Take your kids to work day?
Posted by Mark Armstrong Monday, March 31, 2008 10:32 AM 1 comments
Our Birth Story, by Margy Porter
Posted by Mark Armstrong 8:57 AM 0 comments
March 11, 2008 5:45pm
Joellen and Mark Armstrong were students in my childbirth class series at the Willamette Valley Medical Center. As it turned out, they were also good friends with several of my former Doula and Midwife-Assistant clients! That was a fun discovery. On the last night of class, Joellen asked me if I would be available to be a Doula for them, and if I'd consider bartering for payment. I was thrilled to serve them, and having Mark help me set up a website for my blooming Midwifery practice was a great trade!
Later that same week, Joellen felt she was having lots of contractions, and at an appointment with Dr. Barker she was assured that labor looked to be starting up soon. Unfortunately, it wasn't so. She was, in fact, having lots of contractions, but they didn't lead to labor right away. Joellen's uterus was doing its warm-up exercises, but wasn't in a hurry to shift to progressing labor. It was difficult to wait through the next two weeks, but Joellen and Mark found ways to pass the time.
Finally, on Monday March 10, Joellen started to feel noticeably stronger contractions at about 7 pm. She stayed around the house and felt things shift to become even stronger at 10:30 pm. She had a little applesauce to eat and laid down to rest for a bit. She even let Mark get some sleep as labor picked up momentum. At about 2:30am she decided to get Mark up and they made a trip to Winco to buy some food for Mark during labor. As they were leaving Winco they gave me a call at 3 am to say they thought they should head for the Birthing Center. I said I'd meet them there.
At WVMC, Joellen was settled into the exam room by Nurse Ellen, who checked Joellen's labor progress at 3: 15 am. She was 2-3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and 0 station. Her cervix was stretchy, and Ellen was able to stretch it to a solid 3 cm. (I'm not sure what was up with the 0 station estimate, because later exams put her at-2 and -1 station.) Unfortunately, the exam made Joellen's cervix bleed more than usual, and Ellen became very concerned. She called Dr. Barker to come and take a look. Thankfully, Dr. Barker felt it was fine and pointed out that she had a friable cervix with a history of cervical bleeding during her pregnancy. Thus, admission procedures were completed and Joellen was moved to room 4, the only labor room without a soaking tub. As it turned out, she was moved to room 4 because of the concern about the bleeding, Ellen had felt that it was likely Joellen would be having a cesarean birth.
At 8 am, Dr. Barker arrived to check Joellen's progress and found that she was 3-4 cm dilated, and he was able to stretch her cervix to a solid 4 cm. Dr. Barker felt that this was slow progress, but still progress, and he suggested breaking her water to speed things up. Mark and Joellen talked and decided that they would like to go ahead with the rupture of membranes, which Dr. Barker performed at 8:20 am. LOTS of water! Mark and I helped Joellen onto the ball with a chux pad after about 10 minutes so that we could clean up the soaking wet bed. As we finished, Natasha Lawson, Joellen's Nurse-Midwife, arrived. She was a breath of fresh air and a great support to Mark and Joellen. She encouraged Mark and I to go eat breakfast while she stayed with Joellen, doing some back massage as Joellen sat on the ball. As it turned out, it was Natasha's birthday, too.
At about 11 am, Joellen asked to be checked so that she could decide about having an epidural. She was very clear in her request. Natasha found that she was 6 cm dilated and -2 station and Joellen decided that she wanted an epidural for pain relief The process of calling the anesthesiologist was initiated, and Joellen tried to settle into the bed to handle very strong contractions that she no longer had motivation to cope with. It was a very difficult time in her labor for both Joellen and Mark. Dr. Richardson, the anesthesiologist, arrived at 11:40
At 3:30 pm, Joellen was 9cm dilated, but no further descent of the baby's head. Natasha said that she was beginning to worry about the length of the transition part of labor. Although baby had been doing very well, she felt that the baby's heartrate was beginning to show signs of a tired baby. We helped Joellen in to a squatting position at the foot of the bed, with th
At 5:15 pm, Joellen left the labor room while Mark and I dressed in scrubs, mask and hat. We joined her soon, and baby Asher was born at 5:45 pm. Mark was able to watch his arrival, and headed for the baby warmer to welcome his newborn son. Mark and Asher came back to visit with Joellen for about 10 minutes before they left to return to the labor room for newborn procedures. I stayed with Joellen during the completion of her surgery, hopefully providing comfort and reassurance. Joellen was uncomfortable with the feeling of her body being manipulated, but seemed to handle the medications and everything else very well. Dr. Barker was finished with her skin staples at 6:05 pm and she headed for recovery at 6: 15 pm. I wasn't able to accompany her to recovery, so I went back to the labor room with Mark and Asher. Newborn Asher weighed in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 lh inches long. His slightly molded head was 15 inches in diameter. He had sweet, long feet and very boy-ish hands! Cute as can be! He had his first bath at 6:25 pm and headed to the postpartum room to meet his mama at about 6:40 pm.
Congratulations on the birth of your sweet son! I know that Joellen and Mark will be devoted, loving parents to this wonderful baby boy!!! Thank you for asking me to serve you. With love, Margy
Joellen and Mark Armstrong were students in my childbirth class series at the Willamette Valley Medical Center. As it turned out, they were also good friends with several of my former Doula and Midwife-Assistant clients! That was a fun discovery. On the last night of class, Joellen asked me if I would be available to be a Doula for them, and if I'd consider bartering for payment. I was thrilled to serve them, and having Mark help me set up a website for my blooming Midwifery practice was a great trade!Later that same week, Joellen felt she was having lots of contractions, and at an appointment with Dr. Barker she was assured that labor looked to be starting up soon. Unfortunately, it wasn't so. She was, in fact, having lots of contractions, but they didn't lead to labor right away. Joellen's uterus was doing its warm-up exercises, but wasn't in a hurry to shift to progressing labor. It was difficult to wait through the next two weeks, but Joellen and Mark found ways to pass the time.
Finally, on Monday March 10, Joellen started to feel noticeably stronger contractions at about 7 pm. She stayed around the house and felt things shift to become even stronger at 10:30 pm. She had a little applesauce to eat and laid down to rest for a bit. She even let Mark get some sleep as labor picked up momentum. At about 2:30am she decided to get Mark up and they made a trip to Winco to buy some food for Mark during labor. As they were leaving Winco they gave me a call at 3 am to say they thought they should head for the Birthing Center. I said I'd meet them there.At WVMC, Joellen was settled into the exam room by Nurse Ellen, who checked Joellen's labor progress at 3: 15 am. She was 2-3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and 0 station. Her cervix was stretchy, and Ellen was able to stretch it to a solid 3 cm. (I'm not sure what was up with the 0 station estimate, because later exams put her at-2 and -1 station.) Unfortunately, the exam made Joellen's cervix bleed more than usual, and Ellen became very concerned. She called Dr. Barker to come and take a look. Thankfully, Dr. Barker felt it was fine and pointed out that she had a friable cervix with a history of cervical bleeding during her pregnancy. Thus, admission procedures were completed and Joellen was moved to room 4, the only labor room without a soaking tub. As it turned out, she was moved to room 4 because of the concern about the bleeding, Ellen had felt that it was likely Joellen would be having a cesarean birth.
