How are you doing with reading the Bible?
I am behind. A disruption in our internet affected the way I’ve been reading – online with my computer. I’m still reading but balancing a Bible while feeding a baby is a little more difficult. Hoping to catch up soon!
Here we are – Day 11! How are you doing?
I got behind this weekend by one whole day! But I actually caught up between last night and today. So now I’m officially still on Day 11 and I think I’ll easily get it done.
To be honest, I was glad to finish Leviticus! All those laws and regulations get so tedious. Imagine living by them – Thank You God for sending Jesus!
I’ve figured out my best time to read is while I’m feeding Isaiah. It happens ever 3 hours during the day and lasts about 30 minutes. That gives me at least 3 hours to read – which I don’t need. I usually can finish the day’s reading by my third feeding of the day – except for today when I was playing catch-up.
When is your best time to read?
Check out MomsToolbox for more B90 encouragement and other bloggers who accepted the challenge!
One of the best things about being a new mommy is how fun it is to discover your little one’s personality. I love taking personality tests and talking about categorizing personality but I figured all that would happen when he was older. Little did I know there is a lot to learn during those first few months. I’ve learned so far that…
Isaiah hates to be wakened up. Most people do, but he really does and will let you know.
Chillin out in the tub
Isaiah loves water! In the bathtub he is hilarious. He just leans back and chills. I hope he’ll enjoy swimming one day too.
Isaiah gets warm easily. Here in Africa, for some reason many people bundle their babies up against any chill. We’ll be at the mall and see parents in tank tops and shorts but their child in the stroller has a fleece blanket bundled around them. Crazy! Isaiah gets hot very easily and dislikes it a lot. Many times I’ll pick him up out of his car seat only to find him sweating on his back. So we love onesies and very light blankets.
Isaiah loves music. A friend gave us a lullaby cd – he loves it! Anytime music is on, he’ll quiet down and listen.
We just navigated through a 6-7 week growth spurt. Hoping to come out on the other side with the ability to sleep through the night – we’ll see. This motherhood thing is challenging but the most fun job ever! Can’t believe I get to raise this little boy – so precious!
What did you learn early on about your little ones?
Using the SOAP method that I got from Mom’s Toolbox.
Scripture: Genesis 28: 15
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
Observation: God promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes. God is also true to His promises and will do what He says He will do.
Application: As a child of God, we can trust in God’s promies to never forsake us or leave us. When He gives us a promise, He’s true to that promise. He is never late or slow to answer – just working in His perfect timing. We can trust in a loving and caring God who will be with us all the time.
Prayer: Thank you Father for always being with us. There is no where that we can go where you are not. You are with me everywhere and I do not need to fear because your great hand is protecting me. I put my trust in You. I lay down all my worries and choose to trust You instead.
I know your promises are true. You’ve shown me through my life! Thank you! I choose to trust You with the future and the promises You’ve whispered to my heart. You will accomplish what You have purposed. I want to be involved in what You are doing – please direct me and guide me. I give you my life and all that I am.
So my day 1 reading was finished before noon – my husband didn’t believe me when I told him. I found that if I read while feeding my newborn baby then I can knock out 3-4 chapters. I’m reading online right now because that’s easier to see while my hands are tied up holding the baby.
So the first day covers creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, the tower of Babel, the flood, the covenant with Abraham, and Sarai and Hagar- Genesis really moves through the stories from Sunday School! Great to put them all together and in context rather than independent stories.
I think it’s interesting that the thing (having a newborn) that I felt would hold me back in my goal to read the Bible is actually making it possible. How’s your reading going?
The only way I really see making the Read the Bible in 90 Days a reality in my life is to do it in community. I’m a people person and people around me doing the same thing I’m doing really motivates me. So I’ll be blogging when I can about the experience but I’ll also be reading other blogs who are participating -one of those is MomsToolbox.com.
Another great place for encouragement is the Bible in 90 Days site. I want to let you know about a great opportunity to sign up for daily emails of encouragement from this site. I signed up and I think it’ll really benefit you too! Check it out at this link:
http://www.biblein90days.org/bloggingthruthebiblein90days/
I hope you are excited! I am! And look how excited Isaiah is too!
Ok, so I’m not sure why I want to attempt this right now – I mean, I have a newborn baby and my life is a little up and down in regards to a schedule, but I really want to do this.
You Version online Bible resource has a reading plan for reading the Bible through in 90 days. I also saw this challenge on some other blogs and thought it would be a great idea. Mom’s Tool Box is leading a bunch of other bloggers to read. They also gave a website that advocating having the special 90 days Bible. I knew there was no way I could get that shipped over here (South Africa) in time, so I let the idea go. Then I got this email from You Version and I’ve decided to try.
