Time Flies

Here's an updated picture of our little guy! He's two months old now and weighs a lot more than he did when he was born. He's also gained inches. He loves to eat, but we actually discovered that he needs the sensitive formula, which means he could take after me and have a milk allergy. We're discovering he might like lions and dogs. He's sleeping through the night now, and growing like a weed!

I'm getting more and more excited about future homeschooling, especially with what I've been hearing about the education system lately. I've been thinking about everywhere we can take him to really get the experience instead of just reading from a book.

We've made some new friends, and it started because David works with the guy and discovered that they live right above us. They have a baby boy as well, and we're discovering we have more and more in common with them. It's so nice to have friends like this. Speaking of work, David has been doing great at work, getting small rewards for his hard work.

We've also found a church home in Mt. Carmel Christian Church. We're glad we've found somewhere to stay, and this is the first step to us settling down here, planting some roots. This means that in a few more years we hope to buy a home here, hopefully before we have another child (we have no room for another in this apartment). I know it's not much of an update, but that's our life in a nutshell right now.

We're Parents!

I realize it's been quite a while since an update, but he's here! Samuel Ryan Havener was born on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 1:40 am by c-section. He weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. I was a week overdue so I had to be induced. We went in Friday evening and got the Cervidil put in, and by Saturday morning I was on Pitocin. My goal was to go natural, but nothing went according to "plan" that weekend. I did, however, manage to get to 8-9 cm with only something to take the edge off. I think going that far with no pain relief while on Pitocin is pretty good. Although, by that time I couldn't relax between contractions, and I was in so much pain that I did end up getting an epidural. That experience was bizarre; being able to see someone move your leg but not feeling anything messes with your head a little. After waiting a little while for me to relax and my body to respond the way it needed to, I was ready to bring Samuel into the world. Unfortunately, after pushing for two hours, he just didn't want to come out that way. By this time I was severely fatigued and, earlier, had already been sleeping between contractions, so I just wanted to "get it over with". I wasn't worried about the c-section until I was actually in the operating room; then I was a little scared. I was so sleepy I probably mistook "lots of pressure" for pain, but I slept through most of it anyway. I woke up enough to hear them say they were about to get the baby out, to hear him cry, see him, and see David tear up. I wish I could have seen him more and see David's reaction more, but I was so exhausted that I didn't really see anything or anyone until later that morning because I was asleep.

I do have one thing to say about everything after having Samuel, and that is that David is such a good Daddy! Every day I fall in love with him even more, all over again. He has a way with Samuel, Daddy's touch you could say. I'm so proud of him, and honored to have him as the father of my child (and future children). That being said, my parents are over the moon about Samuel and can't get enough of him!

God has blessed us more than we could have ever thought. It's hard to believe we've lived in Ohio for a year now. Looking back to last year, we were looking for jobs, wanting to start a family, and getting used to a new city. Reading some of my posts from back then, we had so much going on and it was interesting to see what was important and how things have changed. My focus has totally shifted in some aspects, and stayed the same in others. David has a good, steady job, I stay at home with Samuel (although I would go back to work seasonal at Macy's if I could), and we think we've found a church God wants us to be a part of. God has really brought us a long way in a short time.

It's Almost Time

We've been so busy and I've been so uncomfortable that I've practically forgot about updates! I'm now 34 weeks and been having Braxton Hicks contractions. We've had both our baby showers, and gotten plenty of great stuff for Samuel! It's been so exiting getting everything prepared, set up, and put together. It's becoming more real by the day, especially now that the nursery is almost done and the car seat and stroller are put together (just have to install the car seat now). Samuel's been giving me all kinds of pains and discomforts as he's gotten bigger. Most all of his rolls, movements, and kicks hurt, but he definitely responds to Daddy! We are both ready for him to be here, and not just emotionally. I'm getting anxious, but having the Braxton Hicks actually help to get me ready, which I guess is the point.

