A New Year?

I'm currently working on Aedyn's 1st year photo album. I'm using iPhoto from the iLife suite and the books turn out so beautifully. Because he was born in Feb, my year's commencement has re-oriented. That's probably the ultimate indicator of the fact that one's life revolves around one's child. I think I was the same with the year of my wedding, too. There's so much preparation and anticipation for a single day that it becomes the time marker for everything else. 

SO today doesn't feel like the last day of the year. It's just the middle of Christmas (the 6th day, half way to Epiphany) and page 22 in Aedyn's 1st year photo album. Eric does start a new rotation tomorrow—OB—days only! He gets 3 weekends off this month and he'll be home over night, but the schedule will probably prevent him from arriving home before Aedyn goes to sleep. (If you are a pray-er, will you pray for opportunities for Eric to spend time with Aedyn?)

Now, Aedyn is taking his morning nap. I'm doing laundry and Eric is at the hospital finishing his 30 hour shift. We are joyful and grateful for the life we enjoy: a peaceful home, kind neighbors, steady work, loving family and friends.  

Be well. If tonight is the start of your new year, may it be a new beginning of hope. If you need help finding hope, just ask.

Vomit Morning

Aedyn was awake at 6:00 exactly but I was hoping he would go back to sleep so I didn't get him out of his crib until 6:15. I always take him back to my bed to nurse him. He was having a very happy morning and played and cuddled while eating. I inturrupted the feeding to burp him and he burped once then emptied his stomach on my pj's, pillow, and sheets. I don't have a safe place to put him down upstairs (other than his crib, someplace he would loudly protest) so I put my robe on over my damp pj's and came downsatirs. He can roam everywhere down here. While he played I started to fold a basket of laundry. Leaving the basket of clean clothes on the floor, I went to the kitchen to make coffee and fix Aedyn's breakfast. Aedyn enjoyed his sweet potatoes in oatmeal. Meanwhile, I began to reek from the spit-up on the pj's and started upstairs to change, but he spit-up on his clothes so I stopped to clean him up Then we played on the floor again. He vomited on his two puzzles. I cleaned him up and began on the puzzle pieces. This wasn't spit-up. Vomit. Stomach acid and all. Finishing the puzzles I look up to see Aedyn throwing-up all over the clean laundry. As you read this you're probably thinking, "poor baby," but rest assured, he wasn't acting as if he felt unwell. He was playing and babbling all the while. But-- my clean laundry. my stinky self. the wooden puzzle pieces that still smell sour. ugh.

Some cute pictures of the rumbly tummy baby.

christmas eve

Pre-Communion

Almighty God,

you make us glad with the yearly remembrance of your son, King Jesus:

grant that, as we joyfully receive him as the one who rescues us from the tyranny of sin,

so we may with sure confidence behold him

when he shall come to be the just judge of all;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the holy Spirit,

one god, now and forever.

Communion

Post-Communion

Eternal God, for who we wait,

you have fed us with the bread of the life of the Age to Come:

keep us ever watchful,

that we may be ready to stand before the "Son of Man,"*

King Jesus, our lord.

see Daniel 7

fourth sunday of advent

I'll be on call, so I need to post this one a little early.

Pre-Communion

God who makes way for our exodus from the slavery of brokeness,

who prepared the young virgin, Mary,

to be the mother of your son:

grant that as she looked for his advent to be the savior of Israel,

so may we be prepared to greet him

when he comes again as the just judge;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the holy Spirit,

one god, now and forever.

Communion

Post-Communion

Heavenly Father,

who chose the young virgin

to be the mother of Israel's promised deliverer:

fill us, your servants, with your grace,

that in all things we may embrace your holy purpose

and with her rejoice in your salvation;

through King Jesus, our lord.

Christmas Missings

As I read the year-end letters of friends and family I find myself missing them acutely. I've lived near many of them for years, others have been some distance away but this year I feel like I've missed much more of people's lives. A friend just had surgery, another was surrounded by friends for prayer for a mission trip, a friend's baby has been very sick. Several friends are expecting babies, growing to love another, or moving. I'm not near them to bring a meal or share some coffee.  

I think about you, my friends. In the night when I'm up feeding Aedyn, I pray for you. I'm sorry I'm missing the good stuff and that I'm not there to comfort you when all is not well. I pray peace in your life. 

third sunday of advent

This is the Sunday the pink candle is lit, representing joy. The lectionary readings are about John the Baptist preparing the way for Israel's true king. It's also often known as the Shepherd candle in the sequence (Prophecy/Hope—Bethlehem—Shepherds—Angels).