You Version is a very cool online Bible resource that allows you to read the Bible in whatever translation you want online – or on your mobile phone if you can download the app.
So right now I think I’m going to sign up for the RSS feeds – it’ll send me an email and I can use that each day to know what sections to read.
If you want to give it a try, check out the websites I mentioned and figure out what works best for you. On You Version, you have to scroll through the reading plans to find the 90 Days plan.
And let me mention there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. My life right now is a little crazy with a newborn baby, but I’m going to try my best to get this done. If you are concerned about the time commitment, just give it a try. You will probably end up reading more of the Bible than you did before (and isn’t that the point?!) even if you don’t make all the readings everyday.
Leave a comment and let me know if you are in! I’ll be trying to post when I can about the readings and will be following some of the other blogs.
Just found out that this is called a “meme” (rhymes with “theme”). What’s a meme? I asked the same question – according to Chrisg.com – it’s what you call all those internet quizzes and surveys that I usually see on Facebook. I decided to include this one that I got from a blog – StuffParentsNeed.com – since it is Christmas season and I love it!
This year has been a bit different with the birth of our new baby but I’m sure I’m going to get right into the spirit when my sister, brother-in-law and brother arrive in a few days.
So, I’d love to see your answers too – feel free to answer the questions in a comment or on your own blog and leave a link!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE! Every year I try to pretend that I like Egg Nog only to not be able to finish a mug. But I love all things chocolate!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Both! When I was a girl, my parents would leave the big things unwrapped but wrap some small ones probably so we had something to open. Have no idea how we’ll do it when Isaiah is older… should talk to Greg about that!
3. Colored or white lights on tree/house? White. I do like the colored ones but have always chosen white for my tree and house.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put your decorations up? Soon after Thanksgiving. Right now we don’t have many decorations – hardly any – but I hope to add some every year. All my decorations are still back in the States slowly coming over in the extra space of friends and family who come to visit us.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Karbonader – Norwegian meatballs we grew up eating on Christmas Eve at my house. Yum!
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? We had a tradition of all gathering around the piano to sing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve. My sister and I would start preparing weeks ahead of time by dividing up the carols concerning who would accompany the singing on piano. For most of the songs, we had our favorites and would just agree on who played it best, but for a couple of them we both wanted to play. So then we would practice until try-out time. My mom would judge who played the song the best and they would win. It was probably the best piano practice we got all year!
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Actually discovered my parents putting together Easter baskets one night after we were supposed to be in bed. I was under 10, probably 7 or 8 years old. I put 2 and 2 together and figured if the Easter bunny was really mom and dad, Santa and the Tooth Fairy must be the same. I continued to play along for my little sister for a while. Not sure when she realized it, but then we had a much younger brother (11 years younger than me) so Santa continued to come to our house for a long time!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? As kids, we opened all our gifts from the family on Christmas Eve. As a married person, we’ve had different Christmas’ each year, so we don’t have a set tradition yet.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With ornaments from my childhood and special places we’ve traveled as a couple.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? LOVE IT! But I’ve always lived in the South where once or twice a year was a big deal.
12. Do you remember your favorite gift? I can’t really think of a favorite gift. As a child, I was so excited about my Barbie RV. As an adult, my husband gave me a beautiful tennis bracelet on our honeymoon – that’s a favorite!
13. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with friends and family and just celebrating God’s gift of Jesus and another year to live for Him.
14. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I used to love our traditional Christmas Eve as a child – we did the same things in the same order and ate the same food every year. But as an adult, I’ve come to embrace new things. I do still love Christmas cookies – especially the Norwegian family recipes since we rarely make those cookies any other time.
15. What tops your tree? A star
16. Which do you prefer – giving or receiving? I love to give gifts – especially when they are special to the person.
17. Candy canes: Yuck or Yum? Yuck. Can’t seem to eat a whole one.
18. Favorite Christmas show? It’s a Wonderful Life – I cry at the end every year!
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells. My high school’s elite choir ensemble would perform it every year at their Christmas concert. There’s nothing better! Wish I had it on cd!
We welcomed a little boy into the world – Isaiah Samuel Evans – on November 19, 2009. He was 3.4 kg/7 lbs 8 oz and 49 cm/19.5 in. We couldn’t be more thrilled!
Just after Isaiah was born!
I want to share my birth story because I totally got so much out of reading other people’s birth stories. But I want to warn you that I tell the whole story, so for some it might be TMI (too much information). If you are normally one of those people, just skip it. If you are someone who loves to hear the details, here it is! And if you are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, I hope it’s encouraging! I really had an amazing pregnancy and delivery and I praise God for it all! Can’t wait to do it again!
I am so happy to be a mother! I can’t believe it! It’s amazing the love that welled up in my heart for this little one the minute I laid eyes on him. I’m so in love with little Isaiah. We are so thankful for a healthy little boy!
