Mommy Survey

1. AGES?
6, 5, 4

2. Names
Abigail Jo, Nathanael Marc, Ian Jeremiah

3. Birthday?
A - 3/17, N - 6/27, I - 10/27

4. Time of birth?
A - 10:26pm, N - 7:47am, I - 1:42pm

5. How long did labor last?
With Abby, I got to the hospital at about 2 and we had a C-section around 10:30. None for the other 2

6. Who was in the room when baby was born?
Troy

7. How long did you push?
none

8. Weight?
A - 7lbs 10oz, N - 7lbs 15oz, and I - 8lbs 2oz

9. Length?
I think all 3 were 21"

10. Any hair?
I think they all had some

11. Who does baby look like?
Abby- blend, Nate- my dad, Ian - Troy

12. Be honest...how much weight did you gain while pregnant?
60lbs with Abby and 12 for each of the boys

13. Was baby early or late?
Early for all of them

14. Who drove you home from the hospital?
Troy, always

15. How many baby showers did you have?
I have had 5 in all.

16. When did baby start sleeping through the night?
I honestly don't remember. Abby took the longest, though.

17. Did you breastfeed?
for the first two

18. Who keeps your baby the most?
Troy or I...I guess me

19. When do you wanna have another?
never

20. How did you pick the name?
Abigail and Nathanael are from the Bible and their middle names are family names. We knew what we were having and picked them long in advance. We also loved their meanings. (Abigail - the Father's joy, Nathanael - given by God) With Ian we didn't know what we were having so Troy had a napkin in his pocket in the operating room with our top 3 names for each sex. We had decided them on the way to the hospital. When he was born, I just knew. Ian Jeremiah means "God is gracious" (Ian) and "He is exalted" (Jeremiah). So it was like God is exalted for His grace and I can't think of a better reason to praise. So I told Troy in the operating room. My mom was waiting. When Troy and the baby were brought out, she asked his name and Troy said "Kelly says Ian Jeremiah, but she is on a lot of medication so we'll see." We firmed it up in recovery.

21. How did you know when it was time to go to hospitaI?
My water broke with Abby while we were out shopping. But it wasn't like the gush in the movies it was more like I couldn't control my bladder. Finally, I figured it out and we went but even the nurses weren't sure. They had to use some chemical paper to tell. The other two were scheduled C-sections.

22. Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital?
Home

23. Anyone spend the night with you first night home?
Troy and my parents

24. Did you cry the first time you held your baby?
teary sure but not cry...it was awhile after they were born before I could hold any of them.

25. Who cut the cord?
The doctors?

26. Where was the baby born?
A & N were in Greenville, TN at Laughlin and I was in PA at Williamsport

27. Did you video tape the birth?
nope-- before and after but not during

28. Was it the first time you had to change a diaper?
nope

29. How did you like those ice chips?
didn't have any

30.C Section or vag. birth?
C Sections

31. What drugs did you get for the pain?
I had spinals for all three.

32. Did you scream?
no reason to...I did when they were pushing the blood clots out after the surgery. That hurts. With Abby they came in at like 5:30 to do it and it was the first time so I did not realize the pain they were about to inflict on me. Troy was asleep on a roll away next to me and when I screamed he shot up in the air from a dead sleep. It was awesome.

33. Did you let the nurses keep the baby in the nursery?
On and off during the night I did. Especially with Ian because I didn't breast feed and Troy wasn't allowed to stay in the hospital with me so I couldn't get him if he did cry because I couldn't move because of the C-section.

34. Post Partum?
nope...maybe some baby blues but nothing serious

Interesting (borrowed from a friend)

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the following straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?

The lesson:The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.

It's already tomorrow in Australia

Charles Schultz

An oldie but a goodie

Last April, Troy had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Jamaica for about two weeks. While he was gone, I wrote this.

Genesis 2:24 tells us "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." I have never felt the fulfillment of this verse by experiencing the absence of it in such a real way…before now. Everyday oneness is hard to recognize. We merged our lives but actually feeling like half of a whole has been easier to see and feel without the everyday connections. But oneness is not about a relationship so much as about completeness. Tom Cruise is cheesy but "you complete me" is a perfect description of marriage. I know that without Troy I was whole and of infinite worth to my Maker but when we married, by God's design, we united as one, one flesh, or body. Troy is part of me, and I am part of him. It literally feels like part of me is missing. There is a certain emptiness in not talking to Troy. We have been apart before. I always miss him, but we talk. I know what he is doing, where he is, what is on his mind. I can tell the instant he speaks how he's feeling, how he is sleeping, if he needs anything. So even if we aren't able to talk for long, I know how he is. After the second day of not talking to him at all, I kind of feel lost…incomplete.