At 4:30 am in room 4 we were introduced to our labor RN, JoAnn. Joellen found herself most comfortable sitting up on the edge of the bed for contractions. She also tried sitting in the rocking chair, but it wasn't as helpful. We turned down the lights and she tried walking a bit between contractions. By 6:15 am, the contractions had picked up again, becoming longer, stronger, and closer, and she was feeling more pain in back. Joellen was relaxing well during contractions, and used a variety of positions for comfort. She sat on the birth ball for quite a while, laid down to rest for a bit on the bed, and took a shower with the hand-held wand to help with her back pain. At 7 am we were introduced to Linda, our day-shift RN. Joellen decided to sit on the side of the bed again.
At 8 am, Dr. Barker arrived to check Joellen's progress and found that she was 3-4 cm dilated, and he was able to stretch her cervix to a solid 4 cm. Dr. Barker felt that this was slow progress, but still progress, and he suggested breaking her water to speed things up. Mark and Joellen talked and decided that they would like to go ahead with the rupture of membranes, which Dr. Barker performed at 8:20 am. LOTS of water! Mark and I helped Joellen onto the ball with a chux pad after about 10 minutes so that we could clean up the soaking wet bed. As we finished, Natasha Lawson, Joellen's Nurse-Midwife, arrived. She was a breath of fresh air and a great support to Mark and Joellen. She encouraged Mark and I to go eat breakfast while she stayed with Joellen, doing some back massage as Joellen sat on the ball. As it turned out, it was Natasha's birthday, too.
Mark and I were back in 15 minutes, and found Joellen handling stronger contractions with grace. By 10 am she was beginning to show signs of discouragement, and Natasha suggested that we move to one of the labor rooms with a soaking tub. I went down to fill the tub in room 2, while Mark and Natasha helped Joellen get ready to walk down the hall. Once settled in the water, Joellen had a lot of relief from the pain of contractions, but she also threw up and started to feel shaky-signs of more rapid cervical change. Her contractions were further apart, but very long when they came. At one point Joellen felt a little pushy, but the feeling passed. She made it through the contractions with long, open sounds, but it was obviously becoming a much stronger experience for her.
At about 11 am, Joellen asked to be checked so that she could decide about having an epidural. She was very clear in her request. Natasha found that she was 6 cm dilated and -2 station and Joellen decided that she wanted an epidural for pain relief The process of calling the anesthesiologist was initiated, and Joellen tried to settle into the bed to handle very strong contractions that she no longer had motivation to cope with. It was a very difficult time in her labor for both Joellen and Mark. Dr. Richardson, the anesthesiologist, arrived at 11:40
am and Joellen had pain relief by noon. In fact, she said that she felt the best she'd felt in 9 months!
At 12:30, Natasha checked her cervix and found that she was now 7-8 cm and the baby had made a little bit of progress to -1 station, which was still pretty high in the pelvis. The baby's head was in a favorable position (LOA to LOT) and was beginning to mold. So Joellen settled in to rest in a dark and quiet room
and let the labor progress on its own. Unfortunately, the popsicle she enjoyed was soon thrown up, but she handled it well. Natasha stepped out for a little while, and returned at 2:20pm to check Joellen's progress, 8 cm and -1 station with more molding and some caput (fluid under the scalp-common). Natasha suggested that Joellen try pushing to get the baby to come down because the cervix felt plenty stretchy to move out of the baby's path on descent. After a couple of trial pushes, Natasha said to wait a little longer before getting serious. So we sat and chatted, hanging out in the labor room.
At 3:30 pm, Joellen was 9cm dilated, but no further descent of the baby's head. Natasha said that she was beginning to worry about the length of the transition part of labor. Although baby had been doing very well, she felt that the baby's heartrate was beginning to show signs of a tired baby. We helped Joellen in to a squatting position at the foot of the bed, with th
e squatting bar, to start pushing. Natasha was certain that Joellen's pushing efforts and contractions were very effective-no need to add pitocin to increase the labor. Eventually, Joellen even got up onto the birthing stool to push. She seemed to be making a tiny bit of progress. But the baby's heartrate began to slow at the end of contractions at about 4:15pm. Natasha asked her to stop pushing and lie down on her left side in the bed so that the baby would get the best dose of oxygen from Joellen's bloodstream. At 4:45 pm, Dr. Barker checked Joellen, and found that there had been very little change in the baby's descent, so he recommended a cesarean birth. Mark and Joellen decided to go ahead with surgery.
At 5:15 pm, Joellen left the labor room while Mark and I dressed in scrubs, mask and hat. We joined her soon, and baby Asher was born at 5:45 pm. Mark was able to watch his arrival, and headed for the baby warmer to welcome his newborn son. Mark and Asher came back to visit with Joellen for about 10 minutes before they left to return to the labor room for newborn procedures. I stayed with Joellen during the completion of her surgery, hopefully providing comfort and reassurance. Joellen was uncomfortable with the feeling of her body being manipulated, but seemed to handle the medications and everything else very well. Dr. Barker was finished with her skin staples at 6:05 pm and she headed for recovery at 6: 15 pm. I wasn't able to accompany her to recovery, so I went back to the labor room with Mark and Asher. Newborn Asher weighed in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 lh inches long. His slightly molded head was 15 inches in diameter. He had sweet, long feet and very boy-ish hands! Cute as can be! He had his first bath at 6:25 pm and headed to the postpartum room to meet his mama at about 6:40 pm. Congratulations on the birth of your sweet son! I know that Joellen and Mark will be devoted, loving parents to this wonderful baby boy!!! Thank you for asking me to serve you. With love, Margy
Prayers Needed
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Saturday, March 29, 2008 1:40 PM 0 commentsHey Everyone,
We know that many of you either know or are close friends with Jeff and Chelsi Lacine... I wanted to give a quick update as they are needing lots of prayer.
