Elijah Payne Preston

Eli is now 10 days old! And we are loving having him here! I would like to say the last 10 days have quickly passed, but it feels more like one big long day.  My due date was January 18th and as that passed the ladies at church through me a Due Date Party. I went to the Doctor the next day and with not much improvement we set up a date to be induced for January 26th. We went to bed that night and I woke up at 2:00 am and my water broke! We called the hospital and they said to come  in, so I took my time getting everything ready thinking I would  be in the hospital for a long time. Once we got there my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I was only dialeted 1-2 centimeters. I was preparing myself for a long and rough delivery.  I told them I would like to try to see how far I could go without any pain medications. So for the next 4 to 5 hours I just labored through each contraction. I realize why they call is labor, it sure is a lot of work!  Finally by 7:00 am I needed something the pain was getting pretty bad. I had a shot of stedal (half a dose) in my IV and that allowed my to rest between each contraction. It  felt so great,  everything I saw I was seeing triple and I could finally rest in between contractions. At that point I was only 3 centimeters and the medicine only lasted about an hour and half. By 9:00 I was in so much pain I couldn’t breath and asked for an epidural. While they went to get the epidural (thinking I was still at 3 centimeters and could not endure the pain until I got to 10!)  Eli was ready to come and I was ready to push!! There was nothing  set up in the room, I told Landon to quickly get someone in here. This was probably the moment Landon panicked, he went to the hall and no one was there except a lady sitting at the desk. Landon said, “We need help!”  The lady came in and checked and said, you’re right, this baby is coming! My doctor didn’t make it to the delivery in time. The lady that was in the hallway was a doctor but not at that hospital, she just happened to be there to check on a patient of hers. Several nurses rushed in, set up the room, Dr. Boxell introduced herself and asked if she could deliver. Needless to say I said “Please!!”. Within 15 minutes and 3 pushes, Eli was here! He weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces, 19.5 inches and perfect.  He was born at 9:34 am after only 7 hours of labor. We are so amazed that God was so kind to us and was extremely faithful to anwser all of our prayers. I had a quick delivery, was able to go natural (i’m still so shocked by that!), and had a healthy baby. Each time we think or talk about it we are blown away at God’s goodness to us. 

Apart from the physical picture and absolute amazement of birth, I can’t seperate the spiritual picture of what it has been like to be pregnant and now give birth to a son. I  had a rather rough pregnancy with a lot of back pain and had been sleeping on the couch for about 4 months, so I was really looking forward to his arrival and NOT being pregnant anymore! Jesus describes the endtimes as the beginning of birth pains in Matthew chapter 24, being pregnant has been a picture to me of Christ return. All the signs are there.  There will be a baby coming but you just don’t know when he will come. Finally when it comes, you are still in shock that he came. For me Eli came so quick and so fast and just as quickly as he came there was immediate relief and pain was gone!  That is exactly how it will be with Christ’s return. Enjoy the pictures of our first few days with Eli.

Unemployment

I’m 39 weeks and could pop at anytime. But  even though I am so excited for Eli to come I’m a little distracted at the fact as of Friday I am unemployed. What a strange feeling. I have had a job since I was 15 and this is the first time I have no other job in mind as a ‘next step’ in life. I actually do, it just looks quite different and I don’t get paid for it. His name is Elijah and he probably weighs 7 pounds. My first day with no job yesterday was spent waking up with Landon, packing his lunch, saying goodbye, reading in the morning (longer than normal), a bagel at 9:00, shower, trip to Target, Hancocks, and back home because then I was exhausted. Lunch, rest, Doctors appointment, dinner, hang out with Landon. It was a great day and I’m not sure why I was so nervous about it coming. So far today has been good as well. I find there is much more to clean, organize or do around the house then I anticipated and I’m sure when you add a newborn to that I will be busier then I expect. So, so far, so good.

On the other hand, I’m trying to enjoy the last couple days or week of being pregnant and sleeping, sort of. A couple of weeks ago our good friend, Heather at Cedarway Photography took some pictures of us. They are so sweet and I think I will enjoy having these taken of us as the years go by. Here are some highlights:

35 weeks!

Eli's room

So, you may have been wondering what we have been up to lately since I haven’t been as good at posting as I wanted. We spent Thanksgiving in Fort Worth with Landon’s family and it was great! We had so much food and fun and saw our nephew, London. Then we got back to Jackson, finished up the nursery, attended our last birth class, had my last baby shower, and are now counting down the weeks until Eli’s arrival. Or it could be anytime that little Eli comes!?? I’ve included some pictures to fill you in on what we have been up to the past month…

Landon was pregnant for 5 minutes.

