Getting big.....

I weighed Ilsa yesterday and she is 9lb 4 oz already!!! A good eater...just like her momma :) She is also starting to smile which just warms my heart :)

Not much to report this week. Us girls just hung around home. We spend the days in the rocking chair and around the house.....enjoying bath time, play time on the couch, naptime, and reading time. We do NOT enjoy 'getting ready for bedtime' :) We've gotten out of the house a few times in the past few weeks for lunch and to a friends house for dinner. We all went to part of church :) today and then to panekoeken :) Now home for naptime and packers game :)

Earlier this week I started a bible study on 'overcoming fear'. I'm sure it's a new mom thing... but I've been having trouble getting over the paralyzing fear of Ilsa getting sick or worse. It's a dark place at times. I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness and for His word!! He hears my heart, comforts me, and reminds me of his promises! He doesn't promise that no bad thing will ever happen but he does promise that no disaster will 'overtake' us and he does promise that he will never leave us. It's time to start living in the freedom, blessing, and abundant joy he has provided for!

PS) Website won't let me post pics right now..........check them out on facebook!!

Our little gift from God......

Our precious baby girl joined our family almost a month ago. She was born at 8:15pm on September 24th and we decided to name her Ilsa Ginny. This last month has flown by in a whirlwind of thankfulness, admiration, and love sprinkled with a little sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and over-analyzing :) Just as everyone told us before the birth.....our life is indeed totally different. We no longer have the luxury of thinking of only ourselves....we now have the privilege of caring for Ilsa 24/7. It has been amazing watching her grow and change every day....she's already over 8 pounds and is starting to interact with us more :)

Ilsa was still in breech position when she was born. In the weeks before her birth we made some tough decisions. We had tried everything we felt comfortable with to turn her around and we also didn't feel that c-section was necessarily the safest option....more predictable but not safer. In the end, we decided to deliver at Hudson hospital. Our midwife set us up to meet a physician there who is very experienced in breech birth and would assist us in attempting a natural delivery. We were blessed by her wisdom in helping us make the birth choice that was best for us. Despite what decision we made and what the outcome was.... we knew that God was in control and that Ilsa and my lives were in His hands. We also knew that He is not a careless mechanic.......he made my body to have my baby. Once we made a decision on the birth plan, we were able to rest and prepare for her to join us.

Labor started on the 23rd at 5 pm and 27 short hours later our little bundle was here! The sense of relief, awe, and excitement was amazing :) Not finding out her sex was well worth the wait.....what an amazing suprise! She's just the MOST beautiful little girl!! We were blessed by an amazing birth team: me, Kyle, nurses, Paula (our midwife), Shayna (midwife intern), and Dr Hartung. We first heard her name on the movie Casablanca and after looking it up, pretty much decided that was our first choice unless it didn't feel right. 'Ilsa' is a German derivative of Elizabeth and means 'God is my oath'. 'Ginny' is short for 'Virginia'(my grandmother's name and what my grandfather used to call her). Ilsa was 6 pounds 9 ounces and 19 3/4 inches at birth.

We stayed in the hospital 3 nights and then welcomed her to her new home. Since then we've just been lying low and recovering and getting used to each other. We've enjoyed the many family and friends who've come to meet Ilsa :) We're also thankful for the many meals and gifts (and I will send thank you's some day :) ) We've received more advice than we know what to do with and have certainly appreciated most of it :) We're still figuring things out but are enjoying being a family. Kyle and I have been through quite a journey together with all of this.....it's been cool to see the removal of all barriers between us, the pure and real trust in the Lord, the need and benefits of communicating well with one another, and the comfort of having one another. I absolutely could not have done any of this without him- he is amazing!

Well, more later....nap time is winding down :) Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers over us.....we truly appreciate your care :)