Boys WILL BE Boys!

 

 

 

 

What's Been Happening!

Well, I am going to paste two of the notes I have written on Facebook this past week on today's post. I also have a LOT of pictures that I want to put on this posting as well. I have pics of Gideon's birthday today and I'll add more later on.
August 29th

I had an ultrasound on last Tuesday that further validated an earlier diagnosis that our developing daughter, Maia, has problems with her heart. She has a narrow right ventricle (hypoplastic right ventricle), small triscuspid valve (tricuspid stenosis), possible small pulmonary valve ( pulmonary stenosis), and larger than usual hole between the left and right side of the heart (VSD). I think this is pretty accurate.

The pediatric cardiologist that performed the echocardiogram on Tuesday referred us to the Fetal Cardiac Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We have an appointment with the specialists next Friday, the 5th of September. They will do another in-depth echocardiogram and then a consultation of how matters should proceed from here on out.

I am sure I am in a bit of shell-shock with my emotions, a bit numb, but I also know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is giving me a peace that passes understanding. He is in control. Maia is His not ours. He will do a glorious work in her life no matter what that means. Thank you for your prayers and intercession thus far. Please keep it up! It would be great to see an amazing miracle for her!

Maia means "Mine". I have always thought of it as God saying she is "Mine". His stamp of ownership is upon her life. He is her Abba Father. He is her Great Physician. He will do a perfect work within our daughter, His daughter.

I am starting orientation for the new school year this week and I must say I don't feel as productive as I should trying to prep for classes and prepare my room. I feel torn about what is going on personally and what I need to do professionally. Please be in prayer that I can give my best for each student. School begins next Wednesday for the kids. The very first Friday, I am going to have to leave early and it is very necessary, but I hate that I have to go and leave the students that early on.


God is GOOD all the time. ALL the time God is GOOD!

August 31st

I spent the night looking at personal family blogs of people that have experienced what we will most likely go through in a few short months with our daughter Maia. The pictures of each one of these beautiful children gives me much hope for a somewhat normal life and a definitely happy and hopeful one. These kids are still in the early stages of life. I would like to find some sites that feature families of children with this condition that are older, but for now it does my "heart" good to see these posts.

Please take a look at some of these testimonies and I hope it will encourage you as they have encouraged me.

http://hitchcocknews.blogspot.com/2008/08/colbys-first-visit-to-cardiologist.html

http://katrinaelizabeth.typepad.com/katrina_elizabeth_photogr/rylie_hope_update/

http://babybent.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August Update

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. I basically got out the habit while I was on my Kentucky excursion and since I have been back I have been a bit lazy about uploading my photos into the computer. It actually has been quite busy with Kenny, the pregnancy, and trying to get things ready for school this fall for both Gideon and I.

Many of you already know this but the most pressing news we have at this time is that we need prayer for our little one still growing inside my womb, Maia. A cardiologist performed an ultrasound on her on Monday and said that her right ventricle and right valve do not appear to be growing as fast as the left side of the heart. It can be a very serious condition once Maia is born. While she is in utero, I am oxygenating her blood, but once she is born her heart could have potential problems providing oxygenated blood to her lungs due to this condition. It really is a wait and see time for us right now. I have an ultrasound this coming Monday with my perinatologist and then another on Tuesday the 26th with the cardiologist. I will keep you informed as I know more.

Kenny has been doing pretty good since being released from the hospital two weeks ago. He has a had a few mild episodes with his heart racing and chest pains at night. His cardiologist is putting a halter monitor on him for two weeks this Friday to try to see the patterns more clearly. Kenny did say that he did feel the pressure in his chest after I told him the news of Maia earlier this week, so it definitely could be stress related. We shall see. Thanks again for the all the prayers you have said for him during this time.

Gideon and I are doing fine. In Louisville, we got to visit all the family. We went to the Louisville Waterfront Park, Chuck E. Cheese's, and to a few of our friends. We attended Southeast Christian Church the two Sundays we were there as well. It was a good time and ended early, but now with Kenny and Maia we know that it was just the right time to come back to New Jersey!

A Brief Update

We are doing well and looking forward to coming to Kentucky soon! Right now I am not sure of the exact date. My perinatologist wants me to come back in before I leave for my trip to get some clearer shots of the baby's spine and heart. The baby wasn't too cooperative in that area the last visit. The only time that they can get me in is on the 9th of July ( I was suppose to leave on the 8th for Louisville).

Now my principal emailed me today and she wants me to try to get hired on via the public school system for a position in special education at our private school. New Jersey is very unique this way. They will place special education teachers in private schools if requested. So now I might also have an interview sometime soon. I don't know when that is going to be. I have to call that office tomorrow.

Please pray for me. I am getting very anxious about all this. I thought I had everything planned out for the trip and I just want it to work out so that I can leave as soon as possible. I usually look at unforeseen circumstances that arise as Providential and that it is all in God's plan and I am sure this is as well, but I want MY way right now and I just need to submit it over to Him.

Here are some pictures of us at IHOP a couple of Saturdays ago.


