We've booked tickets for Zambia!
We're moving on the 9th of February.
That's 41 days away.
Of those 41 days. . .
18 will be spent in the States.
4 are Lord's Days.
Which means that only 19 days remain in which we can finish all our packing and all our preparations. Finish working out all the logistics of international shipping of our belongings. Finish making all the purchases here and in the States of all the miscellany that needs to be toted to Africa with us. Finish cleaning the house. Finish pulling all my hair out. Finish going stir-crazy.
Ahem.
And of those 19 days. . . one will be taken up by our open-house this Saturday (which I still need to do all the baking and cleaning for). And one will be taken up by David's ordination on the 28th of January. And that leaves us with 17.
SEVENTEEN DAYS!!!!
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Elijah update
maybe if I post photos of my adorable 5 and 1/2 month old son, someone will comment on my posts?
Elijah is now eating a little bit of solid (mashed/pureed) foods and still breastfeeding as much as ever. He loves to eat. He is fascinated with water bottles and loves taking a sip when we will let him. He is very happily interacting more and more with his toys, and he loves books, and when we sing to him. He also loves anything paper, which will be quickly crumpled and salivated upon until it is unrecognisable! He will sleep anywhere, which is quite handy. He loves to cuddle and is taking an interest in touching Mama and Daddy's faces when they hold him. We get ear-splitting grins and cute giggles from this little guy on a daily basis. When we are out and about, he makes instant friends with strangers in the elevator, on the bus, on the train, on the tube, at restaurants... His smile brightens their day. I have watched him actually looking down the aisle on the train for someone to catch his eye so he can smile at them. (I think he gets bored with just Mama and Daddy all the time and wants to interact with somebody else!)
in London last week
his first chinese food ;-)
Elijah loves food. Particularly if it's food that he sees his mama and daddy eating!
see that little face? "More, mama, more!"
don't worry, I didn't give him any of my spicy Indian food (though I did let him taste my mango lassi!)
what Elijah does on the train!
what Elijah does on the bus
and then he does this
and more of this
and when he wakes up he does this :)
Elijah had his first sweet potato at Thanksgiving...
but what he desperately wanted was some of Daddy's turkey leg!
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
home again
We are home, safe and sound, after a very fun but tiring trip south -- first to Wales, and then on to London.
We left early on Thursday morning. It was quite an adventure just getting out of Glasgow, which was snow-bound and icy! Our train to Birmingham was scheduled to leave at 10am and to catch it, we had to get from our house on the West End to the train station in the city centre. We phoned for a taxi first, thinking that would be the most reliable form of transportation. . . and were informed that no taxis would be available for at least an hour, if at all. Well, that would have made us miss our Birmingham train, so we decided to walk to the nearest train station and hopefully catch a train into the city centre, since supposedly the local trains were running. Well, we reached the station after a treacherous and difficult 15-minute hike through the snow dragging our luggage. . . and when our train arrived, no one was allowed to board it! Because so few trains were back up and running, those which WERE running were hugely over-crowded, and the conductors refused to let anyone else board the packed train. Now we were starting to really get concerned. It looked like we were going to have all our plans scuppered simply because we couldn't journey the 5 miles from our house to city centre in time to catch our train south. We had two choices - we could wait at least 30 minutes for the next train to come through, which was severely delayed and which we had NO guarantee they would let us board. Or we could walk back down to the main road and hopefully catch a bus which would take us to city centre. . . a risky choice, since the buses were only running once every half hour and were facing severe delays because of slippery roads. But that seemed to be our best option. Thankfully, the Lord controls all these things and we were able to quickly catch a bus which got us to the city centre train station FIVE minutes before our train was scheduled to depart!!
At which time we were informed that our Birmingham train was canceled and we would be placed on the next train to London which was leaving 45 minutes later.
So we boarded that train and finally left Glasgow after a chaotic, stressful start to our journey. Unfortunately, being on the train to London meant that we would have to transfer and catch a different train part-way through our journey, which just added to the nail-biting experience. The whole way south we were wondering if we were going to make our connection in Birmingham. It was touch-and-go because the train was so delayed and because the transfer took up precious time. We arrived in Birmingham at the exact time our bus was scheduled to LEAVE Birmingham -- but again, the Lord was gracious to us, and even though we had a frantic 10-minute walk from the train station to the bus station, our bus was delayed long enough that we caught it with PLENTY of time to spare! Isn't God good? :)
So then we were on our way to Cardiff by bus. It was a smooth and uneventful ride, apart from being delayed and arriving in Cardiff an hour later than expected. We then caught a local bus to get to our friends' house where we would be staying. David thought he knew where we were going, but he didn't, and we got off the bus at the wrong place and were lost in Cardiff, in the dark, in the freezing cold. Thankfully we called our friends and they came out in the car and rescued us! It made for a very long, stressful day of travel but we were thankful to arrive in Cardiff in one piece, and very thankful that in spite of all the hiccups, we didn't have to re-book any of our tickets because the Lord worked all the timing out!
We had an absolutely lovely weekend. It was fun staying with our friends Todd and Kathyryn and their four children. For David it was a renewal of old acquaintances (they went to seminary together) and I was enjoying getting to know them for the first time.
On Saturday we attended the wedding of our dear friends Colin and Victoria. It was a beautiful wedding with lots of smiles and laughs, good food and amusing speeches. We are so happy to see them married and starting their new life together.
On Sunday we worshipped in Cardiff with Todd and Kathyryn, and had a restful day. Then we were up bright and early Monday morning to catch our bus to London. Thankfully the bus trip went more smoothly than our previous travels! The background to our London trip (for those of you who don't know) is that on July 11th, 2008, David and I met for the first time in London, and that meeting was what eventually resulted in us getting married exactly one year later (on July 11th, 2009). We weren't able to go back to London for our 1-year anniversary on July 11th, 2010 because we had a newborn baby occupying our time and attention and mama wasn't up to traveling either. :) When we were planning our trip south to Cardiff, David suggested that we take a detour on the way home and spend one night in London, to retrace our steps from 2008. :) It was a romantic suggestion which I eagerly accepted! So that's why we took the bus to London.
We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and took the tube to the place we would be staying. Before I go any further, let me just say that it is SO difficult juggling two pieces of luggage, a diaper bag, a suit bag, a collapsible stroller, a backpack, and a baby up and down flights of stairs to get around on the tube!! Even with the two of us (and we are both strong) we were struggling to manage it all. We were very thankful for the few tube stations which had elevators!
