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Thursday, September 27, 2007

WE'RE MOVING!

NO, not to a new apartment! Last night Eileen thought that she might have felt the baby move for the first time. It seemed too faint to be sure, perhaps more hopeful imaginings than real action. But today there is no doubt -- we have a little kicker on our hands. When you hold your hand on Eileen's belly, you can feel a forceful punch! Baby is skimming around in there, topsy-turvy and pushing the boundaries in all directions.

When little Evan Osgood was in the womb (he is now a more than one year old), he would begin leaping whenever their pastor would start preaching. Will our little one have that same God-ward excitement?

The tough thing now is that Eileen is no longer allowed to sleep on her back because she could cut off blood supply to the baby. She has had restless nights of sleep as she tries to stay only on her side. She first had to learn to remain on her back in order to breathe through the night with her baby-swollen sinuses, and now she has to break that hard-won pattern. Why is it that when you are told not to do something -- that is the only thing you can do? Well , I guess that is a discussion on the effects of sin -- for another day . . .

Thursday, September 20, 2007

No News Is Good News

Much to the dismay of some, especially Grandma and Grandpa Bell, we have been silent bloggers for the past couple of weeks. It is fun to know that we were missed in the blogosphere.

Last night as we reviewed paperwork in preparation for today's third visit to The Birth Center, we held up a book to Eileen's tummy that showed a baby at our stage of development in the womb. It was beautiful! The features are really forming and our baby is looking more like a lanky newborn.

To our surprise, we got to hear the heart beat for a second time (had we known in advance you would have another recording to which to listen). It had slowed down to about 150 beats per minute, which we learned was due to Baby's growing size. The midwife had to chase the baby around with the fetal doppler to keep a steady sound. It is funny to think of a little person wiggling around inside the womb.

Each visit to The Birth Center we meet with a different midwife. This is so that no matter when the baby arrives, we will know the midwife on duty. Today we were met with Kathy. Although we have appreciated each midwife we have met -- we particularly appreciated Kathy. As we chatted, we discovered that she too was a Christian, and that we have a mutual friend! What a blessing to come in contact with a sister in Christ.

The trip concluded with another jaunt to Ikea -- this time on a quick errand for Micah's work. But regardless of the reason, it presented the perfect opportunity for a fast lunch of Swedish Meatballs (for Micah at least, for to Eileen's sorrow, her tummy was feeling a bit achy at the time) and to bring home a box of Pepparkakor (Swedish ginger cookies).

The highlight for Eileen was the discovery of Minnen Kanin -- a
soft little bunny holding a large carrot. She says it is for the baby -- but time will tell if she will share!


In sum, the mom-to-be, dad-to-be, and baby-to-come are all doing well.

Monday, September 3, 2007

In Memorium of Edwin Jackson Holm


One week ago Eileen's father unexpectedly passed away. As difficult as this week has been, we are grateful for the grace of God that has sustained us. The funeral was beautiful reminder of the resurrection hope that we have in Christ.

Eileen’s dad was so excited about being a grandfather and we remember fondly two days prior when we took him to Babies-R-Us. He was captivated by the baby slings and enjoyed test driving the stroller around and around the store.

The above photos were two of his favorites from his portfolio. They formed the cover of the funeral service program. The one on the left was taken in the 1960s in an abandoned house he had discovered in rural
Ohio. Ed returned to the house to record its sleep throughout the four seasons. The one on the right is of a ship’s hull and the ocean current was one of Ed’s most favorite from his portfolio. It appeared on the cover of Skipper Magazine in November 1966.

We miss him dearly, but rest in the goodness of God.