On Thursday Chelsi began bleeding extremely heavily again while out to dinner with relatives and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. I won't go into great detail but after a few different methods, they were finally able to slow the bleeding to the normal postpartum rate but not without a lot of work and many special Dr.s. Chelsi then came down with a severe fever (which is now under control) but all of the surgeries trying to stop the bleeding may have given her an infection in her uterus. She is stable now, but they will be keeping her at the hospital at least until Sunday morning - she'll be checked again to see if she's able to leave.
Please pray for healing and peace. Pray that her body will recover quickly as she has many responsibilities as the house mother at The House of Ruth. Pray that God would restore her to full health, never to go through ANYTHING like this again. And pray for all of their family as I'm sure this has been such a rollercoaster - having a baby is enough of one much less facing this kind of ordeal for weeks afterward.
For more details and updates check out the Lacine's blog... www.lacinefamily.com
Thanks so much for all your support - we love Jeff, Chelsi, Hosanna and Hope so dearly and they need all the prayer they can get!
I can do this!
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:50 PM 2 comments
Wow... today has been a dramatically different day than the past few weeks. I think the hormones have gone through some adjusting and have started to shift towards normality :-) I went to bible study this morning... only to find out we didn't have bible study... but it worked out really well actually. I ended up going over to my friend Katie's house - she had her baby boy (James Micah) the day before Asher was born so it was fun to see her baby and just talk about how each of our labors went and how the boys are doing. It's so great to be raising our little Asher surrounded by so many godly families with young children!
So, I think we figured out a little more about Asher and his habits. He was so fussy yesterday, we couldn't seem to figure out what was wrong and he eventually cried himself to sleep. But today, we have found that he just gets distracted and needs a lot of help soothing himself to sleep. And with a little more effort and patience, what do you know, he went to sleep easily for quite a few hours! He woke up, ate a ton and is sound asleep once again. Hopefully he isn't awake all night but either way, it gave me some time to feel accomplished and capable which is definitely worth a night or two of lousy sleep :-)
Mark is super busy with design work so it's good that I'm feeling more able to take care of Asher on my own and it's great that he's getting paid through AT&T (vacation time) and for working on his design stuff... maybe we will catch up on things someday soon! Mark has a ton of work coming up too so it's bound to be a very busy month! Since my recovery is going well and getting better each day, I might go out and shoot photos at the Tulip Farm in another week! Jeanne and I have quite a few annual photo shoots to get through this spring... it will be a really good thing to be busy with though (as if I won't be busy enough). And I'm going to be working on putting together some framed images of my flowers to put up at our local coffee shop... I don't know when, but hopefully soon! And I might start trying to put some of my vineyard photos into local shops in Mac as well as the other local Winery places... maybe there is more opportunity for my photos than I've been taking advantage of.
So that's pretty much it for now... we'll keep you all updated as usual! God bless :-)
Asher puts on an extra 20%
Posted by Mark Armstrong Wednesday, March 26, 2008 7:53 PM 0 comments
While Joellen is now only 6 pounds from her pre-pregnancy weight and I am down to less than 2 pounds away from my target loss of 25 pounds, Asher has put on over a pound and a half since we left the hospital! Joellen weighed herself without and then with the baby and lo and behold, our little guy now weighs 10 lbs! that's right, he's put on more than 10% of his body weight in less than two weeks. In fact I guess it's closer to 20% since he was just over 8lbs by the time we left the birthing center.
Anyway, all that to say I guess something is going according to plan :) Joellen is excited to go out to the pool at mom & dad's this summer and it's looking like her goal to lose all her pregnancy weight by June may not have been so far fetched after all (as some would have thought - not me of course). Asher is healthy and it's no wonder he's been eating every hour since he's growing so fast. Some of his wardrobe has already reached end of life... Guess we'd better bump up that clothing budget for next year!
Productivity
Posted by Mark Armstrong 4:48 PM 0 comments
Well folks, I started out today with all intention of having a nice productive day but then... Well nothing major happened; only a bunch of small things needing attention: the dishes in the sink, the billing error on our cell phone bill, Asher's bottle, then another bottle, and another one. Anyway, at least we got to meet with Jeff & Chelsi (and Hosanna & Hope). They stopped by and brought us Thai Food. It was great catching up with them, and Hosanna just had a great time talking to the cats and trying to get them to eat a candle she found on the coffee table. After they had gone, Jo and Asher and I all went out to Cornerstone to meet with Kory and discuss an upcoming design project I will be working on for him, and now here we are. Back home at almost 5:00PM and only 2 of the dozen items on my to do list are checked off :)
Oh well, such is life sometimes. Everyone is healthy, fed and (mostly) rested. What more can I ask for?
Relaxation
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Tuesday, March 25, 2008 4:10 PM 4 comments
No one in our house understands relaxing quite as well as Asher does at this point. Don't get me wrong, we're actually getting a decent amount of sleep but it's just too cute to see him so relaxed and comfortable :-)
I had to post an image! Here he is just taking a nap on mama's lap.
Life has been pretty simple lately. Feeding, changing diapers and just trying to let this little guy know he's loved. I've been reading a book my dad gave me for Christmas called "Mothers of the Wise and Good" by Jabez Burns. It was a bit challenging to get into (written in the early 1800's) b/c of the old english and just the style he writes in but it's made me think a lot! Motherhood is definitely more than just taking care of duties and I want to make sure I am working to cultivate all parts of Asher's being - his intellect and demeanor. Nature has a lot to do with some of these but I just want to make sure I am preparing him to be his best self and become who God desires for him to be.
The book has also made me think about my other "activities." My photography, work for Jeanne, sewing hair scarves, my writing (which has been severely neglected) and other things I "do" are all up for review now. I want to make sure I am putting God first, family next and then leave all those other things up for God to decide how much time I'm spending on them. I could so easily be consumed with my photography... especially now that flowers are blooming. I know it's something God has blessed me with being able to do... but I don't want to neglect building others up and investing time in blessing people through my devotional blog or not be spending time with friends b/c I love taking pictures of flowers. At the same time, the more I invest in taking quality images the more I get paid. And money shouldn't be my motivation, but it is a way I can help take some of the financial strain off Mark and be a helper in the family. If I'm taking good images I can pretty much pay for all the groceries we need each month... maybe even expand it to paying for gas if I'm consistent. Anyway, all this to say I'll need some prayer support as I'll be seeking God's will in this and trying to find the time, energy and motivation to get to a good balance.
One good thing really fast... I realize now how little my "planning" has an affect on what actually happens :-) Duh, any parent could probably have told me that, but it was not so fun to find out for myself. Much of the past 2 weeks have not gone as expected - the labor progress, C-section (though it was always in our minds), breast feeding, pacifier... and then Sunday, gDiapers! They didn't go as well as I'd hoped and I had to really admit that I am not in control! I don't know why I even start thinking I am :-) But, God really blessed me the past 2 days with allowing the gDiapers to work well... they've been actually easier to change, better on Asher's skin and save lots of garbage room since I can flush them down the toilet! And once I can be up enough to do all the laundry myself it won't feel quite so overwhelming... maybe.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day! Thanks for taking a peek into my life and my brain! Love you all.
