Elijah Ian

... sorry, I was supposed to post this yesterday.... Eli is TWO!

So in continuation of our Eli story...

I started feeling very light contractions the night of Wednesday, Sept. 20th. They continued all of Thursday, until Friday Sept. 22 at 3am they were noticeable enough to wake me up. I started timing my contractions & they were about 10-15 minutes apart. I got a couple more hours of sleep, & finally got up & went about my morning as usual. I had a doctor's appointment at 9am. When I arrived, we found out that I was already 6cm! The midwife I suggested I go to the hospital & get checked

in before my contractions get too uncomfortable. I decided not to. Since the contractions weren't that bad, I wanted to do most of my laboring at home. By noon I checked into the hospital. By about 2pm, my contractions were getting harder to talk through. By about 8pm I was pushing... & THREE HOURS LATER Eli was born. At 11:03pm... we met our Eli, all 8lbs10oz of him!

To say we have absolutely fallen in love with this boy the Lord has blessed us with would be a complete understatement, but it still must be said. We love him so much. It's so kind of the Lord to allow us to experience the love & delight that comes with having children. Although parenting a toddler has been tough lately, I have fallen in love with the personality God has given my son. One of the first things people notice about our Eli Monster is how friendly & happy he is. He loves people & it is our prayer that the Lord uses this quality of Eli's to bring men to His kingdom. Probably the next thing that stands out in Eli's personality is how playful & outgoing he is. This boy loves to play & have a good time. Although he does take a few minutes to scope things out, it's not long before he's playing with kids he's never met or trying new things. Eli is also so, so curious. He loves adventures! We noticed this quality about Eli when he was a baby. It became a known fact once he started crawling; then when he started walking (at 11mos!!) it was all over. This curiosity of his can be a challenge to parent at times, especially when its coupled with his stubbornness, but we have to appreciate that Eli loves to learn. He's a scientist like his Daddy. I pray that his sharp & curious mind will take him on adventures through studying the Word. I pray that Eli's mind mediates & soaks up things that are of the Lord. Lastly, my sweet, sweet Eli is so affectionate. He will be a great husband some day. This boy loves to love. He hugs & kisses me so much-- Another trait he got from his Daddy, physical touch as his love language.-- We have to watch him real close because there are a few kids at church Eli just loves to clobber with hugs. Every morning Eli wakes up & says, "I want cuddle Mama." I know I will forever cherish those sweet words. Happy Birthday, Eli! I love you so, so much!

Eli got TWO birthday cakes!

He May Be a Monster But He's Darn Cute!

Today went great! I restructured some of our day, so that during Noah's first nap Eli & I could have quality time. I'm going to make this time my & Eli's project time. Today we made play dough. We read, sang songs, ate & even used the potty.... (Eli, that is!) Eli was so much better today & I actually feel refreshed! Thanks for praying for us.

Two years ago today I had a doctor appointment. Two years ago today I was 9 months pregnant with my Eli. I remember at my appointments toward the end of pregnancy, the midwife would push down on my belly to feel the position of the baby, & every time she pushed down, (she'd push rather hard) Eli would push or kick back. Well, isn't that Eli?! Even from the womb he wanted the world to know he was there & he was rearing & ready to go. Maybe that's why I got so horribly sick during the first trimester. I did get sick with Noah, but not like I was with Eli. I was sick, sick, sick, nauseous, nauseous, nauseous EVERY DAY for nearly 3 months with Eli. I should have known.... that was my warning! This boy was something else; my strong, passionate Eli. At that appointment 2 years ago, the midwife suggested we try to get labor going. She said she could try to naturally induce me right there. Since my mom & Becky were in town for the weekend, I agreed. That'd be perfect timing. No, Eli didn't agree. He was not ready. And if we've learned something from Eli, we've learned that he can be quite stubborn. Stubborn, yet determined. When Eli sets his mind to something, he does it, or at least he puts up quite a fight trying to.. And so... the weekend went by & no baby. A whole week went by & no baby. Finally, finally... Friday, Sept. 22 came....
to be continued.... I'll finish the rest of the story next week...

Mom & Mark's Cabin

I am so proud of my mom & step-dad, Mark. Four years ago they bought some land out in the woods, about 30 miles south of Klamath Falls, near Merrill OR. (My mom's dream has always been to live in a cabin in the woods.) Then, three years ago they started building- building everything themselves! The only thing these two have hired out for is the pouring of the cement & attaching the shingles. I am so proud of their hard work & dedication. Mom & Mark both have full time jobs & have still managed to build a cabin!

