Making His Blog Debut...Baby Elias!

Introducing:

ELIAS MATTHEW ROACH

Born: July 12, 2009 @ 7:22am

8lbs/1.8oz

21 inches long

Loved By:

His Daddy, Mommy and Big Brother Eian

Elias' Birth Story

Oh God has blessed me! Not only did He bless me with this handsome little boy but He also blessed me with a rather quick and complication free delivery.

I had false labor just three days before I actually delivered Elias. So it made it difficult for me to really determine if I was actually in labor. My true labor started around 1:00 am Sunday (the 12th). I noticed menstrual like cramps when I got up to use the restroom but they felt just like the false labor did a few nights before. I had vowed I would not be fooled again!!! So I tried to ignore them and get some sleep. They were mildly uncomfortable but allowed me to drift in and out sleep. I finally had to get up and move around simply because I had that "burst" of energy you hear about. So I tidied up the kitchen to keep my mind off what I hoped was happening and timing them about 5 minutes apart. This lasted through the early am until around 5:30 staying consistent at the 5 minute mark.

David woke up and asked me my status. I STILL was unsure if I was in true labor or not because they were not becoming more painful like I was told they would. At this point they were very manageable. However, right about that time I felt a strange vibration "down there" almost like a swift kick from the baby. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom checking to see if my water broke, but nothing.

David and I decided to go ahead and go in just to be safe. So I changed clothes, put on socks and tennis shoes and low and behold... a big gush went down my leg all the way to my shoes! I was forewarned from my doctor that I would most likely deliver quickly once my water broke because my older son was that way. So the race was on to get to the hospital before we had to resort to my husband scrubbing up!

We got to the hospital shortly after 6:00. We don't live far from and in fact my husband timed himself as getting us there in 7 minutes! In those 7 minutes I had three very strong contractions and so the nurses wasted no time getting me to the delivery room. I was 95% effaced and dilated to 4cm at around 6:20. It seemed like an eternity but in less than an hour and only 3 pushes later our little guy made his entrance into the world!

It was a wonderful bonding experience with my husband as I had to lean on him for comfort from the pain. I hoped to go without the use of pain meds but I went so quick I would not have been able to get them even if I had wanted to. David was great though. he was constantly running to get me ice chips or wet my wash cloth and encouraged me the whole way. I would not change a thing about Elias delivery if I had to do it all over again. Elias is such a wonderful addition to our family. It' hard to imagine our family without him!

Our New Family of Four Pics

Okay so I probably teased some of you making you think I've had the baby! Nope, 10 more days or so, although there are several; "bets" at work that I won't make it through this weekend! Wait and see is all we can do.

I wanted to share some great pics that my modest friend Margaret took. She loves photography but I think feels more comfortable with non-human objects so I'm so grateful she was willing to come out of her comfort zone for me. I had always wished I had more pregnancy photos taken when I was pregnant with Eian and with this child I am even more in awe of God's miracle that I wanted it captured!

I think Margaret did a great job don't you? She picked a great setting too and one I wouldn't have thought of on my own. It's actually our Historical Museum which is really and old home of one of the town's founder's. It's closed for remodeling so it was very quiet and peaceful. You would never know from the pictures that we're pretty much right in the middle of town would you?

My plan is to get some of these in black and white and sepia and get a large one to go in the living room. Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged last. My brain and body just doesn't function like it used to therefore making it harder for me to multi-task which in turn leaves less time for extra little things I enjoy like my blog. Anyway, I'm glad I made the time to share these with all of you. Hopefully the next photos I post will be of the baby himself!

God's gift to parents

So David, Eian and I we were driving to church today. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the morning. David had the Sunday morning radio program on we usually listen to and I, as always, was running behind and so therefore putting my makeup on in the van. Don't worry, David was driving!

Halfway through our route I heard a faint murmur coming from the backseat. I turned around to see my son with his Bible open, his hands folded and laying in the Bible, his head was bowed, and I could see his little lips moving. I gently nudged David for him to peak in the rear view mirror. It was the sweetest sight that my eyes instantly welled up with tears of joy. Neither David or I made a big fuss or drilled him about what he was praying for.

It wasn't until this evening when Eian and I were alone that he told me what he prayed for. He admitted that he had been questioning his salvation for awhile and wondered if he really knew what he was praying for back when he was four and claimed to have been saved. The intent and sincere look on his face told me this was a big deal to him, which just touched my heart even more. So he was asking the Lord for forgiveness again and re-committing himself to live for the Lord, just in case he didn't really mean it when he was four. Too sweet!

It provided a wonderful opportunity for to discuss ways in which we can demonstrate our love and devotion to Christ in gratitude for dieing on the cross. We both shared practical ways in which we can live for the Lord every day. It was one of the most precious conversations I believe I've ever had with my son. God's so smart too because while I'm training my child in the way he should go (Eph 6:4) the Lord's teaching me as well!

Prego Pic... Finally

I had my 34 week check up yesterday and everything is normal as can be according to the doctor. My weight gain is normal, my blood pressure is where it should be, and my belly is measuring right on target.

Speaking of belly.... many of you have been asking for me to post a prego pic. One of the girls at work likes to take belly shots of all the pregos in the office. She takes them once a month in the beginning, then twice a week, and she'll then take one every week during the last month. She only sent me this current week's though (week 34). So here it is!

