Baby Ober: December 2010

This year has been full of trials and pain, and yet we have seen SO much of God's love and faithfulness poured out over us. Most of our trials this year came in the form of physical health issues. The year began with Naomi's hip dysplasia diagnosis. She was casted and healed very quickly. While she was in her cast, my pinky finger snapped in half due to a bone tumor and after a visit to the ER and to an orthopedic specialist, I found myself in a cast as well. :) I am still reminded of that, as my finger still gives me pain from time to time, but it could be a WHOLE lot worse. I am thankful that I healed well from everything and there were no other tumors found on the bones throughout my body! Praise God!! In the spring, Isaac fell and busted his mouth, severing his frenulum (the piece of skin that connects the upper lip to the gums) and moving one of his front teeth. We made an emergency visit to the pediatric dentist to find that everything looked okay. Praise God!! We were thankful that he didn't have to have his tooth pulled!! :) We also saw neurologist this year for Isaac, as we were concerned that he may have been having seizures. The episodes ended up stopping, and we did not pursue any other medical treatment. Praise God for that!! I also made another visit to the ER this summer, as I was severely dehydrated from a nasty bout of the stomach flu. SO thankful that no one else in our family got it that time! Though last month, we ALL came down with the 24-hour stomach bug...all within a few days of each other. But we were SO thankful to have gotten it all out of our systems so we were healthy for the holidays!! :) We also had some scares with Naomi's health, as her doctors were concerned with her being too small and not growing fast enough. Because she was still spitting up at times, we decided to follow the doctor's advice of having her undergo an endoscopy, which ended up showing that NOTHING was wrong with her. She is just a peanut...and we're perfectly fine with that! :) We had to take Naomi to the ER this fall, as she did something to her leg/hip going down a slide at the park. She was inconsolable for hours, and couldn't walk for days. But after several days, she did get better and has no sign of any kind of injury. Praise God!!

After seven months of trying to conceive, we finally got pregnant this summer. During our routine early-pregnancy ultrasounds, we discovered that we had lost the baby, and then later found out that it was actually a molar pregnancy. I had to have a chest x-ray to make sure the tissue had not spread to my lungs, and still require regular blood draws. While trying to prevent getting pregnant, we somehow conceived again, just two months after the previous miscarriage. In shock, we prayed and had peace about everything, and even got a little excited at the idea of being pregnant again. But the excitement was short-lived as we dealt with another loss. While my heart was anguished over both of these pregnancy losses, I have still had an incredible peace within me that comes only from the loving hand of the Lord. He has been teaching me more and more how to lean into Him for comfort when I'm hurting. Because He knows how incredibly hard this is for me. When I'm hurting, wounded, angry...you name it...I run. I stuff every negative emotion imaginable and strive to maintain a joyful disposition. Throughout my life, I have been conditioned to suck it up and be strong for myself...to not rely on anyone for anything. God knows this and I believe that He has been giving me opportunities to grow. I don't think He caused these bad things to happen to us throughout this year. Because I am well aware that we have an enemy who is out to steal and destroy. But God is so gracious to use these trials...every last one of them...for my good. To allow me the chance to learn more about who HE is...and who He has created me to be.

While I've been tempted MANY times to ask the question so many people seem to demand an answer to (the WHY of every situation), He gave me an answer that has truly satisfied my spirit. (Romans 5:1-5) I can rejoice in my suffering...in our trials...in all this crap that is the world. Because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Praise God!

This year also brought about the most spiritual change I've experienced in a long while. I am SO thankful for Victory Weekend and the amazing growth that came from that experience! I am also praising God for my wonderful Life Group, which has been central to my growth this year! I am still FAR from where I'd like to be in my relationship with God. But I praise Him for never giving up on me...for letting me experience the bad so that I can better appreciate and rejoice with the good. I praise Him for living IN me and THROUGH me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I praise Him for giving me dreams...vivid dreams…and for gifting me and using me for His glory. I confess that I have shied away from using half of what He has given me. But He has been patient with me, gently guiding and encouraging me to have boldness and faith.

I look forward to 2011. This is going to be a year marked by health and healing. By His strength and power, I am going to be making some big changes...all working toward being more healthy. The cry of my heart has been for Him to draw me in...and then never let me go. I look forward to learning more about how to relate to Him as my Daddy...cause even saying the word makes my stomach churn. I am looking forward to not working as a photographer, but rather, concentrating on being the wife, mother, and friend that He has created and willed for me to be. I am anticipating and hoping for some meaningful, spiritual conversations with Isaac this next year. My prayer is that he would begin to understand his sinfulness and his need for a savior...and that this awareness would lead him to make better choices with a desire to honor God. I am also trusting the Lord to move mightily within my marriage. I plan to work on loving Kevin the ways HE receives love the best! But I know that I cannot do this on my own, and it will be an act of God for things to change. :) I also want to trust the Lord for more dreams and visions, to give me the boldness to step out when I hear Him calling me to do something. I also pray that I would experience a thirst and hunger for the Word in such a way that I cannot live without it for even a day. And finally, to steal a line from a friend’s blog: I want to be the type of woman that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, the Devil says, "Oh crap...she's awake!" :)

Naomi had her 18-month check-up last week. Everything looked great. She's growing! :) She's 20lbs, 8oz, and is 31 inches tall. That puts her in the 5th percentile for weight, and the 30th percentile for height. :) The doctor was very pleased with her language development as well. She's just recently started putting together two and three-word phrases. I feel like Isaac was speaking in paragraphs at this age (and perhaps he was)...but it's important not to compare the two of them and just realize that she's doing really well for where she's at! :) She is learning more and more every day and adding to her vocabulary daily. She has been VERY obsessed with her "baby" lately. But really...it's any baby. She's very maternal. ;) The other day, she was struggling to reach the manger in our nativity scene, and she was yelling, "Baby...JESUS! Baby...JESUSSSS!!" We got a good laugh out of that one! :) She loves reading books and LOVES playing with her big brother! She's a GREAT eater, but still cannot tolerate rice (very strange)...and her favorite is macaroni and cheese. :) That's about it for my update on Naomi...

I also got a call back from MY doctor regarding the results from pathology (from the D&C). The results are negative for molar tissue!! Woohoo!! So now I have to do weekly blood draws for the next month, and then monthly draws for six months. We'll also be started on hormonal birth control to ensure that this doesn't happen again. And in the meantime, since I won't be pregnant or nursing for the next year, I am making some BIG plans for myself!! :) I am thinking about celebrating my 30th birthday with a road trip with some good friends...and I think I'm also going to begin training for a triathlon this next year!! :) I'm super pumped about these plans!! :)

Here are some random photos from the past few weeks. I have SEVERAL more...I really need to catch up!! :) These first two are just up here so I will remember this time. They have just recently really started playing well together. They LOVE playing under blankets (even though someone usually ends up crying). Oh...and notice the presence of "baby" in so many of these! :)

And some from Isaac's Thanksgiving program...

And finally, a couple of Isaac's window artwork...