End of One Chapter, Beginning of Another

This is it, our last week here. Whoa; reality has the ability to snap in focus faster than a stubbed toe sometimes.  We have a ton of packing left to do, not to mention more people we want to see and say goodbye to than we possible have time to do. Any takers for 30 hour days?  ...........kidding!...........

Recently had a deliteful girl's night (no kids! it was crazy... and quite, haha). The "creative juices" started flowing.... and they just haven't stopped! Realizing this will probably be a fad in my life, I've tried to take full advantage of this right-sided brain function. Projects have included: FINALLY getting my sewing machine to work (bobbin assembly had a backwards piece... thank you YouTube) and therefore making my first shirt. Followed by making baby-in-the-bathtub punch for a party, baking apple pie bites with cream cheese dip (see pic below), not to mention making a slew of (decent) homemade Christmas presents! 

*side note, if you receive said homemade present.... be gracious... it is my 1st time... haha :)

deliciousness!

I told Jarrod I've discovered my second favorite way to relief stress(a good cleaning still ranking #1) ..... pinterest. I admit it... I have finally caved into the craze. You can find some really neat stuff to make on there! I have to limit myself to 10-15 minutes at a time, it's definitely addicting.

Other news: Eliaya has graduated to the big kid bathtub.  She wasn't super sure about it the first time.... so Simba jumped in to make her comfortable!  We had the water running and he came charging from the living room and just hopped on in. Jarrod and I just stood there baffled. Normally we have to drag him into the bathroom, then lure him with treats into the tub for a bath. Perhaps he has a new affection for Eliaya since she said his name first and all.

Pray for little miss Eliaya, and our whole family really. I came down with an upper respiratory bug... I know, ANOTHER one. I promise I do wash my hands near constantly. Now Jarrod is stuffed up and Eliaya spent the better part of last night up coughing and crying. Please pray with us that this sickness would leave before the big move next week!

The topic of much discussion in our house has been the implementation of Christmas traditions. Both Jarrod and I come from families steeped in silly and sweet rituals. Previous years we just created a hodge-podge of traditions to call our own, but now we have Eliaya and we really want to create some memories around this most special time of year. It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness and honestly, selfishness of this season and forget why it is we can celebrate. Jesus, God with us, came to us. What a wonderful, beautiful, and most amazing thing!

Don't fear, we're not throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. I think there is plenty of room for family celebrations, decorating our home, sending cards and gifts, cinnamon rolls and little smokies for breakfast, and all our favorite Christmas movies. (Miracle on 34th Street and Elf being the top runners, of course).  We want to have fun this Christmas; most of all we want to honor our King and teach Eliaya to do the same. Looks like she's off to a good start........

Eating the camel of our nativity

8 months old!

We pray that you are taking time to praise the Lord this Christmas season, and that it brings your family and friends closer together and fun times are had by all. 

Here's to the last Louisville edition,

-the Reeds

Packing Fun

Boxes, boxes, who's got some boxes??

Packing is in full swing. How is it we acquire so much stuff?? Jarrod and I distinctly remember purging our collection before moving to Louisville, and somehow it seems to have all returned and brought a friend!

Though all the stacking and taping has Simba a bit stressed, Eliaya seems to really enjoy it. Apparently we construct the boxes and pile them up just for her to play with.....

 (Experts agree, the growling must indicate happiness. Eliaya is one happy baby, she growls at everything!)

Priase! Jarrod finished his fall semester this morning! One more class stands between us and FL

We were planning on not decorating for Christmas with the impending move... but we couldn't help ourselves! This is definitely the Reed family's favorite time of year. I'm pretty sure even E likes it, she stands next to the lighted tree for long periods of time (10 minutes is next to eternity for her), just talking and laughing. I'm sure she's plotting how to get around the barricade and attack the presents sitting under the tree.... but so far her schemes have been foiled.

Thanksgiving was a huge success, Jarrod and I cooked... for once everything was edible! I confess, my turkey secret success is fully attributed to pinterest...... guess I can't go on hating it anymore :)  Who would have ever thought of soaking a turkey in water, salt and maple syrup????

Lastly, here are a few more of Eliaya's recent pictures. She's growing so much! 

And Lou teaching us poise :)

1st Christmas as a family of 3! (well, 4. Simba counts too )

Okay, so this last picture is of "chicken crack". It's a buffalo chicken dip, and it's amazing. If you've never had it, you're really missing out! It's now the default 'what should I bring to the party?' food? yumm!!!

