This is my daddy feeding my baby sister Hope.
This is me teaching my older brother Jason how to fill a Pez dispenser and my little brother Logan patiently waiting for Jason to share.
This is my dear sweet beautiful cousin Jenni.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Some of My Family
This is my daddy feeding my baby sister Hope.
This is me teaching my older brother Jason how to fill a Pez dispenser and my little brother Logan patiently waiting for Jason to share. This is my dear sweet beautiful cousin Jenni.
Banana Cream Pie
I just downloaded my Thanksgiving pictures and wanted to share a few with you. These ones are of Leeann helping my Aunt Pam make some Banana Cream Pie. You'd never know by eating the pie that she licked her fingers everytime she smooshed a piece of banana down into the pudding would you?!?!?
Stuff... Stuff... Stuff
Ah, yet another 4:30 awakening in which I can't get back to bed! I think God has spent this last year showing me that people can, and do, get up at this awful hour and they too, live to see another day!
Well, ready or not baby's coming in just two short days! Where did time go? Leeann seems to sense it, she's being somewhat defiant and acting a bit jealous lately. Still very mild mannered for your average two-year old, but a little out of character for her. I just can't wait for her to meet her new baby brother... I know she's going to be an amazing big sister!
Our car is in the shop... waiting for us to decide what to do with it. The intake plenniar (or something?) is broken so it's not keeping in coolant and water, and the power steering pump is broken. Together this adds up to--well, way more money than we want to spend on a car right now! Just a month or so ago we had to get new brakes on the Nissan which also wasn't a cheap fix. The worst part is that Rob and I have been praying and saving (slowly, but surely) for a mini-van. We have a very strong desire to pay cash for a car, but if we pay for this fix out of our already meager mini-van fund it puts us back just that much further. And such is the way life goes! God is, and always has been very faithful to provide for our needs though.
It seems like He's always been content to give us what we need, but never too much more. Three summers ago we managed a little savings and were feeling pretty confident and sure enough Rob's car broke down and we bought the Buick. Just last year about this time we were feeling pretty stable and then we got the most precious little girl in the whole wide world, and all of the expenses that come along with adoption and caring for a little one! And then we also got pregnant, and now the birthing expenses etc. BUT, God truly has shown us that He will always provide for our needs. God provided the perfect jobs for me to transition to being a stay at home mom. So many people have contributed to the adoption fund & given us random gifts for Leeann at just the perfect time. And if you saw the baby's room right now you would be as overwhelmed as we are with the amount of stuff that we've been given in preparation for Baby's arrival. People are sooo incredibly generous!
Looking back on this year we have so much to be grateful for. I think I could write a couple hundred thank-you notes and barely put a dent in the pile of people that we owe a heartfelt thank-you to. Financially, prayerfully, emotionally, babysitting etc. We have so many great family members, friends and church members who have rallied around us in support. THANK YOU!
Please, take a moment to look back on God's provision for you over the last year. How many times did a check, or a gift, a hand-me-down or even a specific coupon come in the mail just when you needed it? How about that phone call that came at just the right time, or that apology or explanation that you so badly needed to hear came to your attention? How many times did you receive well timed advice or an unexpected encouragement? Look back and those times fondly and remember that God cares for you specifically and He desires for you to spend time with Him. I think God delights in meeting our needs, He just wants us to share them with Him and to rely on Him to be our provider. The best part is, He's up and waiting even at this terrible, terrible hour! Hey, I'm grateful He didn't let me go back to sleep, I think I needed this encouragement more than anyone. Have a great day!
Well, ready or not baby's coming in just two short days! Where did time go? Leeann seems to sense it, she's being somewhat defiant and acting a bit jealous lately. Still very mild mannered for your average two-year old, but a little out of character for her. I just can't wait for her to meet her new baby brother... I know she's going to be an amazing big sister!
Our car is in the shop... waiting for us to decide what to do with it. The intake plenniar (or something?) is broken so it's not keeping in coolant and water, and the power steering pump is broken. Together this adds up to--well, way more money than we want to spend on a car right now! Just a month or so ago we had to get new brakes on the Nissan which also wasn't a cheap fix. The worst part is that Rob and I have been praying and saving (slowly, but surely) for a mini-van. We have a very strong desire to pay cash for a car, but if we pay for this fix out of our already meager mini-van fund it puts us back just that much further. And such is the way life goes! God is, and always has been very faithful to provide for our needs though.
It seems like He's always been content to give us what we need, but never too much more. Three summers ago we managed a little savings and were feeling pretty confident and sure enough Rob's car broke down and we bought the Buick. Just last year about this time we were feeling pretty stable and then we got the most precious little girl in the whole wide world, and all of the expenses that come along with adoption and caring for a little one! And then we also got pregnant, and now the birthing expenses etc. BUT, God truly has shown us that He will always provide for our needs. God provided the perfect jobs for me to transition to being a stay at home mom. So many people have contributed to the adoption fund & given us random gifts for Leeann at just the perfect time. And if you saw the baby's room right now you would be as overwhelmed as we are with the amount of stuff that we've been given in preparation for Baby's arrival. People are sooo incredibly generous!
Looking back on this year we have so much to be grateful for. I think I could write a couple hundred thank-you notes and barely put a dent in the pile of people that we owe a heartfelt thank-you to. Financially, prayerfully, emotionally, babysitting etc. We have so many great family members, friends and church members who have rallied around us in support. THANK YOU!
Please, take a moment to look back on God's provision for you over the last year. How many times did a check, or a gift, a hand-me-down or even a specific coupon come in the mail just when you needed it? How about that phone call that came at just the right time, or that apology or explanation that you so badly needed to hear came to your attention? How many times did you receive well timed advice or an unexpected encouragement? Look back and those times fondly and remember that God cares for you specifically and He desires for you to spend time with Him. I think God delights in meeting our needs, He just wants us to share them with Him and to rely on Him to be our provider. The best part is, He's up and waiting even at this terrible, terrible hour! Hey, I'm grateful He didn't let me go back to sleep, I think I needed this encouragement more than anyone. Have a great day!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Baby Buhl's Friend, Baby Joel
Stephanie and I had the opportunity to take pictures throughout several stages of our pregnancy. However, we missed the 9 month stage because baby Joel was inpatient and had to come 6 weeks early! So, we decided to improvise and you are seeing the results. Here are Baby Buhl and Baby Joel's "9-month" pictures.
Joel is up to 4 pounds and 8 ounces! He's gaining weight consistently and doing very well. Hopefully he'll get to come home in the next week or two until his heart surgery at 3-6 months. Please continue to pray for Baby Joel as he's doing so much better but still has a long road ahead of him. When they bring him home they can't take him out anywhere such as church, stores, around other kids etc. until flu season is over. So our babies probably won't get to meet until sometime this Spring, but I'm confident that they are going to be great friends!
Baby Name Game Hint #21
Hint #21: His name has never been on the top 100 list of boys names as far back as I could find.
(i.e. It's a unique name)
(i.e. It's a unique name)
Monday, November 28, 2005
All of this Speculating and no Bling?$?$?$?
A mini reminder that for a mere $5 (toward his college fund--a good cause!) any guess may be confirmed or denied. Once this information is purchased you may share that information with anyone else in your household but you may not let it leak any farther and you absolutely may not post such knowledge on the blog :0)
For an extra $5 we'll even supply the middle name!
I had my last doctor's appointment today and Baby Buhl is still head up, so everything is a go for Friday. We'll be up at the hospital about 10ish though surgery doesn't start until 12:30 or 1:00. We will do one last confirmation that he's still breech just before surgery, but every day that passes makes that less and less likely. It's hard to believe that the birth of our baby is just a few short days away! Time FLIES! In the mean time we continue to do last minute cleaning, shopping and baby preparations. Leeann and I got haircuts today and the family will get pictures done tomorrow. The car is going in the shop because it's having some issues. I think it needs a doctor worse than I do! We earnestly pray that it's a quick, easy and cheap fix whatever it is!
My doctor speculates that the baby is between 7 and 7.5 pounds right now. I speculate that I should go take the sheets out of the dryer and put them on my bed before the 7 pound baby and I both fall asleep which I imagine will be very shortly. We're simply pooped, it's been a long day!
For an extra $5 we'll even supply the middle name!
I had my last doctor's appointment today and Baby Buhl is still head up, so everything is a go for Friday. We'll be up at the hospital about 10ish though surgery doesn't start until 12:30 or 1:00. We will do one last confirmation that he's still breech just before surgery, but every day that passes makes that less and less likely. It's hard to believe that the birth of our baby is just a few short days away! Time FLIES! In the mean time we continue to do last minute cleaning, shopping and baby preparations. Leeann and I got haircuts today and the family will get pictures done tomorrow. The car is going in the shop because it's having some issues. I think it needs a doctor worse than I do! We earnestly pray that it's a quick, easy and cheap fix whatever it is!
My doctor speculates that the baby is between 7 and 7.5 pounds right now. I speculate that I should go take the sheets out of the dryer and put them on my bed before the 7 pound baby and I both fall asleep which I imagine will be very shortly. We're simply pooped, it's been a long day!
Feeling Big and Getting Bigger!
So, getting dressed this late in the game is quite a chore I tell ya! My clothes that all fit just a short week ago are now making me feel like a college grad trying to fit into her middle school jeans and such. Oh well, such is life! Rob and I have our last Doctor's appointment this evening, I'll let you know how it goes. It's hard to believe this time is coming up on us so fast! I got some more work done in the baby's room last night and I keep ticking stuff off of my to-do list. Eroica and I are going to exchange some stuff at Target today and pick up some of the necessary essentials left on our list. Lot's to do, little time... but we're almost done! Rob reminds me of that constantly... just a few more days, just a few more days! I'm headed out for the day so you'll have to finish the comment war without me...
