Cousins

I have good memories of the times we spent with our cousins growing up. Holidays and summers were filled with trips to visit relatives in New York, West Virginia, and even California. And it's nice to continue to keep in touch with relatives via the marvels of Facebook and blogging (Quinn and Sandy are cousins).

And now Kieran has his own set of cousins to visit and make memories with (although it would be great for him to meet my cousins someday, too!).

Dirk, Teel, and Dane

Dirk with Kieran

Kieran and Teel

Heather and Kieran

Trent with K-dawg

Kieran loves his cousins!

You know you live in a holler when . . .

. . . your neighbor has more appliances sitting outside his house than he does inside his house.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
We trust you're enjoying a personal relationship
with the Creator of the universe
who came to earth
to be the Savior of mankind.

With love from Seth, Stacia, and Kieran

You know you live in a holler when . . .

. . . your neighbor comes out to take a picture of the flooded creek with a circa-1980s Polaroid camera and promises to give you copies if the pictures turn out ok.

Bath Time

Here's a naked baby video of Kieran taking his bath (Seth is the giver of baths) for all the Kieran afficionados in the crowd.

And I thought I was verbose . . .

The Golden Bull Awards for 2008 have been announced. Golden Bulls are dispensed annually by the Plain English Campaign, an organization quartered in England but with members in more than 80 countries. Describing itself as "an independent pressure group fighting for public information to be written in plain English," the Campaign presents awards for what it considers the best and worst examples of English.

And the winner is this little gem from the Financial Services team at McGill University in Montreal:

Our collective success rests with our commitment to service excellence and ongoing process improvement. As such, there will be an increased focus in two pivotal areas, namely: Systems Infrastructure & Communications and Controls & Compliance. This new structure will positively impact the delivery of day-to-day functions for our students and professors thanks to the continuous improvement cycle that will be generated by the new structure. This cycle will inherently deliver an incessant flow of process and systems assessment, improvement, and communication with the related development, distribution, and implementation of necessary tools, education, and support. This will in turn maximize user comprehension and increase overall efficiency.

Sure to stir up controversy

This post is for the Calvinists in the crowd (non-TULIP-lovers can stop reading now :o). Enjoy (or not).

Doctor visit update

Seth's sister Mimi with Kieran

Kieran weighed 7 lbs 8 oz at last week's doctor visit. Because that was on the low end of what he should have gained by now, the doctor was a bit concerned about the spitting up and wanted to see him again in a week. So, this week we (or rather, I) worked on keeping him upright during and for half-hour after his feedings (fun to do in the middle of the night). That seemed to help minimize his reguritations. We also bought a baby scale for our own peace of mind.

At today's follow-up appointment, the nurse reported that he weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, which surprised me. The doctor suggested weighing him again after seeing him and telling me to keep doing what I've been doing. At that weighing, he was 8 lbs 7 oz. Apparently, the nurse had misread the scale during the first weighing. However, when I brought him home and weighed him on our scale, he was 7 .8 lbs. So now I'm confused--how much does this kid weigh anyway?

At any rate, with this visit, the doctor seemed to think we were on the right track and wants us to stop by on Friday for another weigh-in. But I think he's ruled out pyloric stenosis or any other major disease or malady, thankfully.

Oops

Frost sent me this article. As she said, "Talk about a cut-throat business!"

An actor has almost died after slashing his throat on stage with a real knife instead of a blunt prop knife.

Daniel Hoevels, 30, was performing in Friedrich Schiller's play Mary Stuart, about Mary Queen of Scots at Vienna's Burgtheater in Austria at the weekend.Hoevels's character was to commit suicide in the drama, a scene that was to be acted out with a blunt stage weapon. But he had been given a real blade instead, London's Telegraph said.

He collapsed with blood pouring from his neck, and the audience members started applauding what they thought were the spectacular special effects, the Telegraph said. It was only when Hoevels failed to get up to take a bow that they realised something was wrong, it said.

Police were investigating the incident as a possible murder attempt, and would not rule out the possibility a jealous rival might have switched the blades. Police were told the knife was bought at a local store, and were investigating whether props
staff forgot to blunt the blade, the Telegraph said.

