Introducing Isaiah!

Finally we would like to let you take a look at our new little son. Here's some pictures from the first 4 days of Isaiah's life:

He's a pretty funny (take a look at that last picture again) and remarkable kiddo in our opinion. We love him so much already & are so thankful for the amazing stewardship that God has given us in being parents. Please pray for us as we begin our adventure in parenthood.

Some Isaiah fun facts:

1) Although there were 4 tough hours of being pushed through the birth canal & he was almost born via emergency c-section, he came out with apgar scores of 9 & 9.

2) Everyone expected him to be an extreme cone head from swelling on his skull from being in tight quarters for so long and the use of the vacuum, but he doesn't appear to have a malformed noggin. 

3) At his postpartum assessment he wowed the nurse by taking 45 grams (1.5oz) of milk in 15 minutes of voracious eating. Normal is 15 grams (.5 oz).

4) By his first pediatric appointment yesterday he had already gained back to his birth weight & another half an ounce. 

5) He has identified his hands and already loves to put them in his mouth. 

Yes, he has arrived :)

Sorry for the late update, but Isaiah did arrive on Monday evening @ 8:53pm. It was a long, hard day, but God's grace was abundant. Isaiah weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Since we don't have internet at home it has been a challenge to get a post up (I hadn't even checked my e-mail until 5 minutes ago). I've got pictures to post, but won't be able to get them on until tomorrow. We think he's quite precious.... More to come within 24 hrs. 

Quick pregnancy update

At my appt on Monday the midwife told me that things are making progress (75% effaced & 1-2cm dilated), so we're expecting the arrival of our son any day now. She thinks that I'll deliver a "little" early. We'll keep you posted and be sure to provide some pictures when the baby Isaiah arrives :) For now I have to go do my 1/2 hr on the treadmill to speed this thing up (hubby's orders)!

Showered with blessings...

Here are a few pictures from last weekend's church baby shower in the Seattle area. The Lord really provided for our kiddo through these wonderful ladies and I was very grateful to get time to fellowship with friends (especially those who made the journey across the state from Spokane!!). Thank you :)

On Saturday long time friends from the Portland area also showed love & excitement for baby Isaiah. We now have no doubts that he will be well clothed & diapered. A few pictures from the beautiful event...

Now we wait... Only about a month (plus or minus) until our baby boy makes his way into the world! We are quite eager to see him.

Feel weak?

Encouragement from John Newton:

Our experiences pretty much tally; they may be drawn out into sheets and quires, but the sum total may be comprised in a short sentence, "Our life is a warfare." For our encouragement the apostle calls it a good warfare. We are engaged in a good cause, fight under a good Captain, the victory is sure beforehand, and the prize is a crown, a crown of life. Such considerations might make even a coward bold. But then we must be content to fight; and considering the nature, number, situation, and subtlety of our enemies, we may expect sometimes to receive a wound; but there is a medicinal tree, the leaves of which are always at hand to heal us. We cannot be too attentive to the evil which is always working in us, or to the stratagems which are employed against us; yet our attention should not be wholly confined to these things. We are to look upwards likewise to Him, who is our Head, our Life, our Strength. One glance of Jesus will convey more effectual assistance than poring upon our own hearts for a month. The one is to be done, but the other should upon no account be omitted. It was not by counting their wounds, but by beholding the brazen serpent, the Lord's instituted means of cure, that the Israelites were healed. That was an emblem for our instruction. One great cause of our frequent conflicts is that we have a secret desire to be rich, and it is the Lord's design to make us poor. We want to gain an ability of doing something; and He suits His dispensations, to convince us that we can do nothing. We want a stock in ourselves, and He would have us absolutely dependent upon Him. So far as we are content to be weak, that His power may be magnified in us, so far we shall make our enemies know that we are strong, though we ourselves shall never be directly sensible that we are so; only by comparing what we are, with the opposition we stand against, we may come to a comfortable conclusion, that the Lord worketh mightily in us (Psa. xli. 11).

Just feeding the family :)

Look at that keeper!

Back in July Joe went sturgeon fishing for the first time with Julie's dad & a family friend on the Columbia River. He'd been wanting to go for quite some time, but the trip they'd planned for June got cancelled because of some crazy wind in the gorge. Believe it or not that prehistoric looking fish was one of very few caught that day (my hubby probably got quite a few jealous glances from seasoned fishermen) and tasted great (though I'm no expert at cooking it yet). The nice thing about sturgeon is that at 47" long, even split among the three guys in the boat there was enough for at least two dinners for each family.

On another note, baby Isaiah is still doing well. He's an active little guy and we're getting quite excited for his arrival in October. Of course, things are getting a bit uncomfortable for mommy, but the Lord has been gracious during the pregnancy. I really tried to get a couple of pictures to show how big I'm getting in the last few weeks, but I left our camera in Oregon on a recent trip. So I'll post a few after my mom visits in a few weeks.

Joe just finished his summer job on Friday and is heading back to Providence Classical Christian School for teacher prep week on Monday. Things will definately pick up the pace from here on out and I may need a few more naps to try to keep up. 

What we've been up to....

For those of you who have been wondering if we will ever update & post pictures on our blog....

Thanks for the requests and encouragement. Hopefully this post will start us blogging a little more consistently and interestingly (for those of you who prefer quick updates to essays).

Here are a few pictures from the last year since we've moved back to the Northwest. 

A quick trip to Vancouver, BC last December. 

The last weekend of the Skagit County Tulip Festival in early May.

One of our  son's very first pictures.

Julie (and baby Isaiah) in the Deschutes River during our June camping trip to Central Oregon.

Joe at Lava Lake with Mt. Bachelor in the background.

Part of the reason we haven't posted very many pictures is because our family isn't the most photogenic (even Isaiah wouldn't give a good profile photo at his ultrasound). We're also quite forgetful when it comes to bringing the camera along. However, we'll try to be a little less bashful in the future :)