Easter with the Family
Posted by Mark Armstrong Sunday, March 23, 2008 6:36 PM 2 comments
A big thanks to Mom & Dad for hosting Easter dinner. It was great time full of great food, conversation and speed scrabble. Mom also dug up some old baby pitcures of me and wouldn't you know it, Asher does seem to have some resemblance to his dad. You take a look and decide for yourself.
We enjoyed having Tracy out there with us for the day. Mary and Nate also made it out along with the Brewers minus Mark. We missed you Mark!
I got to chat briefly with Becca on the phone too so that was nice. Thanks to her blog, it feels like they're still here in a way... except as she pointed out, she hasn't had the chance to smell Asher yet, so I guess there's that.
Shadow seemed to get along just fine with our new addition and Asher had a great time making the rounds. It was his first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's and like everything else in his life right now, he just took it all in. He's so much fun to watch and hang out with. Granted he's really not all that interactive yet but none-the-less, I like him a lot.
We enjoyed having Tracy out there with us for the day. Mary and Nate also made it out along with the Brewers minus Mark. We missed you Mark!
I got to chat briefly with Becca on the phone too so that was nice. Thanks to her blog, it feels like they're still here in a way... except as she pointed out, she hasn't had the chance to smell Asher yet, so I guess there's that.
Shadow seemed to get along just fine with our new addition and Asher had a great time making the rounds. It was his first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's and like everything else in his life right now, he just took it all in. He's so much fun to watch and hang out with. Granted he's really not all that interactive yet but none-the-less, I like him a lot.
Speed Bump
Posted by Mark Armstrong 9:50 AM 2 comments
Ok so we were on our way out the door. Apparently Asher thinks it time for breakfast or something...We always wondered why people became so much slower once they had kids. We have one tiny little one and we're already behind! Well, I guess we'll be a little late...
Easter Sunday
Posted by Mark Armstrong 9:27 AM 1 comments
Well it's Easter Sunday and we're getting ready for Asher's first trip to church. Tracy has come down to join us and this afternoon, we'll be getting together with the family for what always ends up being an afternoon of great times catching up with sibblings and parents. We don't have much time because we're heading out the door, but I just wanted to say hi... so "Hi!" - "Happy Easter"And we'll talk to you all again soon :)
Asher Experiences Starbucks
Posted by Mark Armstrong Saturday, March 22, 2008 7:24 PM 0 comments
10 PM is Play Time, according to Asher
Posted by Mark Armstrong Thursday, March 20, 2008 10:52 PM 3 comments
Since we met Asher, most of his time has been spent eating, sleeping, screaming or soiling his diaper. Tonight, he decided he wanted to hang out with us for while. He's been wide awake, looking around mostly quietly and occasionally making assorted (pleasant) noises. He's just been staring at us seemingly taking it all in. It's wild to think that he's never experienced anything of this life and that everything we do with him will be a first for him. It's kind of exciting really, knowing we'll be there as he experiences all those things. It will be really crazy once he starts to be able to understand and communicate. I can't wait :)
Margy stopped by today to follow up with us and see how we were doing. It's always great to see Margy! She has written up our birth story from her perspective which is great to have since everything is a little hazy when we try to think back (at the order of events and such). Anyway, I might try and post it for those of you who are curious or interested... Post a comment or something if anyone's interested.Speaking of comments, Joellen figured out a way to enable anyone to leave comments, even without a Google account, so you non-googlians can now comment away. We also removed the word verification thing that was up there by default because I guess it was causing trouble for some of you.
Thanks again to all the folks at Creekside who have been bringing us food. It has just been a tremendous blessing! We had a chicken dish tonight (the name escapes me) that reminded me of CousCous. It was delightful :) We also had a couple girls from Calvary (Jaime & Lindsay) who happen to work at Cornerstone make us a Chinese casserole and I can't wait to dig into that. I am having one heck of a time loosing those last 5 pounds with all this remarkable food on hand!
Ok that's all the news for now. Baby and his mother have fallen asleep and I think it's time I follow suit.
Praise God for WIC
Posted by Mark Armstrong 11:44 AM 0 comments
Ok so we were out of pretty much everything in the house yesterday so we had to go grocery shopping. What you see here is one month's supply of formula at a cost of over $130 (and that's Winco pricing!). Anyway, WIC provides us with milk and eggs and wouldn't you know it, formula as well! That was a nice surprise. We had no idea they provided formula so it was an unexpected bonus :) I'm sure we'll find plenty of other expenses just around the corner to make up for it but nonetheless, we're grateful for the savings wherever we can find them!
Gratuitous Mother Son Photo
Posted by Mark Armstrong Wednesday, March 19, 2008 3:43 PM 0 comments
Life feels like this guy's desk
Posted by Mark Armstrong 3:29 PM 2 comments
Ok so this isn't my desk. I don't know whose desk this is, but I thought the photo was a decent illustration of how I feel about life sometimes. I've tried different things to get organized over the years and I do have to say I've made some serious strides in the past few. Still, though... Sometimes I feel like I need to take a step back and inventory my / our lives, re-prioritize, get rid of excess (Like that lava lamp looking thing on the shelf - is that really necessary?) and so on... You get the idea.Anyway, wish me luck as I venture to take a look inward at the jungle I've built for myself and maybe just maybe I can get a few of my wild ducks in a nice orderly row.
Joellen had her doctor's appointment today and everything is looking good. It was kind of funny too because Asher got hungry while we were there so Joellen started fixing him a bottle. She put in a scoop of formula, then another. I looked at her and asked, "So you're making 4 ounces?" She looked up at me and said, "No, it's one scoop per ounce." I told her to check the directions and lo and behold we had a good laugh realizing the formula was so thick, Asher had been probably having to practically chew it :) Anyway, I think he liked it that way though because he doesn't seem to be as font of the "diluted" formula as prepared per the directions...
Jeanne also was able to come out and visit which was a total blessing. Asher seemed rather fond of her and I could tell the feeling was mutual.
Ok I'll wrap up this post for now and talk to you all again soon!
Yesterday
Posted by Mark Armstrong Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:13 PM 0 comments
I couldn't resist posting that photo yesterday, but I didn't have the chance to post anything else. Here's an update on yesterday's events...