"The knife even still had the price tag on it," a police investigator said. The actor had emergency treatment at a local hospital. "If Hoevels had hit an artery or cut only slightly deeper, he would have died on stage," a doctor said. Remarkably, Hoevels returned to the stage the next night with a bandage on his neck.

TBI

I applaud the UFC for for hosting a Fight for the Troops night to raise donations for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. But am I the ony one who notices the irony that men who bash in the brains of their opponents are fighting to raise money for those vets suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury?

He doesn't stand a chance

(Warning: This post contains an obligatory naked baby picture for which Kieran will hate me when he's older.)

As I've mentioned before, I'm a hypochondriac. Sadly, I'm afraid this tendency hasn't decreased when it comes to my son. He's been spitting up more lately, and a search on the web produced a diagnosis of infant reflux. So I called the doctor today and set up an appointment for tomorrow at 4 pm. (I'm sure he's fine, but I'll also be able to get an updated weight and length measurement while I'm there.)

If that's not enough, when I told Seth about the appointment, he said, "Ask him about the bald spot and dry skin on his scalp, and also the hernia he might have under his bellybutton."



Poor kid. He just doesn't stand a chance. He'll be diagnosing himself by the time he's a year old.

What was that?

I found this amusing assortment of quotes by celebrities on the ABCNews site. They made me laugh.

"I love religion. I remember whenever the book "The Da Vinci Code" came out, the Discovery Channel did this three-night piece on it that I TiVoed and then watched eight times."
- Jessica Simpson in 2009, Marie Claire magazine

"When I pictured heroin, I pictured some crazy crackhead with no shoes under a bridge. You never think that is going to be you. And it never was me. I was never under a bridge, and I always had shoes."
- Nicole Richie, 2007, Nylon magazine

"I think gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2003, in an interview with radio host Sean Hannerty during the California gubernatorial campaign

"So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?"
-Christina Aguilera, 2000, to the cast of "Saturday Night Live" backstage

"All of a sudden you're like the Bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows what I'm going through."
-R. Kelly, 2003, after a court hearing on charges of child pornography

"I think the 'Clueless' movie was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."
-Alicia Silverstone, 2000 to the Sunday Telegraph. She was nominated for Britain's annual Foot in Mouth award, honoring the celebrity who makes the most baffling verbal statement.

"I get to go overseas places, like Canada."'
-Britney Spears in 1999, to the Toronto Star, when asked about the perks of fame

"I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."
-- Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece in 1994 to Sports Illustrated

"It's really hard to maintain a one-on-one relationship if the other person is not going to allow me to be with other people."
-Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, 1989, Rolling Stone

"The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century."
- Dan Quayle, Sept. 15, 1988 during a press conference in Moore, Okla., in answer to a question on the Holocaust

Chicken Update

The other day, Seth and I were talking about what we wanted for Christmas this year. I (again) mentioned that I'd like chickens (since I haven't yet received the chickens I wanted for giving birth to our son).

"But I thought you were getting chickens for having the baby."

"Yes, but I haven't yet received them, have I? This way, it's like you're buying me two presents for the price of one--a baby gift and a Christmas gift. It makes them much cheaper. I could even throw my birthday present into the mix. You'd be set until our anniversary next year."

They're coming -- oh yes, the chickens are coming. I can hear their faint cluck-clucking just around the corner. Soon free range eggs will be mine to eat (and also mine to collect, since I've promised Seth that I would, in fact, take care of the chickens, rather than passing that chore off to him as he seems to think I will do).

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was a few days ago, I realize, however giving thanks should be a year-round activity, should it not? So, here's my non-inclusive list of what I'm thankful for.

Our sweet (when he's not crying his eyes out in the middle of the night) baby. Thanks, Aunt Bethany, for the cute dinosaur costume!






A husband who loves the Lord and who can cook, clean, change diapers, and take care of baby with the best of them. I'm also thankful that he makes me laugh and doesn't take life too seriously.

Families (my family and Seth's family) who love the Lord and accept God's Word as their authority.

Most of all, however, I'm thankful that Jesus Christ died on the cross, paying the penalty for my sins, and rose again, conquering death on my behalf--not because of who I am or what I've done, but because He chose to save this sinner out of His great grace and mercy. Eternal life with the Creator of the universe -- for that, I'm eternally thankful.