The Highbury Centre is a Christian guesthouse in North London which provides reasonably-priced B&B accommodation. David and I each stayed there in 2008 and so we planned to stay there again, only booking one room this time. ;-) We left our luggage there (oh the relief!) and headed back out (it was late afternoon by now) to retrace our steps. We started out at the British Museum which was where our evening had started in 2008, but we took it at a bit more relaxed pace this time. Then we headed out in search of the particular Chinese restaurant where we had dinner together in 2008. The thing was, we didn't remember what the name of the restaurant was OR where it was located! We only had a vague direction that we knew we needed to walk in, and we both remembered that it was on a corner on the right side of the road, and it was a two-story restaurant. Amazingly, we found it!! And it took less than 20 minutes. The food was good and we enjoyed our dinner together. Then we started out again on our walking tour of London. We walked to Trafalgar Square and then to Buckingham Palace before making our way towards the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. By the time we had gotten that far, Elijah was cold and tired and very unhappy being in the stroller. We wanted to find a cafe or something where we could sit and have something warm to drink while I nursed him, but we couldn't find one and he was crying. So I ended up having to sit on a damp wooden bench in the garden behind Westminster Abbey, nursing Elijah outside on a damp briskly cold night! Ahhh, the joys of motherhood. Brrrr, just thinking about it makes me shiver! After that we were all a bit worn out and Elijah was becoming undone, so we just took the tube back to the Highbury Centre and settled in for the night, having worn ourselves out completely.
On Tuesday morning, after having a leisurely breakfast and assembling our luggage once again, we maneuvered our way through the tube to King's Cross where we would later catch our train home to Glasgow. There we left the two heaviest pieces of luggage so that we could travel a bit lighter, and then we headed out by tube towards the Tower of London. We walked from there across Tower Bridge, which David and I both have clear memories of doing together in 2008 -- we were paying more attention to our conversation and enjoying each other's company than we were the scenery, I think! Then we went in search of a place where we could eat lunch, and after wandering around for more than half an hour, we found an Indian restaurant close to London Bridge. YUM. I was really in the mood for some Indian food and that hit the spot.
Then we returned to King's Cross but we still had a long time before our train left, so we walked down to the British Library, which we had never been to before. Another of my husband's brilliant ideas. :) We specifically wanted to see the Gutenberg Bible, and we did! We also saw the Magna Carta. I could have walked around in there for hours. It was such a fascinating place.
Our train left London at 3pm and we reached Glasgow at 9pm. Those hours were spent cuddling a tired baby who was ready to be home, and trying to keep him happily occupied. We are so thankful to have a little boy who is such a good traveler, and who will sleep anywhere! It would be very difficult to take these trips and to travel by bus or train for hours if that wasn't the case. Hopefully he will do just as well on his first transatlantic flight next month. :) Today we are resting and recovering -- all three of us are worn out, but it was a fun time and brought back many happy memories (and made new ones). We took lots of photos which I have posted on Facebook, and I will try to post a few on here eventually.
We left early on Thursday morning. It was quite an adventure just getting out of Glasgow, which was snow-bound and icy! Our train to Birmingham was scheduled to leave at 10am and to catch it, we had to get from our house on the West End to the train station in the city centre. We phoned for a taxi first, thinking that would be the most reliable form of transportation. . . and were informed that no taxis would be available for at least an hour, if at all. Well, that would have made us miss our Birmingham train, so we decided to walk to the nearest train station and hopefully catch a train into the city centre, since supposedly the local trains were running. Well, we reached the station after a treacherous and difficult 15-minute hike through the snow dragging our luggage. . . and when our train arrived, no one was allowed to board it! Because so few trains were back up and running, those which WERE running were hugely over-crowded, and the conductors refused to let anyone else board the packed train. Now we were starting to really get concerned. It looked like we were going to have all our plans scuppered simply because we couldn't journey the 5 miles from our house to city centre in time to catch our train south. We had two choices - we could wait at least 30 minutes for the next train to come through, which was severely delayed and which we had NO guarantee they would let us board. Or we could walk back down to the main road and hopefully catch a bus which would take us to city centre. . . a risky choice, since the buses were only running once every half hour and were facing severe delays because of slippery roads. But that seemed to be our best option. Thankfully, the Lord controls all these things and we were able to quickly catch a bus which got us to the city centre train station FIVE minutes before our train was scheduled to depart!!
At which time we were informed that our Birmingham train was canceled and we would be placed on the next train to London which was leaving 45 minutes later.
So we boarded that train and finally left Glasgow after a chaotic, stressful start to our journey. Unfortunately, being on the train to London meant that we would have to transfer and catch a different train part-way through our journey, which just added to the nail-biting experience. The whole way south we were wondering if we were going to make our connection in Birmingham. It was touch-and-go because the train was so delayed and because the transfer took up precious time. We arrived in Birmingham at the exact time our bus was scheduled to LEAVE Birmingham -- but again, the Lord was gracious to us, and even though we had a frantic 10-minute walk from the train station to the bus station, our bus was delayed long enough that we caught it with PLENTY of time to spare! Isn't God good? :)
So then we were on our way to Cardiff by bus. It was a smooth and uneventful ride, apart from being delayed and arriving in Cardiff an hour later than expected. We then caught a local bus to get to our friends' house where we would be staying. David thought he knew where we were going, but he didn't, and we got off the bus at the wrong place and were lost in Cardiff, in the dark, in the freezing cold. Thankfully we called our friends and they came out in the car and rescued us! It made for a very long, stressful day of travel but we were thankful to arrive in Cardiff in one piece, and very thankful that in spite of all the hiccups, we didn't have to re-book any of our tickets because the Lord worked all the timing out!
We had an absolutely lovely weekend. It was fun staying with our friends Todd and Kathyryn and their four children. For David it was a renewal of old acquaintances (they went to seminary together) and I was enjoying getting to know them for the first time.
On Saturday we attended the wedding of our dear friends Colin and Victoria. It was a beautiful wedding with lots of smiles and laughs, good food and amusing speeches. We are so happy to see them married and starting their new life together.
On Sunday we worshipped in Cardiff with Todd and Kathyryn, and had a restful day. Then we were up bright and early Monday morning to catch our bus to London. Thankfully the bus trip went more smoothly than our previous travels! The background to our London trip (for those of you who don't know) is that on July 11th, 2008, David and I met for the first time in London, and that meeting was what eventually resulted in us getting married exactly one year later (on July 11th, 2009). We weren't able to go back to London for our 1-year anniversary on July 11th, 2010 because we had a newborn baby occupying our time and attention and mama wasn't up to traveling either. :) When we were planning our trip south to Cardiff, David suggested that we take a detour on the way home and spend one night in London, to retrace our steps from 2008. :) It was a romantic suggestion which I eagerly accepted! So that's why we took the bus to London.
We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and took the tube to the place we would be staying. Before I go any further, let me just say that it is SO difficult juggling two pieces of luggage, a diaper bag, a suit bag, a collapsible stroller, a backpack, and a baby up and down flights of stairs to get around on the tube!! Even with the two of us (and we are both strong) we were struggling to manage it all. We were very thankful for the few tube stations which had elevators!
