He's Here!

Our dear little nephew, Riley James, was born August 28, 2008 a little after 2 a.m. He weighed 9 lbs and was 20 inches long! Mom and baby are doing great! We are dying to see him (even some photos!!!!) and won't get to see him until Sunday! He'll practically be grown by then! :) :) :) We are so excited and happy for this newest addition to our family!

Thank you Jesus for little Riley!

A Good Norm?

Is it ever a good thing when puking becomes a routine and expected part of your day? I don't think so, but that has become my life. I am into week 8 now and am PRAYING daily that when I get to the end of this trimester I'll be feeling better. I'm ready to start feeling some of those good things about being pregnant! :) The baby is the size of a kidney bean this week, about 5/8 of an inch. It's remarkable to me how it is developing and changing and growing so much just in a week's time! The eyelids are formed, the fingers are more defined and not just little webs. It's just so miraculous to me, and I can't even fathom how someone can think we just happened. Or, to think that this little miracle isn't worth anything and can be easily discarded like a dirty kleenex. (OK, opinion alert!!) Birth truly is a miracle! Though I've been sick, miserable, losing weight (this is a positive if you ask me!!), being grossed out by the simplest of smells, I have been trying (operative word here...) to see the miracle that is taking place inside of me. I'm trying to focus on that and not the constant nausea. God is good. I have made it through 2/3 of this trimester w/out incident. I go in for my 1st appointment next Wed and am so excited to hear what the doctor has to say. I'm praying for a good report and that everything is going along as it's supposed to! :) It'll also be nice to get a better due date than just "early April," though I don't think it'll change much from that.

Well, I will close for now, praying you find the "little" miracles to be astounding to you today!

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

The steadfast love of the Lord never changes.

His mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning,

New every morning.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

I love this song. The tune is soothing to the ears and heart, the words are soothing to the soul. Though I'm having another bad day physically, I am reminded of His steadfast love, and that He is FAITHFUL and his mercies never end. I have to remind myself of these things often. I couldn't keep breakfast down today. But, I have managed to get a few crackers and yogurt down. I find that merciful from our Father.

I am missing 2 wonderful ladies today. First, my grandma, Barbara Jean Russell. She is my Grandpa's first wife of over 50 years. She and I were so much alike. Not liking to show our true emotions and preferring to hide behind a tough exterior then to appear vulnerable. But, having lots of love to give. She was a woman who loved a good joke and laughed easily at things she found delightful. The other woman is Hanna Rork Russell, my Grandpa's 2nd wife of almost 2 yrs. She is in heaven with Barbara and I want more than anything to tell them in person that they will have another great-grandbaby. I know they would both be ecstatic and so proud and joyful! They would also be able to comiserate on feeling so yucky and would offer HELPFUL information and above all would keep me and this little one in their prayers. Both of these women taught me that God is FAITHFUL!!!! There's no questioning that. Life may not always be sunshine and roses and our health may not always be what we would like, but GOD IS FAITHFUL! This is a promise we MUST hold onto.

These beautiful women will never hold my babies this side of heaven, but, I somehow can't help but wonder if they know anyway and are jumping for joy in heaven and praising our Father for this little blessing.

The steadfast love of the Lord never changes...

End in sight?

Sigh...it's been a rough week. This morning has been especially so. Not knowing when it will end is probably what makes it worse. I am reminded daily of my need for HIM! Only with Christ's help can I get through this. There's no other way. And, I can't do this without my husband. He has been a complete and total gem and blessing to me. I know I haven't been a great wife, I know that things aren't as we're used to, but he doesn't complain, he just cooks supper, endures his wife's inability to eat it and does the dishes as well as other household chores. Thank you David! I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I would appreciate prayer today. Pray that this baby continues to grow healthy despite my inability to eat seemingly anything. Pray I have the strength to get through this day at work. And pray for David as he serves and ministers to me.

Can I do it?