Let me get this straight

Our mortgage is with Citimortgage and our credit card is with Citibank. We bought a house we could afford, and we pay our mortgage on time every month. In fact, we pay more on the principle every month than we need to. We also pay off our credit card every month--we don't carry a balance. In fact, Citibank pays us to use their card, since we get cash back on our purchases. So, we're not the ones contributing to their debt problems and pathetic cry for help from the government.

And yet, our tax dollars are going to bail them out of their bad business practices. And, Citigroup is still trying to get us (and everyone else) to borrow more money from them at zero percent interest for one year (amid various other assundry offers). Um, that's part of how they got into trouble in the first place--how can they possibly think that continuing such practices will help them out? If they continue with the status quo, how can they expect things to get any better? Why don't they start looking at how they can recoup their money from those who have defaulted on their loans and are late with their cc payments (e.g. lowering/eliminating interest rates), rather than encouraging continued borrowing?

And why am I responsible for paying for their mistakes? Yeah, I'm not happy about the whole let's-not-let-companies-and-people-suffer-the-consequences-for-their-actions-and-take-responsibility-for-their-mistakes-so-let's-get-the-government-aka-the-taxpayers-to-pay-for-it-all-bailout-package. But that's just me.

100 Things

Thanks, Jen, for posting this list--the bolded ones are those that I've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World/Disney Land
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

The First Weeks

Lack of sleep prevents me from writing anything pithy or scintillating in this post. So, I'll just post a few pictures of our baby for you to enjoy.

Seth has been home that past two weeks, and his sister Katy came this week. It's been so helpful having others there to hold him and change his diapers! I'm trying to talk Seth into taking one more week off, but he's not going for it.


Kieran is a snuggly baby who likes to be held by anyone and everyone. Can we say "spoiled"?


He was weighed at our last doctor visit (Thursday) and according to their measurements, he's now 6 lbs, 10 oz, and is about 20 inches long.

Wonderment

Can any mother ever really get over the amazing sense of wonderment that she experiences when she first sees the human being that was moments before residing comfortably (or not so comfortably -- more on that in a bit) in her womb and is now part of the outside, cold world?

We arrived at the hospital for the induction about 6:15 and were set up in the LDRP room by 6:30. The nurse got me hooked up to the IVs and the fetal monitor and the fun began. Since Kieran wasn't moving around very much, they gave me some ice chips and popsicles to wake him up. She also wanted me to change positions frequently.

At 8:30, before they started the Pitocin drip, Kieran's heart rate had dropped and they weren't able to find it. After lots of moving around and poking and prodding, they finally got it started again. The nurses called my OB and since they didn't know what caused his heart rate to drop and he was moving around and not considered a "sick baby," they decided a C-section probably wouldn't be needed, she broke my water and they began the Pitocin about 9:30.

Even though the contractions were regular, he still hadn't dropped into the birth canal, and didn't seem interested in doing so. So, again with the changing positions, trying to get him to drop. But as the contractions increased, his heart rate would dip with each one.

About 12:30, the situation concerned the nurse so much that she called my OB who arrived shortly after 1 pm and decided that a C-section was necessary. Since I had already asked for (and received) an epidural (as I've said before, I'm a wimp when it comes to pain), they wheeled me into the OR and got the process started. (Since it all happened so fast, Seth didn't have time to grab the camera before he got into his scrubs and came into the delivery room, so we don't have any pics of Kieran immediately following his delivery.)

At 1:19 pm, the docter found out why he wasn't dropping and why his heart rate was dropping -- when she delivered him, his cord was wrapped around his neck twice and around his arm and his hand was grasping the cord.

Seth watched when they gave me the epidural, and he also watched when they pulled Kieran out. He watched them clean the baby off, but he refused to cut his umbilical cord.

After two days recovering from the operation in the hospital, we were able to leave on Wednesday afternoon. (Thanks, Scarlet, for coming to visit!)

We're finally home and settling into life with a newborn. As all new parents know, the past few days have been a blur of eating, sleeping, and changing diapers.