Here’s how we got here….Wednesday, Nov 18, we had just finished lunch (about 11:30) and Greg and I were watching some TV before he headed to his weekly prayer meeting downtown. All of a sudden, I felt something wet and I jumped up from the couch and ran over to the tile. I told Greg, “I think my water just broke.” He just stared at me blankly. “Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened,” I said as I felt water running down my leg. Greg went to get me a towel – none on the couch, just the tile – woo, hoo!
I called my doctors office and the receptionist told me to head to the hospital and she would let my doctor know. We gathered up all our things – I was in a little shock. I mean I knew he could come any minute but I totally thought I’d be into next week. In fact, just that morning I had emailed a friend and had said nothing was going on here.
So at the hospital (about noon), they walked me to the Labor Ward. I put on a gown – pretty cool one that crisscross tied in a nice blue color – and started answering questions fro the nurses. I still was not having any contractions. My doctor came in and examined me and they all decided that my water had broken. I was 1-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor to check the baby’s heartbeat and to see if I was having contractions. I actually was but didn’t know it. The contractions continued to get stronger, but just felt like menstrual cramps to me and I seemed to be handling them fine. At this point, I was still saying I wanted to try to do it without pain relief. Greg and my doctor were both advocating the epidural, but I wanted to see how far I could go. My doctor was also delivering another baby that day, so he went off to help her and said he’d be back at 2 pm to check how I was doing.
So we just sat there while my contractions got a little worse, but still manageable. I received the lovely enema and just spent time going to the bathroom. 2 pm came and went and we could actually see through the glass windows, that our doc was still in and out of that delivery room. A little before 4 pm, Greg went home to let the dogs out and get them all set. While he was gone, my doctor came by again and did another exam. I was only between 2-3 cm now, so he decided to stretch my cervix. It was so painful – it was that moment that I decided to go for the epidural! He wanted to also start me on oxytocin that would speed things up and make the contractions more intense. The nurse called, and arranged for it and I was moved to a delivery room. Now the contractions were coming on much harder since the little stretching and I was anxiously awaiting the anesthesiologist.
The anesthesiologist was this older gentleman who explained everything to me. He put an IV in my wrist that didn’t hurt at all – which was one of the things I dreaded about the whole procedure – and did the epidural with no pain at all. Greg came back in the middle of it and was also glad that I was getting it done. He asked if his was next.
After that, everything was peaceful! They started the oxytocin, my doc did another exam – this time it didn’t hurt at all – and my contractions kept coming stronger. For those of you who haven’t had an epidural, I was so surprised at the effect. It didn’t take all feeling away from my lower part of my body, but just pain. You can still feel touch, but it’s not painful. Amazing!
The labor room had a TV, so we sat there watching stupid movies (Stepbrothers with Will Ferrell was on the movie channel – you really can’t get much stupider than that!) while we waited for my cervix to dilate. At 9 pm, I was only 6 cm, so they turned up the oxytocin and my doctor said he’s see me in 2 hours. I know when your water breaks they like to have the baby delivered within 12 hours, so we working under a deadline. At about 10:40, I started feeling a lot of pain/pressure near my tailbone. I didn’t know if that was normal, so Greg went to find the nurse and she said it was a good sign. That got so uncomfortable as we waited for the doc to come back at 11 pm. When he did, it was time to start pushing! Yea!!
So we pushed for over an hour. Isaiah’s head was almost out – we were all excited – but then it stopped moving. Push after push didn’t make much of a difference, so the doctor decided to use the vacuum extraction to help. That also meant a lovely episiotomy. Both those things I really wanted to avoid, but at this point, he just needed to be born, so none of that mattered!
One more push, with the help of the vacuum and Isaiah was born! They put him on my tummy and it was so amazing! Even though he was slimy and covered in stuff, it really was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
His coloring was really good – nice and pink. He wasn’t screaming, but the doctor slapped him on one of his feet and he showed off the set of lungs he has. They cleaned him up right there and then handed him back to me. We were able to cuddle and breast feed for the first time. He latched on very quickly and acted like he knew what he was doing.
I stayed at the hospital for the rest of the night that Isaiah was born and the next night. We came home on Friday, November 20th and started the adventure called parenthood.
39 weeks pregnant… only one week till the due date. I’m very excited but nervous too about this huge life change.
I know with any addition to your life it takes a little bit till it feels normal. The beginning always feels very stretching and challenging, but then you settle into the “new normal.”
I’m praying for a happy baby who eats and sleeps good. I’ve read all types of books and we attended classes, but I doubt I’ll ever feel totally prepared. But families forever have been having babies, so I know we can do it!
I wonder, those of you who have children… what was the biggest surprise to you – good or not so great?