Love,
Robyn
Love,
Robyn
Baby Name Game Hint #20
Hint#20: His name begins with a letter that comes after “M” in the alphabet.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #19
Hint #19: His name is not Timothy (sorry Grandpa!)
Okay, people got stuck on Timothy too fast. It has been our intention all along to narrow down the clues to include Timothy as a possible answer. However, the game stopped being as fun as it could be so we have written out new clues for the 5 remaining days until baby comes. Good luck!
Okay, people got stuck on Timothy too fast. It has been our intention all along to narrow down the clues to include Timothy as a possible answer. However, the game stopped being as fun as it could be so we have written out new clues for the 5 remaining days until baby comes. Good luck!
World War III
World War III has been occurring in my tummy all night. Oh no, not those "I'm ready to come out" kind of wars, but those "uh-oh, I'm right-side up and I'm supposed to be upside-down" kind of wars. "Maybe I'll try to get up-side down?" Sure, good in theory that he's finally trying to flip but it's a little too late for that one. This 6+ pound baby in my tummy has no room to be doing somersaults this late in the game. He really should have thought about this a couple of weeks ago when he might have still had some room to turn! So, in the meantime my right rib feels more bruised than ever and I had a terrible nights sleep. I can literally feel him move his little bottom up underneath my right rib then get stuck. Right now he's laying sideways virtually, but his head still hasn't moved from it's original position. Somebody ought to tell him that if he has any chance of flipping his head has to move first.
I tried to appease him with some Cocoa Pebbles, a peace-offering, we'll see if that gets my day off to a better start than my night. I was tossing and turning in bed and decided I ought to get up--there's no use in us both having a terrible nights sleep, (me and Rob, not me and the baby--the baby doesn't seem to sleep much at night). Anyway, I had a bad dream that Rob robbed a bi-mart, and he only got $30 out of the deal. I screamed at him all of the way home because now he was going to get arrested and I was going to have to go to the hospital all by myself and take care of the kids and he would lose his job etc. I even told him that the worse part is that his conscience isn't going to let him keep it anyway and I knew he'd turn himself in even if he didn't get caught. So I woke Rob up to tell him this news this morning and all he said to me is, "You know I'd give it back." He didn't reassure me that he'd never do it, only that he'd give it back!
Today will be my last Sunday at church with only one child. I have a hard enough time getting up and ready on time when I'm just caring for two of us, I can't imagine a third. This is where a Saturday night service would come in very handy! I'll have to do a better job in the future of laying out clothes and maybe even breakfast in advance. It's so hard to believe that in less than a week I will really get to meet my little boy. Time flies! I'm so excited!
I think the thing I'm most excited about is for Leeann to meet her little brother. This has been a long anticipated event that has spanned the last 1/3 of her little life. It will drastically change the dynamics of our family, but it's going to make it so much fun! She's been extra excited about her babies lately, constantly feeding them and putting them to sleep and holding them. I know that she knows, I just don't know how well she actually understands that this baby in mommy's tummy is coming out very soon and will come to live with us. As much as I am excitedly anticipating the birth of our boy, I'm most excited about Leeann getting to come into the room and us spending our first few minutes together as a family. We're pretty sure that this is the end of the road for building our family. A family of four seems to be a good fit for us right now. This, of course, is subject to change down the road... but for now the future holds just the four of us.
Well, I suppose it's late enough now that I might even be able to sneak in a shower before Rob wakes up... who knows, maybe I'll get to church on time? Even better, maybe I'll have time to stop by Steamers for a blended chocolate milk with gooey caramel... yum! Okay, that's pushing it... I'll aim for just getting there on time today.
I hope your day is wonderful today, whoever you are. I'm not convinced my blog gets read on the weekends, so I could very well be simply talking to myself. That's okay, I'm sure I'll enjoy reading over these someday. I was never very good about journaling, but I'm actually doing a decent job of keeping up on this one so far. Okay, really, I'm going now...
I tried to appease him with some Cocoa Pebbles, a peace-offering, we'll see if that gets my day off to a better start than my night. I was tossing and turning in bed and decided I ought to get up--there's no use in us both having a terrible nights sleep, (me and Rob, not me and the baby--the baby doesn't seem to sleep much at night). Anyway, I had a bad dream that Rob robbed a bi-mart, and he only got $30 out of the deal. I screamed at him all of the way home because now he was going to get arrested and I was going to have to go to the hospital all by myself and take care of the kids and he would lose his job etc. I even told him that the worse part is that his conscience isn't going to let him keep it anyway and I knew he'd turn himself in even if he didn't get caught. So I woke Rob up to tell him this news this morning and all he said to me is, "You know I'd give it back." He didn't reassure me that he'd never do it, only that he'd give it back!
Today will be my last Sunday at church with only one child. I have a hard enough time getting up and ready on time when I'm just caring for two of us, I can't imagine a third. This is where a Saturday night service would come in very handy! I'll have to do a better job in the future of laying out clothes and maybe even breakfast in advance. It's so hard to believe that in less than a week I will really get to meet my little boy. Time flies! I'm so excited!
I think the thing I'm most excited about is for Leeann to meet her little brother. This has been a long anticipated event that has spanned the last 1/3 of her little life. It will drastically change the dynamics of our family, but it's going to make it so much fun! She's been extra excited about her babies lately, constantly feeding them and putting them to sleep and holding them. I know that she knows, I just don't know how well she actually understands that this baby in mommy's tummy is coming out very soon and will come to live with us. As much as I am excitedly anticipating the birth of our boy, I'm most excited about Leeann getting to come into the room and us spending our first few minutes together as a family. We're pretty sure that this is the end of the road for building our family. A family of four seems to be a good fit for us right now. This, of course, is subject to change down the road... but for now the future holds just the four of us.
Well, I suppose it's late enough now that I might even be able to sneak in a shower before Rob wakes up... who knows, maybe I'll get to church on time? Even better, maybe I'll have time to stop by Steamers for a blended chocolate milk with gooey caramel... yum! Okay, that's pushing it... I'll aim for just getting there on time today.
I hope your day is wonderful today, whoever you are. I'm not convinced my blog gets read on the weekends, so I could very well be simply talking to myself. That's okay, I'm sure I'll enjoy reading over these someday. I was never very good about journaling, but I'm actually doing a decent job of keeping up on this one so far. Okay, really, I'm going now...
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Less than a Week!
Today we spent the day doing some grocery shopping, sweeping and mopping some floors, doing some general home maintenance etc. I'm trying very hard to whittle down my to-do before baby comes list, but I can't help but to continue finding more things to add to it! Grocery shopping and floors were on the top of my list, so I'm glad to have those out of the way.
Last night Rob, Leeann and I pulled out some foam mats along with a plethora of blankets and pillows and had a family movie night on the floor of our living room. We watched the movie Robots which was quite funny actually. Leeann gets so excited when daddy pulls out all the blankets and pillows... she has way too much fun jumping around and playing on them!
We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow and Leeann is down for the evening so I'm going to go now and see if I can't whittle a few more things off of my list.
Last night Rob, Leeann and I pulled out some foam mats along with a plethora of blankets and pillows and had a family movie night on the floor of our living room. We watched the movie Robots which was quite funny actually. Leeann gets so excited when daddy pulls out all the blankets and pillows... she has way too much fun jumping around and playing on them!
We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow and Leeann is down for the evening so I'm going to go now and see if I can't whittle a few more things off of my list.
Baby Name Game Update as of November 26th
If you are new to the game, or just need a little refresher without scrolling through tons of pointless ranting (I know you check my blog only so you can try to be the first one to figure out his name...) Here are the first 18 hints all in one convenient post:
Hint # 1: His name can be found in the Bible (yeah, I know, that really narrows it down doesn't it? Come on, it's still early in the game)!
Hint #2 He is not named after anyone in our immediate or extended families... that we are aware of anyway!
Hint #3: His name may be shortned to form a nickname. We have not yet decided however, if we will call him by his nickname. Our intention is to use his full first name, at least for a while!
Hint #4: For all you Veggie Tale Fans--He has never been played by a Veggie Tales character (at least I'm pretty sure of this).
Hint #5: His name cannot be found in any of the first 5 books of the Bible.
Hint #6: His name starts with a consonant.
Hint #7: He does not share a name with a Biblical Prophet.
Hint #8: His name cannot be found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Hint #9: His name appears in more than one book of the Bible.
Hint #10: There are fewer than 8 letters in his name.
Hint #11: His name appears in at least 3 books of the Bible.
Hint #12: His name can be found in the New Testament.
Hint #13: His name contains at least 2 different vowels.
Hint #14: He does not share a name with that of an apostle.
Hint #15: His name cannot be found in the last 5 books of the Bible.
Hint #16: He never spoke to Jesus in person.
Hint # 17: His name does not appear in any of the Gospels.
Hint #18: His name does not appear at all in the Old Testament.
Hint # 1: His name can be found in the Bible (yeah, I know, that really narrows it down doesn't it? Come on, it's still early in the game)!
Hint #2 He is not named after anyone in our immediate or extended families... that we are aware of anyway!
Hint #3: His name may be shortned to form a nickname. We have not yet decided however, if we will call him by his nickname. Our intention is to use his full first name, at least for a while!
Hint #4: For all you Veggie Tale Fans--He has never been played by a Veggie Tales character (at least I'm pretty sure of this).
Hint #5: His name cannot be found in any of the first 5 books of the Bible.
Hint #6: His name starts with a consonant.
Hint #7: He does not share a name with a Biblical Prophet.
Hint #8: His name cannot be found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Hint #9: His name appears in more than one book of the Bible.
Hint #10: There are fewer than 8 letters in his name.
Hint #11: His name appears in at least 3 books of the Bible.
Hint #12: His name can be found in the New Testament.
Hint #13: His name contains at least 2 different vowels.