And, of course, we think he's the most beautiful baby in the world (never mind that I've referred to him as a Roswell Alien already because of his bright eyes and bald head, and also the Saggy Baggy Elephant because of his baggy skin--he'll have lots of self-esteem issues to work through later in life).

We're thanking the Lord for the wisdom He gave to the doctors and nurses and for giving us this wonderful blessing.

Kieran
6 pounds, 3 ounces
18.5 inches long

The need for Kieran to come now

It hit us both simultaneously last night, after I asked Seth when the Steelers were playing this week, that their game is on Monday night. They'll take the field 14 hours after I'm scheduled to be induced. Maybe I should have chosen yesterday for the induction date (apparently Halloween is considered a holiday and they don't do inductions on holidays). . . .

(Also, for those of you who get TLC and watch "17 Kids and Counting," the Duggars' trip to the Creation Museum will be featured this Monday night at 10 pm.)

Gifts of Chickens

One man may give his wife jewelry in celebration of the delivery of their child. Another man may gift his wife a Gameboy. When I mentioned to Seth that, according to one pregnancy book I was reading, it was customary for a man to get his wife something after the delivery, he asked, "In what culture is that a custom?" And then he assured me that I wasn't reading a real pregnancy book, anyway.

Jewelry and Gameboys aside, I found the present I'd really like to receive while looking through an issue of my Organic Gardening magazine: chickens. Specifically, this chicken house that comes with two chickens, which are ready to provide me with free-range eggs in four weeks.

Our neighbor two doors down has chickens (and a pig and some horses that get loose every once in a while and end up leaving deposits on our front porch). And we buy eggs from them periodically. And they taste really good. Much different, believe it or not, from those store-bought eggs. And the guy from whom we purchased our house kept chickens in a chicken coop, which still resides behind our house, albeit in a state of moderate disrepair. (Seth has turned part of the chicken coop into a carport.) So, I've been wanting to raise my own chickens for awhile. Seth has not been wanting to raise chickens.

My main concern with chicken-raising is the whole letting-them-free-range thing. What happens when a coyote or fox rambles by our yard and decides to snack on one of them? This new discovery of mine seems to be the answer, as the website assures me that the movable chicken house is predator-proof.

The other concern with free-ranging the chickens is the whole finding-where-they-dropped-their-eggs thing. Seth would not be amused if he had to step in raw chicken eggs while mowing the lawn. And, once again, the website assures me that the eggs are neatly contained in the little house and that collecting them is a breeze.

These chickens will provide us with lovely eggs to eat, take care of the chiggers, and give me some nice manure to add to my compost pile. Really, what more could a wife ask for in a delivery-gift from her husband? As I mentioned to Seth when I informed him that I would accept this gift from him after I bear him a son, "it's the gift that keeps on giving."

D-Day

Kieran's original due date has come and gone with nary an indication from him that he's ready to experience the outside world (other than lots of kicks and some digging into my bladder). So that I don't follow in my mother's footsteps and deliver a baby four weeks past the due date, I'll be induced next Monday.

For the political activists in the crowd, I voted yesterday (and I plan on voting again today and tomorrow--just to be sure Indiana goes the "right" way).

I was hoping that I wouldn't need to be induced--the idea of laboring at home for most of the process appealed to me. (And, after watching a Discovery channel program on "freebirthing," I've been telling Seth that I was just going to sit in the tub when the time came and let him deliver the baby. He wasn't amused.) Now, however, I feel like a prisoner on death row who has just been handed his death sentence date. (Of course, I realize that a death sentence and a labor induction are at completely opposite ends of the life spectrum.) Rather than being smacked around with the first contractions out of the blue, I now get to sit and contemplate the pain that I'll be enduring as the Pitocin takes affect.

Actually, I'm relieved to know that there is a definite end to this pregnancy. Both of us are looking forward to meeting our son. And Seth wants to know how soon he'll be able to play football with him.

Wait -- was that a contraction I just felt . . . ?

The End Is Near

At least, I hope the end is near. I hope that the end doesn't drag on for four weeks after it's supposed to end, as it did with Mom when she was pregnant with me (three weeks with my sister). Thankfully, my OB assures me she won't let me go a week past the due date, which is next Tuesday (October 28). Sadly, there are no indications that the end may be near -- no contractions, no nothing.

