Introducing our Elyse

I cannot believe it. The day finally came and we are officially the proud parents of our first: ELYSE!

I will admit: hanging on to God's promises had been getting a little more challenging each passing day I awaited without our little sweetheart. I felt David in his cries:



"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me.."

And God showed me I could trust him:

Psalm 70:1-5

"Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!" But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! "

And He has mightily proven in a life experience to be my deliverer and my help.

It happened in such a God way, our prayers to how we were going to welcome her into the world were washed away as our decision came in the most unexpected way…

On Tuesday, I was meeting a friend for lunch when, embarrassingly, I tripped over a landscaping piece on the sidewalk and tumbled to the ground. Yes—I fell in a very ungraceful pregnant way. Thankfully, I fell on my side instead of my back so I decided I was fine. Yet I was shaken up enough to phone a good friend and get some advice. She told me to just call labor and delivery to inform them on the incident: Better safe than sorry, right? They told me I needed to come in.

Darn it.

O well….Just a couple of hours in the L&D and they’d release me.

Or so I thought.

I was having contractions regularly on the monitor, and because of that, I was required to stay for 23 HOURS!

WHA…??

Yes.

However, it worked in our favor. Just that morning I was at the hospital for an appointment to check up on Elyse and her progress. The nurse got me an earlier time for my induction, which happened to be the next day, Wednesday. So when I fell and we were informed I was going to be kept overnight, we just decided to get the induction process started. Thus, it began.

Let me just tell you that the verse I told you I would hold in my heart as I went into this process is right on. Besides the pain I am feeling now, it was the worse type of pain I have ever endured in my life. I was not as tough as I imagined myself to be as they turned up the picotin one painful number at a time…. I quickly requested the epidural.

O my goodness… Heavenly. Praise God for medical advances.

It was much more endurable from that point on and visiting with my parents that arrived that Tuesday night definitely helped numbed the pain. Just a few hours into the evening, I was informed that we were ready to deliver.
Wow. It was crazy the feelings of fear and excitement that filled me when I heard those words. This was it. I was going to see our baby.

After two hours or less of pushing (yes, this is sick, but my nurse got my competition spirit going as she rooted for me to beat another girl in the labor and delivery, who happen to be pushing as well, to deliver first: and yes, I won… hahaha! o man… sick sick sick), we were introduced to the little miracle God had been forming in my womb for the last nine months. It was overwhelming. It was so incredible to look at her and know that SHE came out of ME. Our 8.9 pound baby I was now holding in my arms had stolen my heart immediately. She was an immediate cuddle bug. And really, not much has changed in the last five days :)

But even with our new little blessing on the scene, we have still been able enjoy the season of fall in Alaska with my family! It's so beautiful here right now. Andrew and I are enjoying this time in our lives so much and I know the grandparents are soaking up every minute of it. I am so glad they are here; they have really helped Andrew and I out more than they realize!

I feel so blessed to have them all.

Now here are some (or I should say ALOT!!!) of pictures from the last couple of days that I have enjoyed the most:

Coming home!

Baby's first UT game!!

Eli and Owlsey!!

...her first bath :)

Her in the nursery

Visitors!

Elyse's Billy test...pooorrrr baby :(

Funny faces!

Concerned Eli:

Concerned parents....

Our first hike with 'lysey!

And more chillin'

More walks :)

First church service

...in the cry room, even though she didn't make a peep!

Mom and dad's adventures:

Starbucks is always in the mix ;)

They went to kincaid park too...

And saw a moose!!!!

Lazy days around the house:

And a proud Grandma:

Before Elyse and my parents had arrived, I got a lot done around the house: all clean, cooking accomplished and I kept busy on a friend's shower preparations! So fun!

Here are some pictures before Elyse's arrival-- check out those legit fall colors!!

Silly Eli picture:

Here are a few spoilers for the shower.

Can’t wait to show you the rest when the event happens in October!

A few things I have learned in these last few days that I will share with the prego ladies that are wondering what life will be life after you have a baby:



1. You can’t do it all. And yes, I say that with sincerity and humility. I am the girl that tries to do it all—by myself. Even when it means I run myself into the ground. Well, Elyse is a great reminder from God that if I do and I get sick, she will suffer from my inability to take care of her properly. And she means so much to us! I couldn’t imagine myself doing that to her…. So, for the first time, you are okay asking people to do things for you and delegated in things you cannot do on your own. What a great support team I have!

2. Sleep is no longer you buddy. In fact, you don’t even know who Sleep is anymore. Your pregnancy discomfort is nothing compared to the fact you do not get ANY sleep any more. Especially when engorgement hits (the mamas all feel me here…). However, it is a bit sweeter when you see that little precious bundle God gave you by your side.

3. A schedule is thrown out the window… and so are your plans. But for some reason, you all of a sudden don’t care. I can’t describe it, but you want the best for your little one… and so you do whatever it takes to care for them. I would have never foreseen myself this way, but it’s been a good thing. It makes you not care so much about yourself, but about baby all the more. What a die-to-self experience…

4. All the things my lovely mommies spoke about in my last post are all true. Thanks you, all you wise mamas! Your words are much appreciated, cherished and applied.

5. Your body is still not your own. And Le Leche League do not inform you that there will be pain. It is one thing I wish I had been more prepared for…. But prepared or not, the pain is here.

