Sunday, September 30, 2007

Surprise Visit...


Abigail's visit with
Grandmother & Tommy


As you can see, we had a surprise visit from Justin's Grandmother and her husband Tommy. They were on vacation in South Carolina and called us late Thursday night to see if they could stop in on Friday. We were so glad to see them! Plus, Abigail was able to meet her Great-Grandmother and her Great-Tommy for the first time. Although the visit wore her out (she slept most of the time), she woke up just in time to get some great pictures and see them off.

All the faces of Abigail





Abigail is starting to interact with us more and more each day. Not to mention, she is becoming more fond of the camera. How many cute faces can a two and a half month old have? This week the weather has been so beautiful. Justin and I took Abigail to a park not far from our house to stroll on Thursday afternoon. I think it is going to be a regular spot for us. Justin has been quite busy with school and work, but next week is fall break. So...we are off to Williamsburg, VA. Our dear friends, Nathan and Andi, have talked about Williamsburg so much that we finally decided we had to go and see what the fuss is all about. It will be a great opportunity for us to get away, and for Justin to relax. Matt and Sarah Roger's, a couple from our small group that has moved to South Carolina, were in town this weekend. We had a reunion, of sorts, for them on Friday night so that we could all catch up. It was so good to see them. It has been difficult to watch so many of our friends graduate and leave Wake Forest. I can't believe that Justin and I will be crossing that bridge in a couple of months after he graduates in May. It's hard to believe that we have been here for three years. What a sweet season it has been. To all of the faithful Wake Forest readers - you guys are truly a blessing to Justin and I. Thanks for being our "home away from home." Justin is playing his last season of intermural football. Their team is undefeated. Abigail and I get to spend our Saturday mornings cheering on "dad" in the family cheering section. (Although, this past Saturday she was dressed in the opposing teams colors.) The cheering section used to be wives only, but just since last fall we have added four new fans - Abigail, Emma Claire, Leah and Boone. (There are three more on the way! There has to be something in the water.) Lastly, Justin will be preaching at our church this Sunday. I know he would covet your prayers over the next few days as he prepares. We will share a link to the church's website in our next post if you would like to get on and listen. We love you guys and miss you all.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Two reasons to celebrate.










This week has been an eventful week. Tuesday Abigail turned two months old, and Justin and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Over the past few days, I have reflected on two of the most important days of my life and my immediate response is, "What a gracious God. He has not only given me the gift of eternal life, but He has also blessed me in ways I don't deserve." What a privilege it is to be a wife and a mother! I praise the Lord for Justin and Abigail, and the oppertunity I have to love and serve them daily. One of the ways we "celebrated" Abigail turning two months old was with yet another trip to the pediatrician. As I am sure you can all tell from the pictures, she is growing like a weed. They weighed and measured her at the doctor's office and she is now 13 pounds 11 ounces and almost 24 inches long. That puts her in the 95 percentile for her height and off the chart for her weight. To say the least, the doctor's are pleased with her growth. They also said that she is developing well. They want her to spend more time playing on her stomach so that she can learn to hold up the big head she inherited from her dad. But, other than that, they said that she is doing great developmentally. The only not so good news is she may have "reflux." Justin and I were shocked at the news because she is not a fussy baby, or a spitty baby. But, they said that all of the other symptoms are there. So...we are trying her on Zantac for a month to see if that makes any difference in her behavior. I am attaching some of the lastest pictures and working on a video. So... keep an eye out for that.

Lastly, Justin has spent the last few days at the Acts 29 Church Planting Boot Camp in Raleigh. It is an event that provides helpful information for individuals considering North American church planting. I think it has given him alot to think about and possibly some much needed direction about what the future holds for us in ministry. I know he is still processing all that he learned, so I will let him share more about it in a future post.

We love you all and miss you very much.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The update that you all have been waiting for...

I can't believe that Abigail is 8 weeks old! I don’t even know where to begin. Since the last post, Abigail has had an eventful few weeks. At five weeks old, we started to notice that she was not herself. After two trips to the pediatrician, we ended up in the ER. Come to find out she had a urinary tract infection. For a little one, any bacterial infection can be extremely serious. So, they decided to keep Abigail in the hospital for 48 hours to administer antibiotics and run additional tests. The hardest part for Justin and I was watching them place the IV. It took 13 attempts for them to place the IV, and the only vein in her body they could get it to tread was in her scalp. It was the most pitiful thing you have ever seen. However, we praise the Lord that all of the tests came back normal and we were able to make it home in time to celebrate Justin’s birthday. They put her on amoxicillin for 12 days, and we are happy to share that her body responded well to the antibiotics and she is now doing great! In fact, she has had several exciting “firsts” since we have come home from the hospital. Abigail is now 13.5 pounds and 24.5 inches long. As a result, she is already in 3 month clothes. Needless to say, she has her dad’s stature. She has become so much more alert. She has an array of facial expressions – our favorite it a smile that takes up her whole face. She also has a few noises that she shares with us on occasion. (However, she grunts and moans all of the time – even in her sleep.) Her favorite thing to do is play on her activity mat. She loves the lights and sounds. When we put her on it she will just kick her legs, swing her arms and grin. It has been so much fun to watch her personality develop. I think she is going to be laid back like her dad. There is rarely an occasion that she cries without reason. In fact, there have been several times that I will wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of her sucking her hand, rather than crying, to let me know that she is hungry. Last night was the first time she slept “through the night.” I am going to enjoy this stage. I can’t tell you the last time I got 7 hours of sleep. Justin has been working at Wal-Mart for 3 weeks now and is doing great! He is still adjusting to the schedule, but other than that I think he is going to like his job. It is the ideal job to have as a student – it allows him to continue to go to school full-time and still be at home with us almost all day on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We are praising the Lord for his provision! We thank all of you for your prayers and support. We will do better at posting updates. We love you all!




Justin and I have been amazed at the generosity that our friends and family have shown us during this season of life. We also have been overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness and generosity of those we have never met before - namely my mom's co-workers. These are picture's of Abigail on Sunday in one of the outfits we received from Linda, one of my mom's thoughtful co-workers.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

High speed what?











Ok, ok, ok....we are sorry for just now posting on our blog. Many of you have probably given up on this little blog, but do not lose heart-WE JUST GOT HIGH SPEED INTERNET! That being said, Jackey will be posting a lot more frequently with updates on Abigail. For now, enjoy some pics of her. These are not in any order so we hope this gives you a glimpse of God's grace in our lives. We love you all.