Long time ago, but not so far away....

...I had more time to blog. Mind you it wasn't a ton of time, but it was more time. These days, life is sooo busy I don't know where the time has flown. Ioan is 5 months old and has 2 teeth (they just came in on Sunday!!!), Ariana is 6 years old and in 1st grade, Lillian is growing by leaps and bounds...some of her clothes are no longer fitting her reminding me that I need to pull out the next size, and Ethan...well my little man can count to 10 and has more energy than his momma! I have been busy with household and all that that entails. We are busy.
In the midst of this busyness, I was able to sneak away for a few days and attend the

True Woman's conference

( I am sooo illiterate when it comes to links...forgive me!) in Chicago. It was amazing. It was sometimes hard to listen to the messages due to a little Ioan, but what I heard challenged me, showed me areas I was failing as a wife and mother, and encouraged me in becoming more of the woman Christ desires me to be. I know that God wants to change me. I know that I need encouragement to be more of who He wants me to be. I want to change. So, I have started the

30 day makeover

and have been greatly blessed and encouraged in who I am as God's woman. It really is counter to what we hear in tv, media, from those following the culture, and even counter to what we hear in many of our churches. We are not being taught, encouraged, or trained in how to be God's kind of woman. I know that I have been blessed with much encouragement throughout much of my life to be the kind of woman God would have me to be. I was greatly privilaged to live in Thailand with a woman who for a little over 3 months had daily impact and taught me ways to be God's kind of woman and wife as I looked ahead to my marriage to Andy. I have been privilaged to read great books on God's perspective on womanhood and marriage. And yet, I am constantly faced and hear things that are contrary to what I know God has called women to. The teens that I work with are constantly facing and hearing things contrary to God's perspective in school, on tv, and from others. They are hearing these things and yet are not being trained in the area of Biblical womanhood.
One thing that has strenghtend my desire to learn and train others in Biblical womanhood (especially my daughters!) is my reading of the book

Women's Ministry in the Local Church. This book, although I am only in the beginning of it, has already challenged my thinking. It is a theology book for what training and teaching Biblical womanhood is of great importance. I have been challenged with that, and with the 30 day challenge, to revamp my thinking in reguards to my life and my calling. I have been called by God to be His kind of woman, I have been called by God to be His kind of wife, I have been called by God to be His kind of mother, I have been called by God to manage and care for my home. I have been called to be an encouragement to others, especially to other women and young ladies. In all these areas I have been called to display His gosepel and glory. These are the areas I know based on His word that I have been called to do. Everything else...is extra. It is above and beyond the basic calling of God on my life. As I have looked into my life and peered into it, I have come to this conclusion- I am not living out God's call on my life in a way that brings Christ and His gospel honor and glory. This careful consideration has caused me to re-evaluate my life and what I am doing. I have been pricked in my spirit to make changes. Some I have made; others I fear making the change. Why? Ultimately, it's due to my pride- and that is something the Lord has been bringing down as He convicts my heart. I fear people. I fear what others think sometimes. I fear being thought of in a negative way- I hate even the feeling like someone is displeased with me. However, I am learning that until I make Christ my focus and until I make His glory and Name my ultimate desire, until I make His pleasure my delight, I will not be able to be the woman He wants me to be. I need His Spirit to change and soften my heart so that I will display His glory in my life.

So, this is what I have been learning. This is what has been challenging my heart. I pray that I will be the kind of wife who brings glory to God by being a godly wife to Andy and mother to my children so they too will see Christ.

Now there are six!

Yup, we have now become a family of six! Crazy!!! We welcomed Ioan (pronounced Yo-an) William on May 22nd at 4:36pm weighing in at 7lb. 9oz and being 20 in. long. I was induced one day shy of 39 weeks and I am sooo glad they induced me. After weeks of contracting every 3-5 minutes and being in a great deal of pain, I was ready to meet Ioan. We arrived at the hospital around 6am and we began our induction. It was quite an eventful day for our little hospital- 6 babies were born that day! My OB was very busy. We were started on Pitocin around 7:30am, my water was broken around 11:30am, I got my epidural (which I am sooo glad that I got ) around 3pm, found out I was an 8 at 4pm, called a few friends around 4:15pm to let them know that Ioan would probably be arriving in an hour or so, and started pushing around 4:30pm and delivered at 4:36pm. It was a very fast delivery. Really almost too fast as I tore quite badly. I had a second degree tear up (it is not too common to tear up) and still tore down. I also burst a blood vessel which bled terribly and caused alot of problems! (Still is causing problems!) However, we are grateful Ioan is here and I am healing okay. We definitely have had some rough and busy couple of weeks since his birth. I had alot of blood loss and was quite anemic when I left the hospital. I am taking iron and eating yummy spinach salads and still struggling. When I saw the doctor this week he informed me that I would take a few months to return to normal. The blood loss has also caused me to have a low milk supply. After pumping after each feeding and nursing every two hours (a process that has taken an hour!), I am seeing an impovement in my milk supply and Ioan is finally starting to gain weight. (At a week and a half Ioan weighed in at 6lb. 11oz. and by the end of the week had gained 4 oz! I was impressed, but my lactation consultant wasn't completely impressed!) I am praying he will continue to grow. I have noticed an increase in his eating and in his sucking, so I am hoping we will be problem free from here on out!