Love you all, hope you enjoy this season of celebrating the greatest gift: Jesus.

-the Reeds

ps: hopefully another 1 or 2 editions will come out before the big move... so keep posted!

Movement

"Whoa, watch your step!"   "Don't back up!"    "Careful!"

These are common phrases at our house now. I've decided that a dance class should be part of childbirth / becoming a parent education. Little fingers and toes and a lightening fast little body create quite the obstacle course for our feet to maneuver.  

Eliaya LOVES to climb. She will pull up on the couch cushions and stretch just as fast as her little nails can grip, then after toppling over she'll scurry over to Jarrod's desk where she uses the drawer handles to pull up, all in attempts to get into the swivel chair.

Question: has anyone invented a baby helmet? There's definitely a serious market for one in our home. Prototype in the works. Feel free to send your stock requests :)

Other than Eliaya's latests conquests... our other big news is we are moving back to Florida!!

We, with many of you, had been praying for a few months for God's direction and clarity regarding where we needed to be. Well, God opened the door for Jarrod to work as a civil engineer, where he will be able to finish his hours and sit for his Professional Engineer exam (something we had really wanted to do), as well as continue to take classes through Southern to get his master's of divinity. This really is an awesome bridge for our family, allowing us to accomplish multiple goals at once. Jarrod is excited to venture back into the realm of traffic and surveys.

As of this past Friday, we have a place to move into! (I was a bit stressed on that one..) We are sad to leave the great people we've met here in Louisville, but rejoice that it's not goodbye. What an awesome part of Christian fellowship, it never ends!

Okay, so the packing has begun: it's remarkably different from the last time I packed. Both Eliaya and Simba think boxes are fascinating toys. Though, E has shown Simba up, she crawled through the box first. He still walks around it, afraid of getting trapped inside. Perhaps he has mild PTSD from his Christmas delivery 3 years ago.......

As I type this, Jarrod is DONE with Greek!!!!!! And while he admits he learned a ton and benefited from this class immensely, the Reed household is full of rejoicing over this triumph.

Here are some pictures of Eliaya from the past month.... can't believe how much she's growing!

Getting bundled, it's cold!

sharing with daddy

Reading together

Papa giving us frozen yogurt.... yum!

at the zoo

Well, as I'm typing this... Eliaya has decided that last week was crawling and pulling up, so apparently this week will be "cruising". She's holding on to the couch and walking towards the dog! #walkerbyChristmas? 

In closing, a quote to ponder: “Loss and suffering, joyfully accepted for the kingdom of God, show the supremacy of God’s worth more clearly in the world than all worship and prayer" -John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad

Though my suffering is small in comparison to many, do I suffer well? Does how I deal with loss and disappointment cause others to see the one, true God? Does it move them to worship Him? We know that suffering is part of the Christian life, Jesus told us it was coming. I pray, not that we would suffer more, but suffer effectively. By that I mean that while suffering, we would take joy, peace and encouragement from seeing God's hand through the church (through other's stories of God working), and that our suffering would then produce much fruit. Allowing joy and peace to overflow from our cup into other's who will go through hard times after us.                                

            This is from Jarrod's Greek paper. You should ask him about it! I learned a lot.

 

God is so good. Whatever the circumstances, He is good. Praying for you all, that you might grow more in love with Jesus this week.

Love,

-the Reeds

Houston, we have lift off!

It's true, we achieved forward motion this morning!

How? Eliaya is fascinated with cameras and the woven strap of her diaper bag. Holding those out in front of her, and bam! She's crawling.

That's all for now, I'll try to get a better video for you soon. Enjoy your Friday!

-the Reeds



Oh, ps: Here's a bananas video from last week!

6 months!

Can't believe Eliaya is already half a year old!

Went to the doctor today, Eliaya is up to 14lbs 11oz (25th percentile, watch out!) and her length is right on target too. So so glad we are out of the "we're concerned about her weight gain" stage. The MD asked about her movement and verbalization, and in perfect timing E starts "bababababa" as she rolls onto her belly and starts rocking on her hands and knees. Doc says, well, she's very well developed!

