

elise continues to make us smile with her ever-developing fun personality. and isaac continues to grow in my belly-while kicking and settling into not-so-comfortable places. (yes, that's his name unless some other name drops out of the sky and smacks us over the head in the next five weeks!)

here's some fun pics of life in our home lately...

she's a born cook, just like her daddy!

lounging in her reading chair (yeah for yard sales!)

i walked into the living room to find her watching elmo in the laundry basket. it would seem that getting out wasn't as easy as getting in.


her newest love...bags. she likes to walk around and just put stuff in her bags ("stuff" including justin's shoes, toy trains, her blankie, the mail, you name it!). is she trying to tell me that she's going to love shopping?