The next three pics were taken by Gideon.
Looks like we might have a budding photographer on our hands.

I also wanted to add a video that was compiled from somebody in Saipan on the GCA staff ( I assume). I don't know if all of you know but I worked in Saipan for two years right out of college at Grace Christian Academy. They just celebrated 20 years as a school! I think there is one quick picture of me in there were I am on praiseteam presentation. It brings some amazing memories!

Introducing Our First Glimpses of Maia Elisabeth!

Maia is giving us a great big how-do-ya-do smile!
This is only a pic of the profile of her face. Don't try to see the whole body here.


This one is a bit harder to tell, but she is sucking her thumb in this photo op.

Kenny could not attend the screening yesterday. He was called away on a business trip for the day in northern NJ. I didn't want to bring Gideon, because I knew that this was going to be a long one, since they have to check all the anatomy and make sure measurements and body parts are looking right. I dropped Gideon off with some friends of ours.

The technician asked very early on in the screening if I was ready to hear the sex of the baby. She said she usually didn't tell people so early on but it appeared to be very obvious to her. When she told me it was going to be a little girl, I responded with..."REALLY?!?". She said she was very sure that there were no little boy parts there and all she was seeing was girl. She came back to that area at different times throughout the process and each time she thought it was more confirmation.

Kenny called me before I got a chance to call him. I think he was in even more shock than I was. For me, I didn't want to get my hopes up with a little girl, because I know how awesome boys can be...especially since having Gideon and also seeing my friends' sons and my nephews. Boys Rock, but I have always wanted a little girl. In fact, we had to apologize to Gideon before he was born, because for weeks we had been calling him Zoe Adair. (hee, hee)

I called my mother next and she screamed like a banchee. She was excited to say the least. She got a hold of most of the family before I did. I think she forgot it wasn't necessarily "her" news. I told her later that she was very fortunate that I was in such a good mood that day! :)

My sister-in-law, Becky, has already bought some girl things (as of a couple of hours after being given the news by Kenny!) It is a good thing though. It hit me on the way to pick up Gideon, after the ultrasound, that I would have to start fresh with clothing and some toys. Yikes!

I never had biological sisters in my family and God has blessed me with some amazing spiritual sisters throughout my life! Now I get to add a little girl to our wonderful family that God has so richly blessed us with! It is a pretty perfect feeling!

SUMMER is HERE and I can BLOG again!!!

Well, I know that it has been way too long since the last time I posted. I can tell this by the number of various pictures on my camera that I just uploaded onto my computer tonight and of course the date of my last blog posting. Yikes!

We have done a lot since that last posting. Gideon got some new clothes from Grandma Judy, got a big-boy haircut, my class went on two field trips (one to Trenton and one to the Philly Zoo), we went camping.

Today I attended a Outside Luncheon put on by one of my student's families and it was wonderful. What a lovely day! Three of their girls performed a musical ensemble for us. My student, Julia, played a solo on her flute. The girls were wonderful with Gideon as well. He had a wonderful time with them and it was hard to tear him away from their house after five hours of fellowship and play.

I did find out that I will have my ultrasound next Tuesday the 24th. I don't know if I will find out any information that day since I have to go to a perinatologist due to my "extreme age"! LOL
Fortunately, I have OBGYN appt. set up two days later. So sometime next week we will hopefully know the sex of the baby, if the little one cooperates and doesn't cross his or her legs throughout the ultrasound screening.

Gideon and I hope to be in Louisville in the week of July 7th and will be staying for about 1 month!!! Unfortunately, Kenny will not be able to join us. He will need to save all his vacation days for when the baby is due in November. We are excited to see as many of our family and friends as we can jam in to that month!!!! Yeah!

Catch Up Blog

Well, I know that I have not been the best blogger since Spring Break Week. You can tell that I am in the homestretch of school right now. It is a busy time and taking a break to blog is low on the totem pole of priorities, especially when pregnancy "sleepiness" has also set in. I told you that I would post some circus pictures a couple of weeks ago so I will make sure to include them now. I also wanted to add some pictures of my one tier wedding cake. It was a small project, but I am very proud of the detail and wanted to share with you all.

We told Gideon this week that he is going to be a big brother and that there is a baby inside mommy's tummy. He is very excited and happy. He has been asking for a little brother or sister for about a year now and for the past couple of weeks and was lamenting that we had no baby. He was a very sad little boy. We decided to go ahead and share. He is very cute. He prays for the baby each night while sprawled out on my stomach. He sings to the baby. Oh! And he will be very disappointed if this baby is a girl. He has been calling the baby "he" every chance he gets. I also read a book that Grandma Judy sent him this week about a penguin who watches over his baby egg and at the end a sister hatches out. He was VERY upset when the baby turned out to be a baby sister in the story. We are trying to prepare him that it could be a Peter Marshall or a Myah Elizabeth.

This is Mr. Miller, father of the groom. The only reason I wanted to put him on this blog is that he really looks like he could be a nephew of my Grandpa Bruhn. Very similar facial features. I loved his hugs. They reminded me of my Papa.

The Cake!