Pre-Communion

King Jesus, our lord,

who at your first advent sent your messenger

to prepare the way before you:

grant that the servants and caretakers of your mysteries

may in the same way prepare and make ready your way

by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of your justice,

that at your second advent to judge the world

we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;

for you are alive, and you reign with the Father

in the unity of the holy Spirit,

one god, now and forever.

Communion

Post-Communion

We give you thanks, O Lord, for these heavenly gifts;

kindle in us the fire of your Spirit

that when your King comes again

we may shine as lights before his face:

who is alive and reigns now and forever!

May the joy of knowing that God has called you to a life of true justice under his kingship and that his already present kingdom will one day be revealed to all at his second advent be with you today!

Cousins

Here are the promised pics of Ethan (6) and Miles (just turned 3,) the most fun cousins in Oregon! The boys have an amazing array of costumes. In the span of about 15 min. Miles was a knight on horseback, batman, Peter Pan, a puppy in cowboy gear, the cowboy without a puppy shirt and after a rest he was a baby jaguar. The green and yellow pj's with a tail is Dorothy the Dinosaur. The "gettin' cool" outfit is just a great combo of doubles.

The boys played really well, Ethan was super-helpful. He even gave up his room so Aedyn and I could have some privacy. 

We'll miss the cousins until we see them at Peggy the Great's 80th birthday party in June. Love you guys!

Babble Boy

Yesterday, Aedyn started to fully babble. Until now he's called out "EEeee" and "Yehh" but few consonant sounds. Today he's chatting up a storm. He even sang "Little Drummer Boy" with me. (His part was mostly dadada and papapa with a few mmmmm's. Very nice arrangement.) 

first words

It is with great pleasure that I bring you this very special moment. Today, at the hour of 0830h, Aedyn's first coherent and intentional word was: Papa.

second sunday of advent

Pre-Communion

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power

and be present in a fresh way among us,

and with great might rescue us;

that, since through our sins and wickedness

we are grievously hindered

in running the race that is set before us,

your bountiful grace and mercy

may speedily help and deliver us;

through King Jesus, your son, our lord,

to whom, with you and the holy Spirit,

be honor and glory, now and forever.

Communion

Post-Communion

Father in heaven,

who sent your son to rescue the world

and will send him again to be our judge:

give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming

that, when he comes again,

we may be ready to greet him

with joyful love and firm faith;

through King Jesus our lord.

Back home with Papa

Aedyn is happy to be home. Eric picked us up at the airport with hugs and kisses and I was so glad to see him I almost cried. This morning Aedyn lurched for his music-playing, flashing-light frog and for his bench blocks--I think he missed his toys. He doesn't want me to leave his sight today. If I walk into the kitchen he calls out anxiously, crawls to me and wants to be picked-up and immediately squirms to get down.

Come back for pictures and stories of Ethan and Miles, the cousins who 'showed Aedyn the ropes' with walking help and block tower building and ran interference when Aedyn tried to eat the cat's fur. I was so happy to be with my sister and her family. 

While we were gone, Eric put in the rest of the upstairs windows, built garden cold-frames out of the old ones, and painted Aedyn's room. And worked insanely long hours. He's good to me!

(Aedyn's room color is called grape leaf. It's very intense yet peaceful and so pretty. I want to spend a lot of time in there now!)

Advent day by day

A very dear friend of mine just referred me to this link—an Advent calendar. It has some really cool resources for those who want to do more with Advent throughout the entire week, even if it is a bit too 'reformed' in the negative sense of being overly systematic rather than more naturally narrative. I'll put it to the side bar, as well, under "Advent Calendar".

first sunday of advent

Happy New Year! (tomorrow, that is.) I'll be posting some links that might be helpful for those celebrating Advent over there to the right. Hopefully I'll have time to post some thoughts/reflections as well. In the mean time, here is pre- and post-communion prayer that I've modified from the Anglican Common Worship:

Pre-Communion

Almighty God,

give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and to put on the armor of light,

which we so desperately need now, in our mortality,

in which your son, King Jesus, came to us in great humility;

that on the last day

when he is present in kingly splendor to judge the living and the dead,

we may be raised in new life with your gift of immortality;

through him who is alive and reigns over all with you,

in the unity of the holy Spirit,

one god, now and forever.

Communion

Post-Communion

O Lord, our god,

make us watchful and keep us faithful

as we await the presence of your son—our lord;

that, when he shall appear,

he may not find us sleeping in our brokeness/sin

but active in the good works you have prepared for us to do

and joyful in a right understanding of your greatness;

through King Jesus, our lord.

