More Pics of Emma

10 pounds 8 ounces - 22 inches long!
Burp!

Sleep on little Emma

Ben's Big Brother Present from Emma

Is that a smile?

Welcome to the Loud & Bright World

Meet the Protectors

Ben's Spontaneous Kiss - He LOVES his little "Emma Grapes"

Daddy introduces Ben to Emma

Little Big Brothers - future Protectors

Emma Grace is Here!

Emma Grace is Here!!!

She was born 10:24 a.m.

10 pounds 8 ounces

22 inches long!

A 'Healthy' Girl so say the least.

God blessed us by giving Beth a great expereince - the IV didn't hurt or take 6 trys & the epidural took right away so I didn't have to wait in the hall like last time!

She is a beautiful 'little' girl

Her wavy black hair puts me in mind of her Momma.

Ben was soooooo sweet with her. He held her & patted her head & then kissed her on her cheek.

Such a sweet boy.

Sam was far more concerned with his Momma. He didn't like the fact that she was in the recovery room & not where he could see her.

She has LOTS of hair & is a great baby thus far.

She seems to be very content - I pray that this will continue.

God has blessed us greatly & for that we are greatful.

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Lose Your Gut - Week One Results

I was dreading it but I had to do it. I went to Mom & Dad's & got on the scale this morning after a week of pretty much the same lifestyle & diet.

The results...220 lbs which means I lost 15 POUNDS THIS WEEK!!!

I've been on the ZIJA lose your gut program which consists of a nutrient rich drink in the morning, xm3 supplement mid day & one hot cup of miracle tea before bed.

Here's the skinny - pun fully intended:

I didn't change my diet with the exception of cutting sweets way down. I did have some chips & some ice cream on my weekly date with my wife.

I have noticed that my cravings, especially for chips, have all but gone away. I am rarely eating seconds because I feel so full. I still get hungry before a meal but it is somehow very different. The hunger seems satisfied quicker.

After one reasonable helping I feel stuffed.

I did have seconds one evening & I felt like post thanksgiving.

I haven't had any more physical activity than normal on purpose. It has been a massively stressful week (see previous post) & yet I have still lost the weight.

If you'd like more information on it, then join me at the Church of the Wildwood this Monday at 7pm. The lady who started Beth on it for her pregnancy will be speaking on the ins & outs of this amazing supplement system. I'm going to try to record it so you can hear it if you can't be there. This is amazing. My blood pressure has also dropped from borderline hypertension 139/90 to 126/78.

Beth has had a net zero weight gain in her pregnancy which means she's lost weight. Her b/p & blood sugar are amazing! She's usually on bed rest with sky rocketing b/p, sugar, & edema at this point. Instead her vitals are better than they've been in our 22 years of marriage.

Ben is being 'prepared' for the new arrival of a little sister in the not too distant future. We talk about Emma Grace & ask him where she is etc. Well, He has caught on & He talks about his new sister, "ELMO GRAPES".

I have several concerns with this new moniker.

1: I am very fearful that the name will stick. How unfortunate for little Elmo, I mean Emma

2: I fear that Ben is expecting a red furry puppet from sesame street & that he's going to be mighty disappointed in the real Emma Grace.

I thank God for little boys who keep a stressed out Daddy laughing.

Emma Grace

Elizabeth & I went covert today with a secret ultrasound. She didn't want to say anything in case the baby was modest again & we were unable to tell the gender.
Two minutes into the ultrasound & the tech said, "This one's a girl". I had to choke back my tears. Glad it was dark in there. I wanted a girl for my old age. So did Beth but she had convinced herself it was a boy. Now we won't have to argue about a boy's name as we couldn't agree. Emma Grace was agreed on from the outset.
I'm just a little blown away that our God would so bless us with a baby & a girl to boot! He has given us a great reason to praise HIM passionately! I Praise YOU - El Roi - the God who sees. You saw Emma long before we did. In you book all her members were written when as yet there were none of them. I Praise YOU YHWHY Jirah - The God who provides. You will provide for Emma all her days. I praise you Yeshua - my rescuer, my Lord, my King. You will provide the only way for Emma to be set right with our Father...through your precious blood. Oh blessed Spirit, draw her heart to our Messiah at a young age. Reveal Christ to her that she may spend her life serving our risen Yeshua. I Praise the Triune God for blessing this foolish servant with much more than I'll ever deserve or thank you for properly. Take this feeble attempt & know that my life is yours & the real praise will come from my Spirit empowered actions.
Thank you God!

Thanksgiving Surprise

The look on Mom's face is priceless

My Son "Sven"

Well, we love our little "Sven". Allow me to explain. We are having the hardest time not calling 'Ben' 'Sam'. We'll start to call him Sam then we'll catch ourselves & insert the proper name 'Ben'. It comes out sounding like "Sven". Poor kid. He's going to think that's his name. Beth was talking to him the other day & called him Benjamin Isaac - again, that's Sam's middle name. Benjamin Robert Anthony. I suppose if we were true rednecks, we'd have named him "Ben Bob Tony". His middle names are after his Grandpas. I know you're wondering about the picture of the dog. Well that is Trigger as many of you know. The reason he's in the post is because we used to talk baby talk to him (and still do but not as much when you have a 'real' baby around). I'm ashamed to say the Ben doesn't have it so bad...We used to call Sam 'Trigger' all the time! Now that's bad!