Josh meets Grandma Sailhamer and Uncle David

Grandma Sailhamer and Uncle David arrived the night before Joshua was 1 week old. It was a long day of traveling for them, taking them 6 hours to drive up from Dallas with all the construction. They finally made it to our house at 2:30am. The arrival had to be documented though because it was the first time that Grandma and Uncle were meeting their grandson/nephew - the first of three babies in the next couple of months. And we were able to capture the details from Grandma's look the first time she held him to Joshua's little smile. They came just in time to celebrate his 1-week birthday with us. And yes, we did count down the minutes and have a little birthday party! (Joshua slept through it all though.) We had so much fun together. And Grandma and Uncle David were great babysitters while mom slept or for Peter and I to go on our first date! Our refrigerator and freezer have been stocked well with their visit along with some expert vacuuming from a great Uncle. It was such a nice time and we are so looking forward to the next one!

getting to know Joshua

Joshua did come that week, his birthday being only a few days after the last post - July 14th. He was born at exactly 41 weeks and is healthy and absolutely beautiful (this might be the only time in his life that I can call him beautiful!). He weighed 6lbs and 11.5oz at birth and has: dark, wavy hair, fine facial features, long eye lashes, large hands and feet, strong, Sailhamer legs, and the faint appearance of dimples that might show more when he learns how to smile. He's a hard sleeper and hard to wake up. For the first few minutes he just stretches and has his eye brows raised, a look that we see often. Personality wise, he's very calm and peaceful. He is so perfectly formed and wonderful. While I was still pregnant, the Lord told me that this would be a strong baby. And we've been praying that the Lord would use that strength for good, that he would have a strong character and follow hard after the Lord and love what is right.

Today he is two weeks old. And already he is changing and passing out of the sleepy, newborn stage. We noticed the difference last week as he started becoming more aware of his surroundings and really looking at us. He is also starting to hold his head up. At the doctors today we learned that he has gained almost a whole pound in a week, which is above average. Grandma Sailhamer and Uncle David's visit to meet him was perfectly timed, catching both stages of newborn to this more-aware little Josh. For Peter and I it's just been a joy to be parents. We are loving this new work and life-role. And with it, my love for Peter seems different too, deeper and sweeter are the words that I can think of to describe it.


The birth story. Some of you already know the story, but for those of you who are curious it was surprising and covered in grace. I started feeling contractions early in the morning and knew that they were different and true contractions. Peter and I prayed for the baby and labor before he went into work that morning. Then I went on a walk and kept praying as the day dawned. The Lord told me that this was a holy moment. His perfect timing in bringing the new life that he had created into the world. Contractions continued steadily, but I could walk, talk, do everything in between. Peter came home at 5:30pm and still not much had changed, the contractions being only a little stronger. I called a friend who prayed with me over the labor and delivery. She reminded me that God gives us the strength to bear up under things in that moment (the present contraction) and not to worry about what it might feel like later. For the next couple hours contractions continued and became work. Never was in un-bearable. Peter was with me through each one, counting out the time each one took and cheering me on. At 8:00pm my water broke and I thought I felt the need to push. Surprised, we knew it was time to go to the hospital, but I still thought I had a long way to go. Peter very calmly and effectively got me in the car, which wasn't easy when all I wanted to do was in on my hands and knees and not move. We were on the labor and delivery floor at 8:30 and I was complete. The doctor was called. At 8:56 the doctor walked in and at 8:58 Joshua was born. It was an amazing moment to see him born (possible since the nurses didn't have time to break down the bed). And to hear Peter say, "It's a boy. Angela, it's a boy." After the months of not knowing, we knew...God gave us a son! The other moment that is marked with such sweetness in my mind is seeing Peter bend over to pick up and hold his son for the first time. "This is a holy moment..." God has brought new life into the world and gifted us with a wonderful, little son. After it was over I was surprised that it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would and am reminded that God gives us the grace to bear up under the things of the moment. And that when we are weak, he is strong in power.

What will this week hold? Flying and....a baby?

Now, one week later, we are still waiting on this little baby to come. He/she seems to be taking their time.  I am a little over 40 weeks now.  So at the last appointment we had a bpp ultrasound to make sure the baby was still healthy and not under any stress. And baby looked great and so cute. It won't be long till we can hold him/her. And our whole lives will change. The Lord knows the number of our days even before He starts forming us in the womb. He has the birth date picked out already. Come on baby! We are so excited to meet you and, besides, everything is ready. Peter and I even had a fun date weekend together. So our to-do list has grown pretty short.
But an exciting event to note this week was my first dream of the baby. I know! It has been a long time in coming. Finally though, after 40 weeks of pregnancy I have had a dream about the baby. (Peter, however, has had countless dreams of both boys and girls being born). But in my dream we had a little boy with lots of dark brown hair. He was born in a small fishing boat and labor and delivery only took about 15 min. Incredible. And not quite realistic. But it was a dream. In one of Peter's dreams we had a little girl who came out talking and told him that she liked being in the living room.
Peter will hit the flight line this week, meaning that he starts flying the T-6. His first ride, called his dollar ride, will be on Thursday. It's called a dollar ride because you give the instructor a dollar after you land. Why a dollar when they just risked their life flying with you? I don't know.... But Peter is ready and excited. It's amazing to think of him flying the planes I see over head.

