Joshua Update

Here is the latest scoop on Joshua! He is now 8.5 months old and is a BIG little guy. He's starting to grow out of some of his 12-month size clothes already, mostly in girth and length of torso, not height or length of legs! His feet are also BIG, and too wide and thick for size 3 shoes, but too short for size 4 shoes. But, that is okay! We won't have to worry about losing any shoes for awhile since he doesn't wear any! (I've heard babies are notorious for kicking them off in stores!)

I absolutely LOVE that he's so big! I love his kissable cheeks, rolley-polley thighs, and adorable dimples! Carrying him around has been a great workout for me! My arms feel stronger than ever! I think the only sad part for me is that he's already a toddler, and his babyhood seemed to race by! *Sigh* I suppose that is how it goes for every baby!

His size has also given him an advantage with strength and motor skills. He is already a very fast crawler, has been rough housing with toys for months, and is walking around with only one hand hanging on things for support. I think he's fully capable of walking without support, but he doesn't know it yet! I've seen him stand up and walka few steps without holding on to something before, but it was as if he didn't notice! He was so engrossed in playing that he just did it without thinking, but as soon as he noticed that he wasn't holding on to anything, he immediately reached for support.

Other fun news is that Joshua is saying a few words now! He's said "Dah-dy" and "Dowg" in context and with passion! He mostly grunts and shrieks and rambles right now, however, and has a long way to go before he's ready to really "talk". He does mimics Luke sometimes, saying the sounds and voice inflections; for example, Luke says, "Hel-lo!" so Joshua says, "eh-woh" in the same tone and inflection. It is pretty cute when he does it, but won't do it for anyone but Daddy at the moment.

Joshua hasn't really shown interest in baby food. He likes nursing. Period. He makes faces and gags and spits other food out usually. This past weekend, he did better than ever for Grandma and Grandpa, eating lots of peaches and things, but this was abnormal for him! I don't mind so much. Nursing is really easy and gratifying. I figure he'll take to baby food when he's ready. I'm excited at the prospect, so I've already made some homemade baby food and frozen it!

Other than that, Joshua likes to flirt with everyone. He is very dramatic and loves attention! He likes to be kissed, hugged, held, and read to. He also plays favorites with Mommy & Daddy. If he is hurt, he wants Daddy. If he is hungry, he wants Mommy. If he wants to play, he goes for Daddy. If he wants to sit in someone's lap, he goes to Mommy. He likes to snuggle with both of us, though! We like "family snuggles" a lot in our house!

Praise God for a healthy, happy, little boy!

Anderson Family Update!

Wow! It has been awhile since I've blogged! Yikes! Is anyone out there still reading these? We may have been taken off your radar, but we're still here!

First, about our newest member of the family, Joshua is almost 6 months old! He is rolling around, sitting up, and very strong! He weighed 21 pounds a few weeks ago. I have no idea how much he's gained since then. He's already in 9-12 month clothes, and goes through them like porpoise goes through water! Fast! Lots of drooling, spitting up, and diaper disasters help with that, of course!

Joshua now LOVES to get help standing. He wants to play sitting up most of the time, and is in love with his "Johnny Jump-Up". He is also quite curious, likes to "talk" long babbling sentences, and loves it when people call him cute and give him kisses. Did I mention he is a flirt? Oh yes... with anyone who will look at him. He spends his days playing, sleeping, and going for walks with the fam.

Anyway, that is our little man's story. Now for the fam. We lived in Decorah, IA this summer. Luke led a summer project there for the Rock. We had seven people from Ames participating in it. We were joined by a few stellar families who lived in the area and who are sold out for Christ!

Together, we served the community by running a youth soccer program for grades K-8. We had 60 kids involved, and they had a great time as they learned soccer skills and heard the Gospel. We also helped put on "Church In The Park", two Bible studies, and a Friday Night BBQ. We had speakers from all over come and speak to the group. It was wonderful! We saw 3 people come to faith in Christ this summer. I was fortunate enough to help share the Gospel with one of the ladies! Praise the Lord! Everyone grew a lot this summer, especially our family! Luke and I are super excited to get back in the Dorms here in Ames.

Did I mention we are now back in Ames? Yup. It's true! We were sad to leave our new friends/family in Decorah, but they are in good hands. We are currently settling back in, unpacking, and purging our house of things we don't need. The chaos of the school year starts in a week and a half. We are in the lul before the storm. We're taking the opportunity to catch up on the happenings of Ames, with people here we haven't seen in awhile, and with family.

Well, friends, that is all for now! Thanks for reading!

Welcome Joshua!

Welcome Joshua Michael Anderson, the newest member of the Anderson Clan!

This is a little late as far as posts go, but I've been "adjusting" to life with our little bundle of joy, and only now have time to blog!

Joshua was born February 14th, 2009 at 5:35 AM! He was 7 pounds 5.9 onces, 20 inches long, and 14.5 centimeter head. Joshua was the best Valentine's gift we've ever gotten... God is so amazing, isn't He?