Kieran seems content to stay in the fetal position until the opportune moment (whenever that may be). I keep telling him that there's so much more room to move around in the outside world, but he's not interested--or not listening. Maybe he sees the writing on the wall concerning the next president of the U.S. and is keeping his head in the sand -- or the womb, as the case may be -- refusing to acknowledge the socialism that is coming (and has already come) to a country near you.

At least we've finished his room (or mostly finished it). I'm just waiting for Seth to get a few minutes to put up some pictures and stain the bookshelf that coworker Roger made for us. (Before you email me decrying my ability as a mother, I know that stuffed animals don't belong in the crib--the frog is merely residing there until the baby arrives. And I also know that the quilt rack will need to be secured to the wall somehow so that it doesn't tip over--I'm just waiting for my dad to visit at Thanksgiving so he can do something about that.)

Now I just need to get our bags packed and the carseat installed . . . .

Excuse me, your bias is showing

It made me laugh (or, at least, smile wryly) when, months ago, the Democratic presidential candidates refused to participate in a debate sponsored by FoxNews on the grounds that Fox is "biased" (read: leans toward the right and doesn't always print stuff that agrees with the Dem's agenda). As if the other networks don't have any hint of bias themselves (read: lean to the left and toe the Democratic line). Seriously? Can the Dems really believe that the other networks are completely unbiased in everything they report on?

The love affair the non-Fox networks are having with Obama is almost unbelievable. Daily, there's a Palin-bashing article, along with a "guess who supports Obama today?" proclamation. So quick to point out any semblance of a gaffe on McCain/Palin's part, did any of them (besides Fox) pounce on the glaring mistake by Biden a few weeks ago?


And are any of them (besides Fox) reporting on Obama's glowing endorsement of a book by former domestic terrorist William Ayers?

Yeah, there's some bias going on all right, but I don't think FoxNews needs to shoulder the moniker by itself. There's plenty of bias to go around for those who don't want to stick their heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. As has been pointed out so many times before, everyone has a bias -- news media included. It just depends on which bias is the best bias to have.

Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, my good friend Frost hosted a baby shower for me. It was a lovely time of food, fellowship, and presents.

Georgia made the cake!













The food was delicious -- lasagna in various incarnations, with salad and rolls. Yum!










And lots of lovely and cute baby gifts--baby clothes are so adorable!

Thanks, Frosty, for helping us welcome Kieran into the world!

I've Done It!

You may or may not know that Seth does not, by his own admission, read blogs--mine included. I'm not sure when or where his aversion to blogs began, but it now sits firmly entrenched in his mind. However, this evening, as I was browsing Blogger's "Blogs of Note," I stumbled upon Cake Wrecks, and within minutes had him hooked and laughing at the terrible cakes along with me. I didn't dare mention that he was reading a blog, as it might have spoiled the moment(s). Hopefully you'll enjoy the site as much as we (Seth included) did.

Chocolate Par-tay

I've managed to wrangle several parties out of my impending departure (I'll cease working full-time at AiG once our baby arrives and will instead do work for them on a contract basis). The first was in August, when my division held an Asian-themed party. After that one, someone wrote a lovely good-bye note with magnets on the side of the refrigerator in our break room.

The most recent party was a "Chocolate Par-tay," which we held earlier this month. With this one, we also celebrated Ingrid's departure due to her upcoming nuptials in December.





Ingrid is from South Africa and is an adventurous sort--she took scuba lessons with me a few years ago. We went to Florida for our check-out dives, and she ended up with a black eye (due to an accident getting back on the boat), while I ended up with a bruised arm (due to an accident getting into the water).

At any rate, the Chocolate Par-tay was really just an excuse for me to pig out on chocolate and break out my chocolate fountain, both of which were accomplished at said party.

Everyone was supposed to bring something chocolaty or something to dip in the fountain. We had brownies, choclate cheesecake, chocolate s'mores pie, fruit, pretzles, Oreos, and, for some reason, ramen noodles. And most of that ended up being dipped in the chocolate fountain--including the brownies, Oreos, and, for some reason, the ramen noodles.

