My brother James, for all who know him, is the only Telman male that has rhythm. For the past few weeks he's been coming over on the weekends to hang out. I thought it was to hang out with me. Little did I know he was teaching Natalie how to dance.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tough day
Do you all remember when Kara was talking about baby boot camp? Well, take a look at Natalie after just the morning session. Don't worry Natalie, I did this from time to time especially on those long lecture days. Remember those days Jeff at Western? Oh wait you'd just stay asleep and miss class never mind.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Big girl beds, hospital beds, and the couch!
We've had an eventful couple weeks. Natalie has moved to a big girl bed and has done amazingly well. She hasn't put it together that she can crawl off the end of the bed, she thinks she has to wait for the siderail to come down! I really hope she doesn't figure that out any time soon. She looks so tiny in that bed. I finally stopped tearing up every night when I check on her before I turn in. My baby has gotten so big in a blink of an eye! Then we had a nice time with the viral stomach flu. It hit like a mac truck and ended me in the hospital with some hard contractions. Once they got my stomach to stop trying to turn inside-out and got some IV fluids in me things slowed down and I was able to go home early that morning. Mommy and baby are fine. Ryan got a touch of it and Natalie didn't get any for which I am so thankful!
I'm on the homestrech as far as bedrest goes, 5 1/2 weeks, and that made me realize that we have nothing ready for this baby to come home. The nursery is crowded with everything that just get's thrown in there to sort out later and every possible baby toy/item that Natalie has outgrown. We have very little newborn clothing and I'm not even really sure where all the bottles are. For those of you who know me, I bet you are a little surprised that I didn't have everything set to go around our 12th week of pregnancy. I must say, I'm a little surprised myself, thus the ensuing panic!
So, how fitting that this weeks sermon was on worry! It really struck a chord for me. We are still studying the Sermon on the Mount and this weeks text was Matt. 6v25-27, 6v33-34. The part of that scripture that has always stuck out for me is verse 27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" That pretty much sums it up doesn't it? No matter how much I think, plan, exert my will over the future it does not one bit of good. Our pastor made this comment..."Worry is an attempt to gain control over too many things at once. All you have is this moment." All we have is the breath we take right now. The past is done and can not be changed and the future has to take care of itself. Since we aren't conscious of our breathing it was quite enlightening to just sit still and breath for a minute, to take a deep breath and let it go and feel the almost cleansing quality of it. The thought occurs to me that a newborn baby actually requires very little to come home to...shelter, food and a family that loves him. Our little man will be just fine and the nursery will come together. I still have my overwhelmed moments thinking of bringing another child into this world and caring for it and Natalie. Then I remember, I don't have a choice! What's done is done, God chose us to be the parents of Michael, he will provide all that we need to do our job. Afterall, to reference our pastor one more time, worry is a faith issue, can I trust God to provide for me? The answer is yes, and the past displays that fact over and over. What will our future hold? I don't know, but I know that I'm pretty good at taking just that next breath!
I'm on the homestrech as far as bedrest goes, 5 1/2 weeks, and that made me realize that we have nothing ready for this baby to come home. The nursery is crowded with everything that just get's thrown in there to sort out later and every possible baby toy/item that Natalie has outgrown. We have very little newborn clothing and I'm not even really sure where all the bottles are. For those of you who know me, I bet you are a little surprised that I didn't have everything set to go around our 12th week of pregnancy. I must say, I'm a little surprised myself, thus the ensuing panic!