We took Asher in to see Doctor Eriksen who is a family practice doctor. I think she will also be our family doctor going forward. As a sidenote, I used to see doctor Kenyon but the last time I went to the doctor (several years ago) he had been retired for over 5 years. Oops! Guess I should get a physical now and again just to make sure my doctor is still practicing... Anyway, we took Asher in to see Dr Eriksen and she said he looks great. He's gained almost half a pound since we left the hospital on Friday, I'm sure in large part due to the switch-over to formula feeding. He guzzles the stuff as though he's afraid he might never eat again! He was not at all bothered by the checkup and stayed really relaxed throughout. Before we left we made an appointment for his newborn screening and circumcision. Thing is, we found out OHP doesn't cover circumcision so it looks like it's going to cost us about $310. Yikes! Well I'd heard kids were spendy but he's only a week old...
We also got to spend some time with the Marrs yesterday. They had us over for lunch and Gizelle was just all over taking care of Asher. He is a highly loved little guy! We had a great time with them and the kids while Asher pretty much slept all day. Jamie DeForest from our Church brought us dinner and it was scrumptious :)
We've been very blessed by all of our friends, our church and family. Thanks again for all your help. Asher says 'Hi' :)
Asher @ the Dr's office
Posted by Mark Armstrong Monday, March 17, 2008 6:00 PM 2 comments
Retraction of Post from Friday at 12:30 am.
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Sunday, March 16, 2008 4:18 PM 1 commentsSo, a lot has been happening to say the least :-) Eventful times and I can't say they've been very much fun until today. I'll try to be brief...
Here's Asher while sleeping.
And here is Asher while he is awake.
Breast feeding took a severe decline the past few days.
After Thursday night, Asher decided that he didn't really want to latch on and he'd rather just nurse for about 10 minutes and maybe only on one side. It started out just being in the evening, where he would sleep a lot and not wake up but then it went on into the day where he would just be crying and screaming. He wouldn't feed and each day was being filled with more crying, less sleeping and WAY less feeding.
Mark and I were at a loss. We had no clue what to do. We called our doula who willingly came over ridiculously early in the morning on Saturday and was also unable to get him to feed. She gave us a few suggestions (which we tried) but his feedings continued to decline. I tried to pump and feed him with a syringe but Mark and I were so emotionally and physically frayed by this time that I couldn't even get 1/2 oz out. We were beginning to dislike our new baby and that was simply not acceptable.
We know breast feeding is the healthiest way to go, but when you spend all your child's awake time trying to force him either to eat or to stop crying, then spend maybe the next 2 hours worrying about what to do if he won't nurse this next feeding... well, you can see how things got bad fast. Asher was honestly crying for 1.5 hours to get maybe 10-20 minutes of food in... we don't think he was even getting more than 1 oz. at best.
They say that when you feel angry with your baby, put him down and leave the room but we couldn't very well leave him there to starve... we had to try something. We talked it over and decided to try some formula. He took at least 2 oz. very quickly and went on to sleep about 3.5 hours. He fed again at 2-3.5 hour intervals and woke up happy, okay, maybe a bit cranky from hunger, but always fulfilled afterwards. It was amazing to see how quickly everything changed.
Mark and I finally feel like we can do this... and enjoy it at the same time! Asher isn't screaming (partly b/c he has no voice from screaming for endless hours for days before) and we're glad we made the choice we did. I wasn't recovering very well, being so stressed and trying to get this feeding thing taken care of. I couldn't eat or drink hardly anything, which meant I couldn't take my ibuprofen and was in serious pain by the end of the day. Not to mention dehydrated, throwing up and feeling incredibly feverish. And I've never seen Mark look so sad. But today was so different... man, it feels great to be a parent!
We wish we could breast feed, but we know it's more important to make sure we are the parents God desires of us... to nurture this person He's given us and to teach Asher His ways. Formula feeding will be irrelevant compared to what God wills for his life... God can overcome anything. Why He's let things play out this way... who knows? But we are both so glad that we feel capable of this task and we are so thankful to God for giving us a way to do this.
As usual, thanks to everyone who's been supporting us. The meals, coffee, friendship and prayer has all been much needed and incredibly wonderful! We love you all and can't wait until I'm up to being out and about to show Asher off to all of you!
Through my eyes
Posted by Mark Armstrong Friday, March 14, 2008 9:20 PM 3 comments
I laid down to take a nap next to my son and I woke up when I heard him stir. I opened one eye to make sure he was ok and this is what I saw. I had to grab a photo ... I know you readers are undoubtedly not nearly as interested in every angle of my son as I am, but what can I say... I'm in love :)
Rich in Family & Friends
Posted by Mark Armstrong 7:50 PM 0 comments
Boy, it's good to be home! We were supposed to leave the hospital around 1:00 PM but with all of the loose ends we had to tie up before we left, we didn't actually leave the hospital until around 3:00 and didn't get home until around 4:00. We had to stop at Albertsons to pick up Jo's prescriptions and since we were so close to AT&T, we decided to stop in, say hi and show off our little guy.Joellen made a fabric sling before we had Asher and it turns out he loves the thing. He was calm as can be as we strolled through the store and the Albertsons cashiers took turns oohing and ahhing over him and whispering to each other about how small he was. Anyway we got home around 4:00 and got a call from Mom who offered to bring dinner by and within the hour, we had dinner.
You know, I never really understood what a blessing it is to have people provide meals for you when your mind is absolutely elsewhere. I think a lot of times, people just wouldn't eat... at least until their hunger gets too strong to contain. Anyway, thanks Mom & Dad and Kory and all of who who have provided food or offered to do so in the future. Your kindness is valued and appreciated. One of the many things we've been really blessed by during this delivery and postpartum period is the realization that despite whatever meager figure might appear when we look at our bank balance, we are truly rich in family and friends and I have to say if I had to choose, I would definitely prefer that. Now if I didn't have to choose and I could have both, well... even better :)
Anyway, Asher has been fed and is sleeping so I think I'll try and get some rest and add to the dozen or so cumulative hours of sleep I've had since Monday. Hold that thought... Gizelle just called saying she made a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies and is bringing some over. Sleep will have to wait...
Like I said... He's just so cute!
Posted by Mark Armstrong 11:02 AM 2 comments
Homeward bound
Posted by Mark Armstrong 10:53 AM 0 comments
So it looks like we'll be heading home in just a few hours. Joellen
got her staples out this morning and the pediatrician has given the go
ahead for us to go. I guess we have a bit of paperwork to fill out and
a few things to go over before we leave. Also, our midwife Natasha
wants to stop by and see us around noon before we go. It was kind of
funny because it turns out Asher was born on her birthday :)
got her staples out this morning and the pediatrician has given the go
ahead for us to go. I guess we have a bit of paperwork to fill out and
a few things to go over before we leave. Also, our midwife Natasha
wants to stop by and see us around noon before we go. It was kind of
funny because it turns out Asher was born on her birthday :)
Anyway, we've had lots of nurses help us out but one of them has been
especially helpful. Her name is Alison and she's been here for twenty
some years. All of you visitors have made our stay here very nice but
I must admit, we're ready to go home! The sleeping arrangements for
dad here are at best sub-par...