Depending on when Kieran decides to make his appearance, I may be able to squeeze one more party in before I leave. I'm thinking a nice Harvest Party might be in order--apple pies, pumkin custards, hearty stew. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'll see what I can finagle this week for one last good-bye party.

Dreams

In the 80s, Scott Wesley Brown came out with a song about mission work, with the following chorus:

Please don't send me to Africa
I don't think I've got what it takes
I'm just a man,I'm not a Tarzan
Don't like lions, gorillas or snakes
I'll serve you here in suburbia
In my comfortable middle class life
But please don't send me out into the bush
Where the natives are restless at night

I, in my shallowness, agreed with the sentiment of the song -- after all, I probably couldn't take a shower every day if I went to Africa. My sister, on the hand, offered herself up to go wherever the Lord wanted her to go--even to Africa. Since that time, she's always wanted to serve somehow in that far-off continent. The church she's attended the past few years has recently given her the opportunity to see her childhood dream fulfilled--they're sending another team to continue their church-plant work in a village in Mali, Africa. Kenda leaves this Saturday for a 10-day trip during which time she'll be ministering to the Bambara tribe.

Here's their itinerary, along with prayer points, in case you're interested in joining her on her trip by bringing her and her group (pictured above) before the Lord.

Saturday, Oct.18 – Our Team leaves Tampa today to begin a long day of travel to Mali. We will be traveling in excess of 18 hours. Pray for a restful and safe flight, that all of our luggage will be within weight limits and we remain healthy from airplane germs. Pray for our families to be kept safe while we are away.

Sunday, Oct. 19 – We will arrive in Bamako late evening local time. Pray that our luggage arrives undamaged, no problems with customs, good attitudes with the crowded and chaotic people at the airport. Pray that we will sleep well and adjust quickly to the time difference.
Monday, Oct. 20 – We will spend the day at the Bamako Missions House. We will have a brief orientation and purchase supplies to take to the village. Pray for a good nights rest in the guest house.

Tuesday, Oct. 21 – Today we go to T Village. Pray for safe travel. Pray the chief and elders will warmly welcome us. Pray we will renew old acquaintances and that news of our presence in the village will spread quickly. Pray for the team to adjust to village living.

Wednesday, Oct. 22 – Today we walk the village meeting and greeting the families. Pray for protection from spiritual warfare as we are in Satan’s stronghold. Pray for many opportunities to share with the people of the village today. Pray that God will make us bold as we trust in His strength and not our own. Pray our gospel message will be clear and understood. Ask that those who hear would give their lives to Christ.

Thursday, Oct. 23 – Pray for a God-filled day as we continue to build relationships in the village. Pray we can spend quality time with believers for discipleship. Pray we are able to model church for the believers. Pray for multiple opportunities to tell our stories and lead people to Christ.

Friday, Oct. 24 – Pray for those who have heard the gospel that they will bring other family members to hear as we continue to tell the story of Creation to Christ. Pray that all those in T Village who hear the teaching led by the volunteers will grow in their knowledge and obedience to the Lord. Pray for quality discipleship time with each believer.

Saturday, Oct. 25 – This will be our last day in the village. Pray that those who have trusted in the Lord will remain strong in their decision. May they support and strengthen each other. Pray that they will be able to bear the persecution they receive from other family members and villagers. Pray for passionate, powerful, and persuasive Bambara believers who would be modern day "Pauls," boldly sharing their faith and discipling new believers.

Sunday, Oct 26 – Today we will be in the mission guesthouse in Bamako. Pray for a time of rest and recovery from village living. Pray that our time of debriefing will be beneficial in preparing the next team. Our flight leaves Bamako at 11:45pm. Pray our travel will be peaceful as we rejoice in what the Lord has done.

Monday, Oct. 27 – Pray for our safe and timely arrival home. Pray for opportunities to share our testimony of how we experienced God at work in such a way as to encourage others to come to Mali in the future.

Name Update

We've been spelling our son's name K-i-e-r-a-n (pronounced Keer-an). However, I've recently begun wondering if it might not be better to spell it K-e-i-r-a-n (pronounced the same way, just a difference in placement between the i and the e).