Hint #14: He does not share a name with that of an apostle.
Hint #15: His name cannot be found in the last 5 books of the Bible.
Hint #16: He never spoke to Jesus in person.
Hint # 17: His name does not appear in any of the Gospels.
Hint #18: His name does not appear at all in the Old Testament.
Baby Name Game Hint #18
Hint #18: His name does not appear at all in the Old Testament.
(I had mentioned in an earlier post that it was in the New Testament, but could have possibly been quoted from the OT... well, it's not... just in case you were wondering)
(I had mentioned in an earlier post that it was in the New Testament, but could have possibly been quoted from the OT... well, it's not... just in case you were wondering)
Friday, November 25, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #17
Hint # 17: His name does not appear in any of the Gospels.
(Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
Which leaves out Zaccheus, the wee little man. I'm surprised that nobody tried to run with that one. Wouldn't that have just been a funny name for our kid???
(Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
Which leaves out Zaccheus, the wee little man. I'm surprised that nobody tried to run with that one. Wouldn't that have just been a funny name for our kid???
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm stuffed. That's all there is to it! Rob, Leeann and I are hanging out with my family in St. Helens today eating and eating and eating some more! My goodness I ate a lot. I''m partially thinking that baby's going to come today, there isn't any room left for him in my tummy! We ate at 1, and I think they're beginning to pull out round two... it's only 3! Thanksgiving with my family is always lots of fun. Ah, memories! I can't write long because I'm here among family right now and I don't get that chance very often. At some point this weekend I'll reflect on everything I'm thankful for...
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #15
Hint #15: His name cannot be found in the last 5 books of the Bible.
(1st, 2nd, 3rd John, Jude, or Revelation)
(1st, 2nd, 3rd John, Jude, or Revelation)
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #14
Hint #14: He does not share a name with that of an apostle.
An apostle is one of the 12 that Jesus walked with and taught, and spent time with on a regular basis.
An apostle is one of the 12 that Jesus walked with and taught, and spent time with on a regular basis.
A Just Plain Beautiful Morning!
Isn't it amazing how different our perspective on a day can be when we wake up naturally verses because of an alarm, a telephone or a even a child? Today was such a day and as I looked over at the alarm clock which read 8:58, I smiled to myself. I think it must have been 9:03 when I heard Leeann softly say "Daddy... daddy?" Ah, a day with NO PLANS, NO COMMITMENTS, NO SCHEDULE, NO MEETINGS, NO STRESS! It's a beautiful day. Ironically when I have a lot to do I feel like I have no energy to do it. Today I feel like I have a lot of energy and I'm looking forward to what I can get done. I still have a "to do before baby comes list" and I look forward to crossing some things off of there today. I'll probably do some Christmas shopping since it's during the day time currently and the stores are WAY TOO busy any other time. It already kind of hurts to stand up for very long, so it definitely works better to go when I have to stand in the shortest line possible!
Other than that we'll be spending Thanksgiving with my family this year and Rob and I are both looking forward to getting some good time with them. My family doesn't consist of a normal set of parents and some siblings. My "family" literally is a whole host of grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins and their kids. We usually even 'adopt' a fair amount of people who are either loosely affiliated with our family or are just friends of the family who need a family to spend Thankgiving with. You just never know who's going to be there! I tell you what, Thanksgiving dinner is usually pretty much the same every year (which I appreciate) and it's the best Thanksgiving this side of Mississippi!
The only "unbeautiful" part about this morning is that my Grandfather (dad's dad) had a heart attack a couple of days ago and is undergoing a 5 bi-pass surgery today. Please pray for him, for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. I'll keep you updated. Apparently my little brother (2 years-old) drank some Orange cleaner last night and had to go to the hospital. I'm presuming that the fact that I haven't heard from anybody regarding that is a good sign?
Other than that we'll be spending Thanksgiving with my family this year and Rob and I are both looking forward to getting some good time with them. My family doesn't consist of a normal set of parents and some siblings. My "family" literally is a whole host of grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins and their kids. We usually even 'adopt' a fair amount of people who are either loosely affiliated with our family or are just friends of the family who need a family to spend Thankgiving with. You just never know who's going to be there! I tell you what, Thanksgiving dinner is usually pretty much the same every year (which I appreciate) and it's the best Thanksgiving this side of Mississippi!
The only "unbeautiful" part about this morning is that my Grandfather (dad's dad) had a heart attack a couple of days ago and is undergoing a 5 bi-pass surgery today. Please pray for him, for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. I'll keep you updated. Apparently my little brother (2 years-old) drank some Orange cleaner last night and had to go to the hospital. I'm presuming that the fact that I haven't heard from anybody regarding that is a good sign?
Monday, November 21, 2005
My Last Day of Work
As I nearly chucked my phone across the room as it rang just after 4 this morning (that's when the lady I babysit for calls me to tell me she's on her way over with the kids), I couldn't help but stop and smile... today is the last day that I'll be woken up at four in the morning by a telephone for at least a month or two. Nevermind the fact that it will soon be replaced by the wails of a hungry baby who I can't get to just by turning over and grabbing it off of my night stand! But for the week and a half between now and then, it feels very good! I'll miss the kids terribly, but I look forward to not having to get up so early to get them, nor to get up again at 6:45 to begin getting them off to school. As much as I don't look forward to losing sleep at night, I do look forward to the freedom to crawl back in bed when he's finished eating, and sleeping as long as he'll let me!
Today is virtually my last day for any commitments... but a day full of commitments at that! Byron and Tony are up and off to school while Leeann and Krista are enjoying their last few minutes of rest before I wake them up. I'll soon get Leeann some breakfast and get into the shower. I'll quickly get myself and Leeann ready and then drive Krista to school. I will then go to my friend, Eroica's house where I will spend the morning babysitting her 8 month old little girl. She and Leeann will play together as I watch episodes of TLC's "The Baby Story, Adoption Story and Birthday" (Eroica Tivo's them for me, we don't have T.V.!) This will give Eroica some time to work on editing some pictures. She runs a photography studio out of a really neat shop in the back of her home. Check out her website on my links--Precious Portraits. You'll even find some cute pictures of Leeann in her portfolio!
Ah, then this afternoon I'll pick Byron up and take him to Eroica's, then an hour and a half later I'll pick up Tony and take him to Eroica's where we'll try to acclimate them into her home. She's going to take over my job while I'm on maternity leave so we're going to try to get the kids used to the rules, the house, the environment etc. Then we'll get Krista and head off to spend some quality time together since it's their last day with me for a while.
Then their mom will pick them up and I will shovel something down my throat, drop Leeann off with the babysitter and head to the church where I have a meeting. Our church is embarking on a building project and I'm one of the chairpersons for the communications committee. It's a big job! Tonight will be an important night as we attempt to answer some big questions and set a big vision before the church. I need to wrap up any loose ends on my part as I prepare to fully hand this over to my team members in preparation for baby's arrival also.
THEN, when I come home I have a mountain of laundry that needs done between now and Thanksgiving. That's one of two big things left on my list of things to do before the baby comes (other than Christmas shopping). Not only would it be nice to have most of the laundry done for when we get home from the hospital, but it would also be nice to have some clean socks... I think I may very well be down to my last pair today!
One might wonder why you read about my boring day ahead. I can see why you might read the first paragraph, to see if anything exciting is going on. But if you are still reading by the time you get to this paragraph I'm afraid you just might have too much time on your hands! With that being said, I have some princesses who need woken from their slumber. Have a great day, and keep those baby name's coming!
Today is virtually my last day for any commitments... but a day full of commitments at that! Byron and Tony are up and off to school while Leeann and Krista are enjoying their last few minutes of rest before I wake them up. I'll soon get Leeann some breakfast and get into the shower. I'll quickly get myself and Leeann ready and then drive Krista to school. I will then go to my friend, Eroica's house where I will spend the morning babysitting her 8 month old little girl. She and Leeann will play together as I watch episodes of TLC's "The Baby Story, Adoption Story and Birthday" (Eroica Tivo's them for me, we don't have T.V.!) This will give Eroica some time to work on editing some pictures. She runs a photography studio out of a really neat shop in the back of her home. Check out her website on my links--Precious Portraits. You'll even find some cute pictures of Leeann in her portfolio!
Ah, then this afternoon I'll pick Byron up and take him to Eroica's, then an hour and a half later I'll pick up Tony and take him to Eroica's where we'll try to acclimate them into her home. She's going to take over my job while I'm on maternity leave so we're going to try to get the kids used to the rules, the house, the environment etc. Then we'll get Krista and head off to spend some quality time together since it's their last day with me for a while.
Then their mom will pick them up and I will shovel something down my throat, drop Leeann off with the babysitter and head to the church where I have a meeting. Our church is embarking on a building project and I'm one of the chairpersons for the communications committee. It's a big job! Tonight will be an important night as we attempt to answer some big questions and set a big vision before the church. I need to wrap up any loose ends on my part as I prepare to fully hand this over to my team members in preparation for baby's arrival also.
THEN, when I come home I have a mountain of laundry that needs done between now and Thanksgiving. That's one of two big things left on my list of things to do before the baby comes (other than Christmas shopping). Not only would it be nice to have most of the laundry done for when we get home from the hospital, but it would also be nice to have some clean socks... I think I may very well be down to my last pair today!
One might wonder why you read about my boring day ahead. I can see why you might read the first paragraph, to see if anything exciting is going on. But if you are still reading by the time you get to this paragraph I'm afraid you just might have too much time on your hands! With that being said, I have some princesses who need woken from their slumber. Have a great day, and keep those baby name's coming!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #12
Hint #12: His name can be found in the New Testament.
This doesn't necessarily mean it can't be found in the Old Testament also however... Although, it may very well not be found in the Old Testament, so don't think too hard about the qualification of my clue!