Jarrod is at work now, every other moment is filled with books. He's been reading sooooo much! I can definitely tell his ability to read quickly has improved. He will be in class all day Friday and Saturday for New Testament but then that class is done! After this semester, I think there's only 12 more classes to go!

I joke about there being something in the water here, pregnant women everywhere... but now I'm serious. Work has been consistently busy for the past month. It's still an amazing thing to be part of so many family's life-changing moment, welcoming a child into the world. I had an..... interesting experience the other day..... let's just say I feel fully "inducted" into the L&D club, haha.

We hung the johnny jump up, without the chair attachment this time :), in the kitchen. E seems to really enjoy it. She'll bounce and watch Simba run back and forth.

Pray for Jarrod these next few weeks. He has been given the opportunity to preach at a church where a friend of ours is pastor. He'll be preaching about the Lord's Supper. I know he has been faithfully studying the Word and is eager to share what he's learned. Pray that it would be a message used to encourage believers and bring non-believers into the fold. 

It's beginning to look, and feel, like fall :) Favorite time of year. Eliaya really likes to crumple the yellow leaves we find on our walks. Maybe yellow will be her favorite color? *note to self... be sure to teach her to avoid yellow snow.......

We hope you are doing well, growing in Christ-likeness. 

Till next edition,

-the Reeds

Mobility

Goal: run a half marathon.

Training plan: eat right, hydrate, and chase a newly mobile infant. Whew!

That's right friends, the peanut has learned to crawl..... backwards at least.

It's quite amazing how much ground a 13 pound girl can cover going backwards / rolling in just a few minutes. Perhaps walking is overrated after all.... One of her latest discoveries is the couch. The 1990s fabric has an interesting texture, and an approximately 2 inch gap beneath it which E likes to shove her arms in. We've looked and looked, and other than dust and inevitably some hair, there's nothing under there for her to grab. Maybe it's just the excitement of reaching? 

One recent venture took us to the hallway.... here is what she found:

Who needs toys??

Just in case you haven't seen it all over facebook, we've entered E into a "cutest baby" contest. the winners get a trip to NYC for a cover shoot for this magazine, and a scholarship prize. Help us win! (since we all know there's never been a cuter little girl) . You can vote daily, check out:   http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/1442322?esrc=nwphotofaves_abyccfy13 

Other news, Jarrod is taking midterms this week. I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked this semester. He's ahead in his reading schedule, learning a ton and has been around so much! E and I are definitely blessed to have such an awesome man in our lives. This next week is fall break, aka start-working-on-your-huge-papers week. He's started a computer training gig on the side, Get Geeked. And, as a true "geek", he now carries his business cards everywhere, want one????

Last weekend we attended a marriage conference at our church, Dr. Danny Akin spoke. It was fantastic, and funny, as all good marriage conferences should be. I praise God for the godly men He has raised up in the SBC to lead our seminaries and churches, men who keep Jesus in the focus and remind us to have fun with our families, all to the glory of God. 

We've become Costco members. (What good Reeds aren't??) Even Eliaya had a good time walking around the warehouse and partaking in the ENORMOUS amount of free samples. Perhaps the coolest event of the day was all the freebee's we got sent home with: water, batteries, granola bars, and a chicken. This is, most definitely, my favorite picture of Eliaya... pretty much ever. You can bet this will make it's debut at her wedding someday :)

hahahahaha.... ok, ok, catch my breath... whew..... best face ever. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.


Well, nap time is quickly ending and the laundry is beckoning.... Thanks for checking in. Have a blessed day!

Love,
the Reeds

Surgery in the Parking Lot

All is well in the Reed house!

I know with the lack of updates you must have been wondering. I kept sitting down to start writing... only to be pulled away to edit a paper, change a diaper, or discover our daughter had lodged herself under the kitchen table. Ah, the joys of seminary-motherhood.

Another semester is underway, and as always, the first week was filled with schedule changes, school supply shopping, mild panic attacks and overwhelming praise the the God who is faithful. Jarrod is signed up for New Testament 1, Greek syntax, missiology, and an applied ministry course. Intense, but he's really excited about them.

Perhaps the most exciting update is with Eliaya (of course). She's growing like a weed; I finally went through her clothes to sort out what doesn't fit anymore, and the last of the newborn onesies have been put away! Yesterday she turned 5 months old! We started her on rice cereal and a new nickname has developed: little birdie. Check out the video of her first taste!
.....
.........
............. (6 tries and an hour later)....... okay, so that wont load. Here's a picture instead!