Of course, when I mentioned this to Seth, he threw a monkeywrench into the whole process and declared that he wanted to spell it C-i-a-r-a-n, the truly Irish way of spelling the name (which means "dark one"). However, I don't even know how to pronouce Ciaran, let alone the rest of America. And it just doesn't seem fitting for a mother to stumble over her son's name everytime she calls him ... "See-ar-an ... Shar-an ... Key-ar-an ..." Yeah, I just don't see that working out for us.

So, it's back to where we were before -- Kieran or Keiran. Keira Knightley (actress) spells it e-i. So is it i before e except after K? I'll keep you posted.

Four Weeks to Go

So, we have four weeks to go until Kieran is scheduled to make his appearance. Cydney, a girl that I work with, is due the same day, and is much farther along than I am in her planning and preparing. She's cleaned, begun packing her bags for the trip to the hospital, prepped the baby's room . . . .

This is what our baby's room currently looks like. Seth is in the middle of finishing the drywall seams, painting the room, and getting the baseboard nails hammered in and covered.



And this is what our living room looks like--I've washed all the things we've gotten, but have no place to put them. So here they sit on our living room floor.

I've thought about packing for the hospital trip, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I have, however, organized and held a Chocolate Par-tay for our division at work, celebrating my leaving (this is the second going-away party we've held). I'll post some pictures of it, which featured my chocolate fountain, later this week. For those of you concerned that I'm overindulging in chocolate, be at peace with the fact (which I just read yesterday in a magazine) that chocolate seems to help prevent pre-eclampsia in pregnant women. All in all, I'd say I'm off to good start as we head into the final month of this pregnancy.

My life is now complete (again)

You and I can both rest easy knowing that mathematicians have found the 46th known Mersenne prime number. We can rest uneasy knowing that $100,000 was given to the team who discovered it. One-hundred grand for discovering another number that is only divisible by one and itself?! I should have been a mathematician.

Seth's Mecca

So I finally talked Seth into taking one of his two weeks of vacation during the week of our anniversary (August 31), as a final pre-baby just-the-two-of-us time. (Thankfully, his work doesn't require that he use vacation weeks for his paternity leave, so he was able to free up his vacation weeks.)

We celebrated six wonderful years of marriage. While I was planning on doing many fun day trips to places around where we live, Seth decreed that we would stay home and get some work done around the house. And work he did. I, on the other hand, napped and got a prenatal massage at a salon in Cincinnati.

He settled for a short trip to Pittsburgh to visit some friends and tour the home of Big Ben and the rest of the Men of Steel. After spending the night at the home of Dave and Diane, we drove into Pittsburgh on Friday morning, in time for the 10:oo am tour of Seth's Mecca . . . Heinz Field.

Of course, the highlight of the tour was the trip through the Steelers Locker Room.


After touring the press box, the business suites, the locker rooms, the actual field, and the fan store (where we found somethings we thought Kieran might like to wear), we headed off to the Ducks Tour of Pittsburgh. This was then followed by a trip on the Duquesne Incline. It's one of the original 17 inclines that took the steel workers from their homes on top of the hill to their work in the factories along the rivers.

If you look closely, you can see the incline going up the side of the hill. This picture was taken from the Steelers stadium.

This is a close-up view of the incline from the station house.

And this is the view from the top of the hill overlooking the city of Pittsburgh (if you can see past the big belly!).

And this is Seth not enjoying having his picture taken so near the edge of the lookout area.

All in all, we had a lovely time visiting with our friends, as well as celebrating our anniversary. Now, on to having this baby. . . .

Ike and the Generator

Holler living has its blessings and curses. One of the blessings is that we live peacefully in the country, away from just about everything. We're at the end of a stony lane, cut off from most of civilization. One of the curses is that we live peacefully in the country, away from just about everything. We're at the end of a stony lane, cut off from most of civilization. This means we're the first ones to lose power when a storm comes through, and the last ones to have it restored.

I may have mentioned the time two winters ago when we were hit with an ice storm and were without power for 5 days. And earlier this summer, we lost power for a day and a half due to a particularly nasty thunderstorm. Through it all, I've been after Seth to find us a generator so that we can carry on with our lives whenever we're (inevitably) hit with another power failure. A few weeks ago, he finally ordered one and it arrived. And our chance to test its mettle came immediately. Or almost immediately.