Cloth Diapers: Our System

NOTE: if you don't care about how we cloth diaper, this will be a very boring read।

NOTE 2: We cloth diaper because we are stewards of the earth, of the money entrusted to us, and of our baby's bottom. An essay on benefits to all.





Some diaper sites I like for information and products:
wildflowerdiapers.com (my favorite site, easy to navigate, great detail)
cottonbabies.com (the home of BumGenius, they have a diaper grant for missionaries I love to suport)
greenmountaindiapers.com
(Best price for pre-washed cotton prefolds. This saves lots of time, H2O, energy.)





A few of you have emailed me about cloth diaper recommendations. Diapering really is a system and, as there are so many options, systems vary. Our system is basic with a few frills. Some of the fancy diapers and covers are really amazing. But the basics are easy to use and almost all our 'stash' was 'showered' on us at my Diaper Shower. Here is our system.

Terms:

DSQ: diaper service quality

Chinese prefolds / prefolds: multi-ply cotton or hemp diaper what has extra thickness in the center.

Cover: go over the cloth diaper. Not all diapers need a cover, some have covers attached

PUL: polyurethane laminate. The coating on most covers to make them water-proof

Newborn: Diaper service (great gift from friends) using DSQ chinese prefolds and our own covers (Classic Proraps, newborn size, worked best on our skinny-thighed boy.) We used Snappis fasteners as they are faster to put on and less dangerous than pins.

When the diaper service expired at one month, we used our own DSQ prefolds, some cotton, some hemp (it's more absorbent). We never bought newborn size, just folded the diapers down a bit in front. When Aedyn outgrew the newborn size Proraps, we had Bummis covers. They have a little pocket in the front of the cover to hold the diaper if you fold it in thirds and just lay it in. That way you don't need a fastener as the cover wraps around the waist and velcros closed. We folded in thirds the short way until he was about 6 months because he has a small bum.

We also had a few AIOs for going out. They are constructed like disposables, are trim fitting and convenient. We loved the BumGenius AIO and liked the Bumkin. That one was better suited to a chubby waisted baby.

Now he's in medium sizes. We didn't make the switch until about 8 months, later than the sizing on most products indicates, because Aedyn is leaner than average (25 percentile.)

We use the small prefolds still folded the long way. We also have several contour diapers that are the same shape as the wrap covers. They work better for us if we use a snappi. They are nice and cushy and have a sewn in 'doubler' for extra absorbency. We have added Kushies covers and some med. classic Prowraps as well as Bummis. I also now have a few wool soakers. They pull on like underwear and are make of wool. The lanolin in wool neutralizers pee. These aren't washed often. Seriously! Ours are so cute and soft and they keep a bottom warm.

OUR FAVORITE DIAPER! BumGenius One-Size Diaper! We have 6 if these. They are 'pocket diapers.' While several companies make pocket diapers (the cover has an inner liner and you stuff the diaper or absorbent liner into the cover, then it goes on like a disposable) Bum Genius One-Size has an adjustable rise. We've used these since Aedyn was about 2 months old. They are our night time diaper. Now we double stuff them with the original inserts and/or a small prefold. This gets Aedyn half-way through his 12-13 hour night. They are easier to put on in the dark than prefold/cover combo.

Pail: we bought a 22 gallon garbage can with a foot-operated lid and a liner. The liner gets washed with the diapers. We also use a wash basin to soak a diaper if necessary or store dirty covers and then wash them in the basin. (I usually hand wash covers at the end of the day, dry over edge of tub all night. they can be machine washed with the diapers, too.)

Diaper sprayer: started using this when he started eating solids to spray poo off the diapers into the toilet. now I hardly ever need to soak a diaper.

Washing: 1) a cold, short cycle wash/rinse with NO detergent. 2) a hot, longest cycle wash/rinse with about 1 TABLESPOON ONLY. Diapers hold odors and become less absorbent due to detergent build-up. I have used a bit of bleach only once, on a single poopy diaper I forgot about in a bag for a week. USE SUNLIGHT instead of bleach to whiten out any stains. Never use bleach on PUL covers.

Q3

I'm doing my second inpatient Pediatric rotation right now. November is a weird month for the Family Practice residents (e.g., me) because whatever rotation we are on that month, each of us gets pulled off of it for 10 days to cover our own hospital service. I was on FP hospital service the first 10 days. The peds people found it fitting, then, to kind of punish me and put me on call Q3 (which no one else is doing). What that means is that every 3rd day I am on call from 7AM until 1PM the next day. Every 3rd day is tough. It means that for the next few weeks, including Thanksgiving holiday, I get ONE day off total—the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now, the peds chief resident argues that I actually get Thanksgiving off, too, since I am post-call that day (work only from 7AM wed till 8AM thur). Really? That's a day off? I guess if I work mostly during dark hours but can get home before more than 2 hours of light, that counts as a 'day off'. Well, this is all my way of saying, "Sorry for being absent from the blog." Hope to catch up more later, but I'm glad Heidi is able to keep you all updated. Love you.