So, how fitting that this weeks sermon was on worry! It really struck a chord for me. We are still studying the Sermon on the Mount and this weeks text was Matt. 6v25-27, 6v33-34. The part of that scripture that has always stuck out for me is verse 27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" That pretty much sums it up doesn't it? No matter how much I think, plan, exert my will over the future it does not one bit of good. Our pastor made this comment..."Worry is an attempt to gain control over too many things at once. All you have is this moment." All we have is the breath we take right now. The past is done and can not be changed and the future has to take care of itself. Since we aren't conscious of our breathing it was quite enlightening to just sit still and breath for a minute, to take a deep breath and let it go and feel the almost cleansing quality of it. The thought occurs to me that a newborn baby actually requires very little to come home to...shelter, food and a family that loves him. Our little man will be just fine and the nursery will come together. I still have my overwhelmed moments thinking of bringing another child into this world and caring for it and Natalie. Then I remember, I don't have a choice! What's done is done, God chose us to be the parents of Michael, he will provide all that we need to do our job. Afterall, to reference our pastor one more time, worry is a faith issue, can I trust God to provide for me? The answer is yes, and the past displays that fact over and over. What will our future hold? I don't know, but I know that I'm pretty good at taking just that next breath!
Friday, January 4, 2008
My Sleeping Beauties
Well, Ryan had his lasik surgery today and all went well. He looks so hot in those goggles though! Natalie also was sporting some great hair so I thought I'd share my good looking family with you all.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
"Dashing Through the Snow..."
The first pics are of Christmas morning, Natalie loves her Dora tricycle. The neighbors will always know if Natalie is outside this spring and summer because it is so loud when she presses the music buttons, sorry neighbors! The other pictures are her trying out her new sled. Anybody ever see "The Christmas Story" when the little kid gets all dressed up for outside and can't put his arms down? Think modern version of that. If we stood her up in the snow she couldn't lift her legs enough to walk so she just kind of stood there and then fell over. Cute as a button though.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sorry Jeff....
What a month December has been! We've had Christmas celebrations, bed rest, and a trip to Florida. Sanibel was wonderful, as you can probably tell from the above pictures. The ones of the resort pool and the sunset were taken off the balcony to our room. We left early on Thursday Dec. 16 (like the flight left at 5:30am, do the math on what time we got up, can you say slightly cranky pregnant woman!) and flew back on Sunday afternoon. Roo stayed with friends and family and had a great time (my friend who watched her, Brooke, didn't have as much fun since the latest Natalie slept in for her was 6am). We pretty much lounged by the pool and floated in the pool for the whole time we were there. We had dinners with Huntington for two of the nights and Ryan had a business meeting from 7:30am-12 on one of the days. Other than that we were on our own. We slept in, as long as we wanted, both at the same time. It was the best gift ever. I told Ryan at one point when I was a big floating blog in the pool he could return all my Christmas presents, I wasn't leaving the pool. It was really interesting seeing Florida decorated for Christmas. I've never been there before the holiday and couldn't get over seeing houses decked out in lights and the HUGE tree in the hotel lobby! Overall a great experience thank you Huntington and my hard working hubby!
Let's see what else is going on? I am officially off work until after little man Michael is born. I just couldn't stop contracting and having a ton of pain. Being off my feet has helped. I fear a big jump into depression after the holidays though. Now there's stuff going on every few days and things to look forward to, I'm not sure what my attitude will be like in February! My sister-in-law Marcie made a good point the other day when I was complaining about my lack of activity. She told me to think about how I get to spend all this undivided time with Natalie before her little brother gets here. Think of how many Mom's would love to not have to focus on house work and all the other odds and ends of life and just play with their kiddo all day! My little girl defiantly is a huge bright spot! Jeff, I promise to post some really unflattering photos of myself with my ginormous belly soon!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Contentment
In the tradition of the holiday season we had a sermon this week on the subject of contentment. The scripture was Matt. 6:19-21 (to sum it up it talks of storing up treasures in heaven versus treasures here on earth and ends with "...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Brian then went on to discuss the law of entropy (summing that up is that every form of matter is moving from a state of order to disorder, or simply stated, decaying). After a nice visual using ice cream (it looks great right out of the freezer, but leave it long enough and it is a puddle in your bowl) he went on to discuss that treasures here on earth are subject to the law of entropy. So, then the treasures in heaven are the things that are not subject to that law, ie: love, good deeds, all the intangibles. Next came a discussion of 1 Timothy 6:6-12
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love , endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Some observations to note about the above scripture...It does not say that the rich fall into temptation, but the desire to get rich can lead there. Also, money is not the root of all evil as we have been quoted so many times, but the love of money!