David's been doing well at work, despite some of his co-workers not pulling their weight. His supervisors and others have changed some rules and policies, which works in David's favor. Now he is able to take two weeks of extended leave for when Samuel comes, which makes both of us happy. David has been so great to me! He's been a huge help around the house, and loves talking to and playing with Samuel, which of course is entertaining but painful sometimes.

Life is Moving Fast!

So this is my six month picture, roughly 26 weeks I think. Time has gone quickly, and this month is going to be no different. We have classes starting tonight, appointments to go to and showers to have. I also have an appointment with a new asthma doctor since I've not been seen for it since being diagnosed, and that fact that I'm pregnant. Samuel's getting so strong it hurts when he kicks! David is going to be such a good dad the way he touches and kisses my belly and talks to him. It's so wild that Samuel's already responding to certain things we say or do. We're so ready for him to be here!

Some other good news, David is now a permanent employee at Amazon, so now he has some job stability. He's also had some discoveries when it comes to God's plan and will is for him concerning working with youth in the church. He's come to realize that maybe he was interpreting it wrong, that maybe God doesn't necessarily want him to be a youth pastor, but just to be involved with the youth. It actually started when we were looking for a church, and when David checked out the youth page on their website, their basic philosophy was "we don't need you". In other words, they don't have a youth pastor, they get the parents involved. From the history we've had with parent involvement (or lack thereof), this was very appealing to us. That got David to thinking about the pros and cons of having youth pastors in the church. He did some research and some God seeking, and decided he didn't want to be a youth pastor anymore, but just wanted to be involved with the youth somehow. I fully support him in this decision, since I've been by his side throughout this whole process.

Much Needed Update

So I've been really busy lately and completely forgot about this, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Starting with the pregnancy, the placenta finally moved out of the way and we are free to go back to normal life! I've only gained about nine pounds in this whole five months, which I'm surprised about but not complaining. I've definitely been feeling Samuel kick, and he's growing so big and fast! At the 18 week ultrasound, he was nine ounces, and at the 21 week ultrasound he was one pound two ounces! We've gotten the crib and changing table/dresser set up, and I got some more clothes to put away.I'm actually a bit bigger than that now, but it's the most recent picture I have. Also, my aunt and cousin are throwing us a shower and a family friend is throwing us another shower. We are so blessed!

David is adjusting well to his job at Amazon and is making a positive impact and good impression on the people there. He even has the opportunity to get a full time permanent job there. Right now he's on contract and technically doesn't work for Amazon itself. He's also begun to get that paternal instinct, which makes me love him even more! We've talked about how we want to raise our son, and he was very upset at the possibility of not being able to go to the showers.

As it gets closer and closer time to have Samuel, I've started thinking about the type of example I want to set for him, and I've realized I am not where I want to be in my spiritual walk. Since Samuel can hear sounds now, I'm starting to read from my Bible to him each day as a part of my quiet time. It's actually really neat to think that I'm essentially reading the Bible to my son. I just really want to be a good influence on him, and I feel like this is really the best way to start.

Speaking of reading, I've been trying to make myself get back into reading, and maybe writing. Since my focus has completely shifted and has been for a while (oh say, about five months), I've been thinking about it some but never actually done anything. To be honest I didn't have the inspiration I once did. It might sound strange, but I ended up getting inspiration from a TV show I started watching- Law and Order:SVU (Special Victims Unit). The shows victims are very often children who have been abused in various ways, and sometimes the agents become personally involved. Watching enough episodes I became the same way because I started thinking about my unborn child and it got me heated. Finally, I've found something else I'm passionate about! It's just a start because I know that's a deep, dark hole I could get into if I did enough research, but since I'm going to be a mom, just thinking about some doing things like that to children makes me disgusted and want to share my voice about it.

In other, more positive news, we are finally in our own place! We have been here for a couple weeks, it's so great to finally be on our own again. We didn't realize just how much living with parents affects us, and our marriage. We are very happy here and hope to stay here a long time. We are very tired of moving every year, and with a child on the way , we need stability. This gives us what we need. I like it because it's far enough away from my parents to be on our own, but close enough that I can just drive over if I need something, or vice versa.