The grape: she and I have been through a lot. She's been around for almost 20 years, accompanied me on road trips too numerous to count, saw me through college, and stretched gas to unheard of limits. In case you were wondering, the grape is my car. Or rather, it was my grandma's car and then mine. She's been on her last leg for quite some time. Mechanics laugh when I come to pick her up from getting an oil change as they hand me the ream of paper listing all her illnesses. Poor girl.  Well, her alternator died. Jarrod was feeling like quite the surgeon, so with the help of a good friend, he attempted to revive her. Hence the title of this post, our parking lot became the site of a car "code blue".

IT WORKED! I think another facet of seminary is becoming a "jack-of-all-trades". Regardless, it was cause for much celebration. The grape lives on, at least for another season :)

Next update I'll throw in a bunch of pictures, Eliaya's getting so big!

Thanks for reading, have a blessed day!

-the Reeds

Our New Normal

 I read in various pregnancy books about reaching the "new normal" once baby comes. The authors talked a lot about making time for your spouse, adjusting schedules, sleep, and making activities baby friendly. We hit 11 weeks this past Friday, and not that we don't still have trying moments, but I think we've reached that point. And it's good.

Jarrod is taking elementary Greek this summer, it's tough but he's doing so well. I think he finds it easier than Hebrew, praise the Lord! He's putting in lots of hours at geek squad and God continues to give him favor there. It's neat when ever Eliaya and I come to visit him and all the customers pause to ooo and aww over her. We've gotta be careful once she can understand.. wouldn't want her to get a big ego or anything :)

I've started back at work part time. We were really nervous about this transition (more so me I think), but the Lord has been so faithful to carry us and give us grace with each other through the stressful moments. It helps that my coworkers let him bring her up to visit so I can get my fix. I am officially off orientation and haven't been fired yet, so things must be going well, haha.

Okay okay... so now the part you're really interested in: Eliaya's pictures!

puppy love (10 weeks)

10 weeks

11 weeks, diaper changes can be SO tiring!

Proof we're not always happy ...

Cutest baby I know! 

At our 2 month appointment, she was 22 3/8 inches long, and 8lbs 14oz. Pediatrician said she would like her to put on some more weight (since birth she's dropped from 15th to 5th percentile) but that she looked absolutely perfect, we know that already of course :).  We go back for a weight check next week, and I'm sure she's done her part: we've been in a huge growth spurt the past few days.. all the kid wanted to do was eat!  She's talking up a storm, I'll try and post a video of that soon. Every day I am so blown away that God would bless Jarrod and I with her. More and more she reminds me of Jarrod: she's definitely a morning baby, loves to talk, and gets so excited when people come over. It has been a great joy to see Jarrod and E bond. She gets the biggest grin on her face when he comes home and snuggles her :)

We are so excited to get to spend some time with family this week, Jarrod's grandparents, mom, and brother are driving up from FL as we speak! We've prepped Eliaya, telling her she'll be spoiled big time and not have to lay on the floor at all this next week....

Please continue to pray for us. We're in a good routine now, but the fall schedule is a bit daunting. Pray that we (me especially) would trust the Lord to provide what we need and to show us what all can fit on the plate, and what's okay to take off. The Lord has not failed us in any way, we've been blessed far beyond what we deserve. He's growing us individually, in our marriage, and as a family.

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe, first for the Jew, and also for the Gentile. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith" " --Romans 1:16-17

Thanks for reading! Love,
the Reeds

Why yes, we can!

6 weeks. Feels like there should be birthday cake when you reach this point... it's been a long, awesome, grueling, eventful, tearful, most amazing 6 weeks.  Yesterday I thought back to being in the delivery room and meeting Eliaya in person.... the details are already a little fuzzy. Perhaps this is the "heaven-sent" amnesia required for Eliaya to have siblings, haha.

Praise the Lord Jarrod has finished up the semester! He does so well, especially since his study time has been dramatically intruded on. I know he's extremely thrilled to have a few weeks between semesters to just rest and fully enjoy being a dad. This marks the completion of our first year in seminary! 33 hours down.... 61 hours to go!

