"Pregnant Power" Studio C video!

http://youtu.be/FMU7UVFDqO0

Still waiting on the Lord

Well, we almost got the job. Until, they said they couldn't pay us what we needed. It was a hard blow. We were devastated, but we really trust that all of this is in God's hands. So, we are still plugging away, applying, praying, and waiting...

In the meantime, we are serving at 1st baptist and loving our new church family. I really do like the people and I am so grateful that God brought us there. I even sang with the worship team a couple weeks ago. It was the first time in over a decade that I did that. Chris was so happy!

The paperwork got lost for food assistance, but somehow we are still eating! And, we just got through the "birthday month," without a moment of being too poor to lavish presents on four children. After much prayer, Chris and I decided we will finally tithe, once and fo all. We haven't been tithers. We have been very greedy, stingy, selfish, unfaithful, and stupid with God's money. So, no more! Starting this Sunday, we will be tithing 10% of our Gross pay and trusting how God will help us through this "leap of faith."

Chris is also going to be taking over the bill paying and budgeting. I'm excited to see him lead our family "in fear and trembling!"

Our new church job is nearly upon us!

It has not been easy these past eight months. We haven't secured a new full time ministry job yet and the work involved in finding that job is frustratingly daunting. Chris has been serving as a interim part-time worship pastor since February, and I am grateful he didn't have to step away from his call completely. It is a sweet church and it has been great to be plugged into a church family and be fed with great preaching. We feel so honored that they has embraced us and given Chris the honor of leading them in worship every Sunday. God has been faithful to provide that for Chris. Chris also worked for a man at this church as a house painter for a few weeks. Then, (thank, God), Chris got a job as a graphic designer for a little start up company. He has been working for them for a month now. We were receiving a generous severance, but starting last month, the severance stopped and we are now living on 60% of our previous current income. We are now stupid poor and qualify for every government program available. I have WIC, and that helps with some grocery expenses, but we will need more help soon. The paperwork for food assistance seems to have hit a snag, so who knows what will happen in the next few weeks. Currently, we have no money. My cupboards are almost bare and my refrigerator is empty. I am not worried, nor am I complaining. It is just the truth. I am actually so grateful for a friend from our new church. She gave us a few frozen meals, and that has been such a blessing. I have no doubt many more of these surprises will occur, so I trust that God knows what He is doing. He has always provided for us and He will continue to do so. We desperately need to get out of this small town and out of this terrible unsettling, unstable predicament. It is clearly unhealthy to stay in this small town, since the only reason we are here was for the church that Chris no longer serves at. Bumping into people from that church is rather uncomfortable and I firmly believe that leaving will give our family and the church the space to heal and move on. There is no adequate work here, and we are drowning financially. We need to GO!! We truly feel like God is leading us through the fire, so I don't worry. I just pray and pray and consistently ask God to reestablish my faith and trust through this process. I have been helping Chris with the application and job search process. I have organized our home for the inevitable time to sell. I have researched and applied for jobs for him. I have prayed, encouraged, and organized the search process. Now, after so much time and effort, I finally found our church! They are interested in us and We have A LOT of interest in them. For starters...It is in San Diego, our home town!! Secondly, it is a Covenant Church. Further, they want a Full time Worship and Family Pastor. Chris is more than qualified to fill this role. He is gifted and thoroughly experienced with both. Hello, worship pastor, youth mentor, and father of seven??? I have prayed that God would reveal His direction and I believe in this church completely. I love the senior pastor. Her testimony is a miracle and I am so amazed by her life story. "Deep calls to deep" and I believe that Chris and her will be a strong leadership team. I truly feel like this is the church God has been preparing for us. We knew we needed to go home three years ago. Getting the "boot" was the best answer to our prayers. I fully believe that God has been aligning the hearts and minds of this senior pastor and the elders at this church to welcome our family into their church family. I fully trust God has lead us to them as they prepare for a new season in their church and we desperately need a new start in our lives, as well. I believe they have the money to support us and Chris meets all their requirements. I have no doubt they will feel a real connection to Chris, me, and our kids. I know they will recognize Chris' talents, his gifting, his love for me and his children, and his passion for worship and family. I am unashamedly claiming this church. The timing, the position, the place. It all seems like God has orchestrated it perfectly. The housing market has gone up and we can easily sell our home for a profit, now. We could actually start over, debt free, and be on a new journey, freed from the pain and regret of the past. Next week, the elders and the pastor will have a skype meeting with Chris. I can't wait!! I know it will be like talking with old friends. I know that they will offer him the job on the spot. I have no doubt. Truly. In two weeks, our home will be on the market. Just wait and see. So, so, happy!