Absent

Sorry I've been absent for a while. We all had colds, Aedyn's was the worst. A few nights I propped him up against my chest so he could sleep inclined to help him breath. He's finally better and has been gumming in 2 top teeth. (some crying. little sleeping. some screaming.) Right now Aedyn and I are playing 'stand-up' at the bookcase's second shelf. (yes, it's anchored to the wall.) 

The boy has really grown up in the last 2 weeks. He follows me all over the house with his speed-crawl. He's so expressive! I can almost watch his thoughts process through his big brain. One Great Thing--he's happy in his car seat!  Aedyn also loves our walks. I have the stroller seat on a small recline but Aedyn leans way forward or over the side so he can watch everything better. 

Eric's call schedule is brutal this month. He can't get caught up on sleep before he has another all-nighter. Pray for him if you are a pray-er, please. He's so tired and he's hoping to replace several of our windows in the next few weeks, we have company coming, and then the baby and I go to Oregon for a week. 

Yeah for visits--

Carrie comes Sunday!

GG & Gary come Thursday!

Honduras, The Lask Week--The Resort!

Near the end of our time in Honduras, we attended a worship service with nurse Peggy. The fellowship was mostly part of the international community and the service was held at a beautiful resort. As we were leaving Eric checked on the price of a Saturday night stay thinking that we might go there our last night in Honduras. It was WAY too pricy for us. I asked Peggy if there was another place that might be less expensive and still beautiful. That afternoon she sent a message that she would help us move to our new lodging the next day! Clinica Esperanca, the free clinic Eric was working in, has an arrangement with the Henry Morgan Hotel. A doctor serving at the Clinic can 'moonlight' at the hotel in exchange for room & board! Usually the doctor needs to be there at least a month but we were able to go for a week. We did have to pay something for me to stay but it was worth the $. The meals were buffet and soo nice. Every dinner was a different theme. The resort is owned by an Italian and most of the guests are Italian and they all gushed over Aedyn. The hotel is next door to the one where we attended worship service so we had the same lovely beach we hoped for. The baby loved the pool and the parrots and made great friends with our waiters and the hospitality team.  Eric did have to man the doctor's office form 5:30-7:00 each evening and carry a pager but he only saw 3 or so patients. One of them was a consult for a cat with mastitis! 

Our week at the Henry Morgan was special (though I did get a tummy bug and missed several of those lovely meals) but we were really ready to come home. 

Eric's grandma and great aunt came for a visit (fun and relaxing;) Eric painted our bedroom, bathroom, and guestroom; he planted our ground cover plants in the front yard-hill, and I've been holding a baby with a bad cold. And, of course, Eric is working lots so the week-and-a-half home have been busy.

Enjoy the pics of the Henry Morgan.

Honduras, The First Three Weeks

Our super neighbors drove us an hour to the airport at 5am for the first of 4 flights. We were tired and giddy all day and Aedyn slept a total of 2 hours in those 16 hours. We spent the night on Taca Airlines dime at a cute little hotel in San Pedro Sula and flew to the island of Roatan the next morning. A beautiful sunny day in the western Caribbean greeted us.

Aedyn loved the hammock and seemed to enjoy the crunch of sand in this mouth. He loved the water! He's not a fan of baths so we were surprised he was so happy in the very calm bay and in the pool at the Henry Morgan resort (more on that later.)

Eric worked 8-2 at Clinica Esperanza, a free clinic, on weekdays. The workers at the island's hospital were on strike the whole time we were in Roatan so the clinic saw some cases that would have normally been sent to the hospital. Eric liked his experience there and learning from the other doctors.  Here's the clinic and the view from it's front door. (Ooops. I can't seem to move them down here. They are at the top, the first 3 pictures. The clinic will soon have birthing rooms and hospital capabilities.)

Home again, Home again

We got home about midnight after 3 flights and a little drive. We've got fun moments and little insights and cute pictures to share. Later. we are tired.

As we walked out the door a month ago we set off bug bombs in the basement and on the main floor. So I spent a lot of my day sweeping, mopping, etc to keep bug killer out of Aedyn's mouth. Eric did lots of painting today. Finally seafoam green and bright blue are covered!