The CIRCUS!
I didn't get too many good photos. So here you go!

Gideon looks pretty mesmerized!

Angel Food Ministries

ALL THIS FOR $98

Although not for the vegetarian in your life, as the times get more difficult and prices soar on all our commodities Angel Food Ministries is a viable option. With restaurant quality food, no seconds or expired food this ministry is filling important gaps in our society. So what is Angel Food Ministries?

In 1994, Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo found their hearts going out to the families of many of the local families in Monroe, GA, affected by the recent industrial plant closings. On their back porch, the first Angel Food distribution fed 34 families. Over the next years, other churches wanted to be get involved, and Angel Food began feeding hundreds of families across the Southeast. Now, Angel Food feeds over 500,000 families a month in 35 states. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness!

The ministry partners with companies and distributors that normally feed the restaurant market. So the quality of food is top notch. The average saving based on comparable food at the grocery store 50-75% cheaper based on where you live.

So how do they do it? They buy in bulk and pass the savings onto the buyer using suppliers that are not available to the normal consumer. Once you purchase your first unit ( 1 unit is supposed to feed a family of four for 1 week) you will see how over priced restaurant food really is.

The ministry only charges a small administration fee on each unit to cover cost, and partners with churches to be their distribution arm. The process is easy and we have been thoroughly satisfied by the quality.


There are no income requirements or any paperwork to fill out you just go to the local site and place your order monthly and pick it up on the designated pick up date. This is alot like community grocery stores that work on a volunteer basis and only cover the cost to keep food at its lowest possible cost. This wont cover all your food needs but it will make a huge dent. Even with purchasing fresh vegetables and other as sundries at the local food store we have seen our monthly food bill cut in half.

I encourage you all to look at the site for Angel Food Ministries and seriously contemplate using this ministry. I feel that it is a unique blessing form God to deal with the current economic situation as well as the uncertain future.


Also a great site that puts out recipes for the current months unit menu is on Hillbilly Housewife and it is a great aide to using the food to the fullest.


In Him Ken Trina Gideon and Plus One

Lions, And Tigers, and Bears! Oh My!

We had a wonderful day at the Philadelphia Zoo. We got on the road about 10 this morning. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from Lakewood. It was a great day for a drive. Gorgeous weather! The trees are ready in bloom up here.

We arrived right around 11:30 just like we thought. We drove through some side streets in downtown Philly instead of using the parking lot of a highway that our GPS was telling us to use. Thank goodness we veered when we did or we would have taken another hour just to travel four more miles! We passed by the Art Museum that Sylvester Stallone runs up in the famous scene in the first ROCKY movie (link). That was a very cool thing!



The zoo was great! It was definitely more warm that we thought it was going to be today. We dressed Gideon in jeans and soon realized that it should have been a "shorts day". Oh well. He seemed okay other than a complaint of how hot it was here and there.



We saw elephants, rhino, kangaroos, hippos, polar bears, birds, marmosets, elephant shrews, alligators, cobras, and so much more. Gideon had a great time. He was very disappointed however when we were headed out of the park and the GIANT and I mean GIANT hot air balloon was not doing anymore rides for the day.


Right after we left the house this morning, I realized that I wish I had brought the address and name of the restaurant that was featured last week on Bobby Flay's Throwdown show. They make excellent varieties of grill cheese sandwiches and boy did they look good. I had a hunch that it was close to the zoo. I couldn't find anyone at the zoo that knew what I was talking about or we could have typed in the name into our GPS system and found it. When we got home I typed it into our search engine and voila! It was only 4 1/2 miles from the zoo! We will have to go back sometime and experience that shop. The menu looks amazing! They even have a menu for babies with varieties of baby food to choose from. Coolness! Oh yeah! The shop was called the Pop Shop (link)!

Gideon serenaded us with combination home-made worship/action fighter songs to and from the zoo. He was a very happy child today. When we were almost home, Kenny turned to me and told me that he loved his heart but he wished he could tell him no more. But you can't stop such cuteness and childish innocence. We loved it!

I'll try to post the pictures from the circus in a couple of days! Love You All!

Our Neighbors

It has been very interesting being a part of a community that is mainly Orthodox and Hassidic Jews. It is quite intriguing watching them go about their daily business. I guess it kind of feels like those that live in the Amish community might feel.

I went into a local store the other day to buy a kite for Gideon and they didn't have any in stock. Right next door was a Jewish shop and I thought, "Why not? They might have it." We went into their toy section and this is what we found. It was pretty interesting to see what the young little ones play with.

Construction Worker


A little Mitsvah playset with all the Characters for the Ceremony

I wouldn't mind getting this Hebrew Alphabet for Gideon. Start him early for Biblical Language Studies!

Not sure about this one. Looks like it could be a game with pretend traditional ceremonial foods???

Here is a picture off the web of our Jewish friends in Lakewood.

This picture was taken on Main Street just a few blocks from our apartment.

The Jewish community is a very closed group and it is very hard to become close or intimate friends. Hopefully the Lord will give us an opportunity to befriend and sow some seeds.