Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The Adventure Ahead
There are moments in your life that take your breath
away, and there are places along the way that steal your heart. San Juan de la Maguana, a city in the
Dominican Republic, has been a part of our lives for many years, and each time
we have visited we have left a part of our hearts there.
When I started my blog almost 2 years ago, Jeff and I were spending the summer in the Dominican. At that time we were getting a glimpse of what life as missionaries was like. I have been reading Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis. I feel that I can relate to her so well as I read about her experiences in Uganda. One of the things she said was, "I've had people ask me why I think Africa is so impoverished, but these children are not poor. I, as a person who grew up wealthy, am. I put value in things. These children, having no things, put value in God. I put my trust in relationships; these children, having already seen relationships fail, put their trust in the Lord. This nation is blessed beyond any place, any people I have ever encountered. God has not forgotten them. In fact, I believe He has loved them just a little bit extra." It is hard to relate to experiences like this unless you have experienced life outside of your comfort zone. It does not make sense why two college educated adults with
full time jobs and a new baby would give up everything they have to go
serve in another part of the world. We feel God is calling us to the DR
at this time to use the gifts He has instilled in us.
Throughout the past few years we have felt a tug on
our hearts to serve in the Dominican Republic (DR) for a more extensive time period
other than just a week or two. This dream became a reality as we began
talking with the Executive Directors of Solid Rock International (SRI), Joe and
Shannon Zimmerman. As SRI continues to
grow we saw a chance to use our abilities to serve the people of the Dominican.
We will be moving to San Juan de la Maguana in mid-September 2013 and have made
a 3 year commitment of service.
Jeff will be working as the Construction Project Coordinator. This job consists of the following:
- Plan construction projects (coming up with estimates, collecting blue prints, ordering supplies, etc.)
- Work with construction and other teams during their work day
- Work as a bridge between the construction groups and U.S. project manager/Dominican contractor
- Work with teams and assist with general guesthouse needs when construction groups aren't present
Kamanda will be working as the Education
Coordinator. This job consists of the
following:
- Increase student sponsorship and awareness
- Communicate with school administrators to create and update an education needs list
- Keep updated information on current students receiving and needing sponsorship
- Assist with the Child Nutrition Program
We
need to raise $3,000 a month to cover our financial needs and many people to commit to praying for us. Support can be made through a one-time gift, or a
monthly or annual contribution. You can visit our page here:)
Stay tuned....
Friday, March 8, 2013
1st month of being a mom
Braegan Mae is one month today, and the days have been flying by since she arrived.
As most of you know, I live on a schedule. This is good and bad at the same time;) I honestly was predicting Braegan to arrive late only because "no one every has their first child early or on their due date". I don't know how many people told me that....so when I woke up at 2:25 am on Friday, February 8 and my water had broke, I honestly didn't think it was for real. I then reminded myself that I had told myself that my due date was February 8...and that obviously meant it was time:)
Jeff and I made sure we had everything together and left for the hospital. It's crazy how quickly you can get somewhere when everyone is sleeping! We pulled into the ED to get admitted, and when they told me I needed a wheelchair, I told them I was only taking it because "I had to". I wasn't even having contractions, and was joking about driving myself to the hospital. I was also joking about how "easy, breezy" of a day this was going to be since I hadn't had contractions and my water broke on it's own....little did I know what type of day was ahead.
Once we got up to the maternity floor, we were greeted by the amazing labor and delivery staff at Methodist. I couldn't have asked for better care during my short stay! For the first couple of hours, before the sun came up, I was directed to walk laps around the maternity floor in order to get my body progressing more. This really didn't do much for me, because Braegan had been head down for quite a while, and was positioned very low. At about 9:00 am, we decided to start the pitocin, since my water had broke on it's own, there is always a risk for infection. Every so often the nurse would come in to check my progress and up the amount of pitocin coming through my IV line. I was trying to hold off on the epidural for as long as possible, only because I knew once I got it, I wouldn't be able to walk until the baby arrived. I did not like the idea of being confined to a bed...no matter how short or long that time would be. So at noon, I called for the epidural, because the contractions were coming stronger and closer together. It wasn't until about 1:30 that I actually had the procedure done and it had kicked in....but only on my right side. I asked the nurse if it was normal to feel contractions on just one side of your body after having the epidural and she said no, so I turned to my other side to see if gravity would help to spread the medication...after about 20 minutes and the pain continuing, they shot more medicine into my epidural line.
