Update on Matt's Dad

Thank you all for praying! Here is an update on Matt's dad...

The Real Story: We found out that he did in fact have a massive heart attack last Thursday night. He had been playing basketball with the kids at a local park and before they left, decided to play "tag." He started to feel chest pains on his way home from the park. Running around like that must have put him over the edge. He got home and went straight to lay on the couch. Jamal was playing next door at the neighbor's house and wanted to go inside. The neighbor lady told him that she wanted to go to his house to ask his parents if that was ok. When she arrived at the house, she saw Jim laying on the couch, clutching his chest. She is an EMT and knew immediately that Matt's dad was having a heart attack. She called 911, which ultimately saved his life.

An Update: We found out this weekend that Jim had 100% blockage in the main artery to his heart and a branch of that artery was also block 90%. The type of heart attack he suffered is nicknamed the "widowmaker" by those in the medical field. This tells you how serious the situation was. He was immediately given a stent in the main artery and doctors performed an angioplasty on the branch that was blocked. Overall, his dad is feeling much better, but has to remain in the hospital for further observation and testing. Tests performed yesterday revealed that his heart is beating on its own, but not as strong as doctors had hoped. They have referred him to specialist to talk about ways they can rebuild the heart muscle and improve his diet/exercise over time.

Thank You for your prayers and encouragement during this time. It's difficult to be six hours away when tragedies like this occur. But, we know that our families reside in the Lord's hands, which is the safest place they can be.

Prayer

Please be in prayer for Matt's dad, Jim Neal. We don't have all of the details yet, but he was admitted to the hospital last night with severe chest pains. We do know that he was in the beginning stages of a heart attack. They found one artery that was 100% blocked and performed an angioplasty immediately. We're waiting on an update this morning. Matt's dad is a Senior Pastor of a small church in Northern Kentucky. Please pray that God would draw up many people around him and Matt's mom, Lora, during this time.

Getting Bigger

I must say I've really started to pack on the pounds. Not a very fun thing - but its all for a good cause. Or at least that's the politically correct thing to say, right? I mean, who's really happy about gaining weight for their baby? Ha! Not me.

On another note, the baby has decided that she wants to stretch and dig her way out of my stomach, though she's not even close to being "fully-cooked." There are times when I think she has a circus of friends in there. Because, how can she be kicking me in my ribs and fluttering her legs in my pelvic bone, all at once? It's crazy!

Busy

I'm horrible about updating this blog. Its been over a week and I haven't put anything new on here. Maybe its because nothing new is going on. I'm still in my second trimester, so things are going pretty smoothly - I like to call it the mountain in between two valleys. I know that second valley is coming, I just don't like to think about it. Matt is trudging along with school. His second year has proved to be MUCH easier, which is a blessing. I really thought I was going to have to say "goodbye" to my husband again as the school year came near, but we've been able to spend ample amount of time together. It's been a nice surprise.

We recently changed around the nursery and office so I'll post pictures soon. And of course, I'll be posting new pictures of the ever growing belly.

Visit to Tennessee & First Day of School

Matt and I just returned from a much needed weekend away in Tennessee. Our very close friends from college, Aaron & Emily, live in Knoxville. Aaron works at a mental health hospital there and Emily attends University of Tennessee. They have a 7-month old baby boy named Miles - the most adorable baby I have seen in a while - no offense all of you with babies! :) They have a wonderful life in TN - I'm just not sure how they do it! Emily is not only involved in the graduate program, but she also teaches at the undergraduate level. Aaron worked 2nd shift, but has been working double shifts off and on to earn extra cash. They are the most laid back couple we know and its always so relaxing to go for a visit.

We also got to see Matt's family while traveling. We had a 3-hour layover on the way down to TN and back in Cincinnati. Since Matt's parents live just a few miles from the airport, it was just enough time for us to meet up for lunch on Friday and dinner on Monday. We really enjoyed our time with them!

Matt started back to school today. This is going to be a much better year than last year. Keep praying for God to use him in the lives of our teenagers.

It's a GIRL!

The Big Ultrasound - What Is It?

We had our anatomy ultrasound today to find out the gender of our little one. "What is it?" you ask. Well, you'll have to wait and see! We're giving the news to our family tonight and then we'll post more information. So stay tuned...

In the meantime, you can enjoy these new pictures. The top one shows the baby laying really straight - the black hole in the center of the abdomen is the fast beating heart. The second picture of is the baby waving "hi". It was so fun to watch the baby move on screen and feel it in my stomach at the same time. What a miracle.