6. As much as I look forward to exercising again, I am totally fine with just savoring these next few days, maybe even a couple of weeks, of enjoying our growing family ;)

Well, that is it for now. It has been an incredible journey so far and I look forward to seeing what God has for us in the days ahead.

While I'm waiting....

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life. Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me. By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands" 

-- Paul Tripp

Yes, still waiting.

As clock keeps ticking and baby keeps growing, we reach an official week past due today… and no progression has come as of now. We just came from the doctors yesterday and apparently Elyse is very content and happy in where she is (to my honest discontentment… sigh). Almost TOO well: amniotic fluid levels are very good (looks like gushing quantity good, haha) and heart rate looks good too. Head is very low so we couldn’t get a look at the face with the ultrasound, which would have been awesome. But because she is doing so well, they want my body to kind of do this task on its own instead of setting up any kind of induction… but just in case, they have me set up for an induction next Thursday/Friday.

Yet, my honest initial feelings are:

“Is there something wrong with me?”

“Does my body actually know what to do and labor on its own?”

“Is she really as old as they think she is? Did they get the date wrong?”

“Are the doctors really doing what’s best as far as my pregnancy and inducing goes?”

“Does this girl actually exist or am I just carrying around a seven pound tumor?”

“Why haven’t I felt ANYTHING?!?!?”

From the selfish desires of ‘I can’t take being pregnant anymore—I just want this baby OUT!’ to the ‘Am I really ready to be a parent? Maybe I can wait…’, I have experienced much excitement, disappointment, doubts and heartache after all of our appointments. Yet, Elyse still has not given me any sign of her arrival into this world to rock our lives.

However, God has used this time to show me His purposes, which I have been over looking for the last couple of months as life went smoother than ever…

One thing I have realized is sometimes when life is smooth, relational interaction with God is absent. It’s not until you are ABSOLUTELY at Wits end you run to your true strength and refuge. Though it shouldn’t be this way, it’s absolutely correct. Murphy’s law I suppose…. Or God’s wonderful design ;)

These last couple of days I have been derived of sleep (which I hear is absolutely normal in this stage of pregnancy) and my peace, whether that include labor, becoming a mom, or just not having a baby. I have not been trusting God for this gift He has entrusted us to and running to Him for my trials… until now. And I understand now what David meant when he stated his flesh cries out for him, his heart FAINTS for the Lord! I have not been in such a state since I have been pregnant… and who knows why not! I HAVE SO MUCH TO CRY OUT TO GOD ABOUT! So much to give praise for… so much to give thanks for. Yet, my heart and soul would rather remain ‘stale’ than crying out for the living God and allowing my whole being to be radiant towards others because of His great love for us (Psalm 34:4-5). THUS, I am learning again how to delight in the Lord and commit my ways to him so I can further trust him and see him act with opened eyes (Psalm 37:4-5). PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE WAY HE WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES!

And since I am basically just counting down the days until our little Elyse’s arrival, I have been bombarded with questions I don’t even know how to answer about life ahead. Sure, I’ll find out sooner or later… but in the meantime, why not seek out some advice from the wise women who have been there and walked through this stage of life before me? Seems wise to me! So I wrote my wise wisdom and here were some of the highlights I gathered from each woman’s experience (and the responses keep coming, so as I write them, I will continue to add them as I learn more):
1. You will want to change your life and desire the world be a better place for them.

2. Your church experience becomes a different experience (sometimes having to take the audio experience later in the week rather than on Sunday)

3. You start to relate with other mothers with their screaming infant instead of looking at them with a shut-that-thing-up look.

4. You want to serve and provide for your child’s needs with everything you have, becoming more selfless than you were before.

5. Your marriage changes: it takes more work, more intention and understanding on both people’s behalf now that another little person has entered your life (and that entails all the other areas of marriage as well…)

6. You have a better perspective of God’s love for you through the unconditional love you have for your child.

7. There is joy and purpose in your work now more than ever before, even when you can’t feel it. Life takes on a new meaning for you.

8. Your routine changes: you sleep when baby sleeps and you all of a sudden become a morning person and rejoice when going to sleep early!

9. Conversation changes: for us, I am sure it will go from dog to baby now! Haha!

10. Your focus in life changes.

11. For one couple (and I am sure this will be a challenge for us too), it will be tempting to compartmentalize family and ministry instead of letting it flow together.

12. Your days become more planned (life is not as flexible), your life is not as planned and you find you have priorities than you never thought you had before. You also realize if it doesn’t get done… it’s no big deal!

13. Interaction with friends change as you now have a different, less flexible schedule due to your rapidly changing routine with baby. You have to plan it more and be more intentional there too!

14. Family relationships can deepen to a level of understanding/interaction that you didn’t have before.

These are all the wisdom tidbits I have been currently but I look forward to sharing more as I continue to receive feedback from my incredible girlfriends (thank you all!!!)

Maybe soon I too will be able to share soon how life has specifically changed for the “Wild Thornburys”!

Until then, life goes on as Andrew and I wait out our time before parenthood, learning from God what he wants us to learn about Himself and about us…. Even if the lesson merely ends up being one of patience alone. :)

Enjoy the scenic fall pictures I took this morning (yes, the autumn has hit alaska)!

We are really enjoying this season ourselves :)

Blessings! XOXO