Sunday May 6th, two milestones occurred. That morning, while getting ready for church, I handed Eliaya off to Jarrod and he was dancing and singing to her. During a pause, she stared at his face and gave the biggest smile I've seen yet. We then had to reassemble Jarrod as he melted onto the floor. 'Baby girl... what ever you want... it's yours' was written all over his face.
The second was partaking in the parent-child dedication at church. It's a neat ceremony of sorts.... more for us than the children. It was an opportunity for Jarrod and I to publicly declare our intention to train Eliaya in the way she should go (Proverbs 22:6), to store the Word in her heart (Psalm 119:11), and to meditate on the Word as a family (Deut 6:7). What an honor, and what a weighty task. Praise Him that He does not leave us to do this on our own... but strengthens us with His Holy Spirit.  Here's a family pic from dedication service.

What else have we accomplished recently?
-Well, we are sleeping at nighttime! Everyone, Simba included, fares much better now that Eliaya sleeps. She's getting into a good routine of eat-play-sleep during the day and, most days, can be convinced that naps are not a threat to her existence. And days when she does nap, she'll sleep for 5-6 hours at night! Perhaps she listened during all those every hour and a half nighttime feedings when I told her this was not the way to get a sibling....
- Note to all... you CAN wash a car while wearing a baby. The neighbors will look at you funny... but E sure thought it was fun. she would get splashed in the carrier every time I sprayed down the car.
- Second note to all... you CANNOT leave the house without a second change of clothes.... never know when the biggest explosion you've had to date will come (ours was at the zoo this morning.... giraffe exhibit). Any pointers on washing car seat covers??

On a more serious note.... Jarrod and I have been deeply troubled by the recent posts in the media regarding homosexuality. Jarrod wrote a good response to it all on facebook, check it out. For all who claim to be Christians: we must call sin sin. There are parts of the Bible that are tough to swallow... definitely. But if you're unwilling to submit to Scripture despite your feelings about a subject, then don't call yourself a Christian. We must stop trying to straddle this middle-ground of claiming Christianity while holding our thoughts on a subject as gold, believing them over Scripture. (Romans 1, we cannot trust our thinking) It's time to closely examine what we believe and make a choice

Thanks for reading, have a blessed day!
~the Reeds

Milestone!

Just a quick update... We are four weeks old today, go in to the pediatrician next week for our 1 month appointment. Praise the Lord she's started sleeping at night (it's amazing how much more refreshing 3 hour stretches are compared to 30 minute ones)!! Still working on convincing Eliaya that naps are not secretly trying to destroy the world....

But the exciting news... we're rolling over! Not especially gracefully... but rolling over none-the-less. Enjoy!

Life Lessons

3 weeks old..... whoa, my baby is 3 weeks old!

First off, praise our awesome, almighty God. It is only by His grace through your prayers that we survived. Eliaya is a beautiful, amazing little girl. She's definitely a blessing. That being said... it's not been especially easy. I can already tell the Lord is using her to reveal my own sin and to grow Jarrod and I in holiness. I have been meditating on two verses these past few weeks
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  This has been powerful to me, especially during those early morning feedings. I know God purposed for me to be a mom and He gives, and will continue to give, me the strength to be such. When I am tempted to throw in the towel and give up on the ways Jarrod and I decided on regarding how to raise Eliaya, I think on this verse. It's also encouraging to think that loving on others and praying for them... it's not in vain. the Lord will have His glory. The work He's called us to partake in, it's worthwhile. Parenting, sharing the Gospel, washing dishes... there is a harvest if we do not give up.
The second Scripture God's been teaching me a lot through is 2 Peter 1:5-8. "For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self control, and  self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. If these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." Becoming a Christian is anything but a call to stagnation. We are to grow in Christ-likeness, in faith, virtue, knowledge.... This has been convicting. Since Eliaya's arrival, I've realized my time is not my own. She's hungry when she's hungry. She needs changed / snuggled / prayed for regardless of the red numbers on the clock. Anger rears its head. My self-absorption now stares me in the face. Praise Him for grace. I feel like I am moment by moment repenting and growing in self-control. It's amazing how the God of the universe can use a baby to change my heart.
            Jarrod went to a conference a earlier this month, Together for the Gospel. It's a gathering of evangelical leaders, seminary students and pastors from all over to discuss/assess how the church is doing in reaching the lost. I encourage you to check out the website, you can listen to / watch the main session speakers (www.t4g.org). I was especially challenged by David Platt's message. Pray before you watch that one... God will use it.