Senior Retreat

This past weekend, Matt and I took the seniors on their first ever FastForward Senior Retreat. It was a fun couple of days. Matt did a great job planning it too!

A New Belly Picture

Here's a new belly picture. It probably doesn't look like I've grown that much, but it sure feels like I have.

New Baby

Congrats to Lee & Candace Nordine on their brand new baby girl, Isabel Lorraine Nordine. She was born August 19th at 11:51am weighing in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Lee and Candace have been good friends of our for a few years. Matt and Lee were on the same floor at college, roomed together in Kentucky before we got married, and both of us got married two weeks apart. We spent a lot of time together through small group, church and of course at Chipotle!

We love you guys and can't wait to meet your daughter in person. Congrats Mom and Dad Nordine! Look at that hair...

Rainy Days

The rain is pouring down here in Holland, Michigan and its quite a refreshing change from our hot, humid summer! The weather has been cool lately - which reminds me of fall and excites me for the months ahead. Although, I know that once fall comes that means winter is inevitable.

The seasons changing always causes me to reflect on how awesome our God is - how creative - the way he has formed the clouds to drop rain when they are too full. And how the rain gives us green grass and fresh flowers. I'm in awe of our God and can't wait to meet him face to face someday!

I Gave In

I know, I know. Call me weak, spineless...I prefer to be called submissive, gracious (although my husband would rebuff that statement)! I gave in to Matt's spelling of the name. Definitely not because I was persuaded to believe him. Moreso because I was tired of arguing about it - and quite frankly, I could tell victory wasn't in the near future. So, to save my marriage (boy, that sounds extreme!) and my sanity, I gave in. The good news? I like the name.

Baby Name Game

I went to the doctor today for another check-up and she listened to the baby's heart. We won't have an ultrasound for two more weeks, but she said the heartbeat sounds like a boy. I'm not sure what that means, but I was excited. We'll find out in two weeks if she's correct or not.

So, this doctor's visit prompted a series of events that led to Matthew and I "talking" about baby names. Most couples have a hard time agreeing on names - not us. We're more concerned about sweating the small stuff - like the spelling of the names. Oh yes - you're not mistaken. As if we haven't had enough to argue about over the years, we chose to argue about the spelling of the names we chose. And to make matters worse, both spellings of the name we like are used - so neither one is necessarily "wrong" - although Matthew would fight to the death that mine is the wrong one and his is the right one. Has anyone else had this issue?

And lest you think that I am unwilling to comprise - know first that I married into this name that was chosen. My husband has adored this name for YEARS (literally!) and all but demanded that it would be used for our first child of this gender. My only comment was that maybe we could alter the spelling to better reflect the correct pronunciation. You would have thought I started World War III or something.

Anyways...any thoughts about this dilemma? I'd really love to solve this.

My Brother's Wedding

Congratulations to Matt and Emily! They exchanged marriage vows on the lawn of a golf course and held the reception indoors under a glass dome. It was a gorgeous wedding - very symbollic of their relationship. We're thrilled to welcome Emily into our family. May God bless them with many years of wedded bliss!

More Wedding Pictures

More Rehearsal Pictures

The Rehearsal

4 months pregnant

I just couldn't resist adding another blog about my pregnancy. I'm officially 4 months pregnant this week and boy am I feeling it. Most of my pregnancy books say "At this point, people might start wondering if you're pregnant, because your belly is starting to pooch out." Well, let me tell you, my belly is more than "pooching out." I feel like I could be mistaken for 8 months pregnant at times. And for those of you that haven't been pregnant before, you'll be surprised to know that your bely can actually be much bigger at night before you go to bed. It's the strangest thing. I'm still waiting to feel the baby move. I can't wait! It could be several weeks before I feel anything - and I'm anxiously awaiting it. And lastly, I got for a check-up next Wednesday and will schedule an ultrasoud to find out the gender of our little one. We're hoping for a boy, but will be happy with either. We'll keep you posted.

Grace SL

This weekend Matt spoke at "Grace SL" a senior high camping trip at our church. We spent two nights in the woods - roughing it! It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures!

More Belly

I've procrastinated on blogging...mostly because we've been too busy, but also because I'm not sure what to blog about. I know most of you are interested in the fact that we're having a baby - but do you want to read about it in every post? Probably not. So, here's another set of "belly" pictures. The belly seems to be growing at a rapid pace. In one week I've grown out of normal clothes, but am not yet into maternity clothes. As much as I hate to admit it, stretchy pants and mumus sound like the most comfortable option. No worries, the mumu won't see the light of day - and I promise my stretchy pants won't have stirrups on the end. Haha!