Yesterday was a bad day of morning/all day sickness. Even my Saltines didn't want to go down. It was a rough day, I only made it at work for 1/2 a day and slept the afternoon away at home. I woke up feeling rotten, hungry, not sure what to eat and knew I had to pull myself together for Bible study that night. I climbed into bed last night and just cried with my husband, stating that I don't know if I can do this. I know, it's a bit late for that, but still, I didn't know I could feel so rotten. My dear husband rubbed my back (which is starting to ache a bit now), kissed my head and said, "Of course you can do it, Honey." I'm glad he's so sure because right now I'm having my doubts! My earnest prayer is that I don't feel this way throughout my whole pregnancy. I know many who have felt terrible the whole time, and I'm SO praying that I'm not one of them. I know if I am God will give me the strength I need. I have been singing the following song a lot lately. It's always been one of my favorites. I'm sure you know it too!

You are my strength when I am weak,
You are the treasure that I seek.
You are my all in all.
Seeking you as a precious jewel,
Lord to give up, I'd be a fool.
You are my all in all.

Chorus:
Jesus, Lamb of God,
Worthy is your name!
Jesus, Lamb of God,
Worthy is your name!

When I fall down you pick me up,
When I am dry you fill my cup.
You are my all in all...

What beautiful words!!!! They have always been an encouragement to me and they are so true now in this chapter of life that I'm into. I hope that today you can find Him to be your ALL IN ALL!

The Smells of Africa

As you may know, I have lived 10 years of my life in Africa. Eight of those years was as a child in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and two years as an adult in Cameroon. I visited several other countries in Africa during those 10 years: Kenya, Uganda, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. I have seen poverty and beauty in every part. I have seen children running around with bloated bellies due to malnutrition, and I have seen babies who were perfectly healthy. I have seen the beauty of God's creation in plants, animals, birds. I have tasted MANY foods I loved and miss dreadfully and some I'm OK with never having again! I miss mangoes, papaya, and apple bananas. I miss the simpler way of life, I miss seeing millions of stars every night and hearing rain on the tin roof. What brings on all this reminiscing? This morning as I stepped out the door to come to work the air outside, for some reason, smelled like Africa. Isn't it interesting how smells can take us immediately back to something? Someone was, or had been burning wood and that combined with the newness of morning made me feel like if I looked up I'd see a palm tree waving in the breeze. Alas, no, I'm here in Hillsdale, but it was a pleasant memory nonetheless. The photo above was taken in Cameroon one morning. Just a piece of my African home.

Death and New Life

It's been a whirlwind the last few weeks. It seems life just never knows when to slow down!! We were called back to Akron last week for another funeral. This time it was David's Uncle John (his step mom's twin brother). It was all very sudden and unexpected. It was the last thing we expected to hear on Tues. morning when we found out. We headed down TH morning, got to my parent's house and went to visitation that evening. The funeral was Friday morning, followed by a nice dinner. The legacy of Uncle John is a wonderful one! You could not leave the funeral without knowing he was a man who loved the Lord and his family. We hated being in Akron for another sad time, but it was good to see family you don't often get to see, even if for a sad occasion.

It's time I announce that I am pregnant!!!!! I've had my suspicions for a few weeks now and last Sunday it was confirmed when the test turned positive in less than 10 seconds! :) We are, of course ECSTATIC and can't wait to hold this wee one in our arms come April. I'm feeling quite sick. I "finally" threw up this morning. I'm really hoping it won't be an all-day thing, so far so good. Saltine crackers and water are my new best friends. Strange the things one's body goes through. There is so much change even now. I have, of course, become exceedingly emotional, much to my husbands perplexity as to how to deal with his now overly-dramatic, crying wife. Pray for him. He's really stepped up to the plate, helping around the house, etc, but I know my feeling sick and out of sorts will wear on him, as it will on me. I am currently 6 weeks along and according to babycenter.com my baby is the size of a lentil bean! :) Oh, and it's heart is starting to beat now!!!!!! SO amazing!!!!!

Praise God for his MANY, MANY wonderful blessings!