This is just the garage... pretty fancy, huh? There is a living area (loft) above the garage that they'll live in until the house is built. I'm

looking forward to the day when it is all complete. That loft above the garage will make a fun dwelling place for the Oelkers when we come to visit. The boys are gonna LOVE it out at Grandma & Grandpa's cabin! I guess they'll have to wait awhile before they can go 4-wheeling, but for now they can enjoy chasing the chickens, playing in the dirt, swinging on the swing & riding the teeter-totter. GOOD JOB, MOM & MARK!! I'm so proud of you guys! Love you!

Desperation

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Jonny keeps comparing this past week to a game of chess. We make a move & Eli strikes back. He's had some pretty swift moves, but we gotta say, we think this one is CHECKMATE! Bring it on, Eli!!!

So... as I already mentioned in a previous post, Eli learned to climb out of his crib this week. His crib turns into a toddler bed, & since he turns 2 next Monday & now knows how to climb out of his crib, last night we decided it was time to train Eli how to sleep in a 'big boy' bed. He wouldn't have it. He was not obeying at all. He didn't care about being disciplined; he continued to walk out to the living room the very minute we left his room. After TWO HOURS of dealing with Eli for getting out of his bed, we called out the big guns. Well, actually just some particle board, some screws, & Rory's saw. Jonny sawed out a piece of board, screwed it onto Eli's crib railing & waalaa!! Try getting out of that, Eli! I know we're just putting off the inevitable, but we (especially me) were so desperate after this difficult week. I'm not sure if he wasn't ready to be trained for a toddler bed or if we weren't ready to train him... whatever it is, we'll re-visit that obstacle another day.

In Christ Alone

I think I've posted the words to this song on our blog before, but here they are again. I love this song. I'm gonna keep singing it over & over in order to get through today...

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My comforter, my all in all—

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied;

For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain;

Then bursting forth in glorious day,

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;

For I am His and He is mine—

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—

This is the pow'r of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home—

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

AMEN!

Thoughts... lots & lots of thoughts...

I've been having a rough week. I feel so defeated. Its been hard lately, & I feel weighed down.
WARNING: this is a very long post...

Eli has been difficult, to say the least. He hasn't ever really thrown fits, the complete melt-down, tantrum throwing fits, until the last couple weeks. He's been really rebellious too, & I've been having a hard time knowing how to handle it. I'm questioning myself b/c I want to discipline & correct Eli, but I want to do it the best way. I don't want to ruin him. I don't know how to get through to him sometimes. How many times to I have to say, "Eli, don't open the dishwasher!" I find myself getting annoyed & angry, but I know I can't discipline in anger.

It's even harder when I'm sleep deprived. He's been waking up really early or in the middle of the night wanting to 'cuddle Mama'. How cute; yes, that's what I thought the first time. Who doesn't want to hear their sweet boy say, "I want cuddle Mama." However, it creates a bit of a problem. He doesn't always fall asleep if I let him lay in bed with me. Which means Jonny & I don't get any sleep either. Eli squirms around a lot, & while I get his sweet head & face, Jonny gets Eli's kicking feet. Jonny hates it when Eli 'sleeps in our bed. Yesterday morning Eli woke up at 4:30am crying. I went in & rocked him for awhile & laid him back down. It didn't work; I had to go in there several more times before I just decided to put him in the pack'n'play in the office so he wouldn't wake up Noah. This was about 5:45am (no sleep in between). Eli laid down peacefully. I think I got maybe 20 minutes of sleep before I heard crying Eli opening the office door. YES, he climbed out of the pack'n'play, opened the office door, & was coming to find me! By then it was 6:15am & Jonny was getting ready for work. Desperate for sleep, I laid Eli next to me, praying he'd actually go to sleep. Around 7am he finally drifted off for about an hour. Noah woke up 30 minutes after that. What's the deal!? Noah is sleeping through the night & Eli is not!? Eli has always been a great sleeper- sleeping 7-7 in his own crib. What has changed in the last week? He has a cold, but he's had colds before & slept just fine. This morning I got up with him at 5am.

Then I feel bad b/c I'm always having to deal with Eli for various frustrating reasons & Noah is constantly being set down to wait patiently. Noah is such a sweet baby. He just waits for me. No demands, no complaints, just goes with the flow. I want to smother BOTH of them with kisses & attention all day, but I in the last few days I'm spending more time setting Noah down so I can tell Eli no. I feel so guilty.

