Announcing Sawyer Marie!

Sawyer Marie is here! Our beautiful baby arrived at 1:57pm Tuesday, July 14, and weighed in at 6 lbs 1 oz and 18 3/4 in. She is a happy, healthy, full-head-of-hair baby girl! Mom and Sawyer are doing great!

Pre-e-what?!

Preeclampsia.

My body is teetering on being diagnosed with full blown preeclampsia. Two weeks ago at the doctor they kept getting high blood pressure readings but dismissed them as being incorrect. This past week when I went to the doctor the same thing happened but the readings were deemed correct and my doctor instructed me to take it easy and come back in two days after doing a 24 hour urine analysis. At my return visit on Friday my blood pressure was even higher causing me to be admitted to the hospital. Upon my 4 hour hospital stay we came to the conclusion that yes indeed my blood pressure is high but aha, not if I lay solely on my left side. So, that is where I reside, on my left side either in bed or on the couch, aka, strict bed rest.

Among some other symptoms like my protein levels and liver readings they have diagnosed me with what I like to call pre-preeclampsia. I will be on bedrest until Monday when I return to the doctor. If my levels have not worsened I will go back on bedrest and she will induce Thursday morning, if they have worsened, they will induce right away.

Little Miss Sawyer is doing just perfect! We monitored her all day yesterday and it seems my body's out of wack craziness is having no effect on her as of now, hence why we are going to try to wait until 38 weeks to induce.

So all that to say, we will have a precious baby girl in our arms by this time next week.

Praise the Lord my mom is here to do all of those last minute things I was saving to do. Mom's who have been on bedrest, I need advice on things to keep my mind occupied, it has barely been 24 hours and I am already stir crazy! Help?!

Our Not So "Baby" Joe

No more Baby Joe, he prefers Big Joe now!

As most of you know, Megan and I will be having our first child, Sawyer Marie, in just a month and a half. And many of you also know that last summer we embarked on the journey to adopt a young boy from Zambia - Joe Chanda!

I know many of you are wondering whatever happened to that process and little Joe himself. Well, in the Spring, we were informed by Megan Bloemker (the lady in Zambia that has been assisting us) that our application had been submitted to the adoption committee twice and it was denied both times on the grounds of age. Zambia has a current law/rule (not sure which really) that you must be 21 years older than the child to adopt. Joe turned 6 in April, hence Big Joe, and I'm just 23. That is a gap of 17, which of course will never grow larger.

So, from Spring until now, Meg and I have just been trying to figure out what the Lord's will is concerning the situation. Joe is continuing to develop very well. He goes to the clinic at least once every 2 months and is continuing to receive ARVs (anti-viral HIV treatment). His CD4 count (which are his white blood cells) has actually increased, which can only be the work of our Healer. As you can see from the pictures, he's definitely put on inches and weight!




We were encouraged by how well he is diong health wise and the fact that Joe Joe is mightily loved over there! He's everyone's favorite, so the Zambians check up on him and his family quite frequently. He's been getting food assistance, etc. as well. So we were confident that all was well and that the Lord was in control. (well, duh, right?!?!)

The organization through which he receives treatment, Tiny Tim and Friends, was first contacted by us when we were there on the ground in Zambia last summer. Definitely another reason we praise the Lord that He called us to pursue the adoption because it resulted not only in Joe receiving the ARVs and help that he needed, but now Family Legacy has a partnership with Tiny Tim and Friends and they are testing most of the camp kids this summer to see if others are in Joe's situation! So, the Lord uses everything for the good and completion of His will!

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we took some stuff to our friends the Swansons to deliver to Joe and his family when they arrive this summer (they actually left today!). And then, shortly, thereafter, we found out other news.....

JOE has been relocated to the Tree of Life Children's Village!!



Family Legacy has been developing a housing/schooling village for those children who really need extended care or a place to live that is not abusive. (Joe's home life not abusive at all, though, FYI). Well, they opened their first house about 2 weeks ago and Joe is one of 15 kids that moved in!!! They will be opening three more houses over the coming weeks, so a total of 60 kids will be living out there soon.

