The Week that Was

It's late on Saturday night, and I am up with little Clare for the first shift of the evening while Kristen gets some much needed rest. Today was our first day on our own, as Kristen's mother left this morning to go visit some other family. We had a very good and balanced day. And now, as things are quiet in the house (well, mostly, I just started some laundry and dishes), I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the week that was, and particularly on what I have learned in that week.

This week I have learned...

that there are worse things in the world than being pooped and peed on

that Grandma makes great cookies, and an even greater encourager
that babies, while delicate, aren't quite as fragile as a soap bubble

that, as odd as it feels to have a real family surrounding me, it's an amazing experience
that even wiping spit from a baby's mouth can be a moment of pure joy
that our dog is amazingly tender toward Clare

that you have to be able to think outside the box with your baby, no matter how demerited you are to do things a particular way

that mothers are the most awesome people on the planet

that my wife is even more beautiful than the day I met her

And the most important thing I have learned this week...

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap." (Luke 6:38a NLT)

God has filled me with a great joy in my little one and my wife. May those of you who are parents, or who hope to become parents, find his joy and his blessing in your lives as well.

Welcome Home, Clare Adele!

Clare is now home... mother and daughter are doing fine. Photos are now available at this link.

I cannot express to all of our family and friends how joyful and happy we are, and how thankful we are for their prayers, love, and support. God has been gracious to us beyond our deserving, and has blessed us with this wonderful gift. Please continue to pray for Clare's health and growth, and for our being good parents.

Not much else to say now... we are both very tired, and I think we are giving some consideration to sleepy time for ourselves.

Welcome to the world, Clare Adele!

This morning at 9:31 (or 9:36, we are still trying to sort that out), my wife Kristen gave birth to our first daughter, Clare Adele Lyons, weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and measuring 20 inches in length. Cannot upload photos from where I am, but photos will be forthcoming in a few days. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

It's a girl...

Kristen and I had the second ultrasound of the pregnancy today, and our little lady, Clare Adele, was staring back at us. We are officially at 20 weeks plus 1 day today, with our due date still holding at October 26th.

Looking at Clare's little fingers and toes, her spine, rib cage, her heart (pumping away like crazy)... seeing her hiccup (or cough, or whatever she was doing) is just an amazing witness to the glory of God and his love towards us.

We rejoice in all he has blessed us with, and I ask for you to continue to pray for Clare's safe keeping and delivery, for Kristen's continued good health and good spirits, and for the wisdom on both of our parts to be good, loving, and - most importantly- godly parents for our little one.

An Update

As my regular readers know, Kristen and I bought a house late last year in the midst of both a tumultious housing market and a bit of personal tumult (in the guise of our apartment building catching on fire in early November). During Advent and the Christmas season I was pretty good about keeping up on things around the blog, but when January hit I started getting a bit sporadic. So, I figure, it's time for a bit of an update for everyone...

THE NEW HOUSE - We have started to put our touches on the place, though Kristen and I have both discovered that we hate painting with a passion. Nevertheless, we have our bedroom and a guest bathroom completely painted, and a wonderful accent wall downstairs in our formal living/dining room (which we are both quite proud of!). I just got back from buying a lawn mower this morning, as well as grass seed for a second round of sewing (our front yard is sodded, but the sides and back were bare). Our first round of seeding took better than Kristen expected, but we definately need more. So, it's out back today to take care of that little chore, and then out front when Kristen gets back from her Supper Club Brunch to do the mowing bit.

COCO - Another late 2008 addition to the Lyons household was CoCo, a black lab mix puppy (she was 5 months old the day we got her). Now going on 9 months old, CoCo has blossomed into a Nylabone-chomping, fun-loving pooch. A lot of that is thanks to her puppy classes - from which she is just about to graduate (2 weeks!). As I blog, she is standing behind me on the second story, peering out the loft-office window at the world around us. She is wonderful in the car, has a sweetly-mischevous disposition, and seems to love kids, which is a good thing because...

BRENDAN or CLARE (we don't know the gender yet) is on his or her way into the world. Me and the Missus found out that we were expecting just as Lent began (making this a particularlly good Lent to work on patience and self-denial!), but we have not shared it too openly since there is always the chance of miscarriage or other issues coming up. We are now closing in on the 13 week mark of the pregnancy, the heartbeat is loud and clear, and Kristen and I have already had the awe-inspiring chance to see our baby (at less than 9 weeks) in the ultrasound. We saw its heart beating away (174 beats per minuite) and the ultrasound technician pointed out that the baby was moving! Talk about speechless! It was so amazing to see. I can't wait to meet our little one at the end of October... please keep his or her safe development in your prayers.

MINISTRY TRANSITIONS - Lent was also a time for other transitions, in particular a ministry transition. After consultation with my bishop, with a light to finding ways to minister and potentially establish a congregation in our new home-town, I am transitioning back to the Western Rite (actually started the transition on the Fifth Sunday in Lent). I am still in discernment on some other matters related to my ministry (though I definately plan to remain at the hospital), and Kristen and I are preparing to start a Bible Study (as a bit of a precursor to establishing a local ministry) sometime around Pentecost. I am currently using the LSB Three Year Lectionary at the recommendation of my bishop, together with the Daily Lectionary and Psalms as published in The Treasury of Daily Prayer.

I think that about catches everyone up for the moment... enjoy your weekend. It's gorgeous here today, and I hope that you have a wonderful day - even if the weather in your neck of the woods is on the crappy side.