We have much to do before Eric's grandma and great aunt visit us in a few days. We're so glad to have them here for a few days, Aedyn-star will be thrilled with the cuddles.

we miss you.

Still no photos to share

I tried uploading directly from the camera but with no success. The connection is really slow.

We didn't snokle yet but it will happen! Oranges and Aedyn's tummy do not agree. We had dinner with some of the other volunteers last night (a carry-in) and someone has found a good bakery with yummy chocolate chip cookies. We're going to that bakery tomorrow. (The big grocery store on the island has about everything we would need but I'm not willing to pay those prices. We did buy a jar of Vodka Sauce and pasta for a total of $6. The noodles were aweful. We also found full-fat plain yogurt for Aedyn-$4.00, but worth it as it's his main source of protein and fat.)

I'm tutoring an island boy in English. Peggy has set him up with English tutors for the last couple of years and his vocabulary of nouns is impressive. Moses is really sweet and cheerful and thinks Aedyn is great. Moses and I have a lesson 3 days a week for about 1/2 hour after school. He's been coming early as his school teacher hasn't been coming to class so they send the kids home. EEK.

Eric is at the apartment putting Aedyn down for a nap, I'm going veggie shopping at the local market (three little stalls) and then hole-ing up for the evening with a borrowed book. Eric is going out for drinks with some new friends who are meeting too late for me to go along (Aedyn's bedtime is 6.)

Happy sunny day.

A Still Morning

The sea is very still today. This would be a great day to snorkel. Maybe I'll try that this afternoon. There's a dock in front of Peggy's house that we can take the stroller out on and rig up some shade for Aedyn.

Last night was rough. We stayed here at Peggy's to house-sit but got no sleep. The 2 dogs and the street dogs were really loud and there was other commotion that made me nervous. The noise woke the baby several times and Eric was up checking on things around the house. The mosquitoes are much worse here and we're covered in bites even though we started the night covered with bug spray. We're asking one of the med students to stay here tonight so we can take the baby back to our almost moz-free apartment.

Aedyn's napping now and I'm folding laundry on the porch and watching the water. beautiful.

Roatan!

We've been here for 9days and finally I'm able to post. The electricity isn't always here when I need it or other volunteers are using this computer here in nurse Peggy's house. Eric and I are house-sitting while Peggy in on the mainland for 4 days. We feed the pets and have access to Internet and laundry! Even better, the house is on the waterfront. Swinging in a hammock gazing at the Caribbean is a great way to pass the time.

Eric works at the clinic from 8-2 (or so) and then he's home to play. Our apartment is about a block from Peggy's and just down the hill from the clinic. Several other volunteers stay in the other apartments in our building (undergrad, med students, a nurse, 2 other docs) coming and going. Many of them are becoming certified in SCUBA as that's the big thing here. We don't SCUBA but have swam and taken out the kayak. I (heidi) kayaked with Coleen, a med student from TN, the other day. There is a dolphin research center next door and we visited the dolphins in there ocean pen.

The waves break about 200 yards from the shore, that's the lip of the coral reef this island is made from. So the water sounds a lot like Lake Michigan, soft lapping rather than big waves. Right now the parrots caged on Peggy's deck are so noisy I can hardly hear the water. School just let out and I can hear the kids outside on the road.

Roatan has one long paved road which basically runs seventyfive percent the length of the island. Some of the other roads are paved a short distance but most are dirt. Peggy has a double cab pickup but the cabs here are mostly compact cars. We grocery shopped at the islands big supermarket today and at out at a chicken-n-biscuit fast food place. Aedyn likes both! He also grins wildly at the dogs here, and there are many roaming around. The little blond baby draws lots of attention and a few women have taken him right out of our arms for a snuggle.

Hmmm, what else are you wondering. We're eating lots of beans and rice and oatmeal. Disappointingly, there isn't much good fresh food. We missed mango season but have had some good bananas and pineapple. The lettuce and cabbage have been pretty grim. We heard there's a gringo growing hydroponic greens which will surly cost us but will probably be worth it.

I've got to share the computer now. more later!

missing you

We have arrived and are well. Will try to get some time to update you later.