Then there's guilt for saying Noah is an 'angel' & Eli is a 'monster'. I've written that on this blog before, & I just want to clear the air. They're simply silly nicknames we've coined for Eli & Noah based on their personalities. I completely love Eli like crazy. He's my baby. I adore him. His personality is just different & more demanding than Noah's at this point in time. It in no means is an illustration of our love toward one child more than the other. I won't be referring to the angel & monster nicknames as they grow up...at least not to their faces.

Since Jonny has gone back to school I've been missing him. By 3pm I'm watching the clock waiting for him to get home. Those last two hours seem to pass by like molasses. Also, since Jonny's been back at school, the topic of school has been on our minds. I've been really stressed out about what to do for our kids schooling. Public? Private? Charter? Home school? What is right for our kids? The answer doesn't seem to be an easy one & I'm impatiently wanting it to coming to me quickly. Its so scary to think of the affect that all these decisions we have to make will have on our children.

ALSO, (yes there is more...) About two and a half weeks ago Jonny went into the immediate care place b/c he had a low-grade fever & was feeling nauseous for the previous few days. The doctors cautioned us to pay close attention to fevers as they are a sign of infection. Obeying orders, Jonny went in & they skipped him up to the front of the line. They took his condition pretty seriously & called his cardiologist up in Portland. They ran a bunch of tests, but nothing conclusive came of any of them. They sent us home to wait & see if any other symptoms occurred. The next morning Jonny had a little pus bubble (lovely, I know) at the bottom of his incision scar. Jonny called his surgeon & Dr. Song wanted Jonny to come in that day. Once again, we left Eli with Rory & Lindsey (he's always obiedent for them!) & headed up to OHSU. Dr. Song thought Jonny's sternum & incision were fine-no infection. Okay, great. We thought maybe the fever & nausea was just a stomach virus.

Since Jonny's been home from the hospital, he's been back up to OHSU for a couple of ECHO's. The latest one showed that there was fluid around Jonny's heart. I talked to his cardiologist the other day & he said that although the fluid is not atypical, its not necessarily typical & they'd like to keep a close eye on it. Basically, it could just be that Jonny's heart is irritated from the surgery. Worst case scenario is that some of his souchers (in his aeortic valve!) are coming loose.... that would not be good. The last ECHO did not indicate that scenario was the case. Jonny's heart is also beating ir-rhythmically every once in awhile (sorta like the palpitations he was having before surgery), but this is also just a sign that his heart may just be a little irritated from surgery. The fluid & heart beat, if it is just irritation, will go away on its own in time. Jonny has another appointment in two weeks. I hate that my husband is not totally well. He's the one who always takes care of us. He's supposed to be the strongest one.

Sorry, I realize that was a lot of stuff. I feel better typing it all out. Sometimes it helps to sort through my thoughts when I'm feeling overwhelmed. We've had a lot going on lately & its just now all catching up with me. Although I've loved our fun summer & all of our visitors, I'm looking forward to going into a quiet fall season. Thanks for listening (reading) to me unload. :) Our church just had a women's retreat over the weekend & I so wish I could have gone. But since I'm a nursing mama, I had to sit this one out. I can't wait for the next one! I know the Lord knows every little detail of all these issues (including the timing of these issues) & He's working them out in me. All I can do is trust Him.

Noah's First Girlfriend...

No, really... this is Noah's first female friend. This adorable little girl is Jacey Love. My dear friend, Julia & her mom, Patty, (I kinda love her too) came up to visit this weekend. I grew up with Julia & have known her since I was a toddler. Now we have little ones that are exactly two weeks apart. Jacey was born two weeks & an hour after Noah. Look how huge Noah is compared to petite little Jacey! Jonny & I make chunky little babies :)

The Lord is so sweet the way He sovereignly works things out for His glory. I just love to see how His hand has been in our lives & orchestrated events to bring us to today. Look at these treasures He has given us! Oh my! Tonight was one of those nights putting the boys to bed (did I mention they're sharing a room now!) where I just loved my babies so much I feel like I could have four more. Don't worry... when they wake up in the morning I will probably feel differently. :)

While our friends were here we went to the coast. It was Eli, Noah, & Jacey's first trip to the ocean. (I know, we're only an hour away & haven't taken Eli until now!) Noah & Jacey slept on their Mama's the whole time, while Eli played with his Dada. It was so nice. Good company, good view, good babies, good day. Here's some pics of Eli enjoying himself.

CHEESE!

This is For You, Becky...