The Highbury Centre is a Christian guesthouse in North London which provides reasonably-priced B&B accommodation. David and I each stayed there in 2008 and so we planned to stay there again, only booking one room this time. ;-) We left our luggage there (oh the relief!) and headed back out (it was late afternoon by now) to retrace our steps. We started out at the British Museum which was where our evening had started in 2008, but we took it at a bit more relaxed pace this time. Then we headed out in search of the particular Chinese restaurant where we had dinner together in 2008. The thing was, we didn't remember what the name of the restaurant was OR where it was located! We only had a vague direction that we knew we needed to walk in, and we both remembered that it was on a corner on the right side of the road, and it was a two-story restaurant. Amazingly, we found it!! And it took less than 20 minutes. The food was good and we enjoyed our dinner together. Then we started out again on our walking tour of London. We walked to Trafalgar Square and then to Buckingham Palace before making our way towards the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. By the time we had gotten that far, Elijah was cold and tired and very unhappy being in the stroller. We wanted to find a cafe or something where we could sit and have something warm to drink while I nursed him, but we couldn't find one and he was crying. So I ended up having to sit on a damp wooden bench in the garden behind Westminster Abbey, nursing Elijah outside on a damp briskly cold night! Ahhh, the joys of motherhood. Brrrr, just thinking about it makes me shiver! After that we were all a bit worn out and Elijah was becoming undone, so we just took the tube back to the Highbury Centre and settled in for the night, having worn ourselves out completely.
On Tuesday morning, after having a leisurely breakfast and assembling our luggage once again, we maneuvered our way through the tube to King's Cross where we would later catch our train home to Glasgow. There we left the two heaviest pieces of luggage so that we could travel a bit lighter, and then we headed out by tube towards the Tower of London. We walked from there across Tower Bridge, which David and I both have clear memories of doing together in 2008 -- we were paying more attention to our conversation and enjoying each other's company than we were the scenery, I think! Then we went in search of a place where we could eat lunch, and after wandering around for more than half an hour, we found an Indian restaurant close to London Bridge. YUM. I was really in the mood for some Indian food and that hit the spot.
Then we returned to King's Cross but we still had a long time before our train left, so we walked down to the British Library, which we had never been to before. Another of my husband's brilliant ideas. :) We specifically wanted to see the Gutenberg Bible, and we did! We also saw the Magna Carta. I could have walked around in there for hours. It was such a fascinating place.
Our train left London at 3pm and we reached Glasgow at 9pm. Those hours were spent cuddling a tired baby who was ready to be home, and trying to keep him happily occupied. We are so thankful to have a little boy who is such a good traveler, and who will sleep anywhere! It would be very difficult to take these trips and to travel by bus or train for hours if that wasn't the case. Hopefully he will do just as well on his first transatlantic flight next month. :) Today we are resting and recovering -- all three of us are worn out, but it was a fun time and brought back many happy memories (and made new ones). We took lots of photos which I have posted on Facebook, and I will try to post a few on here eventually.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
short, overdue update!
It's cold.
We're busy.
It's really difficult to post on my blog when I haven't posted in a while. It's really rather self-defeating. I sit here with my fingers poised over the keyboard, and think, "Where do I start?" And then because I can't figure out where to start, I don't start, and nothing gets posted, and then the next day the exact same sequence happens again.
Anyway.
It is bitter cold here. And snowy. And icy. And it has been for two weeks now. And I am tired of my toes being cold, even when I am wearing socks and slippers!
Elijah has one tooth, and I'm positive he's working on a second, because the grumpiness has increased rather than decreasing. He is curious about everything. I can keep him occupied for fifteen minutes with a brightly colored unopened package of gum. To be honest, Elijah is the main reason I haven't posted. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the laundry and dishes, while constantly occupying Mr. Cute-but-Demanding Five-Month-Old.
Speaking of which, this is all I am able to post right now because we are heading towards naptime!
We're busy.
It's really difficult to post on my blog when I haven't posted in a while. It's really rather self-defeating. I sit here with my fingers poised over the keyboard, and think, "Where do I start?" And then because I can't figure out where to start, I don't start, and nothing gets posted, and then the next day the exact same sequence happens again.
Anyway.
It is bitter cold here. And snowy. And icy. And it has been for two weeks now. And I am tired of my toes being cold, even when I am wearing socks and slippers!
Elijah has one tooth, and I'm positive he's working on a second, because the grumpiness has increased rather than decreasing. He is curious about everything. I can keep him occupied for fifteen minutes with a brightly colored unopened package of gum. To be honest, Elijah is the main reason I haven't posted. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the laundry and dishes, while constantly occupying Mr. Cute-but-Demanding Five-Month-Old.
Speaking of which, this is all I am able to post right now because we are heading towards naptime!
Monday, 22 November 2010
the day David didn't ask me to marry him
Two years ago at this time, David and I were in a long-distance relationship (he was in Scotland, I was in North Carolina -- we were talking on the phone every day) and knew that we wanted to get married. We were already discussing wedding details and trying to figure out when our respective schedules would allow us to see each other again. Even though we both had no doubts about whether we were going to get married, the "official" engagement had to wait until David could fly to the States to see me and my family. He wanted to "pop the question" in person.
This led to an inside joke between us. During our phone conversations David would often jokingly ask me to marry him -- "practicing," he explained, "for the real thing." Of course, I never answered him -- that was part of the joke.
David flew over to the States to visit me in November of 2008. My 21st birthday was the 23rd of November, and he arrived just a couple days before that. He was trying to think of a way that he could surprise me with the engagement ring, but that was going to be a challenge because 1) I knew that he was planning to officially propose (no surprise there, as we were already beginning to plan our wedding), and 2) I knew that he wanted to propose before my birthday, so that I would have my engagement ring as a birthday present! That didn't leave him very much time to figure out how to catch me off guard!
David arrived on the Thursday, and my birthday was the Sunday. On the Saturday, David dropped me off at work and came back several hours later to pick me up when my shift ended. While on his way to pick me up, he decided that he was going to put the ring box on the passenger seat so that I would see it when I got into the car. He threw his coat onto the seat and thought, "When she opens the door, she'll move the coat and see the ring, and then I'll ask her to marry me." Well, I opened the car door and saw the coat lying there, and all in one quick, unsuspecting move I picked it up, tossed into the back seat, and sat down! Right on top of the ring box! David immediately pulled the ring box out from under me, and without thinking, made a beautiful backhand toss, casually flipping the ring box into my lap.
His exact words: "There, it's yours if you want it!"
I opened the ring box, and there was a gorgeous diamond ring. My response: "Will you put it on my finger please?"
And THAT is the story of how we became engaged. Only later did we realize that David never did ask me to marry him -- even after all those months of "practice!" And I never said yes!
However, he did successfully catch me off guard. :-D
We have had many, many good laughs about our unconventional engagement -- I'm certain that's not the only unconventional thing we've done, but it makes for a good story!
That was November 22, 2008. Two years ago today. And tomorrow we will have been married for 500 days.
This led to an inside joke between us. During our phone conversations David would often jokingly ask me to marry him -- "practicing," he explained, "for the real thing." Of course, I never answered him -- that was part of the joke.