Happy Saturday

Aedyn had a rough time sleeping yesterday and this morning he has a new tooth. He's happy today and we played outside in the sunshine. As I was feeding him pumpkin soup for lunch, 3 little deer ate lunch about 10 feet from the dinning room window. I've been looking out for them the last few days. I love living here.
But I really miss lad nar from YumThai in Forest Park.
And our corner grocery store, Ed's Way.
And dear friends. who really know me. who would just stop by. and stay for a meal. or stay to sing and pray.

missing you

Aedyn, Hondorus and Evangelism

Aedyn's first tooth is finally out. He teethed for months, it seemed. Eric got him out of the crib after a nap on Sunday and Aedyn was STANDING up in the crib. Time to lower the mattress as our boy is a climber and will be flinging himself onto the hardwood floor if we don't.
2 days old & 7 months old


5 days more to prepare for our Hondorus trip. I'm a light packer as I've traveled a lot and I usually pack just before a big trip in about an hour. But Aedyn has Stuff. Diapers and covers (we're cloth diaper-ers), a food mill (to puree his food), sheet for the pack-n-play (thankfully we can borrow the p-n-p there) a few toys, disposable diapers and store-bought food for the travel days, etc. Eric doesn't pack much, thankfully. AND we are packing similar items in each bag as the 4-airplane trip almost invites lost luggage.

Eric is really excited to work in the clinic in Roatan and I'm excited to get to spend so much time with my husband and the glorious beach. I love my job! Being a home-mommy is the best!

Someone asked me about our opportunity to evangelize there. I love that question. I believe that the topic "Evangelism" is a lovely, perhaps lengthy, conversation on what it means to have confidence in Jesus and how we can co-operate with God's new creation plan. In short, we will live in Roatan the same transparent, authentic lives we (strive t0) live here. Eric and I both love spiritual conversations and are comfortable talking with newly-made friends. Our goal is to live in such a way that we Invite questions; we pray specifically for these. The biggest question starters right now: why we cloth diaper and why we don't own a tv! Both get to the heart of our motivation, to live out the examples (that is, prophetically) of how we enjoy and participate in God's kingdom (which is HERE, by the way). ((To be clear, cloth diapering is a way we can help stewerd creation by creating over 1 ton less waste--we don't think using cloth is a mandate from God and that everyone who doesn't is wrong. TV: we don't have one because we would have it on way too much! We like to spend time as a family and Eric's work schedule makes our family time limited; so for us, not watching tv all the time puts value on our marriage which reflects many aspects of God's character.))

Congratulations on making it to the end of this post! Here's your reward.

Grandparents visit

My, how the weeks go by. After Hannah left we had a few days to get ready for my (heidi's) parents. They drove aallll the way from the western edge of Nebraska. We had a fun time and their grandson was, of course, the main excitement. We did have an afternoon touring around town, a trip to a hand-blown glass factory, and Gino's gellato (yum!). We had pictures taken at Sears (thanks, m&d) and ate southern BBQ, Dad painted the porch, mom canned apples, and we watched the baby grow.

He's scooting everywhere, now.

Moderation

Needed to add comment moderator functions for awhile, but I'm not used to it. so there are some comments to a couple of earlier posts you may have missed since I didn't realize I had to approve them first! here and here and here are those posts

Hannah's here!

We're having fun. This morning there were 3 deer in the neighbors' back yard; I'm so glad she called to tell us.

Hannah and I made apple tarts for the neighbors as a start on our bushel of apples. I made a little cake on Saturday for another neighbor's birthday--butter cake with cream cheese and apricot filling.


Eric got home from work early so we grilled big burgers (yes, beef) and veggies. Tonight Hannah and I went out for gelato (mmmm, orange/chocolate, tiramisu/raspberry) while Eric vegged to NBC online shows.


The star of the show, our baby beloved, is scooting forward now. He loves playing with Tia Hannita, too. Thanks, Kims, for the Herd outfit and his new blocks! We love the pictures of Elliot.

Vacation

Vacation just ended. Eric was home for 5 days and we did some resting. This was vacation for me, too, because I got to spend time with Eric and he would get up with Aedyn at 6:30 so I could sleep a few more hours. Eric was also the main carrot feeder for the boy (he eats lots of things but carrots with apples are his fav.) Eric did some work in the garden, we drove to an orchard for a bushel of apples, hosted a cook-out for several neighbors, and had fun doing errands together.

A picture of how we weathered a storm last week. Aedyn didn't sleep through the thunder so he joined us on the front porch for the lightning show.

missing you

Reconstruction: Renewal, not Escape (or, Tithing part 3)

I believe the properly told Christian metanarrative is liberating, not oppressive, and actually deconstructs the notions of power/weakness and authority that my PoMo peers shun with their deconstruction of all metanarratives. But this post is not meant to be an apology for promoting a metanarrative, merely an attempt to summarize what I think the Christian story is (of course, after a lot of my own deconstruction of how it is usually told). So on we go . . .