None-the-less, we've been well cared for overall and Joellen and Asher
are both doing really well; what more could we ask for?
We've already taken hundreds of pictures of Asher and I'm sure there
will be countless more. I'm just glad to be able to share in our
excitement with all of you. You'll have to excuse my exhuberance...
It's just that he's so cute!!
Ok folks - we'll see you all soon!
Good Days
Posted by Joellen Armstrong 12:04 AM 0 comments
What a great today it has been. Mark and I finally feel like "Hey, we can actually do this!" which is great since we are going home tomorrow - yay! I'll get my staples out in the morning, we'll sign some paperwork and get a couple prescriptions filled and wonder what to do with this thing we brought home! We're really looking forward to it :-)
Asher was great today! While he had a couple fussy times, Mark and I finally found a few ways to get him calm enough to eat even if he was screaming when we were able to start feeding. Asher has been such an easy baby - the only difficult thing is his interest in Mark's and other people's voices while I'm trying to feed him. But Mark's mom said Mark was the same way - she always had to feed him alone b/c he just couldn't keep focused on one thing at a time! Like father, like son. Asher is also staying latched longer (makes my job a ton easier) and taking bigger feedings further apart. We're just so blessed that God gave us a son who has made our hospital stay pretty easy. Hopefully it continues at home!
We had a good day with lots of visitors too! My family came in for a while, the women from my bible study all stopped by, our good friends Joanne and he soon-to-be daughter-in-law Austie peeked in and once again, Mark's parents came by to see their 8th grandson. Also, long time friend Kory Knutz came by and brought us some Mexican food! It worked out well since Mark was starving and I was too picky to eat what the hospital had on their menu for tonight. With all the visitors you would think it would be hectic, but for Mark and I, it was a great lift in our spirits to have people "ooh" and "aah" over our boy :-) Especially since I was trying to find a balance between my pain medications and the effects they have on my mind... at least when I'm pain free I'm quite entertaining!
Anyway, just wanted to give you all an update and show you just how cute Mark and Asher are... we are going to hit 1000 photos in Asher's folder in no time! Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers... hopefully we'll be out and about to show him off soon!
Mother & Son
Posted by Mark Armstrong Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:58 PM 0 comments
Aren't they just adorable together? The two most beautiful people in my world :) Joellen is recovering super well from the surgery and was even able to eat solid foods for dinner this evening and get out of bed and walk a bit! She was also able to get back into her pants which she was quite excited about!Asher is feeding well although he is starting to get a little frustrated that he can't get more. Jo's milk hasn't come in yet and he's no small baby so he gets pretty hungry... I think they are both looking forward to the time when it does come in. In the meatime, we're getting a little more accustomed to the sound of him crying.
We had a few people stop by and visit today which was nice. The Mansour family from Creekside and then Gizelle and the kids. Justice seemed to really take a shine to Asher and asked if he could come visit him every day :) Jo's family came by in the afternoon along with my brother Matt and my dad. Austie was also able to stop by this evening and say hi. By the way Justin, she seemed like a natural... I'm just sayin'...
Anyway, thanks to all of you for keeping us in your prayers. We look forward to seeing the rest of you soon! Joellen is scheduled to be released from the hospital Friday assuming all goes according to plan. Doctor Barker came by today and he seemed pleased with her progress.
It's just been a joy getting to know our son and sharing our excitement with all of you.
We'll have more news, when more stuff happens :)
The truth about Margy Porter
Posted by Mark Armstrong 5:43 PM 0 comments
As some of you know, we asked Margy Porter to be our doula for Asher's birth. I have to say, I really don't know what we would have done without her. Her advice and support were so valuable leading up to the birth and her knowledge and hands on help during active labor were a huge benefit to us. I am in the process of designing her website at the moment, but when I'm finished I will post the address here. I can't stress enough what a HUGE help it was having her with us throughout. She was able to stay with Joellen after the surgery while I accompanied Asher into the other room. She never pressured us into anything and we both would highly recommend her to anyone planning on birthing a child.
Thanks Margy!
More Photos :)
Posted by Mark Armstrong 12:43 PM 0 comments
Hey everyone. Thanks to all of you who have stopped by to say hi and meet our new addition to the family! For everyone who hasn't had the chance yet to meet him, here are a few more photos. Just click the link below...
MORE PHOTOS
MORE PHOTOS
At least one of us is sleeping :)
Posted by Mark Armstrong 4:19 AM 1 comments
Update
Posted by Mark Armstrong Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:49 PM 1 comments
Hi everyone! I tried to get photos up asap with all the post birth
hoopla but I wanted to give you all an update.
hoopla but I wanted to give you all an update.
Asher Avery Armstrong was born at 5:45 pm weighing a whopping 8 lbs 14
oz. Joellen did end up having a c-section but is recovering well.
Asher is very healthy and came out 20.5 inches long with a 15 cm head!
No wonder we had to have a cesaerean!
I was so impressed with Jo throughout. She was very tough and never
snapped at me once (I was all mentally prepared for nothing)
Anyway, we both would love to see all of you who feel inclined to stop
by. You may want to give us a call first, but if you're in the area,
by all means, stop on in.
We look forward to rejoicing with you in life of our new son. Thanks
for all your support and prayers. Praise the Lord, we did it!
Here's Asher!
Posted by Mark Armstrong 6:37 PM 2 comments
Welcome Asher Avery Armstrong
Posted by Mark Armstrong 6:27 PM 3 comments
Waiting for the doctor
Posted by Mark Armstrong 4:41 PM 1 comments
Doctor Barker is due here any minute. He'll be checking Jo to see if
she's made enough progress to justify continuing with the "natural
labor". Jo's been pushing her heart out trying to get this baby down
far enough to get him out. We'll know more soon...
she's made enough progress to justify continuing with the "natural
labor". Jo's been pushing her heart out trying to get this baby down
far enough to get him out. We'll know more soon...
8 cm
Posted by Mark Armstrong 2:27 PM 0 comments
And counting... The baby still needs to drop a bit. We're going to
give it a bit more time as we would both like to avoid a cesaerean.
Pray that the baby would drop down soon enough that we might avoid
surgery. It's progress though - slow and steady :)
give it a bit more time as we would both like to avoid a cesaerean.
Pray that the baby would drop down soon enough that we might avoid
surgery. It's progress though - slow and steady :)
Joellen's happy again!