I'm starting to think maybe I should have bought more maternity clothes. The shirt in this photo is just a loose fitting shirt that I was hoping to be still to wear after the baby's born. I don't how long it will be covering the tummy though!

The girls at work had a baby shower for me this past weekend and I will post some photos later this week. They went all out, especially with food! It was super thoughtful.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Stef

I'm Still Here!

Okay so I know all of you thought I fell off the face of the Earth, but I promise you that I am still very much alive! My life became busier than usual shortly after my last post. The Lord's been helping me focus on my main priorities and my blog once again had to take a backseat. A ton has happened since February so I don't even know where to begin but I'll just highlight the big stuff.

I'm sure you all are curious about the little bambino I'm caring and he's doing great. Yes, I said HE! I think most couples hope to have both a boy and a girl but we are just pleased as punch that he's healthy and another little boy is what God's planned for us so we are super excited! Eian was with us at the ultrasound and literally jumped out of his seat and clapped yelling, "Yes, yes. I just knew I'd get a brother!"

He's been the sweetest kid about this whole baby deal. He comes by at random kissing or talking to my belly, especially since I told him the baby can hear sounds from outside the womb now. I just had a check up last week and all is right on target for July 13 but as all of mom's know the due date doesn't always mean much!

For an update, my niece is still with us but things are going great with her dad. I'm not to discuss details but what I can tell you is that the Lord is totally in control and my brother submitted his life to Christ almost two months ago! Funny how his tremendous improvement started taking place right around the time he got saved, huh? Praise God!

My husband is once again out of work but we are hopeful that something will come through. In the meantime, the Lord has used David's time at home to open our eyes to focus more on our marriage, parenting, and most importantly our spiritual growth. My husband and I have had some of the best conversations and have grown closer than we have ever been. I would not trade these past few months of financial hardship for anything! Like I mentioned at the beginning of my post, God has been working on helping me prioritize. Marriage is something you consistently work at but He now has David and I focusing on being better parents.

Neither my husband and I grew up in Christian homes, let alone know the Biblical principles to marriage, parenting, money management, etc. So the Lord has been working on us like you would not believe and it's for this reason I have not been more faithful in my posting. I do hope to get my testimony posted soon though. I celebrated my third year of being a follower of Christ this past February and I know some of you have wondered about my testimony.

I can say that I have nothing to hide, especially after bearing my soul in front of 100 women at the women's retreat a few weeks ago! I DO NOT like speaking in front of large groups, yuck!! God asked me to do it, I obeyed (reluctantly at times), and He got me through it! So I'll get that posted soon I hope. The retreat went so good by the way. Thank you to all of you who prayed over the planning. I have a few pics that I'll share soon as well.

Well I can say with confidence that I do not lack for anything to post on but just the time to do it! Please continue to be patient with me. I have missed all of my blog buddies though and hope that now the retreat planning is done I can keep up with everyone more.

Until next time....

Stef

Hockey Game

I wanted to post these sooner but just haven't gotten around to it. I have pictures from a hockey game we went to this past Saturday night. Eian was really looking forward to it since it was just the three of us. We all love having my niece live with us but have come to value one another more. Our time seems a little more limited to spend with just Eian since a busy toddler has come into our lives!
I wasn't sure how I would like hockey but I have to say it was quite entertaining. I was very thankful for the seats we had. We had a perfect view... not too far away BUT not too close to the action and have little ears hear colorful language! There were a few heated confrontations to say the least. It was funny when Eian asked where they were making the two guys who just fought go. David explained it was a penalty box. That was my opportunity to say, " See bud, even grown men have time outs!" My son then preceded to say, "Mooom, they're not full grown. They're probably only like 16 so it's okay for them to have time outs. They're technically still kids." Little does Eian know that in just a few (too short) years he will claim and protest that he IS fully grown at 16! Oh, David and I laughed our head's off later on that one!
We had a great time and are so grateful for the free tickets our friend gave us. Thanks Aaron!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Menu Plan Monday again already. I have to say that so far (it's only week 2 though) I look forward to Monday's because it's when I get to share my meal plan with all of you! It was time consuming to go grocery shopping Saturday (6 stores in 4 hours, but NO kids!) because I had specific things I needed and they were on sale at certain locations. The good news though is all the stores I went to are only 2-3 miles from one another so it's not like I was wasting money on gas or it would not have been worth it! I think I did pretty good. I spent $132.00 for two weeks worth of groceries!

I went ahead and made a menu plan for two weeks instead of just one for the simple fact of saving time and less trips to the store means less cash coming out of my pocket! It felt good and a weight was lifted. I guess just knowing what you're eating for two weeks and knowing that you're saving money by going to the store with a plan makes a huge difference!

So here is what our dinners look like for the next two weeks:

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches with Curly Fries

Chili and salad

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Chicken Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Tater Tot Casserole & Salad

Chicken Pot Pie

Stir Fry

Sloppy Joe's with fries and veggies

Herb baked chicken thighs w/ garlic,parsley & butter noodles with broccoli

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Pizza

Hamburger Helper (what can I say, I need an easy one at least one night of the week!)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

As you can see I haven't added which days we're eating what, like I did last week. I kind of just pick what will work for us on which nights. For example, I don't pick something like Chicken Pot Pie that takes 45 minutes to bake, when I know we have church, play dates, appointments, etc.

So there you have it! I hope to link to my recipes once I get some added.