Eliaya is doing well. We head to the pediatrician in a week and half for our 1 month check up. I wonder how much she'll weigh! She's definitely growing. Here's some pics from the past few days. Please continue to pray for us.... Eliaya does NOT like to sleep. She fights it with all she's got. Her most ear-splitting screams come about 45 seconds before she zonks out. We joked before... but I really do think she's going to have Jarrod's personality.... 1st born syndrome.....

 Thanks for checking in!

Love,
the Reeds

And She's Here!

As you all know... Eliaya made her debut Friday March 30th at 9:41am! She was 7lbs even and 18.25 inches long (where did the short gene come from?!?). She's absolutely perfect. Of course, I'm a bit biased, but we've voted her the cutest baby ever :)

Alright, so here's the play by play, minus unnecessary details. Well, we started in "prodromal" labor Monday. Contractions would come every 5 minutes or so for hours and hours. When we were on the verge of saying 'yes, this is it', the contractions would go away. They were strong enough to keep me awake at night, but not enough to be the real deal!

Went to work Tuesday and Wednesday, determined to walk her out. Contractions came on and off, but again not the real deal. Doctor's appointment Wednesday was encouraging, we went from 1cm to 3! It was that mental victory I needed to know that I wasn't hurting for nothing. Wednesday night, contractions spaced out... tried to sleep.

Thursday was my day off, so Jarrod went to school and I tried to rest / take my mind off contractions as much as possible. What did I really end up doing? Cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, laundry... Come lunchtime, I was certain this was the real deal. Contractions were every 5 minutes and strong enough to stop me in my tracks. Excited!

Okay... so fast forward. 10pm Thursday night, Jarrod is helping me through each contraction (thank you Jericho, watching 3 episodes was the perfect distraction) and we started making goals for how long we stayed home. At 1:30am, I was ready. We packed up, called in to labor and delivery, and headed to the car. Ooo.... that was the roughest car ride ever! Poor Jarrod, I would tell him to hurry, then we'd hit a bump and I'd yell "slow down!". He did so well coping with my craziness.

We checked in, got all the paperwork done between contractions and found out I was 7cm! Alright! Thinking it was the homestretch, I walked around. Then the long road started.... we made it to 8-9cm and stalled. My water hadn't broken, the contractions were strong and every 2-3 minutes. Mentally, I was losing it. Jarrod was the best coach: rubbing my back and helping me focus through one contraction as at time. When I was at the end of my rope (not having slept in a few days was definitely a stumbling block to coping with the pain... ) my wonderful nurse suggested some pain meds. We agreed to a half dose and while it didn't take the pain away, it dulled it enough to give me a mental break and regroup. Just as it was wearing off, I had a WHOLE NEW understanding of the phrase "I gotta push!" I'm sure I looked like a crazy women scaling back into bed and panting. Next thing I knew, there was a gush of fluid and Eliaya was just shy of crowing.

30-35 minutes later, Eliaya Carol Reed was born. Praise the Lord! What a miracle. Despite the exhaustion, a flood of emotions welled up in me. She was beautiful. She cried and instantly began to suck on her fingers. Jarrod cut the cord (he didn't faint!). And so we began our life as three.......

Thank you all so much for praying for us. Even at 3am. We covet your prayers as we learn how to be parents and strive to teach Eliaya the ways of the Lord. He is good. I'm so glad He brought Eliaya out in time to celebrate Easter together. To think that my God went to such lengths to pay my debt. To bring me into His family. How awesome!

Love,
the Reeds

We made it!

Hooray!

Today marks the wonderful arrival of "term" pregnancy. For all of Eliaya's drama a few weeks ago and everyone, myself included, preparing for her to come early... she's been a good girl and now we wont have to call her a premie on the delivery record :)

Doctor's appointment yesterday, everything's looking great! She's in approximately the 57th percentile for weight (guessing around 6.5lbs) and apparently has very dense bones. At least I know all the milk cravings did their job! She had the hiccups during the ultrasound, and as always, was sucking her thumb. I wont be surprised at all if this kiddo has sucking blisters when she's born. It was a wonderful change to go from telling her "not today baby, just stay in another day" every morning when we got up to, "okay, today would be okay. Can't wait to meet you!"  Work friends joke that now she's settled in and likes being in the womb, so much so that I'll probably have to be induced. Haha, we are definitely praying that's not the case.

