Saturday, October 20, 2007

ER

Noah had a 'first' this week but I can't seem to find a "first trip to the ER sticker" in any baby book I've seen. I was nursing him on Thursday afternoon when he started having an apparent seizure that lasted for approximately 10 very long seconds. My attempts to alert him were unsuccessful and at one point when he opened his eyes, I saw them rolling back in his head. He seemed fine afterwards and went right back to nursing, but at his pediatrician's recommendation, we took him in to the emergency room. Dr. Friend was in charge of his care and he ordered some blood work and a CT scan which both came back within normal results. Having to hold him still for the insertion of the IV was not fun as the nurses struggled to find a vein under all his arm chubs. Other than that, he was acting really happy in the room and I found myself having to convince Scott that no, Noah was not shaking "just because he was cold." We were discharged late Thursday night with a follow-up visit with his pediatrician the following day. He ordered another test, an EEG, which we will hopefully have done in about a week or two.
waiting in the waiting room, acting really happy and not giving much cause for concern.
they wrapped him in a blanket after his CT scan. Note the feet.
excited to be coming home!
showing off his new boo-boo, where they put in the IV

Friday, October 19, 2007

Reflections on Sem Wives 10/17

Lisa Hughes spoke this week in sem wives. She is the wife of Jack Hughes, who pastors Calvary Bible Church in Burbank. He is a TMS graduate, so it was nice to hear from a wife who was once in my shoes. She addressed the discipline of studing Scriptures. This sounds simple and basic, right? But if having a devotional time is so important for every Christian to maintain, then why do so many struggle with consistency? I know I have my ups and downs.
So here are some practical things to consider. Nothing new, nothing hard...just helpful, hopefully.

To help with consistency:
*Seek an accountability partner. Maybe it's a spouse or a friend.
*Commit to studying and learning something new before talking to someone you talk to on a daily or regular basis (best friend, mom).
*Above all, pray that God would give you the grace to develop the discipline of consistency in your devotions!

How/what to study:
*Read through a specific book of the Bible every day for a month. Get familiar with the text. Maybe at the end of the month you'll want to study a particular theology further.
*Read through a Proverb each day of the month. As you read, keep a journal and write down the things that you learn about a few topics of your choice (such as the tongue, the slothful person vs. the industrious person, money, etc.)
*Study a particular theme or theology. Search the Scriptures to see what God says about Himself, prayer, covenants, marriage, etc.
*Choose a passage/chapter/book to memorize.
*Go from big to small. Get the context of the writing by reading the entire book first. Then break it up into smaller sections or by chapter. Then go verse by verse.
*Make your observations before you make your applications. Don't read into the text what you want it to say, but consider what the original writer intended to convey to the original recipients.

Redeeming the time:
*If you are a mom like I am, take advantage of the kiddos' nap time by making study a priority. Housework will still be there when you're done.
*Do you commute? What are you listening to in the car? Consider using the time to pray, or stick a hymn or sermon in the CD player. Download podcasts from good preachers.

Scripture study is a discipline that must be developed, and there are no shortcuts. But for the faithful, the rewards are plentiful and eternal. So if we are to be consistent, we must remember this: we will never be what we are not already now becoming. What are you doing today to ensure that your walk with the Lord is vibrant?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

When did that happen?

One of my pet peeeeeves is telemarketing calls (I inherited that gene from my mom). I don't need people interrupting my day to tell me about a product that I've spent 27 years not knowing about and have somehow survived without (and using my monthly cell phone minutes to do it). But do you know what I don't need even more than that? Telemarketers interrupting my day and then being rude. Ummm....I really don't want your product now. And...I think it's supposed to be my job to hang up on you--not the other way around!!