David flew over to the States to visit me in November of 2008. My 21st birthday was the 23rd of November, and he arrived just a couple days before that. He was trying to think of a way that he could surprise me with the engagement ring, but that was going to be a challenge because 1) I knew that he was planning to officially propose (no surprise there, as we were already beginning to plan our wedding), and 2) I knew that he wanted to propose before my birthday, so that I would have my engagement ring as a birthday present! That didn't leave him very much time to figure out how to catch me off guard!
David arrived on the Thursday, and my birthday was the Sunday. On the Saturday, David dropped me off at work and came back several hours later to pick me up when my shift ended. While on his way to pick me up, he decided that he was going to put the ring box on the passenger seat so that I would see it when I got into the car. He threw his coat onto the seat and thought, "When she opens the door, she'll move the coat and see the ring, and then I'll ask her to marry me." Well, I opened the car door and saw the coat lying there, and all in one quick, unsuspecting move I picked it up, tossed into the back seat, and sat down! Right on top of the ring box! David immediately pulled the ring box out from under me, and without thinking, made a beautiful backhand toss, casually flipping the ring box into my lap.
His exact words: "There, it's yours if you want it!"
I opened the ring box, and there was a gorgeous diamond ring. My response: "Will you put it on my finger please?"
And THAT is the story of how we became engaged. Only later did we realize that David never did ask me to marry him -- even after all those months of "practice!" And I never said yes!
However, he did successfully catch me off guard. :-D
We have had many, many good laughs about our unconventional engagement -- I'm certain that's not the only unconventional thing we've done, but it makes for a good story!
That was November 22, 2008. Two years ago today. And tomorrow we will have been married for 500 days.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
big news
I'm really sorry that I've been so negligent of this blog. I promise that my thoughts are with you, my friends, even though I haven't had the time to post!
So, some of you may have already heard our big news either through Facebook, or through church circles. We are moving to Zambia! My love has been appointed as a full-time lecturer of theology at Covenant College in Petauke, Zambia. You can read more about the college and its related ministries here: http://www.zambianmissionsupport.org/covenant-college/
As you can imagine, there are many details and logistics that must be worked through as we prepare to go. The term starts again at Covenant College on 15 February, and Lord willing we intend to be in Zambia before that date so that we have time to settle in a little bit before David dives head-first into teaching full-time! However, we only have about five weeks to get everything done at this point! We have a few trips planned between now and then - to Skye for a friend's induction, to Wales for a friend's wedding, and then. . . drum-roll please. . . to the States in January!
Yes, we are coming to the States. We are so excited and thankful that the Lord has provided for this! If you are in or near Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charlotte or Greenville, SC -- we may be coming to a church near you! There are many purposes for this trip, among which are 1) renewing our driver's licenses, 2) sorting through our stateside belongings, 3) visiting family, and 4) sharing about the work in Zambia in a few churches that are near and dear to us. We want to enlist your prayers for the labors and laborers there. And in the process of doing so, we are looking forward to seeing many of you, our dear friends! :-)
We'd appreciate your prayers for many things -- here's a few:
1) For all the nitty-gritty and very tiring details to come together smoothly. Such as: our research into international medical insurance, wills and naming next-of-kin (not-so-enjoyable but necessary), shipping companies (cost, logistics, etc), the purchase of a suitable vehicle and possible shipment of said vehicle (again, cost, logistics, timing, etc), the process of David's ordination in the FCoSC (our denomination), the oversight of our Home & Foreign Missions committee as they help sort through all the details with us, the process of applying for a work permit in Zambia and jumping through all the necessary hoops on that end, all the major and minor purchases that must be made, wisdom to know what we should take with us and what we should leave behind (and where we should leave it). Complicating all of this is the fact that we are already living in two countries at once (half our belongings are still in the States) and so we will probably end up with things in storage in both countries. Those are just some of the things that are weighing on us these days!
2) For safety in all our travels, for strength and endurance and patience and good health for all of us, and particularly for Elijah as I think he's going to be one of the most widely-traveled babies by the time he is one year old! He has many hours in buses, trains, and airplanes ahead of him, poor wee man. So far we are very thankful that it appears the Lord has blessed us with a son who is a good traveler, but we continue to pray for these travels to be as easy upon him as possible.
We are very, very excited about this new place God is leading us to. Some have expressed surprise that we are leaving Scotland. We are surprised (in a way) to be leaving Scotland -- we didn't have any "intention" of leaving, nor any indication until now that we might be, but we were seeking the Lord in all these things and open to following wherever He led, and He has made it very clear that He brought us to Scotland for a purpose, and now He is taking us to Zambia for a purpose. And we are very thankful for His continued guidance and provision. It is encouraging to have direction!
I will try to post more photos soon -- but if it takes a while, have patience (but don't give up on me!). As you can see from the list above, we will have a lot calling for our attention, and you can add to my list a baby and a husband who both need lots of cuddles and attention and care each day! :-)
So, some of you may have already heard our big news either through Facebook, or through church circles. We are moving to Zambia! My love has been appointed as a full-time lecturer of theology at Covenant College in Petauke, Zambia. You can read more about the college and its related ministries here: http://www.zambianmissionsupport.org/covenant-college/
As you can imagine, there are many details and logistics that must be worked through as we prepare to go. The term starts again at Covenant College on 15 February, and Lord willing we intend to be in Zambia before that date so that we have time to settle in a little bit before David dives head-first into teaching full-time! However, we only have about five weeks to get everything done at this point! We have a few trips planned between now and then - to Skye for a friend's induction, to Wales for a friend's wedding, and then. . . drum-roll please. . . to the States in January!
Yes, we are coming to the States. We are so excited and thankful that the Lord has provided for this! If you are in or near Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charlotte or Greenville, SC -- we may be coming to a church near you! There are many purposes for this trip, among which are 1) renewing our driver's licenses, 2) sorting through our stateside belongings, 3) visiting family, and 4) sharing about the work in Zambia in a few churches that are near and dear to us. We want to enlist your prayers for the labors and laborers there. And in the process of doing so, we are looking forward to seeing many of you, our dear friends! :-)
We'd appreciate your prayers for many things -- here's a few:
1) For all the nitty-gritty and very tiring details to come together smoothly. Such as: our research into international medical insurance, wills and naming next-of-kin (not-so-enjoyable but necessary), shipping companies (cost, logistics, etc), the purchase of a suitable vehicle and possible shipment of said vehicle (again, cost, logistics, timing, etc), the process of David's ordination in the FCoSC (our denomination), the oversight of our Home & Foreign Missions committee as they help sort through all the details with us, the process of applying for a work permit in Zambia and jumping through all the necessary hoops on that end, all the major and minor purchases that must be made, wisdom to know what we should take with us and what we should leave behind (and where we should leave it). Complicating all of this is the fact that we are already living in two countries at once (half our belongings are still in the States) and so we will probably end up with things in storage in both countries. Those are just some of the things that are weighing on us these days!