Posted by Mark Armstrong 12:24 PM 1 comments
Jo's happy again!
Posted by Mark Armstrong 12:21 PM 0 comments
Ok so here's the latest:
Joellen is at 6cm as of about an hour ago after several very painful
contractions! She handled them like a pro :) eventually though, the
pain got to be too much and she asked for the epideral. The doctor was
in within about 39 minutes and needless to say Joellen is much happier
right now! Needless to say? So am I :)
That's the news for now... Stay tuned for more...
Broken Water
Posted by Mark Armstrong 8:44 AM 2 comments
About 20 minutes ago, Joellen was given another exam and she hadn't
progressed much so the doctor suggested breaking her water... So we
did. Now we're committed to having him today - so we'll keep you all
posted... We'll all get to meet Asher soon :)
progressed much so the doctor suggested breaking her water... So we
did. Now we're committed to having him today - so we'll keep you all
posted... We'll all get to meet Asher soon :)
Signs of Labor
Posted by Mark Armstrong 5:35 AM 1 comments
> Well folks, looks like today might be the day... We've been admitted
> to the hospital. Joellen started having stronger contractions around
> 7:00 PM last night. We decided to try and get a little rest before
> going in to the birthing center so I slept for a few hours and Jo
> laid there for a while until around 2:15 AM she woke me up and let
> me know we needed to get going. Everything that was prepared a few
> weeks ago has since been unpacked and used so we gathered our stuff
> and headed off to the hospital after a brief stop at Winco to pick
> up some food to have on hand...
>
> Anyway, once we got to Hospital, they put Joellen on the monitor and
> kept an eye on her for an hour or so. Her contractions have been
> nice and strong and a couple minutes apart. Around 4:30 AM they
> moved us from the exam room into one of the birthing rooms.
>
> We'll give the parents a few more hours to sleep before we give them
> a call... We should be here for a while :)
> to the hospital. Joellen started having stronger contractions around
> 7:00 PM last night. We decided to try and get a little rest before
> going in to the birthing center so I slept for a few hours and Jo
> laid there for a while until around 2:15 AM she woke me up and let
> me know we needed to get going. Everything that was prepared a few
> weeks ago has since been unpacked and used so we gathered our stuff
> and headed off to the hospital after a brief stop at Winco to pick
> up some food to have on hand...
>
> Anyway, once we got to Hospital, they put Joellen on the monitor and
> kept an eye on her for an hour or so. Her contractions have been
> nice and strong and a couple minutes apart. Around 4:30 AM they
> moved us from the exam room into one of the birthing rooms.
>
> We'll give the parents a few more hours to sleep before we give them
> a call... We should be here for a while :)
Signs of Labor
Posted by Mark Armstrong 5:20 AM 0 comments
Ahh... relaxing is nice!
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Monday, March 10, 2008 4:59 PM 0 commentsAs many of you know, I'm not a very relaxed person by nature. Especially since I work from home, I tend to feel guilty for sitting around and not doing anything "profitable" monetarily speaking. But today, after way too many days of feeling anxious, tired and just a bit sad about this whole prolonged labor thing, we decided to just relax and take it easy. Wow... this is actually fun!
Our doula gave us some great suggestions to try and get labor to intensify - I've still been having contractions but they just haven't really been amounting to much. So, here I am at home, waiting to see if any of these natural remedies will take things to the next level.
I've also been really just trying to relax my muscles and put my mind at ease about the whole thing. I've endured some physically challenging things - more than the average person considering I was in intense athletic training for a long while (especially the last few years of track) but I still get a little nervous at the idea of labor actually progressing! But, I know that doesn't help... so be praying for my state of mind, courage and that I would put my trust in God's strength instead of my own.
Well, there's not a whole lot else going on... knitting, reading, surfing the web! Mark is a bit busier :-) Designing sites and brochures, calling clients and responding to emails - he's been more productive than me for sure! But that's alright - it's my job to get in the best frame of mind to deliver our little man. If nothing has picked up tomorrow, we have some other great recommendations including acupuncture. I've heard this lady claim to be able to put women who were in prolonged labor into active labor within hours. We'll see! And of course, we'll let you all know how things go as well. Please pray for my sanity - I've never considered myself "stable" per se, but this emotional roller-coaster has really stretched me and I feel like I'm getting close to the end of my rope. I know God knows my limits... I'll focus on that :-) Thanks everyone... love you all!
Friday Appointment Part II
Posted by Mark Armstrong Friday, March 7, 2008 12:52 PM 0 comments
Ok so well, we went in to Jo's doctor's appointment this morning and unfortunately, we still have nothing new to report. 2-3 cm, still not much progress. Dr Barker did however say that the baby is getting pretty big and that if he's still not born by next Friday, we should probably start talking about an induction or cesarean... That's really all we can tell you for now. Yesterday, Jenn stopped by to bring us some food which was great and the women from Joellen's bible study all signed a card and brought it by for her. Thank you all for your continued prayers, phone calls, emails, food and support! One of these days, we look forward to introducing you all to our son... As a matter of fact I won't mind meeting him myself :)
Friday Appointment
Posted by Mark Armstrong 8:45 AM 0 comments
It's Friday! And that means it's time for another doctor's appointment. Neither of us thought we'd make it to today's appointment with Asher still incubating, but here we are. The nice thing about these, however is that we at least get to find out if anything has changed since the week before. Jo had some pretty good contractions last night that kept her from sleeping so hopefully they had some effect. We'll let you know when we know more...
In the meantime, we did get a chance to pay Jeff and Chelsi (& Hosanna and Baby Girl Lacine) another visit, this time at the birthing center in Hopewell. They seem to be doing really well and it was refreshing and encouraging (as always) to spend a little time with them. They haven't settled on a name for Baby Girl Lacine yet but I'm sure it will be something unique and wonderfully appropriate :)
No One Can Say
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Wednesday, March 5, 2008 1:27 PM 4 commentsYep, still pregnant (yay). Hope you're feeling my sarcasm :-) We really thought things were going to happen last night... my contractions were a lot more consistent and starting to actually cause some pain. I had a few really good ones that made me think "Oh, I see what people are talking about when they say hard labor" but after an hour or so of tossing and turning in bed, I fell asleep and, well, here I am! Not that I didn't wake up a million times in the middle of the night feeling completely uncomfortable, but just not in labor yet.