This doesn't necessarily mean it can't be found in the Old Testament also however... Although, it may very well not be found in the Old Testament, so don't think too hard about the qualification of my clue!
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Christmas Time!
Today we set up our house for Christmas and started some new traditions. With baby's arrival less than two weeks away, we knew we ought to take advantage of this day we had with no obligations to gear up for Christmas time at the Buhl's. It was such a fantastic day filled with family and fun! We set up the tree, ate some pizza, drank some rootbeer, decorated our home and then sat down for a movie. Nevermind the fact that the movie was all fuzzy and we couldn't watch more than 5 minutes of it before we had to shut it off. Oh well!
Take note of some of the pictures we took today compared with the pictures from last year. Isn't it amazing how much our little girl has grown up in just one short year. It's hard to tell that she's even the same person! I'm invisioning taking a picture of Leeann in that same Christmas tree box at 16 and it makes me smile. She is such a beautiful blessing to us and she continues to be daddy's little helper as she insisted on helping him put the tree together again this year. I have the feeling this too, will become a Buhl tradtion.
I'd love to hear about some of your family Christmas traditions... feel free to comment if you'd like to share them with us.
An Evening to Myself
In light of my slight emotional breakdown Thursday night Rob insisted that I stay home all by myself yesterday evening. Rob and Leeann left to have dinner in Portland with Grandpa and Grandma Buhl and to do a little Christmas shopping. The kids I watch left about 5:45 leaving me several hours to do whatever I wanted, provided I do it all by myself (I have a hard time being alone... but it's good for me!)
So, I got some Burgerville--yummy--and brought it home, snuggled on the couch and watched a chick flick. Then I got a big bowl of ice cream, turned up the heat in my house (we usually keep it at 68, I 'splurged' and turned it up to 70, hey it was my night!) and I watched my whole movie without anyone making fun of it!
Then I took a bath and read my Bible and lesiurley picked up a few things around the house. Rob and Leeann didn't come home until almost 10:30! It was so much fun just to be by myself for a few hours, I forget how little that happens. When it does happen it's usually because Leeann's sleeping and there's little that I can do while she's just in the next room. Our house isn't very big! The only problem that I had was trying to figure out what to do with my time. I kind of wanted to do some Christmas shopping, but that would just put me around more people and isn't necessarily relaxing. Then I thought about doing chores, but hey, I can do those anytime. I decided that the best use of my time was just to veg out a little and 'splurge' on a few little things that would make me feel special, like chicken strips and ice cream and a movie!
It was good times had by all. Leeann and Rob had a nice 'date' together too and they even brought me home Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Then, to top it all off, Rob let me sleep in until almost 10 today. Needless to say I'm in a better mood than I was Thursday! My husband is wonderful, that's all there is to it!
This afternoon we do some housework and this evening we're having a family time as we set up for Christmas! This is my favorite time of year!
So, I got some Burgerville--yummy--and brought it home, snuggled on the couch and watched a chick flick. Then I got a big bowl of ice cream, turned up the heat in my house (we usually keep it at 68, I 'splurged' and turned it up to 70, hey it was my night!) and I watched my whole movie without anyone making fun of it!
Then I took a bath and read my Bible and lesiurley picked up a few things around the house. Rob and Leeann didn't come home until almost 10:30! It was so much fun just to be by myself for a few hours, I forget how little that happens. When it does happen it's usually because Leeann's sleeping and there's little that I can do while she's just in the next room. Our house isn't very big! The only problem that I had was trying to figure out what to do with my time. I kind of wanted to do some Christmas shopping, but that would just put me around more people and isn't necessarily relaxing. Then I thought about doing chores, but hey, I can do those anytime. I decided that the best use of my time was just to veg out a little and 'splurge' on a few little things that would make me feel special, like chicken strips and ice cream and a movie!
It was good times had by all. Leeann and Rob had a nice 'date' together too and they even brought me home Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Then, to top it all off, Rob let me sleep in until almost 10 today. Needless to say I'm in a better mood than I was Thursday! My husband is wonderful, that's all there is to it!
This afternoon we do some housework and this evening we're having a family time as we set up for Christmas! This is my favorite time of year!
Friday, November 18, 2005
Baby Joel Update 11/18
Another update from Stephanie's sister Lindsey
Prayer Warriors,
Thank you for your heartfelt prayers! God is so good! The shunt procedure went really, really well! The doctors were pleasantly surprised that there were no problems or complications – it went off without a hitch! Steph just called me this morning and said that Joel’s oxygen levels are already at 90% - and he looks so much pinker! The doctor told her that she & Toby may be able to take little Joel home in a couple weeks as he prepares for his complete repair surgery in a few months! It’s really a miracle! Joel’s name means “God is Willing” – and definitely, it looks like God is willing to heal Joel…
He is so faithful….
Prayer Warriors,
Thank you for your heartfelt prayers! God is so good! The shunt procedure went really, really well! The doctors were pleasantly surprised that there were no problems or complications – it went off without a hitch! Steph just called me this morning and said that Joel’s oxygen levels are already at 90% - and he looks so much pinker! The doctor told her that she & Toby may be able to take little Joel home in a couple weeks as he prepares for his complete repair surgery in a few months! It’s really a miracle! Joel’s name means “God is Willing” – and definitely, it looks like God is willing to heal Joel…
He is so faithful….
Feeling Fragile
I had somewhat of a mental breakdown last night. Nothing severe... just admitting to myself and to Rob that I'm doing too much and I'm wearing myself too thin. What can give though? That's a good question! I'm having a tough time getting back to sleep after the kids come at 4 in the morning, so I'm going to try to work it out so that Monday can be my last day for a while. As it stands right now I have to get up at 6:50 to get the first one up and off to school, so I really am not getting a whole lot of sleep between 4 and 7--making for a really tired me.
Leeann is getting to be such a big girl and she's so curious and adventurous, it's getting really hard to keep up with her. She's at the point where she's verbalizing so much more than even a week ago. She could always point to all of her body parts after I said them, but last night she just told me what they all were! Which also means she's telling me what she wants to eat, which clothes or shoes she wants to wear, I don't want a nap, I want a bath etc. I just have to do a little more running around than usual to appease the choices she's making (I'm glad she's making them though, it shows she's getting big!) It scares me however, because even right now it hurts to snuggle with her and to play with her because she doesn't realize that there are now boundaries on what she can and cannot do with mommy, how much she can climb on me and such. It's hard for me to get to see others pick her up, hold her, spin her around, & snuggle with her. Those are all things I should be able to do, but I can't right now. I can imagine that it's going to be really hard after the baby comes because not only will she feel somewhat abandoned by this little guy demanding all of my attention, but I will be able to do even less with her for a few weeks until I heal from my surgery. I know she will still be taken care of... but it's hard to not be the one to do that for her!
At this point, I just feel like I need a day off. One whole day, all to myself! Then again, all I would probably do is chores and such. Although, when I'm by myself it allows me to get them done in approximately 1/4 of the time that it takes with Leeann around. I really can't imagine how I'll get anything done with 2 little ones, two sets of feedings, bathing, napping, diapers. Obviously others before me have done it and survived, and I know I will too. It's just overwhelming to think about how much life is going to change and how much left there is to do before Baby comes. I'm making progress though, slowly crossing stuff off of my 'to do before baby comes' list. With that, I'm going to go find something constructive to do with the few minutes I have before Leeann wakes up and my day officially begins. I hope yours is wonderful!
Leeann is getting to be such a big girl and she's so curious and adventurous, it's getting really hard to keep up with her. She's at the point where she's verbalizing so much more than even a week ago. She could always point to all of her body parts after I said them, but last night she just told me what they all were! Which also means she's telling me what she wants to eat, which clothes or shoes she wants to wear, I don't want a nap, I want a bath etc. I just have to do a little more running around than usual to appease the choices she's making (I'm glad she's making them though, it shows she's getting big!) It scares me however, because even right now it hurts to snuggle with her and to play with her because she doesn't realize that there are now boundaries on what she can and cannot do with mommy, how much she can climb on me and such. It's hard for me to get to see others pick her up, hold her, spin her around, & snuggle with her. Those are all things I should be able to do, but I can't right now. I can imagine that it's going to be really hard after the baby comes because not only will she feel somewhat abandoned by this little guy demanding all of my attention, but I will be able to do even less with her for a few weeks until I heal from my surgery. I know she will still be taken care of... but it's hard to not be the one to do that for her!
At this point, I just feel like I need a day off. One whole day, all to myself! Then again, all I would probably do is chores and such. Although, when I'm by myself it allows me to get them done in approximately 1/4 of the time that it takes with Leeann around. I really can't imagine how I'll get anything done with 2 little ones, two sets of feedings, bathing, napping, diapers. Obviously others before me have done it and survived, and I know I will too. It's just overwhelming to think about how much life is going to change and how much left there is to do before Baby comes. I'm making progress though, slowly crossing stuff off of my 'to do before baby comes' list. With that, I'm going to go find something constructive to do with the few minutes I have before Leeann wakes up and my day officially begins. I hope yours is wonderful!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
4 a.m. Feedings Already?
Baby Buhl will not be born for yet another two weeks, but he's already demanding 4 a.m. feedings! A weird pregnancy craving? I wish! Actually, he's woken me up several times this morning already because his four little appendages are all packing quite a punch at the same spot in my right ribs that he's been wearing down for weeks. (He's literally folded in half and his hands and feet are all together in one spot.) The kicks and punches are getting harder and more frequent. I feel so beaten and bruised, but it's on the inside and there's just nothing I can do about it. I woke up at one point thinking, "I wish someone else could babysit, for even just one whole night so I can get a good nights sleep laying on my tummy with no bathroom breaks and no kicking!"
