All about reading

Jeremiah has known his alphabet for a while now and so we figured the next step was to teach him the sound that each letter makes. He has a toy (Leap Frog Fridge Phonics) that is awesome and he loves that helps with this. He also has lots of books that help with this too - his favorite being the Dr. Suess ABC book.

While we have known this is the next step I haven't really worked on it with him for a few reasons; 1) I don't want to push him beyond his interest level (his only 2 1/2 there is no hurry to read) and 2) I'm really tired and when reading time comes right before nap time I am really just thankful that I have made it that far in the day.

Anyway, the other day we were reading a Baby Einstien Book (he loves those too) and all of the sudden he points to the word "apple" and says "ah-puh-pul-luh-eh". I looked at him abit shocked. "Baby are you sounding out the word you see there?" I turn the page to "cat" and hear "kah-ah-T." Um, what is going on here? Turn the page to "moon" to see what will happen and hear "muh-oh-oh-un". Ok so the two 00's together is abit tough. Turn to "snow" and hear "ss-nuh-oh-wuh."

I was stunned. It doesn't exactly sound like reading as he is just learning the letter sounds and so stringing them together is still abit disjointed. But it is definitely a first step! I assumed that Aaron had started teaching him so when Aaron got home I excitedly pulled out the book and Jeremiah repeated his performance. I asked Aaron, "Have you been teaching him that?" "No, have you?" was the response. Apperantly our son thinks it's time to move on to the next level.

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I have now read the last Harry Potter book twice. The first time I just gobbled it down so that I could find out what happened. Then I read it more slowly in order to drink it in more and see if I missed anything. I can't say a lot because Aaron hasn't read it yet but I will say this - it was good (but felt weird to not have all of it occur at Hogwarts)! And I was right in all of my predictions! However, I think my favorite of the series is still The Goblet of Fire, I'm not sure why. It is a bit sad to see the series end but nice to have closure and not be frustrated at the end of reading the book and needing to wait for the next one to come out.

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Today my parents arrive. When we talk with them on our webcam Jeremiah always wants them to read to him. I have been promising him that they will read to him when they come and visit. Hope they are ready for reading lots of the same books over and over again! :-)

Need prayer today!

Just a quick note to ask you all to pray for me today. I don't know if I have caught some kinda stomach bug or what but I was up until 4am last night with indigestion and just couldn't get comfortable. This morning is not much better.

Aaron of course had to go to work.

I was planning on doing all the stuff that needed to be done before my parents get here. But right now my energy is severely lacking and I feel horrible. So, they may just show up to a messy house tomorrow......

Please pray that God will give me the strength to make it through the day until Aaron gets home!

They're coming!

My parents arrived safely in Philly on Friday! They are now on the same side of the ocean that we are! We are counting the days until Tuesday when they come to our house. I started talking to Jeremiah about oma and opa coming sometime last week. He kept saying, "oma and opa come next weeks?!" He seems to totally understand that they will be here for a visit and keeps pointing to the guestroom - "oma opa sleep?"

Last week was a bit of an adjustment for me as Aaron had to go to school for a few days to start setting up his classroom and attending new teacher orientation. With him gone I fully realized how much I depended on him the week before to keep Jeremiah occupied and help with cleaning. I also realized that I just plain missed his company when he wasn't home. We have been using the new cell phone more than we thought we would, just to talk during the day!

So, he starts a regular schedule tomorrow. He still has 3 days of preparation and then the students first day is Thursday.

But my parents will be here on Tuesday! (oops, did I mention that already? hee hee)

We dropped Jeremiah off at the Rapier grandparents yesterday afternoon. We went to McKays and Target doing some errands and then decided to head home since I was really tired and uncomfortable. We called Chad & Cherise who came over for fajita's and a movie. It was fun to hang out with them.

