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Hello Baby Chandler

Trey and I woke up at 4am in order to be at the hospital for my induction at 5am. Because you need to know important details, I will report that I had a whole wheat bagel with crunchy peanut butter topped with sliced bananas and sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and sugar. This is the breakfast of champions and certainly an excellent precursor to an awesome labor and delivery. When we arrived at Huguley, they wasted no time getting things started. Trey and I attempted to play monopoly, but once the contractions became pretty regular, I was not too interested in continuing (that and the fact that I was already losing badly ten minutes into the game). Later in the morning my mother-in-law and my sister, Kelli (aka my doula) arrived. When I was induced with Owen Ray, his labor lasted about 12 hours. I expected Chandler's to be a bit quicker, but not by much. I was wrong. It was by much. At 11:00am the nurse came in to check how I was progressing. Apparently I had zipped right from a 5 1/2 to a 9 in no time. She said "we're going to have this baby" and called in the doctor immediately. I was pretty elated because inducing labor produces some pretty unnaturally painful contractions and my epidural was only about 65% effective. When I had an epidural with Owen Ray I had what is called a "hot spot" over my left hip. It was about the size of a quarter and that little circle could feel the contractions that the rest of my body was numb to. With Chandler, the epidural did not take for most of the left side of my body. It seems that much as we try, no one escapes Genesis 3:16. All that to say, the fact that my nurse was announcing that Chandler would make his debut in about half the labor time as his brother was just fine and dandy with me. I pushed through a grand total of four contractions and voila, Baby Boy #2 arrived. Shocker: the child had dark hair and dark eyebrows. Having no other reference point for what my husband and my genetic combination produce other than our first child, I was startled to meet this dark haired little bandit who did not have bright whitish blonde hair like Owen Ray. I didn't hold it against him, however, because he was (and is) the most handsome little brown haired baby boy I could ever imagine. After a week, I can conclude that he is practically perfect in every way and marvel at God's lavish grace that He would entrust me with another little life to be responsible for.

Addendum: Owen Ray met his baby brother shortly after. In the sweetest big brother voice he said "Hello Baby Chandler" like he'd been waiting to greet him all along and welcome him into our family.

Ready for Chandler

Problem: Without going into the full story, last night I was having some pretty uncomfortable contractions. I never went into natural labor with Owen Ray because I was induced, so these suckers caught me off guard. Now, it turned out to just be the early labor contractions that are typical before your body goes into active labor, but all the same, they had me pretty freaked out. Why? Because I have not mentally prepared for the birth of this second baby. With my first pregnancy, I did all the prerequisite reading and pre-planning. I had the nursery ready to go long before his arrival. With this pregnancy, I was feeling pretty excited that he had a crib and was not stressed that we did not yet have other nursery furniture. "So what if his things are in plastic tubs? I have all the time in the world to get things ready before his arrival." Last night, I completely changed my mind. Suddenly, it felt like I did not have all the time in the world. I felt awful that he did not have a going home outfit. Nevermind the fact that millions and millions of babies have made it just fine in life without a going home outfit. In that moment, I cried to my husband that I was not prepared to have this baby, and I was a terrible mother because it has just hit me that this little munchkin is actually going to meet and greet us in the next couple weeks, and I am not ready.
Solution: This morning Trey and I woke up early to pick up an awesome changing table in Watauga (thank you, Craigslist). I spent the rest of the morning going through baby bins and figuring out what I had (and didn't have). I set up the changing station which is now ready with the cutest, tiniest little diapers in the world. My wonderful husband picked out a special going home outfit for our little guy and got some necessities like pacifiers that I had totally forgotten. Why has all this restored my confidence as a mother? It's ridiculous, but actually going through the motions of folding baby blankets and stacking newborn diapers has allowed me to process the fact that Chandler is real, and Chandler is about to make his debut.

Reading/Wanting

Reading: "Shepherding a Child's Heart"

This book has definitely been challenging my unbiblical presuppositions about parenting.


Wanting: Ikea Kura Bed

I know that it will be a long time before Owen Ray and Chandler share a room, but I think this bed would be the perfect transition when the time comes.

Homeowner?

Seriously? You have got to be kidding me. My husband and I are officially homeowners. As in a real house. CRAZY!!! It gets better, though. At closing, we actually found out that we ended up with a lower fixed interest rate than expectd, lower cost for homeowners insurance, and lower property taxes. The net result? Our mortgage payment is $60 less than our good faith estimate. (sigh). I like these kinds of surprises.

While Seminary housing has been kind to us, I am thrilled that Owen Ray will have a backyard to play in and his little brother will have a bedroom to sleep in. Plus, Trey's commute to work will be 1.8 miles. (insert hallelujah chorus).