So why the 4 a.m. feeding you ask? I'm hoping that the rumbling of my tummy digesting will put him to sleep and I'm rocking back and forth in my computer chair hoping that he'll fall asleep and keep his hands and feet to himself for a few hours! I wake up in the middle of the night moaning "ouch, stop and move". He doesn't seem to listen, but it usually wakes Rob up. I get a few minutes of being held sympathetically out of the deal... being pregnant has its perks too :0)
So here I am, hopeful to crawl back in bed and sleep for as long as my dear sweet Leeann will let me. She's been sleeping in somedays until 8 or 9, today would be a beautiful day for that to happen. She often will come into our room somewhere between 4 and 7 in the morning and bring her blanket and pillow and lay on our floor. When she's in there she'll just patiently lay on the floor until we get out of bed, even if she's been awake for hours. She's quite careful not to bother us which is really cute. I think she's a little girl full of compassion. Her demeanor is so sweet, giving and selfless... I can't imagine a sweeter child!
I'm sure Baby will be sweet too, it's just hard to imagine when he's causing me so much bodily grief! Only 15 days, only 15 days! I hope your nights sleep was better than mine and that all is going well in your neck of the woods!
So why the 4 a.m. feeding you ask? I'm hoping that the rumbling of my tummy digesting will put him to sleep and I'm rocking back and forth in my computer chair hoping that he'll fall asleep and keep his hands and feet to himself for a few hours! I wake up in the middle of the night moaning "ouch, stop and move". He doesn't seem to listen, but it usually wakes Rob up. I get a few minutes of being held sympathetically out of the deal... being pregnant has its perks too :0)
So here I am, hopeful to crawl back in bed and sleep for as long as my dear sweet Leeann will let me. She's been sleeping in somedays until 8 or 9, today would be a beautiful day for that to happen. She often will come into our room somewhere between 4 and 7 in the morning and bring her blanket and pillow and lay on our floor. When she's in there she'll just patiently lay on the floor until we get out of bed, even if she's been awake for hours. She's quite careful not to bother us which is really cute. I think she's a little girl full of compassion. Her demeanor is so sweet, giving and selfless... I can't imagine a sweeter child!
I'm sure Baby will be sweet too, it's just hard to imagine when he's causing me so much bodily grief! Only 15 days, only 15 days! I hope your nights sleep was better than mine and that all is going well in your neck of the woods!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Prayers for Baby Joel
This is an update on Joel taken directly from an email sent by Stephanie's twin sister Lyndsey.
Prayer Warriors…
Please pray for my nephew, baby Joel Winningham. As many of you know, he’s really been struggling during these first few weeks of his life. He’s been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. It means that there are 4 things wrong with his heart… mainly, it requires a pretty intense surgery to repair it. Unfortunately, because Joel is so small (prematurity doesn’t help) – he isn’t big or strong enough to withstand this kind of surgery at this point. He has been going back and forth between doing well and not. Sometime his sats (oxygen saturation level in his blood) are stable, and other times they drop dangerously low. Yesterday wasn’t a good day for Joel – so today (sometime between 11am-4pm) the doctors at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland are going to do a temporary procedure – to go in thru the vein in his little leg, and up to his heart – to place a shunt between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. This should help to provide adequate blood flow to his lungs – and help him get more oxygen flowing thru his blood stream. As with all procedures involving the heart, there are risks. (Worst case scenario – the procedure could loosen a blood clot, that could find it’s way to his brain and cause a stroke.) But we’re praying for best case scenario – that it would be successful, that Joel would become stable again and that he would be able to go home with Steph and Toby to grow and await his complete repair surgery in a few months.
It is so good to know that our Heavenly Father’s plan is more incredible that we could ever imagine – please pray that Steph and Toby would find complete comfort and peace in His loving arms. He is our ultimate healer, since He is our creator – pray that he will guide the doctor’s hands and give them wisdom as they seek to help little Joel.
Thank you so much for your prayers, Christ is our ultimate source of strength & healing.
Prayer Warriors…
Please pray for my nephew, baby Joel Winningham. As many of you know, he’s really been struggling during these first few weeks of his life. He’s been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. It means that there are 4 things wrong with his heart… mainly, it requires a pretty intense surgery to repair it. Unfortunately, because Joel is so small (prematurity doesn’t help) – he isn’t big or strong enough to withstand this kind of surgery at this point. He has been going back and forth between doing well and not. Sometime his sats (oxygen saturation level in his blood) are stable, and other times they drop dangerously low. Yesterday wasn’t a good day for Joel – so today (sometime between 11am-4pm) the doctors at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland are going to do a temporary procedure – to go in thru the vein in his little leg, and up to his heart – to place a shunt between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. This should help to provide adequate blood flow to his lungs – and help him get more oxygen flowing thru his blood stream. As with all procedures involving the heart, there are risks. (Worst case scenario – the procedure could loosen a blood clot, that could find it’s way to his brain and cause a stroke.) But we’re praying for best case scenario – that it would be successful, that Joel would become stable again and that he would be able to go home with Steph and Toby to grow and await his complete repair surgery in a few months.
It is so good to know that our Heavenly Father’s plan is more incredible that we could ever imagine – please pray that Steph and Toby would find complete comfort and peace in His loving arms. He is our ultimate healer, since He is our creator – pray that he will guide the doctor’s hands and give them wisdom as they seek to help little Joel.
Thank you so much for your prayers, Christ is our ultimate source of strength & healing.
Blogging a Christmas List?
I imagine it's quite tacky to blog a Christmas list, but I've been having many requests as to what Leeann wants/needs for Christmas. So please, take this list as no obligation to give something to her, but only as a guide if she is already someone on your list...
*Contributions to her 529 college fund (really, please always consider this an option when purchasing gifts for her. Even $5 will help tremendously when saved over time. Wrap it up with a color book or some other little trinket if you are wanting to make sure she has something to open from you! Just having finished college ourselves Rob and I recognize how valueable this is & will become to her later in life--and it's tax deductible!)
*Another gift that's always worth giving is swim lessons, music lessons or gymnastics. Or as she gets older, sports registration/gear, or money towards camp and other youth events.
* 3T Footie pajamas.
*3T Winter clothes. Especially jeans and sweaters.
*A CD player for her bedroom.
*Veggie Tales DVD.
*Plastic Food.
*Fischer Price Little People.
*A bike.
DISCLAIMER: This really, truly is not meant to be tacky or beggarly (is that even a word?) I assure you Leeann is not doing without, nor will she starve or die of boredom anytime soon! We also recognize that Christmas can be a rather stressful time of year both mentally and on the pocket book... we both come from big families! Please feel no obligation to get anything for our kids, and if you do want to get something, feel free to keep it small and simple! I'm still amazed by how grateful a two-year old is over a box of color crayons!
As for Baby Buhl, let's be honest... he'll be 3 weeks old and really doesn't need anything! Feel free to give him a big hug and a kiss for Christmas! We've been so incredibly blessed with so much stuff for him through baby showers and such, feel free to cross him off your list this year :0)
*Contributions to her 529 college fund (really, please always consider this an option when purchasing gifts for her. Even $5 will help tremendously when saved over time. Wrap it up with a color book or some other little trinket if you are wanting to make sure she has something to open from you! Just having finished college ourselves Rob and I recognize how valueable this is & will become to her later in life--and it's tax deductible!)
*Another gift that's always worth giving is swim lessons, music lessons or gymnastics. Or as she gets older, sports registration/gear, or money towards camp and other youth events.
* 3T Footie pajamas.
*3T Winter clothes. Especially jeans and sweaters.
*A CD player for her bedroom.
*Veggie Tales DVD.
*Plastic Food.
*Fischer Price Little People.
*A bike.
DISCLAIMER: This really, truly is not meant to be tacky or beggarly (is that even a word?) I assure you Leeann is not doing without, nor will she starve or die of boredom anytime soon! We also recognize that Christmas can be a rather stressful time of year both mentally and on the pocket book... we both come from big families! Please feel no obligation to get anything for our kids, and if you do want to get something, feel free to keep it small and simple! I'm still amazed by how grateful a two-year old is over a box of color crayons!
As for Baby Buhl, let's be honest... he'll be 3 weeks old and really doesn't need anything! Feel free to give him a big hug and a kiss for Christmas! We've been so incredibly blessed with so much stuff for him through baby showers and such, feel free to cross him off your list this year :0)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #7
Hint #7: He does not share a name with a Biblical Prophet.
Thanks Grandpa for some 'clue help' :0)
Thanks Grandpa for some 'clue help' :0)
17 Days and Counting!
My dear, sweet, stubborn baby remains in the breech position after an attempt at an external version (where they try to make him do a sommersault and land head-down). It was somewhat painful, although not unbearable. She again assured us that it is not likely that he will turn at this point--he's obviously quite comfortable where he is!
I was quite happy to see that he is indeed a boy, without a doubt. I have remained slightly paranoid about him popping out a girl and not having a name! The ultrasound tech hasn't been wrong since 1982 though, and it was really very obvious so my paranoia can rest now! It wasn't a very in-depth ultrasound but everything seemed to look good so far.
So, we scheduled a C-Section for Friday, December 2nd at 12:30 in the afternoon. If all goes well we should all be able to come home by Sunday afternoon. I'm excited to have a date in mind now, it puts me to ease a little just knowing when to have the room done, my laundry done, my grocery shopping, my Christmas shopping etc. And I'll know to get a good nights rest too!
With that, I'll be going now, I have to think of approximately 17 more baby name clues, including one for today... I'll be honest I'm kind of running out of ideas! I'll post again as soon as I think of one.
I was quite happy to see that he is indeed a boy, without a doubt. I have remained slightly paranoid about him popping out a girl and not having a name! The ultrasound tech hasn't been wrong since 1982 though, and it was really very obvious so my paranoia can rest now! It wasn't a very in-depth ultrasound but everything seemed to look good so far.