This morning we were looking forward to sleeping in since Jeremiah is not here to wake us up. But poor Aaron's body clock has been reset since he is the one that has been getting up early with Jeremiah and I woke up of course hungry and needing to pee. So we are up, but it is still nice to enjoy a quiet morning - I may even get to blow dry my hair this morning. Imagine! :-)

Being honest with myself

Last time I went to my appointment with my midwife I asked her if she thought it was worth it for Aaron and I to make a birth plan this time around. Last time we made a birth plan and it barely got looked at and once we got to the hospital things went totally different than planned so I don't think we even thought about it. But, it seems that birth plans are all the rage and I wanted to make sure that if it would be helpful we did make one. She suggested that we do make one because it was a good opportunity for Aaron and I to talk and communicate about how we ideally would want the birth to go, what things were important to us, and also to talk through what we would do in possible worst case scenarios.

That was almost 2 weeks ago and we still haven't made a birth plan. Another one of those things that gets put off until the last minute with a second child I guess. But I have been thinking about the birth.

When pregnant with Jeremiah we went to the childbirth classes at a hospital. We also got a number of books on birthing naturally (the Bradley method book in particular) and practiced all the techniques and stuff intended to help me have a baby without using medication. We were gung ho and convinced that I would not take any medication.

Then labor started.

Four hours into continuous back labor I just couldn't take it anymore and requested an epidural.

Ever since then I have felt abit guilty for not trying harder to go without medication. Most of my friends who have recently given birth have been able to go unmedicated. But as I was reading through all my childbirthing books again I realized the truth about myself - for me, childbirth is not about the amazing experience of labor and birth that the books talk about. For me it is not about getting in tune with my body or experiencing the process of my body in labor. I really just see it as a necessary step toward getting to my goal of holding my baby in my arms.

Don't get me wrong, I think that the way God made our bodies to give birth is amazing. But I do not see the labor and moment of birth as bathed in this memorial light that the books describe. I honestly just want to get it over with.

Does this make me any less of a woman? Am I weak in body and mind? Should I feel guilty about the fact that this time around, while I intend to try and go without medication again, I am much more open to asking for medication if I need it? I don't think so. We have done all the research on the possible complications that can come with having an epidural. We understand the risks. The epidural did not seem to effect Jeremiah negatively in any way. He was born with eyes wide open and was alert from that moment on. He had no problems with bonding or breastfeeding.

So, as I think about Nathaniel's coming birth I am praying again that God will prepare the way. That He will give Aaron and I the strength and wisdom we need to make the correct decisions when the time of labor comes. And that most importantly, when it is all over, He will bless us with a healthy little boy. Please join me in this prayer.

35 Weeks

Here is what my tummy looks like at 35 weeks. People keep telling me that I look small and cute, but I think they are just being kind. I feel like I am the size of a small cow! I am not comfortable in any position for very long. And of course sleep is hard to attain. I am still amazed at how hard this little guy can kick! I can often identify a foot sticking out from right beneath my ribs. I really don't remember how it felt with Jeremiah so I am having a hard time comparing the two but this one sure feels more active.

As my energy level has significantly dropped (didn't know it could since I was so tired before, but it has) it has been so good to have Aaron home and around the past week. He has started going in to set up his classroom this week but he lets me sleep in abit (until 8 or 9!) and then goes to work after I get up. What a man! And thankfully my parents will be here next week. So I feel like I am being well taken care of in these last few weeks. Which is a good thing since once the baby is here Aaron will be smack dab in the middle of work and my parents won't be here so my help then will be limited.

Besides the usual exhaustion that comes at the end of a pregnancy I am feeling pretty good. I am experiencing some nausea again but thankfully no sickness like in the beginning. I am having a lot of braxton hicks contractions, for those of you that don't know what those are they are the "practice" contractions that come before the real thing. They are fairly strong and sometimes I have to stop and breathe through them.

Emotionally I am just trying to hang in there knowing that the end is finally and truly in sight. Honestly, there are some days when I think that there is no way I can do this for another minute. I am excited to meet Nathaniel and have him here as part of our family. I am also nervous about being a mother to 2 children. I am continuing to learn to rest in God's love for me and trust that like He promised He will not give me more than I can bear.