Kelly

Was this what He meant?

So, I was driving Nathanael and Abigail to school the other day. I was on a road with construction and tons of people. My mom called me on my phone, the DVD is playing...You know how life in a big city can be...

All of this is going on - people, cars everywhere, technology, construction, smoke - before 8:30 in the morning. And I wondered...Is this what God meant when He said "subdue" or "have dominion over" the earth? Or have we just gone overboard...crazy? I don't think that this was His original plan, but I also realize He knew what the world become. Sometimes it is startling to think that perfection to God was a garden where we were naked and walked with Him.

Kelly

The Kiddos!!

Ian (4), Abigail (6) and Nathanael (5)

RANDOM WORDS: “Schmorgus Board”

(random words is a blog that Troy does where he takes words and puts a Biblical spin on them or relates them to the Word of God...anybody that has suggestions just let him know)


Some of you might think that there is no way someone could connect the word “Schmorgus Board” to anything that has to do with the Bible. It is not like there is a Golden Corral mentioned in Jerusalem next to the Temple. Just in case you are not sure what a Schmorgus Board is (or spelled Schmorgusboard or smorgasbord)… it is a swedish word that means monstrous buffet offering a variety of foods. Great examples in American dining that would fit this description would be the aforementioned Golden Corral, Ryan’s Steakhouse, and the Old Country Buffet.
The essence of the word means that you can find whatever you want at this restaurant. Whether you know it or not… when it comes to religion or philosophy or right & wrong or family make-up… we live in a “smorgasbord society.” Everything is ok and whatever works for you is ok. That is the kind of world we live in. There has been a fundamental loss of absolute truth. Just watch Oprah and you’ll catch my drift.
We live in a “smorgasbord” society…
… marriage is up for grabs as well as the definition of a family
… many see that all religions are equal and there are many paths to God
… sexuality is up for debate as well
… the ethics of medicine are increasingly debated
Proponents of the postmodern way of “smorgasbord” thinking love to look back at Pilate in the Gospel of John (18:38) when he questions Jesus with the ever deepening profound question, “What is truth?” Paul speaks about this a little in Romans 1:25 when he writes, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-- who is forever praised.” Paul’s point is that what was once a lie, is now truth in the sight of sinful man.
Yet, there are absolute truths in the Bible. God’s Word remains the standard. God remains the author of the standard of truth. We remain the recipients of that truth.

Troy

Love or hate the Gators, Tim Tebow is a class act.

Did anyone watch the Heisman Trophy presentation? Tebow won (YAY!!). Can I just tell you that I was extremely impressed? So, I am a fan of Tim...a big fan. I already knew he is a Christian. But every package about Tebow, everything he said, and even what Urban Meyer said about him mentioned Christ. The personality profile on Tebow shared the gospel and showed him reading the Bible. He thanked his mom for teaching him scripture and his dad for living it out. When they interviewed him, Tim said he plays for the glory of the Lord.

Sometimes the Jesus stuff on awards shows is hokey at best and hypocritical at worst ("I'd like to thank God for this Grammy for my song about killing people and having sex"). But it wasn't that way at all with Tim or his family. Even Kirk Herbstreit, whom I love almost as much as Tebow, changed his tune about the guy. He gushed about him and any GameDay fans out there know, he is not that way and favored McFadden (who I do feel for - who wants to be the runner-up in consecutive years for the first time in 60 years). He said that he hasn't met a more humble guy and can't imagine a better guy to be an ambassador for college football. If I remember correctly, Lee Corso called Tim the best guy to ever win the award.

It was really great to know Tebow is worthy of my favor and to hear my Savior being talked about in a sincere way on national television. I think Tim is also doing pretty well in his ambassadorship of Christ.

P.S. A piece Gator/Heisman trivia - all three Gator quarterbacks who have won the Heisman -- Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tebow -- are the sons of pastors.

My favorite Tebowisms
Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas.
Tim Tebow has counted to infinity ... twice.
Tim Tebow ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.

Kelly