2) For safety in all our travels, for strength and endurance and patience and good health for all of us, and particularly for Elijah as I think he's going to be one of the most widely-traveled babies by the time he is one year old! He has many hours in buses, trains, and airplanes ahead of him, poor wee man. So far we are very thankful that it appears the Lord has blessed us with a son who is a good traveler, but we continue to pray for these travels to be as easy upon him as possible.
We are very, very excited about this new place God is leading us to. Some have expressed surprise that we are leaving Scotland. We are surprised (in a way) to be leaving Scotland -- we didn't have any "intention" of leaving, nor any indication until now that we might be, but we were seeking the Lord in all these things and open to following wherever He led, and He has made it very clear that He brought us to Scotland for a purpose, and now He is taking us to Zambia for a purpose. And we are very thankful for His continued guidance and provision. It is encouraging to have direction!
I will try to post more photos soon -- but if it takes a while, have patience (but don't give up on me!). As you can see from the list above, we will have a lot calling for our attention, and you can add to my list a baby and a husband who both need lots of cuddles and attention and care each day! :-)
Saturday, 23 October 2010
yes, we are still alive!
I'm not going to make excuses about my lack of blogging. It was for a very good reason - I have had nearly non-stop company for a month straight now!
When I last posted, my parents and my four youngest siblings were here for a visit! And my lovely husband was away in Zambia for two weeks. While my family was here, we were going NON-STOP. The first week, we bought 7-day bus passes and went around Glasgow seeing the local sights. The first day we went to Glasgow Cathedral, the second day we saw the ruined remains of the Antonine Wall (the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire), the third day we went to the Clydebuilt Maritime Museum which presents the history of the city of Glasgow and its shipping industry. . . and so on.
Then we finished up the week by traveling by train up to Aberdeen to visit good friends who have known my parents for something like 25 years! We stayed overnight with them and enjoyed an outing to Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire the next day, and then caught the train back that night. The next day, Thursday Sept 30th, David arrived home from Zambia around 11pm. . .
The next morning (Friday) all 9 of us were out the door by 9am to catch the train and spend the day in Stirling. We saw the William Wallace Monument, visited Stirling Castle and walked around Stirling for a little while.
The next day (Saturday) we took the train to Balloch, and walked a couple of miles around Loch Lomond, and enjoyed fish and chips with my family.
The next day (the Lord's Day) we enjoyed worship at both services, and an afternoon of fellowship with our minister and his family who had us over for a meal.
The next day (Monday) we were again out the door bright and early to take the train to Edinburgh for another day of sightseeing! We went to Edinburgh Castle, visited the Grassmarket and walked part of the Royal Mile.
The next day (Tuesday) poor David had to be out the door by 7:30am for a day of committee meetings in Inverness. The poor man, who had hardly had a chance to catch his breath since traveling for nearly two days straight the week before, arrived home that night weary and sick with a cold! And no wonder.
The next day (Wednesday) we had one group of friends over for lunch, and a separate group of friends over for dinner! Lots of fellowship.
The next day (Thursday October 7th) was the last day of my family's visit. The morning was chaotic as we tried to help them finish packing and get out the door for their travel to the airport. We loved having my family here! So thankful they were able to come!
We had a few days to recover before David's mother arrived for a visit on Tuesday October 12th. We didn't do any sight-seeing with her (but then again, she's lived in Scotland before!). It was more a quiet week, which was good because David was recovering from being sick and poor Elijah had gotten his cold, and was teething also! David's father joined us on the 15th and we had a good visit with them over this past weekend before they left on Tuesday morning.
Since they left, we have had a very busy week (and I've gotten a cold now). Yesterday we joined in the centenary celebration of the Partick congregation, which was a blessed event. We had more company staying with us last night - our dear friends Davide and Debora and their three girls. What a blessing it has been to have the extra room now that we are living in this lovely manse! It has certainly come in handy! :) Today we enjoyed a Reformation Conference hosted by the Knightswood congregation with stirring talks putting us into remembrance of our spiritual heritage.
And what's next? Well. . . stay tuned! Juicy details to follow in the next few days! :-D
When I last posted, my parents and my four youngest siblings were here for a visit! And my lovely husband was away in Zambia for two weeks. While my family was here, we were going NON-STOP. The first week, we bought 7-day bus passes and went around Glasgow seeing the local sights. The first day we went to Glasgow Cathedral, the second day we saw the ruined remains of the Antonine Wall (the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire), the third day we went to the Clydebuilt Maritime Museum which presents the history of the city of Glasgow and its shipping industry. . . and so on.
Then we finished up the week by traveling by train up to Aberdeen to visit good friends who have known my parents for something like 25 years! We stayed overnight with them and enjoyed an outing to Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire the next day, and then caught the train back that night. The next day, Thursday Sept 30th, David arrived home from Zambia around 11pm. . .
The next morning (Friday) all 9 of us were out the door by 9am to catch the train and spend the day in Stirling. We saw the William Wallace Monument, visited Stirling Castle and walked around Stirling for a little while.
The next day (Saturday) we took the train to Balloch, and walked a couple of miles around Loch Lomond, and enjoyed fish and chips with my family.
The next day (the Lord's Day) we enjoyed worship at both services, and an afternoon of fellowship with our minister and his family who had us over for a meal.
The next day (Monday) we were again out the door bright and early to take the train to Edinburgh for another day of sightseeing! We went to Edinburgh Castle, visited the Grassmarket and walked part of the Royal Mile.
The next day (Tuesday) poor David had to be out the door by 7:30am for a day of committee meetings in Inverness. The poor man, who had hardly had a chance to catch his breath since traveling for nearly two days straight the week before, arrived home that night weary and sick with a cold! And no wonder.
The next day (Wednesday) we had one group of friends over for lunch, and a separate group of friends over for dinner! Lots of fellowship.
The next day (Thursday October 7th) was the last day of my family's visit. The morning was chaotic as we tried to help them finish packing and get out the door for their travel to the airport. We loved having my family here! So thankful they were able to come!
We had a few days to recover before David's mother arrived for a visit on Tuesday October 12th. We didn't do any sight-seeing with her (but then again, she's lived in Scotland before!). It was more a quiet week, which was good because David was recovering from being sick and poor Elijah had gotten his cold, and was teething also! David's father joined us on the 15th and we had a good visit with them over this past weekend before they left on Tuesday morning.
Since they left, we have had a very busy week (and I've gotten a cold now). Yesterday we joined in the centenary celebration of the Partick congregation, which was a blessed event. We had more company staying with us last night - our dear friends Davide and Debora and their three girls. What a blessing it has been to have the extra room now that we are living in this lovely manse! It has certainly come in handy! :) Today we enjoyed a Reformation Conference hosted by the Knightswood congregation with stirring talks putting us into remembrance of our spiritual heritage.