The crazy things he does

Jeremiah usually wakes up between 6:30 and 6:45 every morning - no matter how late he stays up the night before or how busy his day was. He has gotten pretty good at just playing in his room until one of us comes to get him. Unfortunately we have been lax with our original timed light, but it is probably time to start enforcing that again. Anyway, the other morning Aaron went into Jeremiah's room and found this scene.

Jeremiah loves his Dr. Suess books and lines them up on his bookshelf all next to each other so that all the little cat in the hat symbols are together. Some nights when it is time to read he will go over to his bookshelf, pull out all the Dr. Suess books (there are more than in this picture) and say "read all books!" I guess the other morning he decided to lay them all out on his bed and admire them.

On a positive sibling sharing note - this morning baby Roger came to our house again and since yesterday Jeremiah has been talking about sharing his blocks with baby Roger and wanting to sing him songs! He was very gentle with Roger this morning and spent some time trying to make him smile and handing him blocks. I also held baby Eli for some time at a congregational meeting on Sunday night and Jeremiah showed no signs of jealousy! Jeremiah's latest thing to do is to lay his head on my belly and sing "You are my sunshine" to Nathaniel. It is the sweetest thing!

A morning at the park

Jeremiah loves to recline in his beach chair. Tasting a Dorito for the first time. "Um, yummy chip!"
Aaron found it necessary to take a picture of me.


Jeremiah goes exploring.Does papa see this picture as an illustration of the behvior challenges we have had lately? :-)

On Saturday morning we went up to Cloudland Canyon for a Rapier family reunion. It was a beautiful morning and Jeremiah loved playing outside. He wanted to walk and explore. Right before we left he found a little stream and kept exclaiming about the water that he saw.

A Busy Day

Getting wet in the shower tunnel thing.

Going down the slide with papa!

Are any of those for me?

Watching the big kids being crazy on the slide.

The little kids content themselves to play with the hose.Jeremiah makes a new little friend.Yum! Gotta love blue Spider-Man cake!

Yesterday was a busy day for us. In the morning we went up to Cloundland Canyon and had a reunion with the Rapier side of the family (all of Steve's dad's family). I had never met any of them so it was a bit overwhelming. It was a beuatiful day though and Jeremiah enjoyed being outside. (I will post pics of that later.)

Then it was home for a nap and off to Levi's 3rd birthday party. This was Jeremiah's first attendance at a small friends party and he had a blast. Levi has a water party every year - his mom rents a huge 18 foot water slide and some other inflatable contraptions and kids of all ages have a blast for hours on end. We were home late and tired - but of course Jeremiah's body clock insisted that he wake up at his normal time of 6:45 a.m.

Joining the crowd

For those of you who know Aaron well you know that his interest in having a cell phone has been absolutely nil. Most of the time he makes sarcastic comments about drivers talking on their phones, people whose phones ring while we are watching a movie (and other inopportune moments), and people that we see who seem to have a phone permanently attached to their ears while they ignore their family and others around them.

But today it seems that pigs have flown, hell has frozen over etc. etc. because Aaron is now the owner of a cell phone.

About a week ago out of the blue he said, "I think I need to get a phone." I almost fell over. Who are you and what did you do with my husband?

I think that it is mostly a safety factor. He is going to be riding his motorcycle most days to his school which is about 30 minutes away (on country roads). He will no longer have a direct line to his office where I can reach him at any point during the day.

I think that it also helped that he could get a phone that he can download and play music with.

So, for those of you thought it would never happen, our family is finally entering the 21st century.

Getting Ready for Baby

We spent the morning working in Jeremiah's room (soon to be "the boys room") rearranging furniture and setting up the crib. Jeremiah was very excited and kept quoting a line from one of his books about waiting for baby, "rum tum, baby come!" Well, he's going to have to wait a little while still but I felt the need to get this done while Aaron was here at home.