About The Name: Luke and I had his name picked out since we were engaged. Joshua is one of our favorite Biblical characters. Michael is Luke's father's first name, and is Joshua's middle name in honor of him. This is a tradition in Luke's family. If we ever have another boy, he'll have my father's first name as a middle name.

Oh, and as for those who "placed their bets" about Joshua's weight, Sarah Windham and Vineet were the closest without going over, both guessing 7.5 ounces... so you two win! Your Prize: Virtual High Five! Congrats!

The story? Well, it was like a marathon! Labor lasted 26 hours. They tried to induce me 11 hours before that (unsuccessfully mind you), so we were stuck in the hospital for 37 hours total before he came out, but only 26 of them were real labor with strong contractions. This means we didn't get much sleep or food during this timeframe. Only by Christ's strength and grace were we sustained during this time!

Our midwife was amazing, and Joshua only took 35 minutes to push out. The great news is that I didn't need a C-Section, nor an epidural! I didn't even tear! Praise God! I was given a pain killer after 6 hours straight of hard contractions that were about 0-4 seconds apart and 100-120 seconds long (these were documented on the machine the hooked me up to... I thought they were joking!) I couldn't stay on top of them, so they gave me something that acted like "Beyer for a Migraine" (just took the edge off and spaced the contractions out a bit more). That really helped and made the remaining 6-8 hours of labor bearable (I don't remember the exact timeframe.)

Anyway, I survived and am feeling fine! Joshua is doing so well! He's grown so much and has nice pudgy baby cheeks! Oh so cute! Thanks to everyone who prayed for us, gave us baby things, and who have provided us with meals! We couldn't have survived the last week without you!

Baby Update: Inducing Tonight!

We are 41 weeks pregnant (1 week overdue) today! As you can see, I'm HUGE (for me!) We went to the midwife today as well, and had an exciting 2.5 hours of testing (hint of sarcasm here). They had great news for us, and some interesting (less than great... sorta good?) news. From the "Non-Stress Test", where they strapped all sorts of monitors to my stomach, they found out that Joshua is still healthy and happy in there! He's moving normally, and is as spunky as ever (he likes to kick people that push on the tummy!) This was great news! We then went in for an ultrasound and found that he weighs approximately 8 pounds right now! That was great news as well, since I'm measuring small. The less good news is that my fluid levels are low. As many of you know, low fluid levels mean painful births for moms. That is why they've decided to induce me tonight at 5pm. Basically, they're going to use a ring shaped device to help me dilate (no drugs or hormones involved), and then break my water sometime tomorrow morning if labor doesn't get started tonight. Our little Joshua will be out sometime tomorrow probably if all goes well. We would love prayer for:

1. The whole process to run smoothly
2. God's provision and protection during the whole time
3. That I'll turn to Christ for strength during the painful and scary times (I'm a little nervous, I must admit!)
   
4. My health and Joshua's health during and after labor/delivery

We'll be sure to post pictures after he's born! Can't wait to introduce him to you! Thanks for your prayers!

Place Your Bets!

Okay, so I'm not condoning gambling, but I am promoting a friendly guessing game! The winner has the satisfaction of being RIGHT! What's the bet?

"How much will Baby Anderson weigh when he's born?"

Why are we betting on this you ask? Well, we had an ultrasound a few days ago because I was measuring small (pubic bone to top of the uterus), and it ends up that our little bundle of joy weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces already! We've got two and a half weeks to go! The ultrasound tech said he's pretty big considering my size, and bet he'd be 7 pounds 2 ounces when he was born. Luke decided later that he thinks the baby will be more like 7 pounds 8 ounces... and so the betting began! Now it is just fun!

Here are all the facts, so you can better make your guess:
1) It's a boy.
2) It's our first child.
3) He's due February 5th.
4) He weighed approx. 6 pounds 7 ounces on January 16th.
5) Luke was born a week and a half early and weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces. He has a large frame.
6) I was born two days late and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. I have a small frame.
7) I was not dilated on January 16th, and haven't had any contractions since then.
8) See picture above for my size, though I'm measuring small because I'm a "small person".

I think that about covers all the questions you may have. Closest without going over wins! Remember, there are 16 oz in a pound. PLACE YOUR BETS!

So far:

Luke: 7 lbs 8 oz
Holly: 7 lbs 2 oz (wishful thinking?)

Faith Test: Pregnancy

Last Saturday, Luke and I left for Faithwalkers. We look forward to this conference each year, as it is one big family reunion filled with incredible teachings by men we love and greatly respect. Sunday's teachings were AMAZING, and God really spoke to both of us on the area of faith and surrender. We were looking forward to two more days of intensity, but it was not to be.

It all started on the drive down on Saturday. I started "spotting" (basically, lightly bleeding) at one of the rest stops. So, I called First Nurse. They said it was pretty normal and just to monitor it. It stopped Saturday evening, but came back lightly on Sunday and stopped again by afternoon. I figured I was out of the woods, and didn't give it another thought that afternoon. My heart was stirred by the teachings, and I wanted nothing more than to get alone with my Lord.