And what's next? Well. . . stay tuned! Juicy details to follow in the next few days! :-D
Friday, 24 September 2010
It's a delight to have my parents and four younger siblings here for a visit. They are loving getting to know Elijah. As I am writing this, my mom is holding Elijah and talking to him, and he is talking right back in his own special coo-and-babble-and-laugh language. I have never heard such a talkative baby of his age (not quite three months old). He is already putting together sounds, he "talks" in response to us talking to him, and he seems to be desperately trying to communicate with us. What a cutie. Even when he refuses to go to sleep at 12:30am because he is talking away and laughing hysterically, it's cute. . .
We have excursions planned for every day, mostly in the mornings so that Elijah can still get a proper nap in the afternoons. On Thursday we went to Glasgow Cathedral and were given an informal tour of the cathedral. It was quite interesting, but sad to see so many of the vestiges of its Catholic history still lingering - in the crosses, the small chapels in every alcove, the stained glass which breaks the 2nd commandment, etc. What a massive and impressive building - took more than 400 years to build! We also walked through the "oldest house in Glasgow" on our way back to the bus stop. We would have walked up the Necropolis, but it was a very rainy day and not nice weather for trudging up a steep, slippery hillside.
Today we took the bus up to Bearsden and visited the ruins of the Antonine Wall, the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire. There are a few sections of it still visible, including the ruins of a bath house which was once part of one of the garrisons which was along the wall. On our way to find one of the remaining sections of the Antonine Wall, we wandered through the Old Kilpatrick cemetery which had an amazing view of the hills north of Glasgow. It was a stunningly beautiful sunny day.
Tomorrow we are planning to visit the Clydebuilt maritime museum, which my dad will probably find quite interesting because of his naval background. We have lots of day trips planned for the following week or two... Aberdeen, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Loch Lomond. . . so stay tuned. . .
But what I am REALLY looking forward to is having my husband home from his travels. I miss him so much and it's hard to fully enjoy things when he's not here with me. I am thankful that his trip seems to be going very well so far. We are both hoping the days speed quickly away towards Thursday!!
We have excursions planned for every day, mostly in the mornings so that Elijah can still get a proper nap in the afternoons. On Thursday we went to Glasgow Cathedral and were given an informal tour of the cathedral. It was quite interesting, but sad to see so many of the vestiges of its Catholic history still lingering - in the crosses, the small chapels in every alcove, the stained glass which breaks the 2nd commandment, etc. What a massive and impressive building - took more than 400 years to build! We also walked through the "oldest house in Glasgow" on our way back to the bus stop. We would have walked up the Necropolis, but it was a very rainy day and not nice weather for trudging up a steep, slippery hillside.
Today we took the bus up to Bearsden and visited the ruins of the Antonine Wall, the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire. There are a few sections of it still visible, including the ruins of a bath house which was once part of one of the garrisons which was along the wall. On our way to find one of the remaining sections of the Antonine Wall, we wandered through the Old Kilpatrick cemetery which had an amazing view of the hills north of Glasgow. It was a stunningly beautiful sunny day.
Tomorrow we are planning to visit the Clydebuilt maritime museum, which my dad will probably find quite interesting because of his naval background. We have lots of day trips planned for the following week or two... Aberdeen, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Loch Lomond. . . so stay tuned. . .
But what I am REALLY looking forward to is having my husband home from his travels. I miss him so much and it's hard to fully enjoy things when he's not here with me. I am thankful that his trip seems to be going very well so far. We are both hoping the days speed quickly away towards Thursday!!
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Words cannot describe how much I miss my husband when he's away. Those of you women who are military wives, I respect you from the bottom of my heart, because there is no way I could cope with what you valiantly face on a regular basis!
I am married to a man who works from home. This has its own special set of blessings and difficulties which are different from the blessings and difficulties we would face if he worked a regular 9-to-5 job or if he traveled frequently. It makes it particularly difficult when he's away because I am so accustomed to his presence.
It's as though I am walking around with half of me missing. It leaves me discombobulated and disoriented. I feel lost and bewildered. I can't concentrate. I flit from one thing to another, unable to focus my thoughts and energies or make rational sense out of my day. I can't think through things clearly because my emotional compass, my support, is missing. I am used to discussing everything with him and relying on him every day.
It's not good for my health! I forget to eat regular meals. I lose my appetite. Even chocolate icecream loses its appeal (shocking, I know). When the cupboards are bare I wander the supermarket in a daze, not sure what to buy, because cooking for one is so depressing.
I become manically attached to my computer whenever there is any chance that he will be around for a chat, and, I must admit, many times when there is no chance, "just in case." I have been known to stay up until 4am and finally succumb to exhaustion in front of my computer when he didn't appear for a scheduled good-night chat. (Later, I found out that his co-worker on night shift had hogged the computer all night. I could have strangled that unsuspecting, totally oblivious, inconsiderate co-worker. And my husband for being so non-confrontational!)
Right now my love is in Zambia visiting Covenant College for two weeks. This is the longest we've been apart since we got married. I have been trying to just get through one day at a time without losing my mind. I have been able to talk with David a couple times since he left, but the hiccuping internet connections and sketchy phone connections sometimes make Zambia seem even further away, though I am grateful to be able to hear his voice!
I am grateful that Elijah and I were able to spend 4 days with our dear friends Gavin and Allison and their 6 children. . . it was nice to have the company and the distraction. Now I am busy preparing for my family (my parents and my 4 youngest siblings) to arrive here tomorrow!! They will be visiting us for just over two weeks. We have all sorts of fun sight-seeing planned whole they are here, and of course they are looking forward to seeing Elijah, who is a popular guy, it seems! :)
My sweet boy is such a charmer. He has developed an intoxicating little giggle and the widest ear-splitting grin you can imagine. He is a tease (like his daddy!) and a cheeky little monkey. I have so much fun with him, watching him get more responsive by the day!! Tonight as I was putting him to bed he decided he was going to grin at me instead of eating properly, and then he abandoned his food entirely and spent 10 minutes laughing his head off at everything I did, before he was willing to continue nursing. Then when I finally thought he was asleep in his bed, he woke up a few minutes later and amused himself by cooing very loudly and getting more and more worked up. Eventually I went back upstairs to try to settle him down. Without turning on the light I leaned over his basket to quiet him down and see if he would take his pacifier (often he will fall asleep almost immediately if I get him to stop waving his arms and keeping himself awake. . . silly boy). As soon as he sensed that I was in the room, though, his tone changed and he started laughing at me again and "singing" to me. Irresistable!
Friday, 3 September 2010
I'm back!
We are now moved in to the new place. :-) Nicely settled with only a couple boxes still left to deal with. . . mostly Elijah's clothes that are either one size too small or one (or more) sizes too big, which I am still trying to figure out what to do with. He's currently in between sizes which makes it very difficult to decide what should be brought out and what should be packed away!
I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury - I now have a dishwasher and a double oven and a pulley system for hanging my washing indoors!