Jeremiah helps put the crib together. He is helping getting "rewy for baby No-ban-nol to tom."
Can I please get in the crib?

Up in the crib! It took us about 30 minutes of explaining that this was not his new bed and a bribe of a new book (we have a stash of "older brother gifts") before he would get out and agree not to sleep in the crib.

The Finished Product

Sort of - there is still some work to do. Eventually this is going to be only the sleeping room. All the toys and most of the books will go in the all-purpose room (office/play/guest room).

Movie Recommendations

I am always looking for good movies to watch. So I thought I would pass along 2 that we have watched recently and that I highly recommend.

Syriana

I had been wanting to see this for a long time and I was not disappointed. It is a thought provoking movie on the various players and motivations involved in the oil industry. My dad is always looking for deep character development in movies and I think that he would not be disappointed. The characters are rich, deep, and conflicted. This is not the kind of movie that you can just sit back and be entertained by. It requires thought to watch. Afterwards Aaron and I had a great discussion about how our (personal and societal) need to consume effects others around the world. It is after all an increasingly global world and we are all more and more connected. Watch it!

Pan's Labyrinth

All I can say about this movie is - wow! I first heard about this movie when it was nominated for some academy awards last year (I think). I wondered if it was any good but didn't really know anything about it. Aaron's friend let us borrow it and highly recommended it. I will start by saying that it is not for kids! It is beautiful. The cinematography, the fantastical effects, the music, the story. All of it is a gorgeous tapestry. There is a lot of ugliness and scariness (the story takes place right before WW2 in Spain during the time of the dictator Franco) but the evil makes the goodness even more beautiful. I can't really say much about the movie without giving it away but I will say that this is the kind of movie that makes you feel like believing in fairy tales and that good can conquer evil even if there is pain in the process.

Computer literate?

This is the scene that I came upon when I got home from my midwife appointment this morning. Aaron has started to show Jeremiah how to use the mouse on the computer so that Jeremiah can look at his ABC game all by himself. Between the webcam, the computer, and his cell phones (don't worry they don't have service) this kid is going to be more technologically savvy than I ever hope to be!

Even though I don't start week 34 of the pregnancy until Wednesday I was scheduled for my midwife visit today. Again, everything looks good. Although it is abit strange, I have not gained any weight since my last visit 2 weeks ago. Juanita (my midwife) is not worried though - apparently my belly is measuring the right size and that is what is important . My next appointment will be at 36 weeks and I will have another ultrasound! I am excited that my mom will be here and be able to come and see Nathaniel on the screen. After that I start going to see Juanita every week! The reality of this pregnancy actually ending at some point is starting to set in....

Please continue to pray for us. Pray for a healthy last few weeks of pregnancy, a healthy baby, and patience for all of us as we wait these last few weeks.

Jeremiah and I are loving having Aaron home. Although I think that this week is going to fly by. Aaron and I sat down and made a list of things that we would like to get done while he is home and I think that it is already longer than we anticipated. I think that we may need to block off one day and have it just be a "fun day" with no projects or housework or anything.

Less than 2 months now!

As the count down to Nathaniel's birth continues we are now down to 7 weeks! Can you believe it? Time just keeps marching on and this little boy is going to be here before we know it. Our pastor's wife Kimberly calls the last weeks of pregnancy the ultimate time of living in the "already, not yet." (Those of you from Covenant who attended a class with Dr. Krabbendam will remember that phrase.)

For some reason that I can't quite identify this has been a rough week for me in all aspects; physically, emotionally and spiritually. I have spent the whole week feeling like I am just dragging around and am one step behind where I am supposed to be. Once again mundane tasks (like washing dishes or making dinner) seem like monumental undertakings.