So, we scheduled a C-Section for Friday, December 2nd at 12:30 in the afternoon. If all goes well we should all be able to come home by Sunday afternoon. I'm excited to have a date in mind now, it puts me to ease a little just knowing when to have the room done, my laundry done, my grocery shopping, my Christmas shopping etc. And I'll know to get a good nights rest too!
With that, I'll be going now, I have to think of approximately 17 more baby name clues, including one for today... I'll be honest I'm kind of running out of ideas! I'll post again as soon as I think of one.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Reverse Bed Time
This evening Leeann insisted "Mommy, nigh-nigh" so I crawled into her bed like a "Big girl" and she covered me up with her covers and read me a story. It was quite sweet!
Mommy and Daddy got to go out to Applebees for dinner tonight using a Pastor's Appreciation Gift certificate and a family in our church who offered us babysitting for a night out--We even splurged on a maple blondie for dessert. Um, yummy! We are grateful for God's provision and for the people that He puts in our lives!
I did some Christmas shopping today and spent some time with a good friend just hanging out doing what girls do. It's nice to have someone to share things like Christmas shopping with!
Tomorrow is my version, I go in at 11:00 and I'll post an update as soon as we get back. For now, I'm going to get off here! And you should too--don't you have anything better to do than read my boring blog?!?!? *smile*
A Little Request from Grandpa Buhl
Grandpa Buhl would like to request that other people make their guesses via comments on the blog so he can see what other people are guessing. I think he's feeling left out that he's the only one commenting (although I have recieved many individual emails)! It's pretty easy to do--just click the comment button at the bottom of the blog and follow the easy steps. Of course, I'll only reply to the ones that come with $$$ :0)
Grandma Rosenthal pointed out that she doesn't know family names from my side and many don't know family names from their side... so that's a question that I will answer. Feel free to ask if any particular name is a family name and I will let you know.
Grandma Rosenthal pointed out that she doesn't know family names from my side and many don't know family names from their side... so that's a question that I will answer. Feel free to ask if any particular name is a family name and I will let you know.
Baby Name Game Hint #6
Are we having fun yet? Rob and I have enjoyed hearing people's guesses, even those unaccompanied by $$$!
We've decided that Rob's parents (Hi Janice, Hi Steve!) are putting in as many guesses as possible so at the end of this whole ordeal they can say proudly, "I just knew it, I knew it all along. I guessed that one by day 6!") Ah, the joy of being Grandparents!
Hint #6: His name starts with a consonant.
I know, this one isn't very exciting and doesn't really eliminate a whole lot... but it certainly eliminates some! Besides, yesterday's hint should give those of you who want to think real hard many to eliminate. I'll know by tomorrow whether baby's coming in two weeks and we can spice up the hints, or whether I need to drag this game out for another month. Good luck!
We've decided that Rob's parents (Hi Janice, Hi Steve!) are putting in as many guesses as possible so at the end of this whole ordeal they can say proudly, "I just knew it, I knew it all along. I guessed that one by day 6!") Ah, the joy of being Grandparents!
Hint #6: His name starts with a consonant.
I know, this one isn't very exciting and doesn't really eliminate a whole lot... but it certainly eliminates some! Besides, yesterday's hint should give those of you who want to think real hard many to eliminate. I'll know by tomorrow whether baby's coming in two weeks and we can spice up the hints, or whether I need to drag this game out for another month. Good luck!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #5
Hint #5: His name cannot be found in any of the first 5 books of the Bible.
Grandpa--this one should help you out a little... I know you've been wanting some clues that would make you open up your Bible. Of course that only leaves 61 possible books for you to look in! Good luck! (But in reality this does exclude quite a few).
Grandpa--this one should help you out a little... I know you've been wanting some clues that would make you open up your Bible. Of course that only leaves 61 possible books for you to look in! Good luck! (But in reality this does exclude quite a few).
Our Weekend
PARTY
Rob, Leeann and I went to my hometown, St. Helens, this Friday to celebrate my aunt Patty's 50th Birthday! It also happen to be her daughter, Jenni's (and probably my very bestest friend besides Rob) Birthday too! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNI AND PATTY!!! We had a great time and we got to stay with my other aunt Pam and uncle Steve. We stayed up way too late talking, but it was such great fun. The next day we had lunch at my very favorite restaurant in the whole-wide world--yeah for SunShine Pizza! Then... we headed home.
CAR TROUBLES
Car troubles only seem to happen when we are far away from home. We were about 7 miles outside of my home town headed back this way when steam/smoke started billowing from our heater vent by the windshield. We immediately pulled over, and clueless we called my dad. He came to our rescue and sent us on our way. Apparently we are not holding the water in our car--it's something that we need to get fixed! Anyway, we headed on our way and things seemed fine for the remainder of the drive anyway.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
The three of us decided to take a little Christmas shopping break at the Woodburn Outlet Mall. It was quite fun! I do enjoy shopping for people. Here's the problem though. I want to be thoughtful and practical. Christmas lists seem like such a funny thing, but I'd far rather get someone something that they'll want and use than something that they'll regift to someone next year. But does asking them what they want take the real fun out of Christmas? I just don't know! It's one thing to ask a parent what their kid wants because it's still a surprise to them and you can assure that mom and dad won't just throw it in the "that's too noisy" pile. But parents on the other hand--you can't really just ask their kids ya know! For that matter, Rob and I can't even figure out what we want, how is anybody else supposed to figure it out? Ah, the Christmas dilemma. Bottom line though, our Christmas shopping has to get done a little early this year. You just never know when and how this baby's going to come!
BABY BABY BABY
He's still breech. What more can I say? I've been beginning to experience contractions that seem more and more real, although I still don't know what the really-real ones feel like. I was getting a little paranoid last night though and quizzed Rob on how to get ahold of my doctor in an emergency, her name, where to find her # etc. Just in case! But I slept through the night without any problems and I haven't felt anymore contractions as of this morning, so I think I'm fine. We still plan to go in on Tuesday to try to flip the baby. I think I'll feel better when I get more questions answered then.
LEEANN
Do little girls come any sweeter than her? I'm not convinced! She's such an amazingly sweet, beautiful blessing from God! She had quite a cough this morning and I haven't been feeling great myself so Rob got her up this morning and stuck her in bed with me and encouraged us not to go to church this morning. That doesn't happen very often at all, but in my current state I was quick to oblige. Of course, it doesn't mean she's going to sleep in... she insisted on 'more' just after Rob put her down with me. Oh it would have been nice to sleep until 9:00. Maybe we can take an early nap today?
NURSERY
Rob and I did a little work in the baby's room last night. I organized and put away all of the baby shower stuff and I also got out all of his clothes and sorted them. I washed a couple of loads but I have several more to put through the wash today. This kid already has more clothes than I do and it's they are all in the 0-9 month category! What a huge blessing that is though. Rob's sister, Suzy has two boys who were born in December and January and she gave us all of their clothes. I tell you what--they are some super-cute clothes too! Many of them look like they've never been worn and are far cuter than anything I'd ever buy. I simply don't have any fashion sense, that's all there is to it! Suzy on the other hand most certainly does. She's letting my borrow all of her maternity clothes too. It's the first time in my life I've ever worn anything trendy either. It's a good thing, it helps me feel cute during my "I'm getting so fat" times of despair! THANKS SUZY!!
BABY JOEL
Baby Joel was transferred to Emmanuel Children's Hospital this weekend. Please continue to pray for him and his family as things seem quite unstable at this point in time. An excerpt from a recent prayer request reads:
"He has been diagnosed with a heart defect called Tetrology of Fallot, and was transported today (Friday) by ambulance up to Emmanuel Children's Hospital in Portland.
The doctors thought it would be best if he were closer to them because he may need to have surgery as a result of his oxygen levels falling. They HAD hoped to wait until he was 3-6 mos. old. In the meantime, has been put on a medication that will help open the affected heart valve. Unfortunately, this medication can cause the baby to quit breathing, in which case he would have to be put on a respirator." I was told yesterday that he was indeed required to be put on a respirator.
I'll keep you updated as I hear more. In the meantime, please, please pray!
Rob, Leeann and I went to my hometown, St. Helens, this Friday to celebrate my aunt Patty's 50th Birthday! It also happen to be her daughter, Jenni's (and probably my very bestest friend besides Rob) Birthday too! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNI AND PATTY!!! We had a great time and we got to stay with my other aunt Pam and uncle Steve. We stayed up way too late talking, but it was such great fun. The next day we had lunch at my very favorite restaurant in the whole-wide world--yeah for SunShine Pizza! Then... we headed home.
CAR TROUBLES
Car troubles only seem to happen when we are far away from home. We were about 7 miles outside of my home town headed back this way when steam/smoke started billowing from our heater vent by the windshield. We immediately pulled over, and clueless we called my dad. He came to our rescue and sent us on our way. Apparently we are not holding the water in our car--it's something that we need to get fixed! Anyway, we headed on our way and things seemed fine for the remainder of the drive anyway.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
The three of us decided to take a little Christmas shopping break at the Woodburn Outlet Mall. It was quite fun! I do enjoy shopping for people. Here's the problem though. I want to be thoughtful and practical. Christmas lists seem like such a funny thing, but I'd far rather get someone something that they'll want and use than something that they'll regift to someone next year. But does asking them what they want take the real fun out of Christmas? I just don't know! It's one thing to ask a parent what their kid wants because it's still a surprise to them and you can assure that mom and dad won't just throw it in the "that's too noisy" pile. But parents on the other hand--you can't really just ask their kids ya know! For that matter, Rob and I can't even figure out what we want, how is anybody else supposed to figure it out? Ah, the Christmas dilemma. Bottom line though, our Christmas shopping has to get done a little early this year. You just never know when and how this baby's going to come!