Many hours passed, my parents and Jeff's parents had been to the hospital to check on our status, then went to dinner. I didn't actually start pushing until about 5:30/6:00 pm. This was starting to feel like the longest day ever, and I know longer found it funny thinking about how "easy" of a day this was going to be. The only thought that put me at ease was knowing that Braegan had to come out within the next few hours. After pushing for about an hour, the nurse thought it'd be best to take a break, because Braegan's heart rate was increasing along with my blood pressure. The way Braegan was positioned was making it hard for the monitor to get a consistent read on her heart, so they decided to hook her up to an internal fetal monitor to track her heart. For those of you that don't know what a internal fetal monitor is, you can read about it here. We had learned about this technology during our child birthing class, and honestly I had a feeling I'd be getting one only because Braegan had been a wiggle worm throughout my complete pregnancy...and didn't like to hold still. After an hour of rest, we started pushing again for another hour. At about 8:30 pm, the doctor mentioned that we were going to most likely need to going to need to do the vacuum extraction to get Braegan out a little faster, I looked at Jeff when I heard this and my eyes welled up...I didn't want this at all, but I knew if that was what the doctor was recommending, it was going to be the safest method of getting her out. At 9:13 pm she was born. I realized that I was the first one admitted to the maternity floor that day and the last one to deliver. The nurses had competitions going on throughout the day because there were so many mothers in for delivery to see who would deliver first.
Braegan weighed 6 pounds, 13.7 ounces and was 20 inches long at birth. Jeff was a trooper the whole time, I honestly thought he'd pass out once things started progressing faster, but he was by my side helping me push the entire time. I never knew I could love someone so fast. Within a second of Braegan being placed in my arms, I knew life would never be the same.
We were discharged from the hospital on Sunday, February 10 in the afternoon. Coming home was quite intimidating, because I realized that Jeff and I were now responsible for making sure Braegan survived...that's a lot to take in. Not that I doubted our ability, but knowing that we had to figure out when she needed to eat, sleep, etc....was a lot.
I've now been on my maternity leave from school for 4 weeks, and the days are flying by. The nights are long, but the days are fast. I love watching Braegan move and her hands are my favorite. She has so much expression in her face, and I can't imagine life without her now.
Jeff came across a Carrie Underwood song that I love, Forever Changed. The chorus is exactly how I have felt since Braegan was placed in my arms on February 8th!
Forever changed,
Forever changed,
Nothing ever stays the same
Forever named,
Forever child,
Forever loved,
Forever changed.
As most of you know, I live on a schedule. This is good and bad at the same time;) I honestly was predicting Braegan to arrive late only because "no one every has their first child early or on their due date". I don't know how many people told me that....so when I woke up at 2:25 am on Friday, February 8 and my water had broke, I honestly didn't think it was for real. I then reminded myself that I had told myself that my due date was February 8...and that obviously meant it was time:)
Jeff and I made sure we had everything together and left for the hospital. It's crazy how quickly you can get somewhere when everyone is sleeping! We pulled into the ED to get admitted, and when they told me I needed a wheelchair, I told them I was only taking it because "I had to". I wasn't even having contractions, and was joking about driving myself to the hospital. I was also joking about how "easy, breezy" of a day this was going to be since I hadn't had contractions and my water broke on it's own....little did I know what type of day was ahead.
Once we got up to the maternity floor, we were greeted by the amazing labor and delivery staff at Methodist. I couldn't have asked for better care during my short stay! For the first couple of hours, before the sun came up, I was directed to walk laps around the maternity floor in order to get my body progressing more. This really didn't do much for me, because Braegan had been head down for quite a while, and was positioned very low. At about 9:00 am, we decided to start the pitocin, since my water had broke on it's own, there is always a risk for infection. Every so often the nurse would come in to check my progress and up the amount of pitocin coming through my IV line. I was trying to hold off on the epidural for as long as possible, only because I knew once I got it, I wouldn't be able to walk until the baby arrived. I did not like the idea of being confined to a bed...no matter how short or long that time would be. So at noon, I called for the epidural, because the contractions were coming stronger and closer together. It wasn't until about 1:30 that I actually had the procedure done and it had kicked in....but only on my right side. I asked the nurse if it was normal to feel contractions on just one side of your body after having the epidural and she said no, so I turned to my other side to see if gravity would help to spread the medication...after about 20 minutes and the pain continuing, they shot more medicine into my epidural line.
Many hours passed, my parents and Jeff's parents had been to the hospital to check on our status, then went to dinner. I didn't actually start pushing until about 5:30/6:00 pm. This was starting to feel like the longest day ever, and I know longer found it funny thinking about how "easy" of a day this was going to be. The only thought that put me at ease was knowing that Braegan had to come out within the next few hours. After pushing for about an hour, the nurse thought it'd be best to take a break, because Braegan's heart rate was increasing along with my blood pressure. The way Braegan was positioned was making it hard for the monitor to get a consistent read on her heart, so they decided to hook her up to an internal fetal monitor to track her heart. For those of you that don't know what a internal fetal monitor is, you can read about it here. We had learned about this technology during our child birthing class, and honestly I had a feeling I'd be getting one only because Braegan had been a wiggle worm throughout my complete pregnancy...and didn't like to hold still. After an hour of rest, we started pushing again for another hour. At about 8:30 pm, the doctor mentioned that we were going to most likely need to going to need to do the vacuum extraction to get Braegan out a little faster, I looked at Jeff when I heard this and my eyes welled up...I didn't want this at all, but I knew if that was what the doctor was recommending, it was going to be the safest method of getting her out. At 9:13 pm she was born. I realized that I was the first one admitted to the maternity floor that day and the last one to deliver. The nurses had competitions going on throughout the day because there were so many mothers in for delivery to see who would deliver first.
