Elliott Lewis arrived June 13th after 45 hours of all-natural labor. Quite an experience and so incredibly worth every contraction! He is a strong boy, weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces. His daddy caught him just in time, and Elliott cried with joy the moment Jonathan lifted him from the water. Thank you, Lord for a healthy, beautiful son. My heart is already taken, for we love him so much!
Good news! Jonathan and I officially passed our birthing class (meaning... we both now know how to properly swaddle a newborn)...
Preparing for a baby has been a joy and challenge. Since moving across the ocean from Austria in February, we have experienced multiple other types and degrees of transition. Reverse culture shock has been a challenge, but for the most part I believe we have yet to really settle into our new life in Sugar Land, Texas. The simple reason being that our biggest transition as a family to-date is yet to arrive (expected in early June). With only five weeks remaining before the joyous arrival of our "little buddy" mommy and daddy have been scurrying around attempting to prepare for one of the greatest gifts of our lives.
Our most structured preparation has been our private birthing class taken at the birthing center. I think the best part about the class was how close I feel it brought Jonathan and me. Having a child is a bonding experience for any couple, but I think choosing to have a natural birth mixed with all the transition and change in our life the past three months has caused us to really focus on the ways we love and tangibly support each other.
Join us in praying for our little man and his impending arrival. We'll keep you updated!
On our recent trip to Great Britain, I picked up some oil pastels and sketch book at a shop in Oxford. I've doodled swirls and fleur-de-lis-type objects in the margins of notebooks meant for lecture notes since high school and college. On the guest bedroom wall in our friend's home in Oxford was a 4' x 5' painting of colorful swirls. I was in awe. A few days later after we had made our way north to the tip of Scotland, I took out the few art supplies I had and started swirling and twirling colors myself. This is what came of my time in Freswick:
BABY! Yes, that's right; it is, it is! We are officially 10 weeks along now, so it's still too early to determine gender (although lots of people have been asking). We have seen the heart beating, and at our next doctor appointment we will get to hear it, too!
Going to the obstetrician here in Austria is quite different than in the states. We walked right in, and before we could sit down on the sofa to wait, the doctor came to get us. He took us into his office and talked for a while before he took my blood, weighed me, took my blood pressure, and then did the ultrasound exam. We never saw a nurse, and we were finished in under 30 minutes. All of the exams and tests only cost us €80 (about $115). Since our temporary insurance in Austria doesn't cover pregnancies, we have to pay for it ourselves. What a blessing that the government subsidizes medical care!
While "morning" sickness could be worse, I've been suffering through it for nearly 4 weeks. I'm pretty tired of feeling yucky and ready to have energy to accomplish things that need to get done. We are planning to move back to Texas in February, and while I'm sure to feel better before then, I'm hoping our last 3 months in Austria aren't spent with me in bed. 
The ultrasound photo above is the first of our baby. While the lower half mostly looks like fuzz, you may notice a clear black area (the uterus) within the fuzz. Inside the uterus is more fuzz, and that's the baby. In this photo (taken on October 24) the baby was only 12.8 mm long. Now the baby is about 4.5 cm (about 2 inches) and growing rapidly.
Please pray for us, that mom will stay healthy, that baby will grow perfectly, and that dad will continue to be such a wonderful help.
Throughout my lifetime, Autumn has always been a very busy season for me. All three of my sisters and my mom have birthdays during the fall, and there is usually some trip, conference, or gala smashed into the calendar as well. This year is quite different, and for the first time, I'm able to do some of the things I've always wanted. Painting and sketching, has been a long-awaited treat for me. I've never taken a single art course, but I found a beginner book and basic watercolor set in London. Here are a couple of my first artistic pieces. Thanks to my friend Steven Purcell for the inspiration!
for our American friends, and Amazon UK
for our European friends.