I realized there were areas of my life that I had not fully surrendered over to the Lord's care. I was afraid of the unknown, because I didn't really trust God (aka: I was not living by faith.) Subconsciously, I was withholding my heart from trusting Christ with my husband, my baby, my health, and my comfort. I didn't want my husband to die, more than I wanted anything else. I didn't want my baby to die either. I wanted to never again be as sick as I had been 5 years ago, and I was enjoying the small comforts of life, like having an abundance of food and a roof over my head. I was not willing to let it be in God's hands, because in my heart, it felt like that was leaving it all to chance. I was not trusting in God's mercy and kindness. I did not trust Him to take care of me or my family.

I mean, mentally I believed He could and would. I had all those verses memorized and believed they were true in my mind, but not truly in my heart (which was made apparent by some of my actions or thoughts.) So, that afternoon, I broke. I gave it all over to God in my heart. I realized it may be something I'd have to continually give over to Him until I had the experiential knowledge in my heart to back it all up, but I was willing to do this for the first time! My heart was actually longing to trust Him and have His peace. I started to really believe that it wasn't risky to give it all to God. He was in control and loved us at all times! Even during trials and tragedies, He was there loving us through it! That was a beautiful first step.

Well, just 5 hours later, our faithful Lord decided to test my new found heart conviction to give me experiential knowledge. Oh goody, right?

Sunday evening came, and during that last teaching of the night, I started to feel "wet". Yes, gross. When we got back to our room, I discovered I was "leaking" heavier than ever (and bright red.) It wasn't a ton, mind you, but it all came in a few waves and soaked me a bit (it wasn't enough to be my water breaking.) Surprisingly, I was really calm. I called First Nurse again and they said not wait 24 hours to get examined.

Our options were to go the the ER now, or to wait until morning. Again, I really didn't feel anxious. Luke and I simply prayed about it, and decided to call Annette Barrett (one of our pastor's wives and also a trained nurse) to ask her counsel. She suggested that I go to bed (it was 11pm at this point) and monitor it all night. If I kept leaking like this, I was to go to the ER immediately. If it stopped, then I could call our midwife's office in the morning and ask if they'd like me to see someone in backwoods MO or drive home. The concern was that I might have been losing amniotic fluid.

We took Annette's advice, and decided to go to bed. I finally had time for everything to hit me. And, as any good pregnant woman would do, I started to cry. Not sobs of "why me", but of pure emotional and physical exhaustion. I told God I wanted to trust Him with this, and asked for His peace and comfort. Luke joined me in prayer, and we asked God to stop the bleeding and show us beyond a shadow of a doubt what He wanted us to do in the morning.

After a night of little sleep but no more leaking, I woke up feeling a lot of pressure down low. I felt like all the baby's weight was in my pelvic area, and it was difficult to walk. My muscles down there were really sore. I was having mild contractions off and on, but they were not significant in length or closer together than 20 minutes. I also felt my legs feeling tired and shaky, like they couldn't support all the weight. I was also still spotting a bit. But, God's peace prevailed, and instead of freaking out, I felt confident God would show us what He wanted us to do.

Luke and I had our separate quiet times right away, and each felt God wanted us to go back to Ames. When we talked about it, we were relieved to be united on the subject. So, as Luke was packing us up, his parents (who were also at Faithwalkers) showed up. They were feeling really compelled to tell us to go back to Ames. This further confirmed our decision. So, they jumped in and helped Luke pack and make a sack lunch. Mom Anderson offered to come with us, just in case. At this point, it was uncertain what was going to happen, so we gladly accepted. Obviously, the concern that morning was that I could go into labor. We really didn't want to have our baby in backwoods MO! We prayed as a family for the ride home.

I called the midwife's office next. The midwife's nurse thought it best to come back to Ames as well, so I could be monitored. She scheduled me a late afternoon appointment, and we were off. We texted many of our church family who were at Faithwalkers to pray for me, the baby, and that labor wouldn't start. The trip was long and tiring, but incident free! Praise God! We made it with only 2 minutes to spare before the appointment.

The midwife checked the baby first. His vitals were completely normal, and he was happily moving around. She commented that his head was REALLY low, but nothing to be concerned about. Then she examined me and checked to see if I was dilated. She found nothing wrong with me. The cervix was completely closed and I had no scrapes inside. The residue blood had no amniotic fluid in it. Basically, she had no idea why I was bleeding off and on, but said we (me and baby) were fine.

She assigned me a few days of serious rest, and wanted me to monitor everything for the next 48 hours. She only speculated that a portion of my placenta could have separated from the uterus. This was nothing to worry about, unless it continued to do so. She really wasn't sure, and only an ultrasound could tell us for certain. We will probably end up having an ultrasound if the bleeding continues.

Anyway, that was our last weekend! It was truly a whirlwind, and a test of our faith. The Lord really answered our prayers and gave us peace. The best thing of all is that now I have some REAL experiential knowledge of God's loving kindness and care. I really wasn't afraid any of the time. I really did trust God with the situation and had real peace. I still feel peaceful about what happened, and that it was all according to God's plan. It all had a purpose. Also, the next day I feel pretty normal again physically. No low weighty pressure or cramping or sore muscles. All I know is that we were meant to come home, and all those prayers helped us. All I can do now is Praise God! What an amazingly faithful Father!