On Monday I received some encouragement from someone I really respect. We were talking in the church parking lot (I was picking up Jeremiah's bag that we had left there and she was dropping off her daughter to leave for the high school camp) and she encouraged me that right now my first priorities were to take care of the baby inside me and take care of Jeremiah. That's it. I should not feel guilty that at this time in my life I do not have time or energy to do more. She was so sweet and encouraging to me and I am so thankful that God orchestrated that conversation.

The one thing that has kept me going this week is knowing that today is Aaron's last day at DFCS! After today we will have one whole week to spend together as a family - however we want. I can't wait!

Jeremiah has turned into a real cuddle-bug lately. He loves to give hugs and kisses and sometimes just wants to cuddle with me on the couch. He is also becoming a very independent little man in other ways. Here are some things that we dare not do for him or there will be a major meltdown; throw away the dirty diaper, close a door, feed the dog, take off his clothes before bath time. We as parents are now also trying to find our way through the minefield of consistent and loving discipline. How to stop the screaming? How to encourage obedience the first time we ask? It is a definite challenge and we are learning how to communicate better with eachother and exercise huge amounts of patience. Any advice would be welcome. :-)

A little green monster

The person I hired to be the new supervisor for MCC (Karen) has a 6 month old son named Roger. They were here last week for an informational/planning meeting. Roger played on a blanket on the floor. Jeremiah watched him with some interest. He was especially eyeing Roger's toys with interest. I asked Jeremiah if he wanted to share some of his toys with Roger and then maybe Roger would let Jeremiah see his toys. Jeremiah ran over and got out his blocks. These distracted Roger who then spent a good amount of time and energy rolling around the blanket trying to collect some blocks. Jeremiah took two of Roger's toy's to play with, one in each hand. Suddenly Jeremiah noticed that Roger had a block in his mouth. Jeremiah promptly says, "give back block!" I told him that since he had one of Roger's toys in each hand I thought he had made a pretty good deal and should quit while he was ahead.

This morning I told Jeremiah that Miss Karen and baby Roger were coming to visit again. He was pretty excited and kept asking all morning for "baby Rotert." We had a little conversation about being gentle with the baby and not taking his toys without asking etc. etc. When they arrived we again put blanket on the floor and let Roger commence with his play. Jeremiah decided to go to his room and play. I was itching to get my hands on the baby and Karen graciously let me hold him. As he was sitting in my lap and I was making silly baby faces and generally glorying in the feel of a soft, chunky baby Jeremiah decided to reappear. He took one look at me and the baby and said emphatically, "no mama no!" He then ran over to me and grabbed my arm trying to pull it off of Roger. It took a few minutes for me to calm him down and distract him by showing him he could count the baby's toes. The rest of the morning he stayed right by my side and wanted to sit in my lap. He was not about to let the baby usurp his place in my lap.

The adjustment to a new baby in the house may be a bit more challenging than I originally thought....

However, tonight Jeremiah kept wanting to read the books about "baby no-tanel come" (baby Nathaniel coming). We shall see.

Wolfmother

If you like rock n' roll, which I'm not sure that many of you reading this blog do- it's more likely that you like babies and pregnant women. & I like those things too. anyway. As I was saying if you like rock n'roll you have to check out... wolfmother.

I mean what a great name. How could you not like it?

I'll relate the story of my introduction. (& i'm way behind because these guys were making waves over a year ago)

We were watching the live earth concert, Saturday night and there were bands like, black eyed peas, genesis, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, duran duran, the police - nothing I can get really excited about.... then they went to Austrialia and we saw Jack Johnson who is cool but way laid back, like on the beach with a corona..or two.. way laid back. AND then this led zepplen, black sabbath sound and huge Hendrix afro sound are blasting and these guys are jumping aroung and rocking out. What a relief. Eventually we did here some more great music but I can't tell you how many times I've heard sabotage, enter sandman, and another brick in the wall.

So I looked up wolfmother on-line. (Apparently they have been pretty good for awhile, cause they won a grammy) and I saw the artwork.... it's beautiful. You can listen to their whole album on-line at the offical website.