We are super excited about this next chapter in Joe's life. He will have 3 full meals a day, unlimited snacks, adequate hygiene and hundreds of acres to play on. As you can see by the pictures, he is already enjoying it and making himself quite at home! They said he's already taught himself how to do a front flip on the trampoline!!

With his big move, we also received the opportunity to sponsor Joe's care at the Tree of Life. So now, we will be his monthly sponsors helping provide the food, clothes, schooling, medical etc. for Joe while he grows up at the village!!! We are so excited!

We know that the Lord is in control and has Joe right where he wants him right now! He will be such a light to the other kids and the Lord will be growing him in new ways. Our prayer is that he grows into a warrior for Christ. We love him so much and are so thankful for all of you that have been praying for him!!!

Introducing the new Joe Chanda, Big Man on Campus!

One and Done

That's right. At the age of 22, merely one year after my college graduation, I am an official retiree of my first career. Well, not official in the sense that I actually qualified to retire and am receiving social security, official in the sense that I quit.

I am now embarking on a new career. My new job will require me to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No Holidays or vacation. No health benefits. No paycheck. Now is that what you call a dream job or what?! When in all reality it is. It allows me to take care of my home, my kids, and to serve my husband. My new job title you ask?

Megan Birkenfeld- Stay At Home Mom.

When Brock and I got married we knew that when we decided to have kids I would stay home with them. Because of that decision we continued to live off of Brock's salary alone even when I started working. Have I ever told y'all how much the Lord gifted my husband in the area of finances?! I would have never even thought of not spending my salary! But the Lord knew the desires of our hearts and gave Brock the wisdom to lead our family so as to make it an easier transition from two salaries to one.

We could not be more confident that this is where the Lord has called our family. So bring on the messes, the grocery shopping (did y'all know the store is open in the middle of the day?!), the organizing, the sweet fellowship with friends, and the joy of knowing we are walking in God's will. Now I need to wrap this up because my husband says I'm on the clock. :)

Thank Y'all

For sacrificing

and loving

For having patience

and forgiving

For teaching

and disciplining.

Thank you for giving us a beautiful picture of a Mother's love, an example we will now be able to apply with our sweet baby girl.

We love y'all.

Sweet Summer

You are on your way, you are almost here.

I can feel hints of you in the afternoon heat.

I can see you in the flowers in bloom.

I can hear you in the soft breeze.

You are oh so close.

I anticipate your arrival.

The joy and laughter you bring.

The memories you hold.

The squelching heat quenched with a splash in the pool.

The ice cream man, the snow cones, and the lemonade stands.

Nights with friends.

Don't lose your way, come on and stay.

Oh my sweet summer, how you've been missed.

A Crazy Little Thing Called..

Nesting, it has taken over my mind and home.

I believe my husband would call it OCD.

If you came to my house right now it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for you to see mounds of trash bags full of clothes, shoes, and anything else I happened to walk by and decide we didn't need or I didn't like. You would find lists upon lists of things to do before Sawyer gets here. And you might even find me rewinding cleaning commercials just to see how good those products are and to get inspiration. (Then going to the coupon box). :)

Nesting has had it's benefits. I am extremely productive and motivated. Who knew my house could get so clean and organized? I didn't even know it were possible to think of as many things as I have that "needed" to be cleaned, re-arranged, and filed. Like, who knew your refrigerator magnets could be dusted?!

On the other hand, it has brought with it many a breakdowns over very silly things. Like when the tears came because I just knew that when I was sweeping tiny particles of dirt were going between the itty bitty cracks in my wood floor and I would never be able to get it out. And when Brock went in my closet that used to be full and saw only a handful of clothes left and tried to talk me into maybe keeping a few more things. I responded by hysterically telling him I would keep nothing and I wanted to throw everything in our house away, everything! See, very irrational thinking! Poor Brock, he's such a trooper.

So, any tips on keeping this nesting disease under control? Maybe Dr. Bacak can prescribe some medicine. Come May I will have two full months alone in my home.. I just might go crazy, some may argue that has already happened.


24 Weeks.