BABY BABY BABY
He's still breech. What more can I say? I've been beginning to experience contractions that seem more and more real, although I still don't know what the really-real ones feel like. I was getting a little paranoid last night though and quizzed Rob on how to get ahold of my doctor in an emergency, her name, where to find her # etc. Just in case! But I slept through the night without any problems and I haven't felt anymore contractions as of this morning, so I think I'm fine. We still plan to go in on Tuesday to try to flip the baby. I think I'll feel better when I get more questions answered then.
LEEANN
Do little girls come any sweeter than her? I'm not convinced! She's such an amazingly sweet, beautiful blessing from God! She had quite a cough this morning and I haven't been feeling great myself so Rob got her up this morning and stuck her in bed with me and encouraged us not to go to church this morning. That doesn't happen very often at all, but in my current state I was quick to oblige. Of course, it doesn't mean she's going to sleep in... she insisted on 'more' just after Rob put her down with me. Oh it would have been nice to sleep until 9:00. Maybe we can take an early nap today?
NURSERY
Rob and I did a little work in the baby's room last night. I organized and put away all of the baby shower stuff and I also got out all of his clothes and sorted them. I washed a couple of loads but I have several more to put through the wash today. This kid already has more clothes than I do and it's they are all in the 0-9 month category! What a huge blessing that is though. Rob's sister, Suzy has two boys who were born in December and January and she gave us all of their clothes. I tell you what--they are some super-cute clothes too! Many of them look like they've never been worn and are far cuter than anything I'd ever buy. I simply don't have any fashion sense, that's all there is to it! Suzy on the other hand most certainly does. She's letting my borrow all of her maternity clothes too. It's the first time in my life I've ever worn anything trendy either. It's a good thing, it helps me feel cute during my "I'm getting so fat" times of despair! THANKS SUZY!!
BABY JOEL
Baby Joel was transferred to Emmanuel Children's Hospital this weekend. Please continue to pray for him and his family as things seem quite unstable at this point in time. An excerpt from a recent prayer request reads:
"He has been diagnosed with a heart defect called Tetrology of Fallot, and was transported today (Friday) by ambulance up to Emmanuel Children's Hospital in Portland.
The doctors thought it would be best if he were closer to them because he may need to have surgery as a result of his oxygen levels falling. They HAD hoped to wait until he was 3-6 mos. old. In the meantime, has been put on a medication that will help open the affected heart valve. Unfortunately, this medication can cause the baby to quit breathing, in which case he would have to be put on a respirator." I was told yesterday that he was indeed required to be put on a respirator.
I'll keep you updated as I hear more. In the meantime, please, please pray!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Baby Name Game Hint #4
Hint #4: For all you Veggie Tale Fans--He has never been played by a Veggie Tales character (at least I'm pretty sure of this).
And just in case you were wondering... someone actually took us up on the Name Game Challenge! I won't tell you who, and I won't tell you where--but we've had our first contribution to the Baby Buhl College fund come in! And what a blessing it was! Don't get too excited though, it wasn't the $5,000 guess, because if it were than the aforementioned clues could become out-dated. We'll be sure to let you know if that happens :0)
And just in case you were wondering... someone actually took us up on the Name Game Challenge! I won't tell you who, and I won't tell you where--but we've had our first contribution to the Baby Buhl College fund come in! And what a blessing it was! Don't get too excited though, it wasn't the $5,000 guess, because if it were than the aforementioned clues could become out-dated. We'll be sure to let you know if that happens :0)
Friday, November 11, 2005
Baby Shower
The ladies at the church threw me an awesome baby shower last night! If nothing else, I would have gone just for the food (check out the above picture... a chocolate fountain!) Thanks Kitty and Cherish for giving me and baby such a wonderful party! I got lots of useful and practical things and even a few special treats too (see the super-cool John Deere Cake Pan picture!) Thank you so much to everyone who came out to celebrate with me and for all of your generous gifts!
Baby Name Game Hint #3
First let me say, I'm dissapointed with the amount of guesses unaccompanied by the $$ (just teasin). You can guess all you want, but you know the rules for getting a response!
Hint #3: His name may be shortned to form a nickname. We have not yet decided however, if we will call him by his nickname. Our intention is to use his full first name, at least for a while!
Good Luck!
Hint #3: His name may be shortned to form a nickname. We have not yet decided however, if we will call him by his nickname. Our intention is to use his full first name, at least for a while!
Good Luck!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The Adoption Story is Finished!
My very first post on my blog was the first part of Leeann's adoption story. I finished the story last night for your reading pleasure. It is the last entry on this page, take the time to read it when you get a chance. It's quite long, but I did my best to give the important information without leaving out too much of the good stuff. It really is a terrific story. God's work in our lives is amazing!
Name Game Clarification
(Disclaimer... don't take this game too seriously, it's just for fun!)
Okay, okay... if you want some 'official rules' they are as follows...
The $5,000 guess is subject to parental approval... let's be realistic here...
The $500 guess comes with no-strings attached. You give us the $500, we tell you the name. You are the obligated to keep the secret however!
The $50 narrow it down to three names guess is just as it says.
The $5 guess is per guess, not per list of of guesses (nice try Grandpa!).
You can comment all you want about what you think the name might be. We'll comment back directly to you only after an exchange of money has taken place. We are currently accepting cash, checks, stocks, bonds, CD's and small plots of real-estate. If you live too far for away for an immediate exchange of money we may be able to work something out for deffered payment. I apologize but we cannot accept credit cards at this time.
Baby Name Game Hint #2
This will not do too much to help out friends, but
Hint #2 He is not named after anyone in our immediate or extended families... that we are aware of anyway!
Hint #2 He is not named after anyone in our immediate or extended families... that we are aware of anyway!
(To see official name-game rules, see Baby Name Game Entry #1 below)
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Baby Name Game Entry #1
Okay, so Rob and I are going to have a little fun with you... we're going to play a name game. Many of you may know that Rob and I have been keeping the baby's name a secret. Alas, it is time to start giving daily hints. Maybe, just maybe you will be able to figure it out on your own?
For a $5,000 contribution to his 529 (college fund) you can personally name the baby!
For a $500 contibution we'll just go on ahead and tell you his name.
For a $50 contribution we'll narrow it down to 3 names for you.
For a $5 contribution we'll tell you whether or not your guess is correct.
I suggested to Rob that maybe WE could give a prize for the first one who guesses correctly, but he thought it made far more sense to have you pay us. Hey, why not?!?!?
Hint # 1: His name can be found in the Bible (yeah, I know, that really narrows it down doesn't it? Come on, it's still early in the game)!
If you have specific questions that you would like to see answered in the daily hints, post a comment and I'll see about answering them in future posts. Feel free to leave a comment with your guesses... only ones backed up by Bling will be answered :0)
For a $5,000 contribution to his 529 (college fund) you can personally name the baby!
For a $500 contibution we'll just go on ahead and tell you his name.
For a $50 contribution we'll narrow it down to 3 names for you.
For a $5 contribution we'll tell you whether or not your guess is correct.
I suggested to Rob that maybe WE could give a prize for the first one who guesses correctly, but he thought it made far more sense to have you pay us. Hey, why not?!?!?
Hint # 1: His name can be found in the Bible (yeah, I know, that really narrows it down doesn't it? Come on, it's still early in the game)!
If you have specific questions that you would like to see answered in the daily hints, post a comment and I'll see about answering them in future posts. Feel free to leave a comment with your guesses... only ones backed up by Bling will be answered :0)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Exciting Day
SURPRISE
Today was simply a great day--I love spending time with my family! Rob took the day off of work today because I've been planning a surprise for him for the last two-months and today was finally the day to reveal it :0) We met a professor of ours from Western Baptist for lunch today. We haven't gotten the chance to talk with him since my sophomore year of college. He was such a key part of our time at WBC, and even a part of us getting together, and we never really got the chance to say good-bye to him because he left rather unexpectedly part way through the fall semester. He's such a crazy guy and he taught us both soooo much! Anyway, it was great to sit down with he and his wife for a few hours and talk. Oh, how I wish it could have been the whole day, he's a man with so much spunk, wisdom and knowledge!
CAMERA
After lunch we decided to head to Salem to purchase a new camera. It's been on our 'major purchase' list for quite some time now. We had anticipated being able to get one after Christmas (okay, okay partially counting on getting some Christmas money... is it terrible to spend it before it actually comes?) but we decided to get it early so that we could have it for the baby's arrival and for the holiday's too. We purchased our first camera just after we got married for far too much money and it became quickly outdated. So we decided to go with a fairly cheap and easy-to-use model recognizing that we will probably need to replace it again in a few years or so. This one is far more kid friendly as it reloads quickly. Hopefully it will allow us to get some better shots. The ones I'm posting today are from our new camera. We are quite excited about our purchase.
Leeann showing off for the new camera
Leeann playing with the baby's tractor.
She seems to think it's hers!
Daddy getting his princess ready for bed.
LOWES & HOME DEPOT
We ended the day with a trip to Lowe's where we were dreaming about doing an expansion on our house. The dream may actually become a reality in the near future... I'll keep you updated on that as it happens too. As for now though, Rob is at Home Depot picking up some stuff to finish the baby's closet. He tore down some old closet organizers and is replacing them with a standard bar and shelf unit. I'm anxious to get it done so that we can start putting the nursery together. Is it terrible that it still isn't together yet and we just have a few short weeks left? Oh well!