I'm sure it's been on the radio. but I don't listen to the radio and that way they can't ruin it for me by playing it 3 times a days.

Here's a good blog post/discussion to read if you are interested.

anyway, enjoy the music.

Aaron

Garments of Praise

Garments of Praise
Put on the garments of praise for a spirit of heaviness
Let the oil of gladness flow down from Your throne
Put on the garments of praise for a spirit of heaviness
Your joy is my strength alone, my strength alone
--
Make these broken weary bones rise to dance again
Wet this dry and thirsty land with a river
Lord our eyes are fixed on you and we are waiting
For Your garments of grace as we praise your name

This is the song we sang as our call to worship on Sunday morning. I could feel my soul soaking it up like water. I have felt weary, broken, and a spirit of heaviness the past few weeks. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess just being tired of being pregnant. Being tired of not feeling like a good wife and mom. Being tired of being tired.... Obviously I have not had my eyes fixed on Jesus. So today I am going to sing this song over and over again as I go about my day and hope that the act of praising God and fixing my eyes on Him will bring the joy and strength that He has promised.

Ready for naps

I am exhausted and am so glad that Aaron is home to take over nap time!

Last night Aaron went to a bachelor party so I decided to rent a movie that I knew he would never want to see and enjoy and evening on the couch with some ice cream. It was great and I really enjoyed having some time to myself. But since I knew that he would be back late I didn't take my Benadryl to help me sleep (I didn't want to be drugged out in case Jeremiah needed me) and so did not get to sleep until past midnight.

Today with nothing on the agenda we decided to do some housecleaning. I think that Aaron and I are both starting to feel some nesting instinct and want to start getting ready for baby Nathaniel. Plus I must say with all of the sickness and lack of energy that I have experienced during this pregnancy there are areas of the house that are very unorganized and dirty. So today our project was sorting, organizing and cleaning Jeremiah's toys and closet. This ended up being a fairly crazy undertaking with us putting everything in the middle of his room in order to do the job thoroughly. But it has been worth it! The room is now ready for the crib to be set up the week that Aaron is on vacation. And Jeremiah's toys are all neatly put in boxes and baskets with a special box of "baby toys" for baby Nathaniel when he arrives.

Even though we still have about 2 months to go until his due date I have found myself a bit antsy to start getting baby things down from the attic and start sorting, washing, etc. Of course, it doesn't make sense to start that yet because most of the stuff will just end up being in the way. So I am telling myself that we at least need to wait 1 more week until Aaron is on vacation. Then we will start the process slowly and still have some last minute things to finish up when my parents are here. But every now and then I find myself looking at the small pile of things that is growing in my closet - some clothes a friend at church gave me (really sweet but goodness - this kid is going to have more clothes than anyone else in this house!), a cute blanket that I couldn't resist and picked up for $4.00 on sale, the bottles, and some other odds and ends that haven't made it to the attic. I look at those things and I feel excitement and anticipation growing. Our little one is on the way!

But, for right now I have done enough work for today and am going to curl up on my bed for a nice little nap!

4th of July Fun

We had a fun day at Steve & Brenda's house today with Caleb & Moni up from Atlanta. Cherise was there as well, but unfortunately no Chad, he was protecting Dalton from people with fireworks. :-) We spent the afternoon watching Jeremiah splash in the kiddie pool and then had a great dinner of southern bbq pork and ribs with all the fixings. Yum!

Also today in the Netherlands my brother Ben and (his now ex-fiance) Ramona got married! In the Netherlands you have to get married in the courthouse by a government official. They did this just to get the legal part over with - the church wedding and big party/celebration with all friends and family will be in December. We can't wait to celebrate with them. Congratulations guys!

Random Stuff

Time continues to tick on.

Lately I have felt a little bit like we are on vacation. With Aaron's summer class over he is now home every night by 5:15! It is so nice to have him home in time for dinner, play time and then he takes over bath and bed time. Our weekends feel much more free and relaxed too since he doesn't have to do homework. Jeremiah loves having his papa home more often!