There's not a lot else to say. I'm exhausted. I'm feeling cranky. I am so READY for all this to come to an end! The discouraging thing is that if for some reason my body isn't able or simply refuses to naturally start labor and deliver, nothing will happen to "assist" that for at least a good 2 weeks. I don't know that I can make it that long. I already feel like a total zombie - trying to find things to do at home and feeling tired and worn out all day. I mean, there are things I could do, but this large growing (I know, still growing) thing on my front side dampers many of those activities. It's kind of frightening knowing that Asher has grown probably a whole POUND since we thought we'd get to see him... Mark has been trying to threaten him to come out by saying he'll spank him :-)
Keep praying though - obviously things will come to pass and this will just be a distant memory someday :-) We're just hoping that "someday" happens before March 22nd or any later! Thanks everyone!
Update on Jeff and Chelsi
Posted by Joellen Armstrong Monday, March 3, 2008 5:37 PM 0 comments
The past few days have really kept me in suspense for our dear friends Jeff and Chelsi. Her water broke sometime on Friday evening and as of yesterday, she still hadn't progressed into active labor. Well, they had their baby this morning so not without some drama... Here's a summary of their story.
Chelsi went into active labor last night and after only a few hours, she delivered their new baby girl (yet to be named) safely and fairly easily... especially compared to the long labor they had with Hosanna. But once again, as with Hosanna, Chelsi's bleeding didn't stop after the delivery. This time though, it continued for a lot longer until the midwife said they NEEDED to call an ambulance and take her to the hospital (They delivered at a birthing center out in Hopewell).
So they took her to the McMinnville hospital and by the time they got there, Chelsi had lost over 1/2 of her blood volume! They rushed her in and gave her a blood transfusion and tried to figure out what was causing all the bleeding. After 15 minutes they told Jeff that she was loosing blood as fast as they could get new blood in her! They had to put her under anesthesia and onto a respirator. The Doctors also mentioned that if they couldn't stop the bleeding soon they may need to remove her uterus to end the bleeding for sure.
Once she was under, the Dr's found a piece of placenta that had stuck to the uterine wall which in turn was causing the uterus not to contract. It was still pumping out the same blood volume as before she delivered the baby. Once they got the piece removed and fixed one lesion the bleeding slowed and they were able to get her back to breathing on her own.
Chelsi is recovering now and everyone thinks that the problem has been resolved. She's a bit swollen from all the fluids and will probably feel quite weak for a while but hopefully this is the end of the trauma for them. She said as they were wheeling her into the OR, she was praying and just felt that if this was her time that God would take care of her family. How strong is she!!!! Her and Jeff both know where they are going after death, but to face it in such a tender time and all of a sudden was so incredibly courageous. Jeff and Chelsi are both so brave and we feel so moved by their endurance. What strong friends we have in the faith... we are truly blessed to be a part of their lives.
So, little baby girl Lacine... She's so cute! She was a mere 6 lbs 9 oz and only 18 inches long. Her feet are very long and slender... after all, she is Jeff and Chelsi's daughter. She is definitely tiny compared to the butterball Hosanna was :-) It was so good to see all of them thanking God for taking care of them during this frightful time and amazing to see the new little life God made through them. Please continue to pray for Chelsi's recovery, the baby girl's health (doing great so far) and their adjustment to having a new addition. Hosanna seemed to know she was getting a sister all along, so I guess she wasn't too surprised!
Here's a link to Jeff & Chelsi's website for more (and possibly more accurate) information:
Anyway, we'll let you know when we have more updates. We'd love to be in labor while they are still in the hospital, just a few doors down... but we'll see what God has planned :-)
Love you all!
I am still alive - believe it or not :-)
Posted by Joellen Armstrong 10:28 AM 1 commentsHey everyone, I thought I would actually write a post on here since Mark has been my secretary for quite a few days now! Things are going well - not well as in I'm in labor, but well as in I am alive and in pretty good spirits today :-) Sorry if I never answer your phone calls or text messages... I was pretty lousy at that before all of this started.
I know that according to laws of nature I will eventually deliver this little boy one way or another, but somedays, I actually think it will never happen. I knew I was crazy but that is definitely pushing the limits right? I know! Anyway, the past 2 weeks have been a great/not so great lesson in how we should hope in the Lord. No one would condemn me for being sad or depressed or disappointed in this waiting... but it really is just a temporary state and it isn't quite right to be all worked up over something that is COMPLETELY INEVITABLE!
I know, it's so exciting having your first baby and who wouldn't be anxious? But I asked God to give me a stronger faith in His provision and timing so I have no one to blame except me :-) (Sorry Mark!) But really, I'm excited, and some days are tougher than others but I'm just glad that I probably won't have to wait more than another, well, maybe 16 days... no worries! And I could always use a real life, applicable lesson in how God's timing always works out for the best and how we can always be learning from the situations we are in. Hopefully, I feel like this tomorrow! And none of this is to say I'm not actively praying for this baby to come today!
Anywho, we're so glad for all your support these last few weeks... I can't imagine how much more of a wreck I might have been without all your prayers and encouragement! Hopefully we can have some excellent baby news to report very, very soon!
New Links and Blinks
Posted by Mark Armstrong 12:26 AM 2 comments
All is still quiet here in McMinnville. Joellen is hanging in there trying to keep from thinking about the bulge in front of her that just won't go away... All in God's perfect timing, right? That's what we keep reminding ourselves. It's just wild to think that before the world was even here, God had a plan and a purpose and a specific Birthday all planned out for Asher. Before any of us were here or had the ability to fret or grow impatient, He had everything all worked out. Crazy!
Anyway, in the meantime while we wait, we've added some links to a few of our other sites as well as some blinks (links to blogs) from other family members. Feel free to check them out as you please. My sister Becca and her family who recently moved to sunny California just jumped on the blogging bandwagon so a big warm welcome to them!
Hopefully we'll soon have more exciting baby news to report. Until then, our exciting links will have to do!
Anyway, in the meantime while we wait, we've added some links to a few of our other sites as well as some blinks (links to blogs) from other family members. Feel free to check them out as you please. My sister Becca and her family who recently moved to sunny California just jumped on the blogging bandwagon so a big warm welcome to them!
Hopefully we'll soon have more exciting baby news to report. Until then, our exciting links will have to do!
Jo's doctor visit
Posted by Mark Armstrong Saturday, March 1, 2008 7:46 AM 3 comments
Joellen had a doctor's visit yesterday but unfortunately, there's not much to report. She is dilated a little further to 3 cm now and her contractions are picking up a bit, but still no active labor... She is definitely getting there, a little bit at a time.
Meanwhile, we received word from our friends Jeff and Chelsi that they were heading to the birthing center last night! We're very excited for them and can't wait to find out if they had a little boy or girl! We are keeping them on our prayers and asking for a safe and wonderful delivery.
I suppose I really don't have too much else to fill you all in on. I am happy to report that I landed a new web design project for this month so praise God for that! Please pray for his continued provision and thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers.
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