Sorry for the lapse in blogging. It was quite a saga getting our phone and internet set back up after the move. Then we finally thought we had it sorted, and our phone line was suddenly disconnected, and we still haven't figured out why or who did it. That sent us all the way back to square one, and we had to wait another week for our phone line to finally be reconnected, and then we had to wait for our internet to be reconnected. . . and now here we are, and hopefully that is over and done with!
I am hoping to get caught up with posting photos of the wee man soon. He is getting SO big! Right now, in fact, he is wearing something marked "3-6mos." *sigh* I don't understand baby clothes sizes. Half of his "0-3mos" clothes don't fit him, and half of his "3-6mos" clothes DO. And he is 2 months old! No wonder it's been such a headache sorting out his clothing after this move.
At the moment he is sitting in his car seat smiling at me, flailing his arms and kicking his little legs. We have such fun together! He is so responsive, it amazes me each day. Already he is noticing if I leave the room, even for an instant, and he doesn't like it! He is so much happier if mama is right there talking to him. . . or better yet, holding him!
So, yes. We are all doing very well. Elijah is sleeping well and eating well, for which we are very thankful. David is keeping busy with preaching engagements. We had another whirlwind trip to Skye last weekend - our first long-distance trip as a family. and I will post more another time, because the munchkin wants fed!
I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury - I now have a dishwasher and a double oven and a pulley system for hanging my washing indoors!
Sorry for the lapse in blogging. It was quite a saga getting our phone and internet set back up after the move. Then we finally thought we had it sorted, and our phone line was suddenly disconnected, and we still haven't figured out why or who did it. That sent us all the way back to square one, and we had to wait another week for our phone line to finally be reconnected, and then we had to wait for our internet to be reconnected. . . and now here we are, and hopefully that is over and done with!
I am hoping to get caught up with posting photos of the wee man soon. He is getting SO big! Right now, in fact, he is wearing something marked "3-6mos." *sigh* I don't understand baby clothes sizes. Half of his "0-3mos" clothes don't fit him, and half of his "3-6mos" clothes DO. And he is 2 months old! No wonder it's been such a headache sorting out his clothing after this move.
At the moment he is sitting in his car seat smiling at me, flailing his arms and kicking his little legs. We have such fun together! He is so responsive, it amazes me each day. Already he is noticing if I leave the room, even for an instant, and he doesn't like it! He is so much happier if mama is right there talking to him. . . or better yet, holding him!
So, yes. We are all doing very well. Elijah is sleeping well and eating well, for which we are very thankful. David is keeping busy with preaching engagements. We had another whirlwind trip to Skye last weekend - our first long-distance trip as a family. and I will post more another time, because the munchkin wants fed!
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Thursday, 29 July 2010
kick those little legs! :)
Every day it seems like Elijah gets bigger and stronger. He has great control of his neck muscles though he still occasionally goes "floppy." When he's lying on his stomach he can lift his head and also change position so that he is facing left or right. His leg muscles are getting very strong too . . . he loves to push up against my tummy when I'm holding him. We love watching him grow.
Monday, 26 July 2010
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Elijah's Birthday: our birth story (complete with photos!)
Elijah's birth story
I was attended by my husband David, my mom Gale (who had flown over from the States and arrived 24 hours before I went into labour!), the home birth team midwife and a student midwife.
How it all started:
I woke up at 5am on Wednesday June 30 (which was 40+5) with contraction/needing to use the toilet. Went back to bed and fell asleep, so obviously nothing much was happening yet. Woke up again at 9am with contraction/needing to use the toilet. Went back to bed afterwards but contractions didn't go away this time.
Around 11am we walked up the street to do the weekly cleaning job for our neighbour - Mom and David did the cleaning and I sat on the couch and had contractions. Got back and had some lunch. Was increasingly uncomfortable during contractions even though it was early labor, so spent the afternoon bouncing on the birth ball in the living room trying to stay distracted. I was also in denial about being in labor because I've read so many birth stories where the labor has started/stopped/started/
I had had fond intentions of spending early labour baking a birthday cake for our baby (well, not for him - for ME! doesn't every woman's mind run to chocolate cake while she's in labour?!?) but found that from the very start the back pain was too intense for me to spend more than a minute or two on my feet at a time. So that plan got scrapped. . . I was VERY attached to my birthing ball and wasn't comfortable doing much of anything else!
early labour
At some point David decided to go ahead and start filling the birth pool. We were using a Birth Pool in a Box (the smaller size - which fit me just fine and I'm 5' 9") which we borrowed from our friends the Harams, and we'd had it inflated and sitting in our living room for a couple of weeks at this point. David now filled it with hot water figuring that it would be sitting for several hours and would have plenty of time to cool off before I was ready to use it - and he was right - brilliant of him to think ahead like that! I was still in denial about being in labor, and in fact (amusingly) was slightly irritated when David posted a facebook status saying "Katie is in early labour" - I was determined not to get too excited or hopeful until I was sure that it wasn't a false alarm!
an inside joke: I gave David these rubber duckies as a gag birthday gift (he loves taking a relaxing bath) and he teased me all along about putting them in the birth pool with me during labour. so here they are, waiting for action!
After this had been going on for few hours, we phoned maternity assessment, and they contacted the homebirth MW, who then phoned me to see how things were going. I wasn't sure what to tell her because I didn't know what my body was doing - the contractions were irregular and sometimes would be really intense and other times I couldn't tell when they started or stopped because they merged together, so I was having trouble timing them. She advised that I phone her back when the contractions were 3 every 10 minutes.
So we kept timing the contractions. . . we played some Boggle with my mom and I lost horribly because I couldn't concentrate. I was still bouncing on the ball - mostly sitting upright and leaning forward but sometimes I would kneel on the floor and rest my upper body on the birth ball to take the weight off my lower back. Eventually the contractions were getting intense enough and I had a "show" at 5:30, so we phoned maternity assessment and the MW arrived around 7 or 7:30. By the time she arrived, my contractions had gone completely irregular and I was having great difficulty timing them accurately because they were not well-defined. So she told me she thought I was still quite early on in labor. She offered to do an internal examination to see how far along I was but I didn't think that would be encouraging, so I declined (it was in my birth plan that I didn't want any internal exams unless it was necessary). So the MWs decided that since it was still so early on, they would leave and go get some rest and I could phone them to come out when I needed them.
getting ready to play Boggle with my mom
So after 8pm, when the MWs left, I settled down to cope as best I could with the contractions. Our friends the Harams were going to be dropping by and I didn't want to go upstairs and lie down until after they had come by. So I stayed in the living room and kept bouncing. I watched a bit of "Total Wipeout" on Iplayer to try to distract me but couldn't concentrate very well because I was really uncomfortable during the contractions. At this point I decided I was ready to start using the TENs machine for pain relief. David and my mom got it sorted and put it on my back, which took a while to sort out, and I found it quite useful. Then the Harams arrived to see how things were going and they offered to pick up things from the shop for us, so then I decided to wait to go upstairs until they came back with the things from the shop. As a result, I ended up not going upstairs until midnight, when David and I decided to try to lie down and get some rest in between contractions. I was desperately tired and wanting to get off my feet which is why I was willing to try lying down. We knew it was going to be a long night!
