What Have Been Keeping Us Busy?

Great Question…well all last week we had our Filipino friends come and stay with us.  This was there second time around because they stayed with for about four days last March.  Here are some pictures of both our families.

So here are some of the highlights and we sure hope that Pastor Gary, Grace, and Steven had a good time visiting and taking them all over Indiana.

• Celebrated Pastor Gary & Grace 25th Wedding Anniversary
• Visited Indiana University & Purdue University
• Visited With Local Church Facilities
• Experience Easter With Our Families
• Meet With Local Sports Ministers
• Experienced Beautiful Warm Indiana Weather!

If you would like to check out Pastor Gary Visitacion blog you can do by clicking here http://www.visitacionjournal.blogspot.com/

Evan Is One!

That’s right this weekend was packed full of events starting with Evan’s 1st birthday party!  It was a blast and I think he enjoyed it a lot too.  Some highlights have to be him stuffing his face with his birthday cupcake, having all the cousins over playing around, and I think the firetruck was a pretty big hit he can not stop playing with it.  Thanks to everyone that came, helped out, for all his great gifts, and giving him such a great 1st birthday!  Here are some pictures…

Happy 1st Birthday Evan

time to dig into my cupcake

more more give me more!

Everyone Loves The Firetruck!

Birthday Dunking

Evan’s First Real Snow!

So we finally got some snow okay more than just some…close to about foot of snow.  And we bundled Evan up and took him out to check it out.  He was loving it the whole time until he got brave to try to walk in the snow and he fell face first and really did not appreciate the snow anymore.

Obama’s Inaugural Speech & Rick Warren’s Prayer

Watching history with my son was something very very special. Though, I am sure he will not remember any of it, I know that I will remember the moment that I was able to sit with Evan and watch and take history being made. But, to be honest what I found the most interesting was Rick Warren’s Prayer. Maybe because I am somewhat of a Rick Warren fan, but probably more because I am a fan of Jesus!

Rick Warren’s Prayer

Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.

It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans—united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you—forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone—forgive us.

When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve—forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations–and all people–will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, ‘Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Belated Thanksgiving Feast, Pumpkin Pie

Here are some belated but better than never posted Thanksgiving photos.  Evan really enjoyed his first pumpkin pie experience.  We can not wait until Christmas!!

Evan The Sock Monkey

Here is Evan as the the sock monkey.  Though he enjoyed a little of the fall festival the costume was sort of hot, and he just not really into  the whole candy thing yet which is probably a good thing.

My Postpartum Depression Story, postpartum, depression and postpartum

This Is My Postpartum Depression Story, postpartum, depression and postpartum

I was so excited to find out I was pregnant. My husband and I had wanted to start trying earlier in our marriage but weren’t able to for various reasons. So when we were able to try and got pregnant quickly, we were very excited. We couldn’t hardly wait to start telling people. My pregnancy was a relatively easy pregnancy. I had no complications or problems. I was concerned however from the beginning that I was going to have a big baby. This concern became reality when at 37 ½ weeks I had an ultrasound and they said he was going to be about 8 ½ lbs. to 9 lbs. in a week. My doctor decided to induce me. At first, I was excited about that because it meant I was going to have my son. Then I began to get freaked out that I was going to have to have a C-section. This was probably my biggest fear at the time. I had never even had a stitch so I was very scared of having a surgery. My labor started fine. I was dilating. I was having contractions. Then they broke my water and I got an epidural. My labor stopped progressing. My son’s heart beat started to drop. My doctor decided to do a C-section so that it wouldn’t have to be an emergency C-section.

I cried. I believe that is when my “baby blues” or depression started. When they showed me my son, I thought “it’s a baby. Not mine, but a baby.” My husband said things about our son’s cry being the best sound and I thought he was crazy. It was just a baby crying to me. I played off though like I agreed with him. These were the thoughts I had the whole time in the hospital. I started resenting my son in the hospital too. I kept thinking “You are the reason I had to have surgery.” “You are the reason I will not have the same body I had before.” When we were getting ready to leave the hospital, I was scared. I wasn’t sure I could do the whole mom thing. Or at least not do it well. I wondered what I had got myself into. Of course I didn’t tell anyone my feelings because I thought I was silly for thinking them and I thought that people would wonder what kind of mother I was if I had those thoughts. I hated that I felt this way but I was scared to death to tell anyone.

When we got home, I would just sit there and let my son cry for awhile because I didn’t care that he was crying. I would eventually get up and do whatever he needed but it took me awhile. I stopped eating really. I would eat a little bit but not very much. My husband would tell me I needed to eat so that I would be able to nurse but I had no appetite. I was angry at everyone including my dog for being able to sleep when I couldn’t because I had to nurse him. I thought women were crazy for saying nursing was a bonding experience. I didn’t feel that way at all. I couldn’t see him, kiss him, or anything. I would cry for no reason when no one was around.

Finally, one night my husband asked me if I was okay. I broke down and told him how I was feeling. It was amazing how much better I felt immediately. Shortly after that, I stopped breastfeeding. For me, that was a God send. I was so much happier. It took away so much stress and sleep deprivation. I then started to bond with my son. He was about 2 -3 weeks old at the time. I missed those first few weeks of bonding with him because of this illness.

This is my story of postpartum.  Fortunately I was able to recover without any meds.  Please get help if you suffer from it.