So, the major point of the sermon was that earthly treasures in themselves are not all evil. But, a steady diet of them leaves no room for you to desire the treasures of heaven. Brian used the example of giving up sugar last year for lent. He said the first two weeks were horrible, but after that he started to realize how great "regular" food tasted. He said he learned in his spiritual life that if he denies himself something, that it gives room for God to wake in him a desire for something else, something bigger, those intangibles!
Time for Kara's life application time/honest and open. I like stuff, and a lot of different stuff. Am I allowing my desire for this or that to over power my desires for the treasures of heaven? I look at my daughter and feel this gut wrenching love and sense of purpose and I'm beginning to learn that Natalie and all the lessons, frustration, and joy are some of my treasures in heaven. Maybe I should be pursuing the things in life that break me down to that gut wrenching love.
I also love to be busy and active. Sometimes I think I replace quiet time and introspection with filling my schedule with just one more thing. God does not care about my schedule and how much I want to do. This is a lesson that has been taught to me in a very real way the past month or so. You don't get to be busy when you are on bed rest or "taking it easy" and there are a lot of people in my life who will remind me if I push it (not to mention the little bundle of joy that sends me piles of contractions if I misbehave). I have learned what it means to slow down and just find the miracles and beauty in the world around me, even in my own home. I've studied Natalie for hours and find myself praising God without even realizing it because of the wonder and love she fills me with. I've learned what a loving and caring husband I have who is patient beyond what I deserve or can even fathom. He starts every day brand new with a great attitude. I have much to learn from him. I have learned how to receive acts of service from others and to enjoy it, not feel guilty because I'm used to being the one to serve others. I'm learning how to accept love! Okay, enough rambles. Ryan and I are heading off to sunny Florida on Thursday and I will be thinking of you all, as I sit by the pool!
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love , endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Some observations to note about the above scripture...It does not say that the rich fall into temptation, but the desire to get rich can lead there. Also, money is not the root of all evil as we have been quoted so many times, but the love of money!
So, the major point of the sermon was that earthly treasures in themselves are not all evil. But, a steady diet of them leaves no room for you to desire the treasures of heaven. Brian used the example of giving up sugar last year for lent. He said the first two weeks were horrible, but after that he started to realize how great "regular" food tasted. He said he learned in his spiritual life that if he denies himself something, that it gives room for God to wake in him a desire for something else, something bigger, those intangibles!
Time for Kara's life application time/honest and open. I like stuff, and a lot of different stuff. Am I allowing my desire for this or that to over power my desires for the treasures of heaven? I look at my daughter and feel this gut wrenching love and sense of purpose and I'm beginning to learn that Natalie and all the lessons, frustration, and joy are some of my treasures in heaven. Maybe I should be pursuing the things in life that break me down to that gut wrenching love.
I also love to be busy and active. Sometimes I think I replace quiet time and introspection with filling my schedule with just one more thing. God does not care about my schedule and how much I want to do. This is a lesson that has been taught to me in a very real way the past month or so. You don't get to be busy when you are on bed rest or "taking it easy" and there are a lot of people in my life who will remind me if I push it (not to mention the little bundle of joy that sends me piles of contractions if I misbehave). I have learned what it means to slow down and just find the miracles and beauty in the world around me, even in my own home. I've studied Natalie for hours and find myself praising God without even realizing it because of the wonder and love she fills me with. I've learned what a loving and caring husband I have who is patient beyond what I deserve or can even fathom. He starts every day brand new with a great attitude. I have much to learn from him. I have learned how to receive acts of service from others and to enjoy it, not feel guilty because I'm used to being the one to serve others. I'm learning how to accept love! Okay, enough rambles. Ryan and I are heading off to sunny Florida on Thursday and I will be thinking of you all, as I sit by the pool!
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