I have written a lengthier discussion of the Christian story that was written in format of a week-long devotional. One can access it here, and click on the file called "devotions." Briefly, the story is as follows (with many important details missing in the summary version): The cosmos owes it's existence to the Creator of everything. The Creator made the creation very good. The Creator's position toward the creation is one of complete love. It was within the loving, good plan that the creation should be cared for (looked after, stewarded, ruled wisely) by a creature that would reflect the creator's own love and wisdom. This life and task was given to humanity, who has since turned away from the creator and ceased to reflect it. Humanity has thus become inhuman and creation has been thrown into chaos. Because of the Creator's love for creation and desire to see order restored for the benefit of what was originally created good (and still has wonderful echoes of that goodness in it), the original plan has never been abandoned. Humanity will, God determines, reflect goodness and love and justice and wisdom and thereby order creation properly. A man and his family are chosen to carry on this plan (Abram and the Hebrews). They fail as miserably as original humanity. But the plan is not abandoned that it will be through this family that all the families of the earth, and thereafter all of creation, will receive the wonderful life that only God can give. All the failure of humanity and Israel, and all the power of God to undo that failure, are focused on one Man, Jesus, whom God has chosen to be the truly Human One, the true Israelite, the human that rightly reflects God's own character and nature, intended for humanity all along. The crucifixion if a reflection of what it means to be god . . . and human; powerful; authoritative; in control. The misery and futility of creation are exhausted in Jesus' death, and then reversed in his resurrection. The body, God's creation, is not abandoned, but given new life, fuller life, death-conquering life. The Resurrection was the beginning of God's promise to renew, to make new, his creation. The Age to Come has arrived and now the Messiah's people are given the task of looking to that event in the past and anticipating how that will work itself out in the future. Please see the devotional I mentioned for a fuller exposition of all this.

What that means, then, is that Christians, the Messiah's people, should not be looking to escape the rest of creation that is doomed to destruction (as in many Evangelical tellings, including the Rapture theory). Nor is our goal to live an eternity in some place called Heaven. Our mission, our raison d'être, is to be the people who, while looking to what God has already done in Jesus, anticipate it's final outworking in the present. We are called to live the life of the Age to Come now, the life in which justice prevails, the poor and widows and orphans are cared for, the rest of creation is tended wisely and taken care of, heaven comes to earth. That is, after all, what we should hear when we say the prayer the lord taught us to pray. We are not called to 'tithe', as if 10% is God's and we can do what we like with the other 90%. Our entire lives, including our finances, need to be reordered around the fact that our lives are not our own; that we were chosen, as was Abraham and his family, not merely for our sakes, but for the sake of the rest of the world (human and nonhuman creation). It is not merely about proselytizing enough people to get them out of an eternal hell, it is about reflecting God's love and wisdom to the rest of creation and thereby partnering with the Creator in that plan to have creation rightly cared for, reflecting God's own beauty. The 'tithe' doesn't have a place in this story. Only a creative reimagining of what it means for each of as individuals and as a community of faith to participate with God in his New Creation project.

The Wrong End of the Telescope (or, Tithing part 2)

Thanks to those who participated in the previous post about tithing. I ended that one by indicating that I wasn't bashing giving, but that I didn't think tithing fit with a properly told Christian story. This post is meant to expand on that idea of a properly told story. Mind you, it is difficult to be brief and thorough with this stuff, so please forgive me if some of it appears to be a caricature.

Most Evangelical Christians, and many Christians who are not Evangelical (but since I grew up Evangelical, it is the sub-culture with which I am most familiar) tell the following story: God (in three persons) is holy and just and all-loving. Mankind was created with the intent of relationship with God which has been destroyed as a consequence of sin (which God cannot tolerate because of his holiness and justice). God chose Israel as a special people so that he could eventually be incarnated as a Jewish person who would then bare the penalty of humanity's sin by dying on the cross (to satisfy God's justice and love, which demand that he both act to do something about the situation and that there be a legal substitute for humanity). As a result, those who ask God for forgiveness, who accept that Jesus is God's only way of undoing their own personal sin, are guaranteed not to go to hell (the just consequence of sin) but rather may go to heaven when they die. Some would then add, or at the rapture. The mission of the Church, then, is to get as many people as possible out of hell and into heaven before their death or Christ's return. Tithing fits uncomfortably into this story as a throwback to the Jewish laws that is necessary for promoting church mission. Sunday morning 'church' (or Saturday for SDAs) is a given and the tithe is important for perpetuating that event.

I propose that this story is only a small part of the larger story and that, because it has focused on a microcosm of the larger, it is in many points mistaken, having drawn faulty conclusions from too little data. In particular the question of tithing misses the point of who we are entirely.