I am starting to feel like I am getting my energy back. Now a month since my sinus infection I still have some residual congestion (especially in my ears) but I can tell I am getting better. I have also been taking iron pills for the past 2 weeks and I think that they must be kicking in because I don't feel quite so wiped out anymore. Seriously, for the past few weeks I have felt completely wiped out and ready to head back to bed by 10:00 in the morning!

My 32 week midwife appointment was yesterday. Again, just a routine measuring of the belly (32 inches!) and weight (I've lost 6 pounds in the past 2 weeks, can't quite figure that out) blood pressure (still really good) and baby's heart rate (135 beats per minute). So everything still looks good and right on track.

We are hoping to have a relatively easy and normal week after all the busy-ness of last week. By the weekend Jeremiah was so tired he was more prone to temper tantrums and lots of whining.

Naming Baby

Just like everything else in this pregnancy naming this little boy has been a process for us. I personally like names that are traditional but not too common, preferably Biblical, and possibly also with some kind of family connection. With this baby I was also insistent that his name have a meaning that reflects what we have been learning about God/grace/the gospel through this pregnancy. So, we had a lot of options. We actually had a very long list of names that we both liked but nothing that really "spoke" to us. So we just kinda sat on the decision.

Let me tell you first about the origins of Jeremiah's name.

We had many of the same problems when it came to naming Jeremiah, except it seemed worse. Aaron had one list of names he liked, I had another that was totally different. We were vetoing each others choices all the time. I joked with friends that God was going to have to name this baby because Aaron and I couldn't! In October I had to go up to Gatlinburg to do a training session for MCC. I was driving by myself and praying. As I was driving I just all of the sudden thought, "The name Jeremiah would be a good name." But, I decided not to mention it to Aaron and just pray about it. When I got home from my training Aaron was away for some reason that I now forget but he had written me a really sweet letter while I was gone. On the bottom of the letter he wrote, "I kind of like the name Jeremiah." Wow! But we still weren't sure. That next Sunday our pastor preached a sermon about the prophet Jeremiah and his ministry. It was awesome and we liked the way the name sounded coming out of someone else's mouth. Then, a few weeks later we were making some future plans. We pulled out the calendar for 2005 and turned it to February, Jeremiah's due date. On that page was the verse from Jeremiah, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with loving-kindness." We looked at each other - God had just named our baby! Jeremiah's middle name is Dewonne which is Aaron's and his dad's middle name.

So this time around we have been waiting to see what happens name wise and have not been in a hurry. But there were times when it seemed like we were just not going to agree. I think I am starting to learn my lesson about prayer and so I started praying again. In a similar way I began to pray about a name that I really liked but that Aaron was not too crazy about. We let the idea percolate and I decided not to push the issue but to once again just see if God would name this baby for us. One night after many weeks (months probably) of not really talking about it except in passing Aaron said out of the blue, "I think I like the name ......" I was happy, but not yet willing to commit unless he was 100% sure. We decided to use the name around the house and see if we liked the sound of it out loud. Then the other day Aaron said, "We might as well just start calling him ......" Again, I believe God had named our baby.

Ok, you've made it this far so enough suspense already, our baby's name is

Nathaniel Alan Rapier

Nathaniel means "given by God" - which is how I feel about this baby, he is a true gift to us by God with no planning or deserving on our part. The meaning also reminds me of the lessons I have been learning about God's gifts and provision in our lives. It was also the name of an Old Testament prophet and one of Jesus' disciples. Alan is my father's middle name.

So, both of our sons have pretty long names. I told a friend today that they won't be able to spell their own names until they are in the 8th grade! :-) But I love the fact that they have strong biblical names that they will hopefully grow into and understand the meanings of as they become men of God. Our prayer is that as they grow and we tell them the stories of the origins of their names they will see God's grace and work in their lives before they were even born or old enough to know about Him.

Thanks for hanging in there this long. Hope it was worth it!