Some pretty pictures of Abigail

Abigail at six weeks and her rash pictures

What a happy mom! I love this little darling! Abigail is six weeks old in this picture and is now starting to coo, smile, and "wake up" to the world around her. It is very precious to watch her grow and move into this next phase her her babyhood. Her face has cleared up 90% from her terrible rash. Here are the pictures I took when she was three weeks old:

Poor thing! She looks like she has measles or the plague, but actually it was a couple of different harmless rashes. I did take her to see her pediatrician and he reassured us that it would clear up and that she wasn't bothered by it. The rash was a combination of baby acne, eczema, a heat rash, and cradle cap (that wasn't just on her scalp). She was looking pretty hideous and even if it didn't bother her, it certainly bothered me. LOL! We bathed her with a special soap and applied medicated itch cream and eczema cream. What a chore, but it payed off. She looks so much better! She was still very pretty, even with a rash. Here is a picture of Abby at four weeks:

Pretty Abigail 1 week old

Abigail Rose's Birth Story

Baby's Name: Abigail Rose
Sex: F
Date of Birth: 1/20/2014
Original Due Date: 1/10/2014
Weeks Pregnant: 41 + 3
Baby's Weight: 10 lbs 1 oz
Baby's Length: 21 in
Birth Story or link to Birth Story:

Up until 39 weeks, my baby was breech. I really wanted to avoid a cesarean, but my hospital wouldn't perform a version on me because I had a cesarean scar. I found a hospital and a doctor an hour away that would allow and perform one, and it was a wonderful success. The night before my daughter was born, I became very ill with vomiting and diarrhea. I slept pitifully, but I felt well enough to go to my regular OB appointment the next day. My blood pressure had been creeping up the last few weeks and since my blood pressure now reached 140/90, plus also having protein in my urine, my birth plans were about to change. Since I was past my due date by more than a week, a gestational diabetic, a VBACer, and now showing signs of preeclampsia, my doctor had no choice but to schedule a cesarean the next day. I couldn't be induced because my hospital doesn't allow inductions for VBAC's. I was bummed because I have had wonderful, vaginal, unmedicated, natural births for my past five children, but I understood a Cesarean was necessary in this circumstance. I would never opt for a RCS unless there was a good reason, so I was OK with the plan, but I still cried tears of  regret and fear. My husband and I decided to go out for a lunch date to keep our spirits up and to celebrate the upcoming birth of our lovely daughter. Afterward, we went grocery shopping for last minute groceries and miscellaneous items. While shopping, I had a couple strong contractions. I prayed that this was the beginning of true labor. For weeks, I have what is known as prodromal labor: tons of contractions that last for a long while, then go away. It has not been easy. Unlike those prodromal contractions, these felt different and more intense. We decided on our way home from grocery shopping to pick up pizza for the kids. While waiting for our order in the car, I had a couple more contractions. I turned to my husband and said, "I am positive I am in labor!" I tend to labor super fast, so after we got home with the pizza's, we called my OB and told her to meet us at the hospital. I changed my clothes in case my water broke in the car. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 pm (we live 5 minutes away). I was 6-7 cm and 100%. No cesarean for me! Praise God!! It took the nurses 3 times to get an IV into one of my huge veins. That hurt more than the contractions. Goodness, me! They brought in an ultrasound machine to confirm if my baby was still head down. She was, so no worries for a vaginal birth. I labored easily. I lightheartedly talked and laughed with my husband, the nurses, and resident doctor. When a contraction came, I relaxed my body and calmly moaned through the hard contractions. Twenty minutes later my Dr. showed up. She suggested breaking my water, which meant my baby would come in a few minutes! She broke my water and it had light meconium, but nothing worrisome. I went into the final part of labor immediately. This part in labor is always so intense for me. The sensation of my baby moving down the birth canal and crowning is almost too unbearable. It is not painful, really, but just incredibly overwhelming! I let my body do the pushing and I pushed when I felt like it, too. In two pushes, her head was out. Then, she turned her body, but her shoulders became stuck behind my pelvis. With the help of a nurse and my husband, I pulled my knees way back to open up my pelvis. With the next big push, my Dr. reached both hands into my vagina to move her shoulders past the pelvis. I let out a huge scream while I pushed with all my might and she was out! All ten pounds of her! I only had one little stitch after all that. Praise God for the best perineum recovery! Baby Abigail Rose was born at 7:33 pm, one hour from arriving at the hospital and two hours from that first contraction at the grocery store!