Braegan weighed 6 pounds, 13.7 ounces and was 20 inches long at birth. Jeff was a trooper the whole time, I honestly thought he'd pass out once things started progressing faster, but he was by my side helping me push the entire time. I never knew I could love someone so fast. Within a second of Braegan being placed in my arms, I knew life would never be the same.
We were discharged from the hospital on Sunday, February 10 in the afternoon. Coming home was quite intimidating, because I realized that Jeff and I were now responsible for making sure Braegan survived...that's a lot to take in. Not that I doubted our ability, but knowing that we had to figure out when she needed to eat, sleep, etc....was a lot.
I've now been on my maternity leave from school for 4 weeks, and the days are flying by. The nights are long, but the days are fast. I love watching Braegan move and her hands are my favorite. She has so much expression in her face, and I can't imagine life without her now.
Jeff came across a Carrie Underwood song that I love, Forever Changed. The chorus is exactly how I have felt since Braegan was placed in my arms on February 8th!
Forever changed,
Forever changed,
Nothing ever stays the same
Forever named,
Forever child,
Forever loved,
Forever changed.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The final countdown
I'm not a fan of the unknown...but who really is?! With only 8 days until my due date, I'm really anxious to have this baby! Luckily my devotions the past few days have been about anxiety and trusting God instead of worrying about the little stuff....I need these daily reminders at this time too.
Every morning that I wake up, I do the usual, and I have found myself arriving to school earlier and earlier each day. I believe this is only happening because I have become super efficient and I find myself planning away at school. I have found that my only "nesting" has been occurring at work, only because there is nothing left to do at home. I'm planning away for even when I return from my maternity leave. Jeff would say differently...and that I have been "nesting" at home too. It's hard for me to agree with this, because I couldn't stand clutter prior to being pregnant, so I think I'm just the same.
I've been so blessed to have a smooth first pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few small roadblocks, but thankfully they are out of the way. I'm praying that my delivery will go just as smoothly.
The next time I blog, I will officially be a mom. Please continue to keep the 3 of us in your prayers in the upcoming weeks.
Stay tuned....
Every morning that I wake up, I do the usual, and I have found myself arriving to school earlier and earlier each day. I believe this is only happening because I have become super efficient and I find myself planning away at school. I have found that my only "nesting" has been occurring at work, only because there is nothing left to do at home. I'm planning away for even when I return from my maternity leave. Jeff would say differently...and that I have been "nesting" at home too. It's hard for me to agree with this, because I couldn't stand clutter prior to being pregnant, so I think I'm just the same.
I've been so blessed to have a smooth first pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few small roadblocks, but thankfully they are out of the way. I'm praying that my delivery will go just as smoothly.
The next time I blog, I will officially be a mom. Please continue to keep the 3 of us in your prayers in the upcoming weeks.
Stay tuned....
Thursday, October 25, 2012
25 week update
It's been a few weeks since I updated....as usual. For those of you that don't do Facebook, and only get updates from the blog, this will be informative for you:)
Tomorrow I will be 25 weeks, and I am still continuing to feel great. Jeff and I found out a few weeks ago that we are having a girl. She has been extremely active the past few weeks. We can even see her move, and I have definitely been feeling her strong kicks.
We have completed our registries at Target and Babies R Us. It seems surreal that in just a little over 3 months, we will have a new person living with us. We are extremely excited!
For those of you curious about names....we are not sharing. I can say this much, that I am partial to unique names that tend to be "gender neutral". It is also difficult for us since we both work with kids on a daily basis.
Teaching is continuing to go well, and it is nice to be teaching the same grade for a second year in a row. I know I have said this before, but I am really blessed to be working with the people that I am.
On to other news....my family is continuing to do great. It is hard to believe they have been out of Peoria for almost a year now. My dad's church recently moved in to their new building, and everyone seems to be adjusting well to the growth of the church.
.JPG)
Trent will be leaving for Ramstein, Germany sometime in the early spring. He will be spending anywhere from 2-3 years there serving in the Air Force. He is really happy, and I am glad to see that he has found a career path that he really enjoys! He competed in the Tough Mudder competition a few weeks ago and was nice enough to share pictures with me...so here is one to put a smile on your face.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Tomorrow I will be 25 weeks, and I am still continuing to feel great. Jeff and I found out a few weeks ago that we are having a girl. She has been extremely active the past few weeks. We can even see her move, and I have definitely been feeling her strong kicks.
We have completed our registries at Target and Babies R Us. It seems surreal that in just a little over 3 months, we will have a new person living with us. We are extremely excited!
For those of you curious about names....we are not sharing. I can say this much, that I am partial to unique names that tend to be "gender neutral". It is also difficult for us since we both work with kids on a daily basis.
Teaching is continuing to go well, and it is nice to be teaching the same grade for a second year in a row. I know I have said this before, but I am really blessed to be working with the people that I am.
On to other news....my family is continuing to do great. It is hard to believe they have been out of Peoria for almost a year now. My dad's church recently moved in to their new building, and everyone seems to be adjusting well to the growth of the church.
.JPG)
Stay tuned for more updates!
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