I think that's everything, but it's hard to keep track of what's going on because we've had a lot of changes happen, and it's about to get a lot busier, what with showers (not just mine-my sister-in-law's) and appointments and classes and such. But I will do my best to keep up with it as much as I can. Just a warning though, it may not be that often.

Guess What!

It's a Boy! His name is going to be Samuel Ryan Havener. We were so excited to be able to find out, and now I want to go crazy buying boy things, but David is keeping me on a leash. I did, however, buy his first outfit, as you can see. Oh, and news on the placenta-I'm pretty sure it did move, but not quite enough. I have a doctor appointment at the end of next week, I might be having two more ultrasounds this next month. The anatomy ultrasound, and then the doctor wants me to get a level two ultrasound at a specialist to get a better look at the placenta. They said it was at the edge of the cervix.

Oh, other great news, my sister-in-law is having a girl! So there's going to be a girl and a boy, and it's really exciting. Also, my aunt will soon be able to start planning for my baby shower, which I am super thrilled about! Now we just have to do the registry.

God is Great!

Sorry I've not posted in a while, honestly I simply forgot with everything else going on. David recently got a job at Amazon and it pays well. Also, we've been searching for a place to live, and we've just been approved at an apartment complex we applied at and are moving in May! Praise God! It's actually part of the apartments my parents used to live in, just the cheaper side. It'll be baby's first home.

Speaking of baby, we go next Friday to our ultrasound to see if the placenta has moved, and, after doing some research, I've discovered that it's possible we could find out the sex! I've got somewhat of a baby belly, which I'm very proud of, and I've bought baby's first diapers and wipes, a diaper pail, and just ordered the crib and changer! The last two were the only big things I'm getting, but I was picky in what I wanted. I've been so excited I can hardly stand it! God is awesome!

A Little Bump in the Road

So we had our first appointment yesterday, and everything went well but one. the doctor said the placenta is covering my cervix, so they will do another ultrasound in a month to see if it has moved. Until then, David and I can't be -ahem- *together*. We just need a little prayer that it will move. Now, by move, I don't mean that it actually moves. As my uterus expands, the placenta will gravitate with it, hopefully pulling it away from my cervix. So we need everyone's prayers for strength and that the placenta will move to the place it's supposed to be. Also, David is still trying to find a Youth Pastor job, having some luck with interviews but not getting anywhere after that. We know God has a plan but wish He would show us a little bit more of that plan.

Great News!

So as you can see we had our first ultrasound today! People are right when they say the most beautiful sound in the world is a baby's heartbeat. When I heard it I cried and smiled and just laid there and listened. The heartbeat was 155, and seeing the baby was so amazing! It measured at 12 weeks although I'm only supposed to be 11 weeks and 4 days. It was jumping around and moving, and it was so great to see our baby! In other news, David's interview went well, and should find out something the end of this week or the beginning of next. David really likes the church and the people, and we both really want him to get this job. Please pray.

God's Greatest Blessing!

So I know I haven't updated my blog in a long time, but it's because the one thing worth blogging I couldn't talk about until now. God has decided to bless us with a baby! That's right, I'm pregnant! I'm actually almost three months, and boy has it been interesting. I've definitely had symptoms, and I'm starting to get really excited because I had my first OB appointment, and next week we get to see an ultrasound. I'm thankful beyond words that God has given us this gift.

Something else great that has happened, David has an interview with a church in Dayton, the same day as the ultrasound.

So now that everyone knows, I'll try to keep updating on my pregnancy, as well as David's progress. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers and keep them coming.

Short Update

I know I haven't updated in a while, but there's really not much to say at the moment. If you haven't read my previous post, I edited it to say that I got the hospitality job at Chick-fil-a! I'm even starting out at more than I thought. Normally they do a review after 30 days and if they think you're good enough to be out of training, they'll move you up to normal and give you a small raise. I've only been there two weeks, and my manager (or as they say, director) is so impressed with me that she's going to try to do my review the next time I work, so that I can be bumped up and get my raise. God is awesome!! He's the Great Provider! However, David is still looking for a job, so please send extra prayers his direction. Right now we are really trying to save up some money so we can get our own place. That's about it for now (told you there wasn't much), I'm just focusing on my job and trying to find our own church. My writing has taken a back seat due to work, but hopefully I will get back on track soon.