Jarrod finished one of his big term papers and did really well on his midterm, thank you so much for praying for him! We, and by that I mean mostly he, are working hard to get as much of his work done before Eliaya makes her big debut.

Gave Jarrod a haircut for the first time yesterday.... if I get brave I'll post pictures later. Not an epic failure, but I think I will do well to keep my day job. Speaking of which... had the coolest experience the other day: I was in a store and saw a man who looked familiar, though I couldn't place from where. We kept crossing each other in aisles and finally he asked, "you're Megan, right?". Oh no, guilt quickly piling on.... not only did he recognize me.. but he remembered my name! What was I gonna do?? Play it cool? No... not even close, "yeah, I am. I'm sorry but what was your name again?"  After a few seconds (probably spent in utter shock that I couldn't remember), he responded and told me that I helped delivery his first baby a few weeks ago! Then it all came back to me and I could actually recall details of that day. It was great to hear from him, that his wife and child were doing well and how they had such a great experience in L&D. Sweet moment :)

Not much time right now, it's finally WARM outside so Simba and I are headed out for the day. Wanted to check in and let you all know we are doing well, ready for Eliaya any day now, and that the Lord has blessed us with some sweet experiences here in Louisville recently. When I can find the cable, I'll post more pictures of the baby bump and Jarrod's hair. I pray you all are doing well, enjoying spring and being reminded that the Lord brings for new life from what was dead. So thankful for the heart of flesh He gives!

~the Reeds

Is it really March?!?

It's March. Holy smokes. Eliaya could come any day!

Jarrod had a new-found appreciation for this fact this morning. Before a 'good morning', a sigh, or a big stretch to move the dog off his legs, he said "Megan, we're gonna be parents this month, like for real!"
I think that pretty well sums up our past few weeks, we've been trying to get as much ready as we can, stocking up on diapers and other essentials, doing a LOT of reading, and most importantly basking in time with the Lord.

I was let off bed rest, praise the Lord! Last appointment showed that Eliaya was doing great, and while I'm still contracting any time I try to do anything, they're not doing much in terms of bringing her here too early :) So with the doc's approval, I went back to work this past Sunday. 12 hrs later I was still pregnant, a victory if you ask Jarrod and I.

This week we hit the 36 week mark. I'm still feeling great, noticing fatigue sets in quicker and I'm sure I resemble a duck when I first get started walking... but so glad to still be preggers! Jarrod has installed the carseat (only took two attempts!), our hospital bag is packed.... Now we wait. Hopefully she wont change her mind and decide not to come out at all and we have to be induced at 41 weeks.... haha.

Jarrod is a reading machine these days: his classes will have a significantly lower workload come April, but that comes at the price of having a heavy load right now. He's been reading a book by Dempster called Dominion and Dynasty, from what he's talked to me about, it sounds like a great book. One of his big papers if going to be on how the "image of God" changes from pre- to post-fall, then following the redemptive work of Christ, and finally the culmination of His work when we are perfected in heaven. You should ask him about it! I'm so proud of him, he's juggling a million to-dos and the stress levels average a little less than sky-high, and through it all he has realized how desperately we need the Word and remains passionate about his classes.

We have one last childbirth class to attend this Saturday. Despite the frequent giggles and joking (he is a Reed after all), Jarrod has found the class helpful, as have I. Please pray for us as the delivery is looming ever closer: that it would be smooth and without hiccups, that I would cope with contraction discomfort and not give in to fear, that Jarrod would remain strong and not faint (a big deal if you know him...), and that most importantly Eliaya would be healthy. We are so stinkin' excited!!!!!

We've also been blessed by our friends up here, they threw us a baby shower; it was so fun! I consider it a huge blessing to be going through this transition into motherhood with a great group of godly women, both moms and not-moms-yet, to encourage me. Thank you friends! I came home with the spoils and Jarrod decided to put the carrier to use. Since there's no baby to put in it yet, what did he do? As you probably guessed, Simba was volunteered. Poor dog, he's probably most excited for Eliaya to come so that we stop torturing him!

Other than baby-stuff, we are enjoying helping with the Cubbies ministry (Awana) at Ninth & O, I've been able to join a women's Bible study on Thursday mornings going through James, and Jarrod has become the coupon king! If given a list, he can do quite well at the grocery store :)

I'm sure there's more to share... but my bladder has a 5 ounce maximum capacity and well, I've been sitting here too long already. Promise to keep everyone updated as to when Eliaya makes her big debut, until then - thanks for reading and especially thanks for praying for us!

