I know it has been so long since anything has been written, posted or updated. Life happens!! Will try to be more updated like I am on my Facebook.

Smiles

I took this picture about 2 months ago. Love this shot. Once I’ve updated my photo album on my computer will post another update. Let’s hope the next picture will not take 6 months.

Once I figure out how to send our pictures through this blog, I will send pictures. But for now, I’m glad to say that all is well and that Baby Grace is doing great! Growing so fast and now beginning to talk. Like me she already figured out she can raise her voice. LOL.

Below is the “official” picture we had taken at the hospital. Obviously, we’re starting Grace off on the right footing.

You can also see this picture at Baptist Hospital East’s BabyNet site.

Please welcome Grace Elizabeth Newell to these lowly residents of the Kingdom of God!

Vital Stats
Weight: 8 lb. 14 oz.
Length: 21 inches
Head: 14 3/4 inches
Hair: Black (possibly dark brown)
Eyes: Blue (for now)

Tricia and Grace.

First time in Momma’s arms.

Her first Bible story, the Gospel of John chapter 1.

Sing praises to His name, O Lord, praises to His name!

Those of you who have patiently watched for the news can now rest easy (or not). Baby Newell will arrive this week!

We had a doctor appointment this morning, and the OB-GYN was concerned that the baby has not yet moved to a head-down position. She said she would prefer to deliver this week. Our options are either inversion and then delivery, or a C-section. We will be having an ultrasound this afternoon to determine if our clone trooper is in the breech position, then will make a decision as to what to do and when. But we will definitely deliver before Friday. Tricia does not want a C-section, so we will pretty much surely be doing an inversion to try and move the kid into position. But if that does not work then we’ll do some cutting.

The blog will be quiet the rest of the week unless I get a chance to get away and post some pics. Stay tuned!

Update 5:30 PM – Ultrasound completed. The baby is definitely in the breech position, but it was not feet-first or butt-first, thankfully. We got a massive surprise — we have a 9 lb. 6 oz. kid! This makes inversion (turning the baby into the correct position) difficult and less successful. On top of that, since Tricia has not dilated at all, it means labor would be pretty long after she would be induced. Tricia has decided not to have a long, drawn-out procedure; instead we will be going ahead with a C-section. It is not our first choice, but the circumstances apparently dictate it.

We will be in the hospital at 8:30 AM tomorrow. Baby Newell should arrive by 10:30. Please pray for us as we prepare for tomorrow!

Busy with various things. Busy sleeping. Busy resting. Busy with various thoughts of what I need to do before the baby arrives. One thing I finally got done was seperating the size of the clothes in the baby’s chest of drawers. When my mom and I were putting the clothes in, we just stuffed it in there. Granted it wasn’t my original plan, but it all worked out. Why? Because I was actually able to wait till all of the baby showers were finished, wash the cute clothes the baby got and THEN finally sort according to size. So now I’m happy that the drawers are much more nicely arranged. I only hope that Daddy can stick to Mommy’s system. *winks*

I know that some of you are waiting for the pictures I have promised. They are coming. Just be patient and when it’s up, it will be up.

Reese seems to think that some of the toys the baby got are hers. I have caught her a couple of times trying to pull the toys out and play with them. When I pull them away and say “no” she looks confused and (I swear) she tries to tell me “but why?” Hopefully by the time the kid is actually old enough to play with Reese the toys won’t be a big deal as it is now.

Funny thing: at my last baby shower I received a bib that said “Chick Magnet” When I saw that I was thinking, “Ok, now this has better be a boy” Because if this is a girl, gulp!!! LOL.

I love all the clothes we received. I’m excited to see how they all will look on the baby. I’m most excited to see how fast or slow the kid grows. I’ve heard that some grow so fast they had a hard time keeping up with the clothes. Others I heard said that their kid was so small, their kid had plenty of clothes to last for a while.  So I look forward to my story.

Right now I’m thinking I need to wash the pacifiers, the spoons and various stuff that can either go in the dishwasher or hand wash only. But that challenge involves kitchen space and Stephen loves his kitchen. So I will have to figure out how to make room in there for baby’s stuff. Hmmmm – when we come up with a solution, will post about that.

That’s all I can think of for now. Will post baby showers info once I can get the pictures up. I’m sure the comments or story will be much better together than seperatly.

This has been making the rounds of the blogosphere the past month or two, and I figured it was time I shared it with you guys. It’s a quote from Martin Luther. My Catholic readers can rest easy — he’s not about to post 95 theses on the blog and thus spark the Reformation all over again. (Note — you get to hold Baby Newell for 5-10 extra minutes if you actually know what I’m talking about. Call dibs on it in the comments!) With no further ado…

“Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason (which the pagans followed in trying to be most clever), takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labour at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves? What, should I make such a prisoner of myself? O you poor, wretched fellow, have you taken a wife? Fie, fie upon such wretchedness and bitterness! It is better to remain free and lead a peaceful, carefree life; I will become a priest or a nun and compel my children to do likewise.” What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, “O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? 0 how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labour, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.

A wife too should regard her duties in the same light, as she suckles the child, rocks and bathes it, and cares for it in other ways; and as she busies herself with other duties and renders help and obedience to her husband. These are truly golden and noble works. . . .

Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil’s fools.”

[From Luther’s “The Estate of Marriage” (1522) posted online here.]

HT: The Southern Seminary parents in the blogosphere in general; copy/pasted from Timmy Brister at Nolan’s World.

This is a “training post.” Stephen is teaching me how to post pictures to the blog! Yay me.

If this works, you will see my graduation pic from UL in Dec 2005!

This is Tricia hoping this first attempt to say something on this blog comes out clear. If so, then YAY! If not, will ask Stephen to help me out. I had a baby shower at my church on saturday, Jan 5th. Pictures will be posted when I know how to move pictures to this blog. This time, my dear sweet hubby took pictures for me. He was the only man there but did enjoy himself. Till next time…

I promised y’all a pic or two of Tricia’s big ol’ belly. Here’s a couple of good ones.

She ain’t heavy, you know….she’s a mother!