Big Bear

We took a late anniversary trip to Big Bear with Gilana.


My new snowsuit is getting a little small.


This is cozy!

Two-Month Check Up

Gilana had her doctors appointment yesterday afternoon. She has grown! Gilana's numbers are:

Head circumference: 75%
Height: 90%; 23.5 inches
Weight: 90%; 12lbs, 11,ozs

Poor little Gigi got her first shots. The first was a little painful, but soon forgotten. The second barely noticeable, and the third sent her to hysterics. My poor little dear hated the experience and wimpered for a little while afterwards.

The day of the appointment was a little difficult as we were late, Gilana was hungry (though soon remedied), the parking structure was a trap for unsuspecting visitors, and I didn't have enough cash to pay the parking fee (at the nearest grocery store my debit card wouldn't work and all banks were closed due to holiday).

I was glad to be home with her so she could lie beneath the mesmerizing wonder of the baby-mobile from Mopsy!

Two Years and a Baby

Our anniversary was a fun time to spend together as a family. Byron surprised me by taking us over to our friend Rebecca who cut, colored and styled my hair. I loved it! He and Gilana enjoyed playing around in the salon (we had it all to ourselves) and had some daddy-daughter time together. After that we had some pictures taken by a friend in Jr High ministry who is talented with a camera, and then on to dinner with our friends the Leaghis!

Byron is such a thoughtful husband!!

For now, here is a slideshow of our "photoshoot," I will add some other images when I am able.

Our Anniversary

Tomorrow is our two-year wedding anniversary, and certainly a day worth celebrating. This date marks one of the most cherished and wonderful days of my life, one that I recall on a daily basis as I thank the Lord's sweet providence. Byron's love is the sweetest gift I have on this earth as it is such a beautiful reflection of God's sacrificial love in giving Christ to wretched sinners as the means to eternally praise Him in heaven. I do not deserve my husband's goodness and steadfast love for me, nor the surpassing greatness of God's divine provision.

Our daughter is a precious joy to us, and certainly has drawn us closer to the Lord in recognizing His beautiful attributes (and a greater revelation of our sinful hearts), but I can't imagine a greater display of Christ's love than what Byron shows me so regularly.

The day we wed a passage was highlighted to reveal the purpose of our union. Ephesians 5:22-33

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

My love, your gentle and loving leadership makes my heart desire to seek out Christ more, to love Him better and truer and with greater fervency and passion. I see my faults (sin!) in a clearer light and hope to eradicate them that I might shine with a greater brilliance that puts my Lord on display and honor you as my head.

The beauty of the text excited me then, but now I see the majesty of it so much better, and more so when witnessing troubled marriages around us. We are SO BLESSED! Your care for me is undeserved and sweetly savored. I see your passion for matters of import and I am proud to see your heart to serve Christ and the people in our sphere of existence, it challenges me to reflect on my own heart and strive to follow your lead.

Thank you for your efforts to carry out God's mandate towards marriage. I look forward to however many more years the Lord has planned for us. I love you, Byron!!

Baby Gilana

For those of you who hadn't heard, our little girl was born on Monday, November 17th at 3:10 in the afternoon. She weighed 8 lbs 10.5 ozs and was 21.5 inches long. Gilana Mercede (pronounced Jill-ana Mer-say-dee), whose full name means "joy reward from the sky," is a very sweet baby girl who talks all night long and is a delight to watch interact with the world.

The labor and delivery process went well after my epidural (it was pretty rough prior), but was even better after the nausea medication kicked in and sent me to a deep sleep during the transition phase of labor! I woke up to find that everything was ready to go and she was crowning! Byron and I were stunned how smoothly everything moved along and how great the doctor was.

We are loving the joys and challenges of parenting, and are learning to cope with less sleep and time with each other. If she dozes off at 7pm, Byron and I sometimes find ourselves rushing to sleep ourselves in case such a thing would be beyond our grasp at a later hour. She is not on a consistent schedule yet, days and nights are still confused sometimes. My days are filled with baby activities, and I greatly enjoy it, but am sure glad when Daddy comes home for relief duty!

Her little grins in her sleep are so precious to us, and we have learned that the look of concentration following by a quick grin means that we will soon have diaper duty! Gilana was working on flexing her muscles from the beginning, day one she was lifting her head to look around, and day three found Gigi doing baby push-ups.

Byron discovered that she prefers being moved up and down rather than in a rocking motion, and that this can quickly soothe a tantrum. He has put together a workout regimen consisting of baby-curls and baby-squats!

Attached are some pictures of our little one, we hope you enjoy!

Crazy Weekend Ahead

Our Schedule for this Weekend:

Saturday 11/15/08

• My due date (will she come?)
• Byron and I plan on visiting our new house tomorrow to get some last minute things arranged

Sunday 11/16/08

• We plan on moving to the new house (with the help of others)
• According to Dr. Frields, if the baby isn't out by Sunday at 4pm, I should be in the hospital and preparing to be induced for a suspected Monday delivery

So, I am not planning on seeing our new home set up as I should be in the hospital one way or another. How blessed we are to have such wonderful friends in the body of Christ and family who we can depend on!!

I am so thrilled to meet our little baby girl at some near hour. We have been preparing to welcome her "soon" for so long now that it is a strange thing to realize how "soon" it really is! All this causes me to reflect on the fact that Christ is returning "soon" to set up His kingdom. In this case, that word holds a much more inconceivable notion.

As I consider the birth of our daughter, I am reflecting how easy it is to worry--first for problems in pregnancy as this gift is so precious but not promised to us, then for her life which I (as a sinner) have the capacity to constantly fear for in one manner or another. God is sovereign in loss and gain! I am grateful that He has our days numbered and plotted out for the good of those who love Him. Life, in trial and blessing, is beautifully constructed by a merciful God.

Cuts of Meat

Some friends were busting a rhyme in our kitchen about some cuts of meat. This is rediculous.

Belly Shots

For those who have been requesting some images, here you go...

Byron and I are expecting our little babe any day now, or more accurately, any time.

There has been a lot happening in the past several weeks, the Lord has been displaying His grace and providence through numerous events to clearly show His hand in our lives. On my last day of work before maternity leave, we learned that we may be moving into our home soon. We bought the house a year ago and had wonderful tenants staying there, who suddenly found a great opportunity elsewhere. Hence several days later our move was confirmed and here we are, planning to welcome our child and move into our home on the same day!

Considering I have some time on my hands as we wait for Little One to come, I have had great opportunity to disassemble the nursery and the rest of our apartment in preparation for the upcoming move. If she determines to come home tomorrow, we have enough essentials available to last us through the move--or at least I hope so!

Other recent blessings include the 7 baby showers that we were gifted with (all but two of them surprises!), Byron's great success at work and promotion talk, time with family over Thanksgiving (in our new house), my maternity leave, Byron's paternity leave, and answered prayers in the lives of our friends. When we stop to consider our blessings, we are amazed and so humbled by so much unmerited favor!