We pray the Lord draws you nearer to Him today-
the Reeds

2012 so far

The Lord never ceases to amaze me. He is good.

Recap of the past few weeks:
We had an absolutely WONDERFUL time in Florida back in January. Jarrod was so excited to pack up and leave that when I got home from my last shift at work, he was pacing in the living room, car packed and shoes on ready to go right then as opposed to our plan on leaving early the next morning. Sweet man, he drove the majority of the way purely on adrenaline I think :)

Where did we go our first day? The beach of course! It was fantastic. Gentle breeze, slightly cloudy and warm. I've decided I need to get a sound machine that plays ocean sounds for our house, I forgot how soothing they are.  We spent time in Jacksonville with the Reeds and visiting with friends. Jarrod had the awesome opportunity to preach at Deermeadows Baptist Church where he grew up. They were so encouraging and loving. The ladies of DBC through us a baby shower, LOTS of pink and fun. Thank you all!

We also went with the fam to Orlando to make one last use of our Universal Studios passes. It was an interesting trip, lots of people-watching since Eliaya and I couldn't really ride anything. People wear the oddest things to theme parks....

Spent the last of our time in the sunshine state with Gainesville friends and family. It was so enjoyable! It was amazing to see my little nephews for the first time, they're already getting so big! We had a great Sunday at Westside and really enjoyed hearing all that the Lord is doing in that family of believers. Jarrod was given the opportunity to preach Sunday night and spoke about Biblical family. That's an area we've been learning and growing so much in the past few months. It's really incredible, and disgusting, the depth and spread of the lies regarding family we've accepted from culture without even realizing it. Please pray for us that we would continue to reassess our beliefs, examining where they come from, and replacing lies with the truth of Scripture. We want to value family with the passion that the Lord does.

Okay, so after Florida trip we made it back and Jarrod hit the ground running with a J-term class on the Psalms. He absolutely loved it. And it was really helpful for me: we've learned how to read the psalms, no longer seeing them as eventually becoming repetitive and vague, but as very detailed accounts of the emotions David and the other writers went through at very specific times! There's so much more about the Word I have to learn.

Now Jarrod is back into the spring semester, he's taking another full load but one class is a conference during spring break, so his daily load is a little lighter. I am super appreciative for this, it has given us more time together, time to enrich our friendship and grow our marriage, as well as time to get ready for Eliaya.

31 weeks

Speaking of Eliaya... she's been in trouble this week! She's now about 4.5 pounds and has recently discovered the fun of reaching up towards my ribs. Anyway, Thursday night I had trouble sleeping because the braxton-hicks contractions were coming, on and off, every 10 minutes. Finally I was able to go to bed, only to wake up at 230 with more frequent, more painful contractions. I went into nurse mode, did all the things I knew could help stop braxton-hicks (changed position, bathroom, hydrated, walked around), but they continued to be about every 5-8 minutes. After an hour and a half of praying and pacing, decided to call the doc, fingers crossed hoping she would say just to let them settle out on their own, but knowing better. So at 445 Jarrod and I headed out to labor and delivery to get things checked out. It was kinda funny seeing my co-workers while being on the other side of things. I appreciate them, they took good care of us.

Long story short, I was hooked up to monitors, the contractions continued, and got a few doses of tocolytics (meds to stop contractions). When those didn't knock them out entirely, we decided I should go on some more long-term meds to keep them under control. Praise the Lord, Eliaya looked great on the monitor, I've not dilated at all, and we were sent home with orders to take it easy for a few days (hence how I finally have time to update this blog...)

Huge thanks to our friends and family who prayed for us yesterday and continue to do so. We know that the Lord will bring Eliaya into the world at the precise time He's already decided. Please pray that we would not give in to worry and would be prepared (well, as prepared as first time parents can be). Pray for Jarrod also, when we got home from the hospital he went on a bit of a freak-out about all the things we still have to do to get ready for her. It took some persuasion to convince him he didn't have to go on a midnight diaper run yet :) He is so excited about becoming a father, I praise the Lord for giving me a husband who loves me and wants to serve our family as Christ serves the church.

Well, thanks for reading! We pray the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6 for you all:

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26 ESV)

Love,
the Reeds