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!
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............. (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