Happy Halloween...

BOO!

Goodbye, Lake House

My in-laws sold the Lake House this week. It has been surprisingly hard for me to say goodbye to it. I know life has to change...just like Cedric can't stay a cute little newborn. So it's okay. My mother-in-law brought me some things from the house... at least I have a few keepsakes: a little Christmas tree from our bedroom, a plant and jar of soap and a bouey from our bathroom, and a sweet quilt.

The Lake House has a lot of memories for me:
Luke proposed to me
Our honeymoon
My first Christmas with Luke's family
The first time I met Luke's Grandma Ellgren
And lots of fun times boating, fishing, and just having fun

It was a great getaway! I'm thankful that we aren't cramped in a little apartment now...so the need to escape doesn't come as often. It was a special place-something better than I deserved. And I must say I'm glad it is just a place...we haven't sold the memories or the people we love!

Is it okay if I get addicted to coffee right now???

Yeah, I'm really tired...and really want coffee about three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening). The wind got up to about 60 mph yesterday...and I was scared to death that our brand new trees might blow over. They didn't, although the maple leaves are all dead now (they were soooo pretty, and I didn't get a picture). Cedric has decided that if he's not sleeping, he's not happy. I'm not sure why...but when he wakes up he fusses a lot, maybe just because he wants to be held constantly. So I'm letting him sleep probably more than I should...but how else can I get anything done around the house? Luke and I had some bad news yesterday as well. So, overall, yesterday was a rough day. But the Lord is good, and I am constantly thinking about how much He loves me and Cedric. So I am choosing not to worry, but instead to just make it one day at a time with my eyes fixed on Jesus. Pray for us, nevertheless. It seems that we are under either a spiritual attack, or perhaps just experiencing "refining fire". I don't want to be discouraged...and hormones are against me!

Cedric misses Nanna

Happy Birthday, Nanna!

Becoming Mommy

Well, the scoop is that this has all been much harder than I expected. Labor was incredibly intense and actually scary. I went from my water breaking to second stage labor in an hour and a half...and by the time I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to 12! So of course, we all thought the baby would be out in no time at all. What "messed" everything up was my inability to retain anything I ate or drank (I threw up absolutely everything and anything during my entire labor). So by the time they realized that I was seriously dehydrated, my contractions had slowed down and my veins were so shrivelled that it took them a long time to get an IV hooked up. They induced my labor to bring back the contractions and Cedric's rather large head stayed lodged behind my smaller than average pelvis for a long time. I'll let you figure out what else the large head meant for my body. Let's just say it took a specialist an hour to sew me up. And to top things off, I lost so much blood that I couldn't even sit up in bed for 2 days.

After a blood transfusion and extra time in the hospital, I finally got to bring my little bundle of everything (joy, pain, hard work, etc.) home! I had Luke and mom to take care of me for a week, while Cedric and I tearfully compromised on nursing...and I fought mastitis!

The day I brought (pushed, rather) this baby into the world, God was taking my beloved Grandpa out of this world. And what keeps getting me, is that both of us-in our intense suffering-were crying the exact same words: "Lord, help me". I could not think beyond that prayer, and neither could Grandpa.

It seemed so unfair to me that I had to mourn Grandpa and celebrate Cedric at the same time. I still have a hard time with it. Every week closer to the due date, I would think...Grandpa's gonna make it...and I'll get to introduce my little one to him! Today I took Cedric to visit Grandma. We listened to cowboy music, and I just wanted to see Grandpa in his recliner, bouncing his cowboy boots to the songs. I want so bad to play harmonica with him. And if only Cedric could have made him smile.

But I'm trying to be thankful, too. Because, in all the pain, Grandma was able to hold a beautiful new baby in her arms the very day she had to say goodbye to her husband of 65 years. I guess God did this for her. And so I'm okay with it.

Nursing has been a little more consistant the last 2 days. I'm up at night about every 2 hours...but am just thankful he's on a schedule of sorts. I love him more every day! And the Lord has made me sing through all of this (I haven't been much of a singer in the last few years). Luke has been an amazing strength and support for me...I can't imagine what I'd have done without him. And we've had our funny moments, like when he woke me up in the night because I was burping him...dreaming that I was burping the baby!

I'm still in pain...but trust that everything is healing regardless. Life is so unpredictable. And I guess that's better.

Cedric Luke Strahan

Drastic Life Change: October 5, 3:05 PM

5 Days to Go!

I'm so excited to meet this baby in my tummy. It's unreal that he could come at any time now! Whenever his foot is pushing up...I feel it and think about putting him in sweet little clothes and wrapping him up warm. I've got the diaper bag ready to go and another bag packed for me (it's a bit hard packing for something you've never done before). Luke sold his car this week and got me a Ford Focus to fit the baby and all his stuff in...I definitely like having 4 doors! We spent a couple hours getting the cars cleaned up and setting up the car seat and stroller last night.

These last few weeks have been full of ups and downs for me. At times I've been so uncomfortable that I just thought I'd die if the baby didn't come early. Then Luke got sick and I was afraid he'd be miserable during my labor...a big deal because I'm doing it all naturally with a midwife, and really look forward to support from Luke. Well, I was so discouraged about him being sick that I didn't even think about the possibility of catching it myself. And sick I am! I have a terrible head cold, which is just taking its good old time. It was a big disappointment when I first realized I was catching Luke's cold. But the Lord has soothed my distress, and I feel quite peaceful about everything.

So, I'm drinking raspberry leaf tea for a good labor and cold tea to kick the cold, and just waiting. My life is about to change; I'm thrilled and scared...and believe God will do special things in my heart through this time.

I also can't wait to have Mom and Dad come stay with me for a few days!

Will I Ever Stop?

Uh, probably not. I like "playing house." I've been decorating since I can remember. And I'm afraid the urge just keeps popping up. Here are a few fun pics.

My friend took this rusty star off her house and gave it to me (junk or treasure!). I've discovered that mums will root and continue to grow in a vase of water...how fun is that! I painted this basket...very sloppily...to use on the front porch. The logs make me excited to have a fire this winter, and the bush is called a Chokeberry and is next to our garage.