Noah-4 Months

This post will probably be most interesting to the grandparents. We just returned home from Noah's 4 month appointment where he weighed in at 15 lbs 10 oz (75th percentile) and measured 27" (off the charts). He seemed to enjoy Dr. Chan listening to his heart/lungs and looking at his eyes/ears, but the real treat was the second dosage of his oral rotavirus vaccination! The shots were painful but quick and he seems to be doing fine now.
At four months, Noah enjoys laughing, cooing, reaching for toys, playing with his hands and feet, and sticking out his tongue to blow raspberries (just discovered that yesterday). Jonah likes watching him do this, and gleefully announces "Bubbles!!" every time Noah spits. My favorite relatively new skill of Noah's is that he is finally sleeping through the night on a regular basis! He can generally go 10 hours, which now gives Scott and I some time awake and alone without the kids, as well as a good night's sleep. Wahoo!
Look for Noah's 4 month pictures in a post to come.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Reflections on Sem Wives 10/10

As most of you who read this blog may know, Scott is in his 5th (and Lord-willing final) year of seminary. One of the aspects of The Master's Seminary that distinguished itself from the other seminaries we were considering 5 years ago was the emphasis that it placed on the family. With the heavy load that the students are required to undertake, it is not hard to see why some seminarians shamefully neglect their priorities of loving and leading their wives and families. We decided that this scenario was least likely to happen at TMS, where wives are not forgotten by the school. In addition to classes like the Pastor's Home where wives attend class with their husbands, and the annual Fall Picnic and Spring Banquet, there is a special program dedicated just for seminary wives that meets for 10 weeks during each semester.
In Seminary Wives, each semester focuses on a theme (this semester's happens to be "disciplined for godliness" taken from I Timothy 4:7,8). I like the fact that wives are encouraged to grow alongside their husbands in the Word, as we are training for our own unique ministry that we will have as a pastor's wife. We are also forming friendships with other women who understand what it is like to have a husband in seminary, and we are being led by table leaders who are who are professors' or elders' wives.
Last night, my table (led by Dawn Iverson, who is the wife of an elder at Grace Community) talked about last week's message (which I missed due to illness), prayer requests, praises, and creative and/or money-saving tips. We talked about how a pastor's wife, who is often on a limited budget, should gracefully deal with all the wedding and baby shower invitations she will receive. What is she to do if she cannot afford to buy gifts for every one of them and still be responsible with her household budget? So we brainstormed...and here are some of the ideas we came up with:

for weddings:
a scrapbook of favorite recipes on decorative 3x5 cards
a prayer for the couple or a Bible verse calligraphied or neatly printed and framed
a group gift of a scrapbook including advice from older women on how to have a loving, lasting, God-honoring marriage
a frame with the couple's name and wedding date burned into it
handmade cards (thank you's, blank, or multiple occassion)

for baby showers:
some of the ideas above, modified for babies
sewing burp cloths or blankets
a list of money-saving tips for moms (Grocery game, anyone? or www.mommysavers.com)

Do you have any ideas? Please share them in the comments and I'll pass them on!

The night was topped off with a convicting message from Donna Shannon about disciplining our thoughts. How easy it is to let them wander if we are not being purposeful about taking every thought captive! One of the 'take home points' for me was this: if my mind is a glass to be filled, am I choosing what goes in (by spending my time reading Scripture, meditating, singing hymns, praying, etc) or am I passively letting the world fill it with its own philosophies (by wasting time, daydreaming, watching TV, listening to radio, reading silly books or magazines, etc*). Because, as she pointed out, we do what we do and we feel what we feel because we think what we think. We cannot expect godly behavior if we haven't been disciplined to think godly thoughts.
*Disclaimer: I am not trying to come across as a cultural fundamentalist. I think it is fine to enjoy the things of the world that were created for our pleasure (and I gladly partake!), and I shy away from the type of Christianity that shuns the world and keeps all secular activities at an arm's length, but we must exercise wisdom in setting our priorities.

So that's just a small glimpse of sem wives. I really enjoy talking with the ladies at my table, as it is one of the times in my week that I get to enjoy conversations with adults without being interrupted to wipe spit-up off my sleeve.