This past Sunday, we were treated to the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Ike stormed through our area with wind gusts up to 75 mph, ripping up trees, tearing off shingles, and knocking the power out to over 600,000 homes in the tri-state area. Ours went out about 2 p.m.

After a few hours of twidling our thumbs, waiting to see how long we would be without the conveniences provided by eletricity, Seth broke out the new generator (after he ran to the store for a few more parts that he needed to make it work). And this time, we were sitting pretty while everyone else scrambled to find a place to store their freezer food. And, more importantly, Seth was able to watch the Steelers beat the Browns.

Although we live on wooded acreage, the area our house sits on is clear of trees, so we were thankfully spared from many branches and tree limbs ending up on or around the house. Seth found two shingles that had fallen, but that's about the extent of the damage to our area of the Holler (besides the whole no-electricty thing). We stocked up on gas (amazingly, there was -- and still is, in some areas -- a gas shortage in the area) and have been appreciating the blessings of a generator for the past three days.

And now I'm appreciating the blessings of a once-again quiet Holler as the generator was returned to its place in the barn after the power was restored this evening. There it will wait patiently until the next time its services are needed, which I'm anticipating won't be too far in the future (knowing the Holler as I do).

Glowing Trees in the Fall

Fall is coming to the Holler. I can smell it. And I can feel it in the cool chill the air has taken on in the evenings. I love autumn and the respite it brings from the summer heat.

I also love it when the trees glow as their leaves change. This is a picture of a glowing tree that friend Shari took several years ago. I've had a printout of it posted on my wall at work ever since. One of my favorite pictures ever. I'm looking forward to fall this year and hoping it will be a good one, despite the lack of rain we've had the past month or so. Hopefully many, many trees will glow like this, making the last month of the pregnancy that much nicer.

Things that Make Me Smile

Many, many years ago, I was reading a Family Circle magazine and stumbled upon a one-page list of "20 Things that Make Me Smile." Because (most of) the things on the list actually do make the corners of my mouth turn up, I ripped it out and have kept it on my wall at work. The list has grown a bit over the years as I've added to it, and I'm sure it will continue to grow as I stumble upon other things that cause me to exercise my facial muscles. For now, however, here's my list of 27 things that make smile.

1. Birthday cakes with icing roses
2. Geese flying in a V formation
3. A crisp fresh salad from my backyard garden
4. An unexpected hug
5. Zoos where animals roam free
6. Telling a joke and remembering the punch line
7. Drivers who let me merge
8. A full moon hung low in the sky
9. Fireflies in the night air
10. Old family portraits; new family portraits
11. Whimsical salt and pepper shakers
12. Neighborhood kids playing hopscotch
13. The dog greeting me at the door
14. Sunrise on the first day of summer vacation
15. The familiar chimes of the ice cream truck
16. Sunlight streaming through stained-glass windows
17. Babies making spit bubbles
18. A "real" person answering the phone
19. A stranger saying, "God bless you" when I sneeze
20. Solving the Sunday crossword puzzle
21. My husband
22. The first crocuses of spring
23. Glowing trees in the fall
24. Realizing Thanksgiving is not two days away--it's tomorrow
25. Mechanics who fix my tire for free
26. Sleeping in on Saturday mornings
27. Freshly mowed grass

So what's on your list?

Kieran Photos

One of the nice things about having placenta previa is that we've had more chances to check in on our growing baby. We've had four ultrasounds--the final one was last week. Seth wasn't able to be at last week's, but I don't think he was too disappointed since he's generally been frustrated at each viewing because he couldn't make head or tails (literally) of what the tech was pointing out. Though the ultrasounds were done so that the tech could get pictures of where the placenta was for the doctor, she also kindly printed out a few at each one for us, as well.

This is Kieran at 28 weeks, lying on his side with his little hand up over his head.

And this is him at 32 weeks, looking directly at his face. It seems, thankfully, that he has an entire face (thank you Discovery Channel for planting that worry in my head), and all his body parts.

Seth is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his boy so that he can have some play time with him. I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival so that I can wear normal clothes and get off our sofa without rolling around like a bowling ball again.