Happy 4th of July!

Peter had a 4-day weekend for the 4th of July. Even though it would have been a great few days to spend traveling somewhere, we decided it would be best to stick close to home in case the baby wanted to be an Independence Day baby (but so far, no appearance yet). I am 39.5 weeks, the "due" date  being this Thursday, July 7th (another good day to be born). It's so fun that the Lord already knows the birth date and the gender. So many surprises to look forward to. :-D

Our Fourth weekend started off with Peter getting dressed in his mess dress, the equivalent to a tuxedo and ushering for a class' graduating ceremony. This time next year, he will be the one graduating and getting wings pinned on his chest. For now, he just has a few ribbons pinned on and looks SO handsome.

And Saturday was spent at a festive, fourth-themed barbeque with the whole class. There was plenty of Texan food, red white and blue, games, and beer. Relay races, slip and slide, dizzy stick, music playing, people everywhere. It reminded me a lot of "Freedom Fest," at HoneyRock - only without the beer. (That's something that I'm adjusting to seeing more often now that we live and work in the military world.) There are plenty of moments that bring back such fun memories of Wisconsin and our friends there. It has been a fun and relaxing weekend for both of us. We won't be seeing fireworks this year though since it's been  too hot and dry in Texas....maybe next year. But there is still a little bit of time left for something exciting to start with the baby and maybe meet them tonight/tomorrow morning. We will see....    

the baby's room is READY!!

This last week we finished getting the baby's room all ready. It is decorated, the clothes are washed and put away, and little, tiny diapers are in the changing table drawers. The nursery slowly developed to have a vintage theme of airplanes and teaching/learning (very appropriately reflecting both parents, I suppose). The colors are mainly blue and yellow, which now that I think of it, are also his/her parents' favorite colors. The verse written on the chalkboard by the rocking chair is Isaiah 54:12, "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be their peace." Our car is also ready with the car seat is installed and inspected and is waiting to bring our little one home to us.

Getting ready for baby

Last Friday I officially reached full-term, that is 37 weeks. That means the baby could be born anywhere from now until week 42 (at which point I would be induced if the baby still hadn't made an appearance). I have felt a couple contractions in the last few weeks - nothing painful, just new and exciting. And I think the baby might have dropped down a bit. There are not many days left on this countdown. I have loved being pregnant and am so excited to start motherhood/parenthood with Peter. It is such a gift. There are a lot of life changes happening with us right now with Peter's training and the baby coming. And, for the most part, it's been joyful work getting ready for both and doing both. This past week Peter built a clothesline and I washed the cloth diapers and hung them out to dry. It was so much fun to see the diapers on the line and our little garden out back. I had Peter take a break from studying and come and enjoy the view with me...and take a few pictures too. :-D

New things

There are some new chapters in our lives to tell you about.

First of all, Peter started the second training school called UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training). So this is a picture of him in his Blues on Day 1 of class. No more sleeping in for us, Peter has to get up early for school and I need to get up to make his lunch and send him off. (And soon I'll be up with a baby too). UPT  is a little over a year long and is pretty intense and fast-paced from what we have heard. We know to expect him to have many 12 hour days at work and then need to come home and study the material he's learned or prepare for his next flight. Right now he's doing a lot of ground work, but in about a month he will be flying almost every day. There are 24 guys in his class: 10 Nato pilots (Germans and Italians), 8 Active Duty and the rest are Guard/Reserve. We've spent time with the guys a few times this past week and they're great guys. Definitely not the Christian crowd that I'm used to though.

And second... we bought another car! We are now the proud owners of a Mazda3, our baby car. After research and months of looking for a good car/deal we finally got one. It's used and in great condition. Peter did a great job bartering for it and I silently cheered him on. It really seems just in time now that Old Faithful, our Jeep, is getting old and not quite as reliable as it once was. But it is getting Peter to work and back every day. But if we are going anywhere together we take our sporty, new car that we like to refer to as Zipper. And it is oh so much fun to drive. (And, for those of you who are keeping track, I am 36 weeks along in this picture).