Skanchy Ladies

October is a special month to bring awareness to Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness month is a great opportunity to raise funds in support of research that will help find a cure! It is not an opportunity to buy a bracelet that say "I <3 boobies" or to write "Save the Jugs" on your car." How is this helping the cause?

It's raising money!

Um... there are lots of demeaning and trashy ways to raise money. Please don't let the ends justify the means.

No one will pay attention if it's not racy?

Seriously? So Lance Armstrong has to attach a banner to the back of his bike that reads " I <3 balls" in order to gain support for testicular cancer? Live strong, my friend. Let's be classy not trashy. Because seriously, breast cancer awareness is NOT about "saving tatas;" it's about saving lives.

Summer is coming to a close

I cannot believe that summer is almost over, and I am supposed to be gearing up to start a new school year. It just flew right by. Trey left for nearly six weeks to work in Charleston, SC. He was busy as a camp pastor at Charleston Southern University preaching the gospel to lots 'o' kids. I really don't mind having him gone because God has given him a gift of teaching, and I know that He has called Trey to this particular ministry.

My mom came out for four of those weeks, and I loved getting to see her. She is such an amazing woman, and it was so nice just to stay up way too late most nights talking about life. Dad joined us for a week, as well, and Owen Ray had a blast getting to see his Papa. I was devastated when they left. By devastated I mean that I called my husband while he was driving them back to the airport and demanded that he turn around and bring them back. It sounded reasonable to me at the time. Nevermind my three siblings that still live at home. They'll do fine fending for themselves.

The highlight of my summer has definitely been time with Owen Ray. I cannot wait until I get to stay home with him full-time. Until then, teaching is the next best thing. Speaking of teaching, my beloved got a full time job teaching Chemistry in a nearby school district. As I type he is at his new teacher orientation. I am so thankful that he is willing to tackle grad school and full time employment so that we can commit to paying off our student loans (probably more appropriate to specify my student loans here). One of the most visible and persistent blessings in my life is the fact that God graciously gave me Trey.

Aviator Nursery and MAF

It is so much fun to plan a nursery! I had a few things that I needed to keep in mind before settling on Chandler's nursery decor. First, I wanted it to have the navy, deep red, and celadon green that are in Owen Ray's room. I knew I wasn't going to re-buy the same pattern that Owen Ray had ($$$ what was I thinking!). But, eventually, these two guys are going to be sharing a room, and I want to be able to move in all Chandler's stuff rather than buying new things when the time comes. I wanted the theme to be 100% boy. I also wanted to incorporate my love of all things vintage. The result of my scouring the internet for fabric samples has produced the following: "Wild Blue Yonder." I ordered lots and lots of this fabric, and I am so excited for it to arrive.

In my quest for coordinating accessories, I happened upon an adorable (but way too expensive) model plane. The plane is sold through MAF. What's that you might ask? I didn't know either. It is Mission Aviation Fellowship, an organization that reaches unreachable people through their missionary pilots. In their gift shop, it said people who bought the model airplane I was looking at also bought Jungle Pilot and other books about missionary aviators. Jungle Pilot is evidently a missions classic that recounts the life of Nate Saint, who was martyred by the Waodoni while trying to bring the Gospel to them. I knew this story already, but I found myself clicking links to read articles about Nate and other missionary pilots. The result? Instead of exploring nursery decor, I find myself fighting tears (unsuccessfully) while being incredibly touched by missionaries who forfeit their earthly lives for the glory of God.

Start of Summer and Shopping on Craigslist

I can't believe that summer vacation is already in full swing. Trey headed out to Charleston a few days ago, and Owen Ray and I have been left to our own devices. I decided to not only unplug the television, but to actually move it into the coat closet. It's amazing how easy it is to waste away hours of your day watching TV. I didn't trust myself enough to even leave it unplugged. Better to just make it go away :).

Owen Ray and I have had some shopping luck on Craigslist. We scored a great storage bin set for his room that we were looking to purchase at Target (3x the price we paid).

We also got the double stroller I wanted for 1/5 of the price at Babies'R'Us. It does mean traveling around DFW a bit, though.

