The waiting...

No, not the group.  I'm referring to us.  Ella still has us waiting.  Contractions started at about 5:00 this morning.  As of 7:20 tonight she's still only dilated to 5 cm.  The obstetrician has decided to start oxytocin.  Hopefully, things move forward a little faster once the drugs start working.

Daniel is FULL!

We officially concluded the fast this evening at 6:00. More about how we celebrated later. Today was the final sermon in our series entitled The Gospel at Elevation. I won't steal all of Pastor Furtick's thunder, but I can't continue this post without sharing this number with you...903. That's not our attendance or the amount of money in the plate or the number of times someone coughed during the sermon. Nine hundred three decisions for Christ in the past three weeks! WOW! Praise Jesus. You can read more about it here.

In the interest of full disclosure...I have to admit that Tonya and I did break the fast for 1 meal on Friday evening. As you read, it was our 10 year anniversary - so we decided to forego the fast for 1 meal and celebrate. (If anyone wants to debate the spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law - bring it!) We successfully got our grub on at Bonefish. If you have one of these near you, I highly recommend it. The Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer is phenomenal - and I hate seafood - so you know it's good.

Saturday we were back to the fast. We went up to Concord and ordered Josh and Caleb's new furniture. Then we stopped at Concord Mills so Tonya could buy some "hospital clothes" in preparation for Ella's arrival. (I have to digress here to pat myself on the back. Early in my married life, this would have resulted in an argument. Why do you need "hospital clothes?" They give you clothes to wear...you don't even have to bring your own. It is illogical to buy special clothes for a situation where clothes are provided for free! Serenity now! These days, I'll admit that I still have a fleeting thought or two along these lines...but I've learned 1) mommy deserves it, period and 2) keep your mouth shut when you think things like this.) So, we sat and ate our brown-bag-DanielFast-approved lunch in the parking lot before heading inside. We took care of business and then thought about spending a bit of time brousing through a few more stores...and then the melt downs started...which means it's time to go. So we left.

Then comes Sunday. The final day. Day 21. The day I was convinced would never arrive. I made it through lunch without much of a problem. But then, it became very difficult. I only had 3 or 4 hours to go. But church was over...the series was over...the whole objective behind us fasting corporately had been realized. Why would it matter? And then I was remined, ever so gently, by the Holy Spirit that the real benefit of the fast was my relationship with God. Maybe I need to keep fasting...so I can get that into my head.

Our small group has been planning a feast/celebration in honor of the fast and all that God has done in our church and our lives over the past few weeks. Everyone was asked to bring meat for grilling and a dessert. We brought apple-chicken sausage (it's much better tasting than it sounds - really!) and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...which I made...this afternoon...without licking the beater or the spatula or the bowl or eating a single cookie. Howdaya like me now?

After our discussion of our experiences during the DanielFast, we fired up the grill and started eating. It was like manna from heaven. Pictured below is a very full, very satisfied, very blessed small group.

Our Gifted Child

Caleb has recently been trying many new things. We're very proud of him for taking the initiative to constantly challenge and improve himself. For example, here is Caleb trying to teach himself to eat and drink with his eyes closed - just in case he ends up losing his vision. He has also been practicing walking around the house and putting letters in his Fridge Phonics toys with his eyes closed. Way to go, son!

He has also been trying to learn to sleep on a regular mattress in preparation for Baby Girl Nuzum's arrival (yes, I know, we really should give that poor child a name). As you can see, the first attempt was only moderately successful. At least he's not completely under the crib.

Lastly, as many of you have witnessed, Caleb is notorious for putting platefuls of food in his mouth at one time (provided said food has a glycemic index of 9 million or greater). Well, just in case this practice causes him to grow a second mouth, he has been practicing this new double-cup method of drinking. I feel like we should gather around him and chant "go, go, go, go, go, go, go......"

Yep, the gene pool is deep in this house.

Baby Names

We're struggling with names...so I'm reaching out to the blogosphere for help. I'll list a few that we've warmed up to, but we're open to suggestions.

Lauren Ruth
Avery Elise
Avery Grace
Erin ...
Claire ...

It's a Girl!

Introducing Li'l T #1. Tonya and I are both shocked; we were both so sure she was a he. We're in a bit of a daze...thinking of all the things that will be different this time around. Thankfully, all measurements and such are completely normal and we're on target for a September 25th due date. Thank you, Lord, for protecting our little girl.

The funniest reaction so far has to be Joshua. It went something like this...

[Obstetrician enters room after ultrasound is complete.]

OB: So, Joshua, what did you learn today?

Joshua: [blank stare at mom and dad]

OB: What did you see on the little black and white screen?

Joshua: a baby

OB: a baby...what kind of baby?

Joshua: a girl

OB: What do you think about that?

Joshua: I wanted a brother!

Content Update

Updates have been made to the blog. It' s beginning to take shape and I'm discovering how much I don't know about "computers" - HTML coding and the like. I guess I have a new project. Hopefully we can use this to keep everyone up to date with Li'l D #3.