BABY BLANKET
I finished the baby's blanket a few weeks ago, but I haven't posted a picture yet. My mother-in-law wanted to see it so I'll include it in today's photo's. We are doing a John Deere theme in the baby's bedroom and I wanted to make him a blanket to match the theme. Well, I found some fabric on the internet that I really wanted. I happen to be spoiled by my mother-in-law who not only had some already in her craft closet, but then proceeded to go on a wild goose chase over several weeks to find some more of it. Not only that, but then she bought me the coordinating fabric and she's making some curtains to match. AND she even helped me cut out the squares which made making the blanket far less stressful and time consuming. What can I say, she's great! I'm not sure who's more excited about this baby, me or her. The funny part is I think this is Grandchild number 13 or something crazy like that. I guess they're all super-special in Grandma's eyes!
GETTING BIGGER
It's getting harder to drive as my belly is now touching the steering wheel. I have to sit very close to the wheel so that I can reach the pedals. At 4'11"my legs just aren't that long. Go ahead, tease me, it's okay. Hopefully I'll be able to drive for the next couple of weeks, but there may come a time where I just have to give it up all together. I also realized that I'm getting much bigger when my wedding ring became stuck on my swollen finger. I took it off, and then I cried. It's such a part of me, I don't like being without it. Rob took a picture of me tonight with our new camera. Take note of the increasingly large belly and the cute slippers!
Baby Joel Update
Baby Joel has been diagnosed with heart problems that will require surgery. They originally thought that they could wait 3-6 months to do the surgery but apparently they will have to do one even sooner to sustain him until they can do the full surgery 3-6 months from now. They are transferring him to Portland. I don't know any specifics right now, so I'm sorry this is so vague. I'll certainly let you know what I find out when I find it out. In the meantime, please pray!
Version
Just in case anyone cares, or wants to know, my external version (where they try to flip the baby) is scheduled for next Tuesday at 11:00. Your prayers would be appreciated. I'll let you know how it goes. As of now the baby is still breech as far as I can tell.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Ouch!
So I decided that I'm going to allow my mid-wife to perform an external version on me, meaning that she will manually try to flip the baby into the head-down position. They do an ultrasound to confirm the position of the baby and using her hands on the outside of my tummy she will coax the baby's bottom or feet out of my pelvis and try to make the baby do a somersault forcing him into the head down position. Problem #1 it's not very successful, problem #2 it hurts! She assures me however that she'll have a good indication fairly quickly whether or not he's going to move and she certainly won't force the issue if I'm too uncomfortable or if the baby isn't budging. There's also a chance that if she's successful in turning him that he might turn back--but these are all chances I have to take I suppose! There are multiple potential complications (they even have a surgery team ready) but none of which she has ever seen. She assures me that the mid-wife way is so gentle that those complications rarely arise. If it is unsuccessful we will go ahead with a c-section as planned. They do another ultrasound just before they perform the c-section to confirm that he's still breech. If he has decided to turn by then they obviously will let me continue on with my pregnancy as normal.
This is all so crazy. The day of birth is drawing nearer and nearer regardless of how he is to be born. It's an exciting yet very scary time of life! There's so much to do before he comes and the time to do it all in is getting shorter and shorter. It's SO STRANGE to think that I could be holding my baby in my arms in just 3 short weeks! Of course, it could be 5 or even 7 if he's stubborn... so it's kind of relative at this point! I'll keep you updated.
This is all so crazy. The day of birth is drawing nearer and nearer regardless of how he is to be born. It's an exciting yet very scary time of life! There's so much to do before he comes and the time to do it all in is getting shorter and shorter. It's SO STRANGE to think that I could be holding my baby in my arms in just 3 short weeks! Of course, it could be 5 or even 7 if he's stubborn... so it's kind of relative at this point! I'll keep you updated.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
God's sense of humor?
Breech, or not breech? Isn't that the question of the hour? I woke up this morning to feel strange baby body parts all over my stomach. I can't fathom what any of these parts are, but something sure feels different than what it's felt like in the past. I think I can still feel his head, but it doesn't bounce back like it usually does. Hmmm, I just don't know. Regardless, it's quite painful because his whole body seems to be up over my ribs instead of in my lower abdomen. This makes for quite a bit of discomfort. It was especially difficult to sleep last night because one part of my ribs are beginning to feel quite bruised.
Also, we decided to go with a not quite as effective acid-reducer medication because a 30 day supply of the stuff my doctor had given me samples of was $50! I just can't fathom paying that much, so I'm going back to the Zantac knock-off. It doesn't last quite as long, nor work quite as well though. It made for a rough night last night. I always wondered what acid-reflux felt like... now I know. I can't imagine living with this condition my whole life!
I'll continue to keep you updated on how the baby's doing and how he's positioned--the best that I can tell anyway. I really need to be getting ready now, so off I go! I hope all is well for anyone who might be reading this. Have a great day!
Also, we decided to go with a not quite as effective acid-reducer medication because a 30 day supply of the stuff my doctor had given me samples of was $50! I just can't fathom paying that much, so I'm going back to the Zantac knock-off. It doesn't last quite as long, nor work quite as well though. It made for a rough night last night. I always wondered what acid-reflux felt like... now I know. I can't imagine living with this condition my whole life!
I'll continue to keep you updated on how the baby's doing and how he's positioned--the best that I can tell anyway. I really need to be getting ready now, so off I go! I hope all is well for anyone who might be reading this. Have a great day!
Friday, November 04, 2005
Another Baby Check-Up
I went in for my 34 week appointment yesterday and everything still seems to be going very well with my baby. As far as my mid-wife can tell everything is right on track--except for the position of his head. He should be in the head-down position by now but he's been comfortably sitting in a frank breech position every since I've been able to feel him. He wiggles a little, but really doesn't move from that position at all. She gave me little hope that he'll move at this stage (he's getting bigger and his ability to move is getting rapidly smaller). Only about 5% are still breech at this stage and 1% of babies will flip between now and delivery. Will it happen? It could. Am I counting on it? No. The obvious course of action at that point is a cesarean-section, I have no intention of birthing a breech baby. I never imagined having a c-section but the thought is growing on me. It takes away a lot of the unknowns and I appreciate that. This might sound kind of wierd, but I'm far less scared of surgery than I am of birth. I've had surgery before, but I've never given birth... there's some strange comfort in the familiar. Anyway, I'll keep you updated as to what's happening. If nothing changes it looks like our baby will be born at the end of November.
Baby Joel is doing well, Rob and I actually got to see the little tiny boy in the NICU yesterday. He's sooo handsome! Mom is doing well too. She was all smiles and quite happy (although slightly drugged still). She was assuring me that a c-section really wasn't all that bad and in an odd way, it really calmed my fears a bit. Please continue to pray for baby Joel and Stephanie and Toby. Again, I'll keep you updated as things happen or change. Thanks for reading!
Baby Joel is doing well, Rob and I actually got to see the little tiny boy in the NICU yesterday. He's sooo handsome! Mom is doing well too. She was all smiles and quite happy (although slightly drugged still). She was assuring me that a c-section really wasn't all that bad and in an odd way, it really calmed my fears a bit. Please continue to pray for baby Joel and Stephanie and Toby. Again, I'll keep you updated as things happen or change. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Baby Joel Update
Joel Stephen was born just after 6:00 this morning weighing in at 3 lbs. 2 oz. and 16 inches long--and seems to be doing well. They took via c-section this morning and in spite of his size they didn't rush him off to NICU right away because his APGAR score was a 9 out of 10! His daddy got to hold him, which they didn't expect he would get to do right away and last I heard mommy was recovering well enough to get to go see him soon. God is so good!
We went to see Toby and Stephanie at the hospital last night and they were trying so hard to hold their emotions together, but you could tell that this is obviously rough for them. Today however, they are the proud parents of a tiny little baby boy and all seems well! Please continue to pray for Joel and his family.
We went to see Toby and Stephanie at the hospital last night and they were trying so hard to hold their emotions together, but you could tell that this is obviously rough for them. Today however, they are the proud parents of a tiny little baby boy and all seems well! Please continue to pray for Joel and his family.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Pray for Baby Joel
In April Rob excitedly shared the news of our upcoming arrival (baby) with his good friend Toby, who in-turn shared that he and his wife were also expecting their first too! Although they live about an hour away and we don't get to see them all too often it's been fun to compare bellies and stories when we do get the chance to get together. We had our first ultrasounds within a day and we both found out that we were expecting boys within a day. It's been fun to have someone to share it with.
We found out yesterday however, that Joel only weighs 3 lbs 5 oz. and he's not recieving the nutrients he needs to thrive in his mother's womb. Tonight they made the decision that they will induce her tomorrow and deliver Joel. As you can imagine this is a very scary time for them. Please pray for comfort for Toby and Steph and for the safe and healthy delivery of baby Joel. Pray also that he will thrive in spite of his weight and that he will mature quickly over these next couple of months. The family has a long road ahead of them, but not an impossible one. Please pray with us for Baby Joel, I'll keep you updated.
p.s. So many things continue to put into perspective for me how lucky I am. It's easy to complain about being so uncomfortable and in so much pain sometimes... but I'm doing an important job and I'm lucky to have had so few complications so far. God is good and He's in control that's something we always have to believe. Please continue to pray also that Baby Buhl will continue to grow and thrive without complications. Thanks.
We found out yesterday however, that Joel only weighs 3 lbs 5 oz. and he's not recieving the nutrients he needs to thrive in his mother's womb. Tonight they made the decision that they will induce her tomorrow and deliver Joel. As you can imagine this is a very scary time for them. Please pray for comfort for Toby and Steph and for the safe and healthy delivery of baby Joel. Pray also that he will thrive in spite of his weight and that he will mature quickly over these next couple of months. The family has a long road ahead of them, but not an impossible one. Please pray with us for Baby Joel, I'll keep you updated.
p.s. So many things continue to put into perspective for me how lucky I am. It's easy to complain about being so uncomfortable and in so much pain sometimes... but I'm doing an important job and I'm lucky to have had so few complications so far. God is good and He's in control that's something we always have to believe. Please continue to pray also that Baby Buhl will continue to grow and thrive without complications. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