All the kids are loving him. I am finding that being a mom of four is much busier now than with three, but nursing makes life busy! I am so grateful the Lord blessed us with Ioan and I pray that He will use us to train Ioan to be like Christ! I am overwhelmed by his grace in our lives and ask that you would pray that I would recieve an abundance of grace as I am tired and worn out and struggle with patience with my 3 busy children.

Well, I am tired, and that is all I have time to write! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Ariana and Lillian love their little baby brother!!!!


Our blessing from the Lord! "Behold, children are an heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb a reward!!!!" Psalm 127

Counting Down the Days

Yes, if you've noticed my sidebar, I am nearing the end of what has been a very uneventful pregnancy thus far! I am so grateful to the Lord for the good pregnancy He's allowed me to have and I am anxious to see what He is going to do through the labor and delivery of this little one! We have until next Thursday to go on our own, and then Thursday morning, we will have an induction! So, next week, Ioan will join our family and we will see what he looks like!!! I am soooo excited for his arrival.
These last few weeks have been uncomfortable, but I must say filled with fun and excitement! We never have a dull moment in our home. Our washer is currently out of commission, so I've had opportunities to visit others to do my laundry (Thanks Julie!). We've had soccer games and practices, babies to cuddle, and family come to visit for a shower that a friend gave me. It was so nice to relax with friends and family and to anticipate Ioan comming. I recieved some nice things which I really appreciated because Ioan is comming in a different season than Ethan, so I have been in need of some things. It sure was fun and such an encouragement to me.
Well, I have more I could write, but I have a headache and am tired. I hopefully will write again before Ioan's arrival, if not, next will be fun news!!!!

Pray

A week ago was a day of rejoicing and sorrow for me. Rejoicing with

my sister in law who delivered a healthy baby boy! We were sooo anxious and excited to meet this little one! It was such a fun day of rejoicing.
After we returned home from seeing little Josiah, I checked on the

website of a family whom I have been praying for for quite a few months. I was grieved to read that little Ethan went home to be with the Lord that morning. I wept for this family and the loss of such a sweet and precious boy. Today is the rememberance Ethan's homegoing and I would appreciate the prayers of any and all who read who will think of Ethan's parents, Ben and Becky, and the family who awaits to be joined again with him one day in heaven.

The birth of Josiah and the homegoing of Ethan has been a reminder to me of the soverignty of the Lord in all of life. He holds each one in His hand and He knows the days of our lives. (Ps. 139) I am so grateful and humbled to know that He holds my life and my children's life and no matter how I try to hold on tightly to them, everything is out of my hands because they really aren't mine- they are His! I am continually reminded to daily surrender my husband and children to the Lord to be used for Him and to be completely His.
For a short update about me, I am currently 33 weeks pregnant! Yeah! We are looking forward to little Ioan's arrival here very very soon! I didn't go to my due date with my last pregnancy due to my complicated OB history and don't know if they will consider letting me go til I go. (I have never gone into labor on my own. I have always been induced or c-section) Being I will be a VBAC (providing this baby turns), I am somewhat more comfortable with the thought of induction so they can watch me closely. But, the Lord knows and hopefully within the next 4-7 weeks we will meet this precious baby!

(Just a note. I am incredibly computer unsaavy and don't know how to do much so hopefully my links arn't too silly looking!!!)