30 Weeks and counting…

I don’t feel like I should be counting down the weeks at 30, when I probably at least have 10 more weeks to go. I feel like the ‘i’m starting to feel miserable’ stage is hitting me sooner then it should. I have been sleeping on the couch for about a month now because of really bad back problems and can’t wait to sleep in my own bed again! But we are getting really excited about Elijah Payne Preston coming soon! Here is what Landon has been up to….

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                              Putting the crib together.

On the other hand, here is what I have been up to…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                 Getting bigger.

And here is what Eli has been up to…

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       growing, getting big, looking cute.

Here is a post from a friend that is selling a really cute earring holder to raise money for a refugee family in need. I thought I would post this if you are interested in getting one. They are really cute!

Here is her post:

If you’ve seen the news recently, I’m sure you’re well aware that more than 130 people died at the hands of suicide bombers in Baghdad, Iraq just over a week ago. As I sat beside a friend and watched some of the footage last Sunday night, I wondered what it would be like to see those images from his perspective. You see, I’ve never walked the streets of Baghdad, but he has. In fact, Baghdad, Iraq, is the place he calls “home.”

H.R. was a professional in the city, and as such, became a prime target for insurgents. On his way home from work one evening, he was abducted, brutally beaten, and eventually left for dead. Through an incredible series of events, he was found by U.S. troops and was able to move with his family to the U.S., where he, his wife, R, and their three young daughters now live as refugees. I can’t imagine being forced to leave behind friends and family in exchange for safety, but this is the reality in which they live.

While they are thankful everyday for the opportunity to raise their three little girls here in the United States, they are finding it difficult to make ends meet as he is unable to work due to his injuries, and R serves as his sole caretaker. After living in the States for one year, R is in dire need of dental care which is not covered by Medicaid.

For the next few weeks, I will be selling hand-crafted earring holders to raise the money necessary to cover the dental expense (approx. $2,100). If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing an earring holder for a suggested donation of $20 (plus shipping if needed), one hundred percent of the proceeds will fund the dental work needed by this family. (If you do know of others who might be interested in your area, it might save on shipping to send a couple together.) The earring holders are beautifully crafted, hand-made, and they make great Christmas gifts!

I will be taking orders for the next few weeks, and will get the holders out in time for the Christmas season. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read and consider this note. If you know of anyone who might be interested in purchasing an earring holder, please feel free to forward this message.

If you are interested in purchasing one contact Kristen Hiller at kristenhiller@yahoo.com.

It’s a Boy!!

25 weeks

Sorry for such a long delay in blogging. I updated other things and neglected to update the blog. We did find out it’s a boy, however the first 15 minutes of the ultrasound she was sure it was a girl and then became less and less confident in her assumption. So by the end, we definitely have a baby boy! We are very excited! This isn’t the best picture, but the most recent one I have. The belly may look small, but I have gained a little over 17 pounds!!

19 Weeks!

Half way there! Next Friday we find out if it is a boy or girl!!!

Mary and Me

I feel a lot of things being pregnant– nauseous, exhausted, tired, hungry,  headaches, tired, and hungry-but one thing  I seem to think about when I can’t seem to get off the couch is did Mary feel like this?  And yes, I mean Mary the mother of Jesus? Was Jesus the perfect child in the womb? One thing pregnancy should remind me of is the gospel itself—Christ came to earth in the exact same way my child is coming here too. If there is any other time for me to ‘preach to myself the gospel daily’ all I have to do is look down at my bump and be reminded of Christ.

However, there are some obvious differences between Mary and myself—an angel, the son of God, virgin, prophecy—just to name a few.  But I hope my song will be the same as hers, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”. For he has still performed a miracle in me.

-stacy

Since a couple of you have asked, and I myself am fascinated by the fact that something can grow bigger and bigger inside of me, here is the proof of that… so far.

Me at 14 weeks.

All things new.

As with all new things, a blog just seems fitting to start since we are adding a little one to the family. I think I am probably doing it more for myself to just remember things that are happening in our life.  The last time I had a blog I was traveling the world and living in Miami, but deleted it when I moved back to Jackson thinking that life would be boring and I wouldn’t have anything to say.

And I have found that life is a bit boring and I don’t have much to say, but within my discovery of the mundane and uneventful I have discovered the Gospel in a new way over the past four years. The ‘daily living it out’ and believing the gospel is a bit harder when I’m not on an airplane, seeking adventure, living in huts, meeting strangers, and unsure of my next steps.

Infact, I have come to love my little life in Jackson. We have a little home on a little street and a little cat. I have a little job and go to a little church. so i’m begining this little blog. and we will just see how it goes.