As soon as we went upstairs things ramped up. I knew that coping with the contractions while lying down was going to be more difficult, which is why I had waited until after I was using the TENs machine to try it. Sure enough, the contractions became REALLY intense and within 20 minutes of lying down they were also becoming more frequent. We had stopped timing the contractions hours before, so that we wouldn't get discouraged by seemingly "slow" progress, but David could tell by my body's reactions to the contractions that it was time to start the stopwatch again! He was brilliant at holding me and reminding me to relax. The pain was excruciating - it was ALL back labour and I felt like I was being swallowed by the pain. I was forced to begin vocalizing (moaning and saying "ow") during contractions to stay relaxed and control my breathing. It was so painful and very difficult to cope, but we persevered for an hour and a half until the contractions were coming fast and furious. Then David had the fun job of getting me out of bed and back downstairs. I had three contractions on the way down the stairs! By now it was about 1:30 or so in the morning.
We knew it was time to phone for the midwives again, but by the time we got them on the phone I couldn't speak through the contractions and David told them to come out. I transitioned back onto the birthing ball - I spent the next hour or two alternating between sitting upright and leaning forward onto cushions on the back of a chair, and kneeling on the floor leaning over the ball and resting the weight of my upper body on it. I was still using the TENs for pain relief but I knew that soon I would be ready to get into the pool, because the TENs machine was no longer helping as much with the pain. However I was determined to wait until I couldn't bear it anymore before I got in - I think I was afraid that the warm water would slow my contractions down and I would be in labor even longer as a result!
The midwives arrived around 2:30am. I was so focused that I basically ignored them. The contractions continued to be regular (but I have no idea how frequent) and very painful. At some point not too long after they arrived I vomited - definitely a sign of transition. Not too long after that, I decided it was time to get into the pool. My body was so tired and sore from constantly bearing my weight (no matter how I was using the ball) and the back labor was excruciating. I got into the pool, and it was amazing!! It was very soothing to my strained muscles. it didn't do much for the labor pains (I didn't expect it to, honestly) but simply not having to bear my own weight, and being able to move freely around, was a massive improvement.
I'm not sure exactly how long I labored in the pool. Mostly I was stretched out leaning back and resting my head against the side of the pool. My mom and David were brilliant about holding a cold cloth on my forehead and rubbing my shoulders gently and encouraging me to keep my arms relaxed during a contraction. At some point the pool needed to be topped up slightly with hot water to keep it warm enough.
Not too long after that, I suddenly felt really weird. I changed position so that I was facing the side of the pool and kneeling upright. I said to the midwife, "I can't tell whether my body is telling me I need to throw up or I need to push!" She laughed and said, "You wouldn't be the first woman to puke her baby out!" Just then I vomited - and my body switched into MASSIVE, unmistakable pushing mode. It was the most incredible experience. The urge to push was absolutely uncontrollable and involuntary. I wasn't expecting to be very noisy, but I did end up moaning and yelling quite a bit (but not screaming - I kept the noises deep so that it wouldn't expend energy) - I simply couldn't help making noise, it was completely involuntary and helped me push! David was sitting next to the pool facing me, close enough that I could hold onto him as I leaned over the side of the pool.
pushing (and resting in between contractions)
I really appreciated the fact that the midwives let me labour without interference, but at the same time they were very supportive and coached me through it. It buoyed me up to hear them say things like, "You're doing an amazing job pushing that baby out!" I don't know exactly how long I pushed for - it was about half an hour, definitely not more than 45 minutes from start to finish. The midwives checked the baby's heartbeat using a water-proof doppler every five minutes, but it was very non-invasive. I found that the whole way through the labour they were careful to give me my space so that I could stay focused and concentrated. I cannot stress enough how important this was to me!
here you can see the midwife monitoring the baby's heartbeat while I laboured. . . my mom is on the right.
When the baby's head started crowning, I was mentally prepared for it and used deep breathing to gently ease his head out, rather than pushing. I was SO determined not to tear! My waters broke and the midwife had been monitoring me closely using a mirror on the bottom of the pool (watching the baby's head appear and recede with each contraction) and knew that I was close to delivery. There was fresh green meconium in the waters and she told me so, but said "The baby's heartbeat is fine and you are going to have him out in a couple of pushes, so you're good to go!" Again, this was fabulously encouraging to me. I cannot stress how much I appreciated her level-headed approach to the situation. (There was NO way I was going to get out of the pool at this point anyway. HA!)
Two contractions after my waters broke, I pushed the baby's head out. . . shoulders came with the next contraction, and then the rest of the body followed. It was an immensely gentle birth. The midwife caught the baby and the cord was wrapped twice around his neck so she immediately unwrapped it and handed him straight to me. We got out of the pool immediately because the temperature had dropped during while I was pushing and wasn't warm enough anymore. They wrapped us up with towels and my husband and I sat on the floor and cuddled him. Our baby boy, Elijah Carter, was born healthy and absolutely beautiful at 5:25am on Thursday July 1 (which was 40+6) after 24 hours of labour. Because the waters hadn't broken until just before he was born, his head didn't have the squished look of some newborns. He was 7lbs 9oz. And he had a full head of hair.
midwife unwrapping the cord from his neck and handing him to me
just born
The cord stopped pulsating pretty quickly and the midwife then cut it. The placenta was delivered naturally 7 minutes after Elijah was born - completely effortlessly. I lost an average amount of blood and only had the slightest of abrasions - no tearing at all. Elijah had his first feed within 20 minutes of being born and has been a champion nurser from the very start. I was so happy that the midwives were in no hurry to take him away from me to weigh him or anything. They left us alone on the couch to cuddle for a long time.
And that is the story of our birth - everything went smoothly, exactly as I had hoped it would, it is a beautiful and still awe-inspiring memory for me and I am very, very, very thankful for the excellent care of the homebirth team midwives here in Glasgow. The fact that they supported me in my desire to have a completely natural, drug-free, non-invasive labour (no VEs or anything) absolutely made my day and helped me to stay positive and focused throughout the entire experience. And we are so blessed to have Elijah added to our family!
he immediately went for his fist/thumb! here he is snuggled up with his grandma
our new family snuggling together :)
P.S. I already put up a lot of photos in the two previous posts - so check them out if you haven't already, and more will be coming soon! :)
Thursday, 15 July 2010
photos! :)
Elijah is two weeks old today!
Taken when he was half an hour old and nursing for the first time:
In his moses basket for the first time:
He loves to cuddle.
He is such a peaceful, contented baby.
Sleepily blowing bubbles and holding daddy's hand
Warm and cozy
Surrounded by gifts from friends: the bear is from his Auntie Sarah's wedding the weekend before he was born, the blue blanket was made for him by Betty Ann, and the colorful blanket was made for him by his Grandma :)
Our sweet boy
Totally relaxed and enjoying life!
Tucked away in the pram for a walk
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