New Perspective

I didn't realize I hadn't written on my blog for so long, so I thought I would catch everyone up on what's been going on. The most important happened last night. We believe that last night that God told us what to name the first boy we have. It's very fitting considering our situation: Samuel. We read part of the story, Hannah's prayer, and I cried a little. I also told mom about it, and her response was something like "Well, now you know you're going to have them", which I always knew, but this was another sign. I've also been changing my prayer from "Please give us a baby soon" to "Please help us get jobs so we can save money for our own place so we can start a family". I know it's not supposed to happen right now, so I'm not worried about it.

Speaking of jobs, we are still looking, but not sure where to look right now. I'm kind of lost on what to do, and prayers are appreciated.

I am coming along with my book, thanks to the Marshall Plan. The section sheets are a big help, and I'm discovering that I often have a general, vague idea with some spotty details, and the section sheets make me really think about the details. I also have to remind myself to think about certain aspects in order to make part of my story seem more realistic.

I have so much encouragement from those around me, and I feel my relationship with God is growing in a different way than I thought, so I feel a strange sense of peace and expectancy about what's coming. However, I'm still impatient so I wish I knew when everything was going to fall into place! David and I are both more than ready to get good, steady jobs so we can live in our own place, and start a family. I know my parents are ready to have their place back. I look forward to the day I can blog about a successful pregnancy.

I'm not sure why the text looks different. It looks the same when I'm writing. I apologize for any difficulty reading this post.


EDIT: Since there's really not enough of an update to put up another post, i'll put it here. I got a job at Chick-fil-a thanks to connections! I was hired last weekend.

Passion Stirring

As you know I've been working on my story/book, and thanks to my awesome Christmas gift I'm adding more depth to it. For those of you who don't know, my story is centered around ballet, which I used to do as a child. I grew out of it, but never completely. Every now and then I would attempt some moves and see how rusty I was. For the last several years I have been really wanting to get back into it, try it again just to see if I still liked it as much as I used to. However, this was in Campbellsville, and I didn't know of anywhere close by where I could dance. There was one small studio but it was for children only-I could tell just by looking into the building when it was closed. So I figured if I couldn't actually dance anymore, I could release my desires by writing about them, hence my story. When we moved to Cincinnati and I was doing some light research to make my book better and more believable, I found the city ballet company, which stirred the embers once again. This time the desire is even more so, since it's not that expensive and not too far away. Unfortunately now neither of us have jobs, so that's obviously out of the question. But I have expressed my desire and passion to David, and he said once we get jobs we'll talk about it. I want to dance again so bad, for several different reasons. It never fully left me (I still have a turn-out), it's research for my book, and it's a great way to get back in shape. So now I'm hoping there will soon be a way I can get back into what I loved so long ago, dancing ballet.

Slightly Unexpected Change

So it looks like Macy's can't afford to keep me. I was called by my manager, who told me how appreciative he was of all my hard work and help, and that the shoe department had a great season and I was a big part of that. At first I thought he was going to offer me a position. However, he told me that they're not able to keep me because they can't afford it. He did tell me, though, if something changed I could re-apply for a position. It made me feel very happy that a nice place was impressed with me, but I was disappointed to hear they couldn't keep me. So now both David and I are looking for new jobs. We would love for them to be closer to our desired career, but we'll see what God does.

Speaking of careers, I've been using my Marshall Plan for novel writing book and workbook, and it's really helping my writer's block! I'm very excited about the potential of my story turning from a short story into a book. It's stretching me and pushing me to think of aspects I haven't considered that would go into a book and not necessarily a short story. It's also forcing me to maybe think differently about what I've already written. I would really love to find a job which allows me to exercise my abilities to write fiction and push myself even further.