But it's late and I'm tired, so tomorrow I will post a summary of what I think a more complete story sounds like. Goodnight!

Happy Hemi-Birthday, to Aedyn!

Aedyn Shepherd is 6 months old! He likes sucking on his toes and blowing spit bubbles. He loves cantaloupe-rice puree and playing outside. Ah, the life of a baby.

Critters!

Although Eric says that the baby snake we captured in the basement is quite possibly the only one that lived there, I know that babies have mamas. and often, siblings. No more barefoot laundry duty. boots time.

I spotted this praying mantis on the handle of a hanging flower basket on our front porch last night during dinner. (that's a lot of prepositional phrases!)

Purgatory

(I know, I haven't finished the tithing post yet. Just give me a couple of weeks, please.) I always thought I didn't believe in Purgatory, being a doctrine the church decided to invent rather than one found in the biblical narrative. However, experience will change one's mind. For the last 2.5 weeks I have been in purgatory, a.k.a. my mandatory rotation in Surgery for my residency. These people don't enjoy life (generally), and sometimes it seems as if they exist merely to make others' lives less enjoyable. But through the sleep deprivation, the unkindness of my peers, their determination to be unhappy and disrespectful and make others around them miserable, I have learned more than ever that I have a choice of who I will be. I can imitate them, which is by far the more natural and facile option under our conditions, or I can aspire to reflect our Father more completely.

This is one of those success stories, in general. I have usually chosen the more human path (even if it leads to seeming 'death' and 'disaster') during this time. It has been trying, but worthwhile. It's hard not to appear different when that happens, and it has made a difference in a few people's lives and/or days. I am done in one week, but I see more completely now that purgatory exists, it is everyday, every choice we make to be like the Fully Human One or not. We are being purified and prepared for the time when The Age to Come is fully upon us, when God's kingdom has fully come on earth as it is in heaven. My success stories are few, so I think it was important to log this one!

Lily

Another water lily bloomed yesterday in our little pond; it's been about 6 weeks since we had one bloom. The fish act like a pack or a tribe rather than a school. They are so fast and very "Lord of the Flies." Aedyn loves to watch them when we feed them.

Here he is during naptime. Caught in the bars. Awake. Happy, at least. If I could find a crib with sides like a milk crate I would consider buying the ugly thing because Aedyn is always getting a leg or 2 stuck.

Eric took this picture last week in the late afternoon sun. It's been amazing how many times Eric has been able to come home in time to feed Aedyn his veggies. It was our prayer that E would see the baby awake every day--not easy with a resident's schedule. We've visited at the hospital some and Eric races home. Aedyn seems surprised when I'm the one holding his spoon full of carrots. Must be papa's gig.

Hannita might visit in a few weeks. My parents are driving over from western Nebraska in 3 weeks. We leave for Roatan in 6 weeks. Yeah life!

Missing you.

Heading to Honduras

Yep! Aedyn's first trip oversees is for Eric's international medicine rotation in Roatan, Honduras. Eric will be working with a missionary nurse and local and missionary staff at Clinica Esperanza. Roatan is an island known for scuba diving and great beaches. We'll have our own little apartment w/ kitchen and Aedyn and I will find plenty of lovely people to meet and things to see while Eric does clinic and community health. Roatan has an interesting history as many of the current inhabitants are descendants of Carib slaves left behind on Roatan island, indigenous people , descendants of English, Spanish, and Dutch pirates and imperialists (sometimes there is a difference, I think) and now tourists. We're so excited to go!
We don't scuba but we're going on that glass bottom boat!

How to Post a Comment

I stole this idea from my college roommate, Rachel, at bardwelcentral. I know that many of you reading this are new to blogging. Here are instructions for how to post a comment. If you tried before and couldn't blog, try again. You no longer need a blogger account.

1. Click on "Comments" under the blog entry you want to leave a comment about.

2. If you are really scared to leave a comment, you can just read what other people have written and then close the comment box.

3. Type what you want to say in the big empty box that says "Leave Your Comment." This is located either on the right hand side or under the other comments.

4. Type in the random string of letters in the "word verification" box.

5. For "Choose an Identity," you can click "Other" and then type in your name as you want it to appear. You don't need to type in your web page. If you are ultra-scared by this point, you can click "anonymous" and I won't know who you are :)

6. Click on "Publish Comment." If you don't like the way your comment looks, you will still be able to remove it by clicking on the trash can after the comment.

Now, readers, you have no excuse (family especially). Feel free to comment away!!

Photos: Grandma Debby loves Aedyn.
Uncle Nate the crawling instructor.
Two Brothers Pizzeria (wife helped)