Cloth Diapers, illnesses, and Ioan

Things have been crazy our household the last few weeks! After 3 weeks of the flu in January, I was hoping for a healthy February, but that was not the Lord's plan for us. My dear, sweet Lillybug ran a high fever for almost a week and then was fine, but the next week, E-baby ran one will the chills while visiting my family in Michigan. We cut the visit short and took him in to the doctor's at home and he had a throat infection. Last week, Ana-bee was diagnosed with strep and Lillybug was diagnosed with the same 2 days later. So, while we spend time preparing for Lillybug's first official birthday (one of the perks of being born on leap-year), we are catching up on school and recovering from busy, sick weeks.
Added to our fun, I've been trying out cloth diapering. I know this is going to sound so weird, but I really like it! I am working on figuring out how to keep my diapers bright and stain free, but overall I like it. I have a few bumgenius diapers that I really like, but just did prefolds yesterday and must admit...I dont' care for them. They are bulky and make E-baby look 3x rounder in the bum and waist which I am not crazy about. The prefolds did hold up better at night (no leaking with them, but I did have leaking with bumGenius),but for the day and nap, bumGenius is great! So, I have found more I would love to try, and the nice thing is I'm not doing this alone...my dearest Julie is doing it with me too (although, with her baby due in 6 weeks or less, she probably feels the need to find what will work best more than me!) I am looking forward to continuing my cloth diapering and providing nice things for my children, and helping save some money.
Ioan is doing well. I am currently 26 weeks 5 days pregnant and am feeling him punch my side at the moment. In the midst of reading and hearing of other's losses in the last few weeks, my heart weeps with them for I have experienced loss more times than I would have liked and yet within me I carry what to me is the hope that the Lord will once again bless our family with a child. For me, losing my other children have been testimony's of God's soverignty and faithfulness to me and my miracles are reminders that in His time He gives the best! As much as I would have loved to carry my babies to term and be enjoying them now, I would not know the blessing of our second daughter or first-born son. But losses are difficult in many ways, because I am expecting our fourth live birth, but this is my seventh pregnancy. I am expecting our second born son, but really this is my third son. It's hard, because I don't want to discount these babies but it is hard when someone asks is this your fourth. I want to shout-no, it's my seventh, but three are gone, but then you get the I'm sorry looks and I want joy over this little one. So, Ioan William (the official baby name) is very anticipated and continues to remind me that there is hope after loss and my track record doesn't indicate what will happen (So far we've had birth-loss-preterm birth-loss-second trimester loss-birth) because it is in my great God's hands. We are counting down the weeks (just over 12 at the most as my history doesn't lend to going to or past my due date) and are anxious and excited over this new life! Please continue to pray for me, I've felt very tired alot and often wonder, how am I going to do four, but I know I wouldn't trade the joy of another baby for anything!

Hope

Life has been rather busy the last few weeks. We battled illness for almost 3 weeks, but we are all doing better-except for a few coughs here and there. I am starting to feel somewhat better after not getting much sleep~ just a reminder that we will join the non sleeping ranks again in a few short months!
I am really looking forward to having our son. WE have finally decided on the name Ioan (pronounced yo-an) and love praying and talking to him by name. I am praying that he will know what a precious gift of the Lord he is to us! February will be a busy month, celebrating the birth of our friend's baby as well as celebrating our Lillian's fourth birthday! She actually has a birthday this year! Sometimes, I am still in wonder over the miraculous life she has. Though she came 2 and a half months before she should have, she is healthy and doing so well. She is sometimes full of mischief, but she is also such a joy!
I am very much looking forward to time going by quickly and Ioan's arrival to come. Though, I don't want him to come too soon! My sister in law is also due 7 weeks before me, so I am hoping to enjoy her son before I am busy with another baby! Babies have always been a reminder to me of life. Sometimes we are surrounded by death and sorrow, but when one sees a precious baby, we are reminded that there is life and hope- ultimately that can be found only in Jesus. After just celebrating Christmas and seeing new babies, I have been greatly reminded of the hope in Christ. Because he came, because he died, we have the hope of eternity with Him in heaven bringing honor and glory and praise to the Father!!!! How wonderful that great hope!

Ioan or Tristian or Liam...oh my!

Choosing a name for this baby is proving to be a challenge to me. I have pestered my hubby for agreeing to Ioan and he agreed last night. But now I am having second thoughts. So....any votes????

Who likes Ioan (meaning: gift of God)?
Who likes Tristan (meaning: tumult/ loud noise)?
Who likes Liam (meaning: Resolute protector (form of William))?

Help us narrow it down!!!!

New Purchase arrived today!!!!

I am embarqing on a new venture. I am experimenting with cloth diapering! I just purchased my first 2 cloth diapers. They are

bumgenius

pocket cloth diapers. I am excited to try these out. I have figured that even with using a certain detergent, washing and drying them, I will still save between 500-700 dollars in one year! I am hoping that I can do this and that my experience is a good one. With our second son due in less than 5 months and still working on getting my 3 year old daugher out of diapers, I am looking forward to experimenting on this and hoping it is pleasant! So pray for me!

Pregnancy Update #5

Today was ultrasound day here!!! My dear friend offered to watch Ethan, and the girls, my dear hubby, and I went to the hospital for the much anticipated ultrasound! It went great! Baby was very active and cooperated with us, and we are pleased to announce that we are expecting anther boy! I really thought we'd find out it was a girl, but I was way wrong on that front! I am excited especially for Ethan to have a playmate. The girls are 18 months apart and I love their closeness. I hope our boys, who will be 20 months apart, will share a similar closeness, although in boy fashion. We sure are blessed by the Lord and I am praying that He will continue to bless this pregnancy. I look forward to rejoicing in our son's birth in the spring!!!!