I am on a quest for the perfect b-day present for Owen Ray. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. City Rug

2. Simple Wooden Train Set

3. Radio Flyer Tricycle with Handle

4. Small table and chairs

Discipline

In school, the kids have had to take their district checkpoints. This isn't wasted time for me because I take my seat at the front of the class and happily catch up on some reading. I picked up Elizabeth George's "A Woman's Walk with God: Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit." In the chapter devoted to self-control, there were some really insightful comments about the role that self-discipline should have in our life and the fact that it isn't possible to excel in any of the wonderful fruit that God has seeded in our life if we do not cultivate this last of the list. I admit that discipline is such a struggle for me, and I did not always used to be this way. I keep telling myself that there are just too many things that need to be done and that something has got to give, but this isn't true. If I have time to watch episodes of my favorite TV shows or check my facebook, then I have time to do the dishes and I certainly have time to spend with God in prayer. However, I find myself neglecting important God-given duties that will bless me and my family, in favor of laziness. It is so important that God is bringing this to my attention because this neglect will only worsen as time progresses if I don't take steps to make changes. So... praise the Lord for perfect timing... and district checkpoints.

Hungry

The title of this entry says it all. I am H-U-N-G-R-Y. I wish I was speaking of spiritual things, of a hunger and thirst for righteousness, but I'm afraid that I am talking about the more physical type of hunger that can only be satisfied by a successful venture to the nearest drive thru. I can definitely say that pregnancy #2 has felt different. The most noticeable change is this constantly growling stomach of mine. I do not understand why food doesn't seem to stick with me. I eat and an hour later I feel like I am running on empty. Fortunately, I have stocked my teacher's desk with boxes of Little Debbie Nutty Bars. Chocolate and PB can fix the world.

Easter Egg Hunt

Today Owen Ray's preschool class had an Easter party. Part of this party consisted of an easter egg hunt. Trey had picked up a super cute dragon basket for Owen Ray to collect his eggs in. I wondered how these toddlers were going to do with this new fangled notion of hunting and gathering.

Owen Ray did not disappoint. That little man ran out the the yard, yelled "balls" at the top of his lung and stamped his feet, then proceeded to collect one egg after another, even holding them under his chin. He would not, however, transport them to their rightful holding area. His dragon basket lay woefully empty even while I implored him to release his arm full o' eggs. He refused but watched frustrated as the other little ones swooped up the eggs around him. I wondered at the spiritual implications of this. What can I learn from Owen Ray's unwillingness to let go of his easter eggs? He would not put them in his basket and thus missed out on getting the amount of easter eggs the other little ones did. He walked out with 4 easter eggs, all that his little hands could carry, while he watched the rest of his buddies collect a dozen at least. Do I do this? Am I so tight fisted, so untrusting with what I perceive as mine that I won't relinquish control even for a moment and therefore miss out on much more? It was just an easter egg hunt, but I wonder if there isn't a lesson in all of it.

Baby #2

Trey and I found out this past week that we are pregnant with baby #2. We are so excited!

Philadelphia, NY

Trey and I spent Spring Break in Philadelphia, NY. He was preaching the revival at Indian River Baptist Church, and a generous donor from the church purchases a ticket for Owen Ray and I to be able to accompany him for the week. I was a little hesitant about traveling with a 19 month old, but Owen Ray was a real champ. I had been to New York twice before in college, but I had only seen NYC. Upstate New York (or The North Country as they call it) is completely different. Philadelphia is very rural, quaint even, and only 20 minutes from the Canadian border.
During our trip we stayed with a wonderful family from the church, which consisted of an army doctor, his wife, and their four teenage kids. Young-ae, the matriarch of the family, was THE MOST AMAZING COOK. We also got to share meals with five other families while we were out there, and it was neat to visit with them in their home and get to know them over great food.

The highlight of the trip for Trey and I was visiting Lake Placid. Pastor Barry and Leisa of Indian River Baptist Church took us to Lake Placid Baptist Church which is a sort of mission effort on the part of the North American Mission Board. The pastor there, Derek, showed us the various ministries that are going on in the church. He was recently a chaplain at the Vancouver Olympics. This was a great fit because Lake Placid is one of the few places in the US where American athletes can prepare for Olympic competition. Thus, the church and Derek have a great opportunity to build relationships with people who otherwise live very transient lives. It was great to hear from him about how the Lord was working and moving during the Olympics, and even how the luge tragedy was being used by God to bring glory to Himself. I loved seeing the way that they were using their building to serve the needs of a community. They were hesitant to build a gym, but decided to go forward with the project in order to provide a safe, accessible place to the community. The church offers the use of the gym free of charge and even provides a free bounce house if families want to host birthday parties there. What a great way to form realtionships and make connections in the coumminity in the hopes of planting seeds. There youth room is being revamped to inlcude an internet cafe because the community has a large group of international seasonal workers that do not have a reliable or affordable means to communicate with family and friends back at home. Again, a really neat way to pave the way for friendships to be formed through service. Trey and I were most impressed with the way that LPBC seemed to have a very good sense of the unique aspects of their setting and the unique needs of their community that they could help to meet.