It's been awhile since I've last written on here and thought it needed an update. :) Jericho is not over 5 months old, his first tooth popped up, and he has started to eat solids. Since the last story I wrote about was his birth I feel like I've been neglectful of the blog.
My friend from church, Lauren Sheehan, and I are going to Latvia from July 23rd-August 2nd. We both have a story as to how we felt the Lord's leading and calling to go to Latvia. I read the book "Radical" as Myron and Josh were teaching on it at church. One of the challenges in the book it to pray for other counties. One morning I was in prayer and the country of Latvia came to mind. I thought that's interesting, I don't know anything about Latvia and even thought - is it even a country? I made a mental note to ask Myron about it later in the afternoon as he was at church praying at the time.
That afternoon I asked Myron if there was any country that he was praying specifically for. He said that he had been praying for a lot of different countries and there wasn't one in particular and then asked me why I was asking. I told him the country of Latvia came to mind this morning when I was praying. I then told him that I wasn't even sure it was a country and asked to use his iphone to look it up. While I was looking it up on his phone, he said, "that's going to really trip me out if it is a country". I found out that it was part of the former Soviet Union and was indeed a country. What Myron then said next almost made me laugh, he said, "you're suppose to go, take a group of women, and plant a church". I thought, what is his talking about? I know nothing about Latvia, nothing about church planting, and I have a son who is only a couple of months old. Myron encouraged me to learn all I could about Latvia in the next few days.
That afternoon I was searching different ministries in Latvia and found an organization called "Bridge Builders International (BBI)" which is interesting because our church name is Bridge. I enjoyed searching the site and while I was reading about the missionaries that BBI support, I came across a Kristine Peterson which is interesting because I was Kristin Petersen before I got married. Another thing that was interesting about searching the Bridge Builders International site was that there is a Hope Center that is supported through BBI. I used to work at the Hope Center. After finding these things, I started to be convinced that it wasn't just a coincidence. There were also other little things like seeing a billboard that week that advertised "The Beauty of the Ukraine" at Joslyn Art Museum, meeting a Russian at a coffee shop, eating at a place that serves sandwiches with "Russian Dressing", finding a hostel in Latvia that gives a left hander discount in July (I'm left handed and Myron said I would be going the last week of July and I have NEVER seen a left hander discount), although these are all little things, they were big to me. You might be thinking, but Ukraine and Russia are NOT Latvia. That's true but Russia is next to Latvia and there are a lot of Russians in Latvia. Ukraine is also part of the former Soviet Union. All of these things made me realize, maybe I am supposed to go to Latvia!
I began to talk to friends and family about Latvia as well as be in prayer about who would come with me. I didn't feel like I was supposed to take a large group at first since I've never been over there myself. I even asked a couple of friends if they would be in prayer about coming along with. After a few weeks, my friend Lauren said that she also felt called to come with. Lauren and I sat down and began to plan and pray. We have felt the Lord's hand over the trip throughout the process. We had had a couple of setbacks and things that have been discouraging for us but it hasn't stopped us.
While we were looking to purchase tickets, we found a legit website that had the cheapest airfare that I had seen (and I searched for awhile). We ended up getting tickets to Estonia which is the country north of Latvia and only about a 4 hour bus ride to Riga, the capitol of Latvia for $775! Wow! I hadn't seen anything less than around $930 with the normal prices being around $1,200.
We have connected with different ministries that we will visit while there; a church that Bridge Builders International connected us with, YWAM - Riga, Sparrow's Nest Orphanage, and Hope Center which is a center for pregnant and teen mothers. It has been an honor to connect with these ministries as we go and see what the Lord is already up to in Latvia and see what the Lord stirs in our hearts while there.
We would love your prayers! We leave Omaha (Lord willing the airport doesn't flood) on Saturday, July 23rd and return on Tuesday, August 2nd. We have about 75% of our support in so pray that the Lord continues to provide funds. Pray for our hearts and the hearts of those we will encounter. Pray for safety in travel and health while we are there. Pray for guidance and the Lord's leading. Thank you for your support!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Jericho's Pregnancy and Birth Story
We found out we were pregnant the day after our first anniversary - May 18, 2010. I took a home pregnancy test while Myron was at class at Grace University. Although I was hoping for a positive test, I don't think I really expected it to be positive. After the shock of realizing I was pregnant wore off, I put a few baby items in a gift bag and put it on the kitchen table. When Myron got home he saw my big smile and the gift bag on the table and asked what the gift was for - at which my reply was, "it's for someone who is having a baby" and told him to open it. As he unpacked the gift bag, he saw the positive pregnancy test and asked me if it was really true. Soon after Myron told me that it was a boy and that the Lord told him that his name was going to be Jericho.
At 8 weeks along I went to see Dr. Jacobi who was my gynecologist and who I was planning on having deliver our baby. At 20 weeks along I decided I wanted to switch to the midwives at Methodist. I liked the approach of what midwives offer as I didn't have any complications with my pregnancy or any health risks. The midwives at Methodist operate in a team of 3 and you rotate who you see at each appointment therefore getting to know all of them. Who ever is on-call when you go into labor is who delivers the baby. I wanted to attempt a natural birth and thought it would be best to have a midwife deliver the baby as they have a more natural approach and were with me more during labor than a doctor would have been.
The pregnancy went well and we looked forward to the day our child would be born. At 20 weeks I found out that we were having a boy - I say "I" found out and not "we" because Myron said that he knew at 4 weeks along that it was a boy. He wasn't surprised at all during the ultrasound when the tech announced he was a boy but I was! I shouldn't have doubted him. :)
Jericho was due on January 25, 2011 but I thought I would go into labor early. I was 10 days early myself and my sister also goes into labor early so I thought it was in my genes. I was also progressing well and it looked like he might come early. Well, babies come when they are ready, not when we want them to! On January 24th, I went in for my 40 week check up and found out I was 4-5 cm dilated. Although I was almost half way there, I wasn't expecting to go into labor (but was hoping) since my earlier prediction didn't come true. That night, Myron and I went out to dinner and I felt different but wasn't sure if that meant anything although I was hoping Jericho was on his way.
On January 25th, Myron woke up at 5 am for a meeting and I woke up at that time as well. Toward the end of my pregnancy, once I was awake it was hard for me to go back to sleep. That morning I decided to get my day started and took a shower. I thought I felt contractions but had been feeling Braxton Hicks for a little while so I was waiting to see if these were the real thing. After getting ready for the day, I checked facebook and ate a bagel. At this time I realized that these contractions were the real thing and they were coming closer together. I called Myron and told him he better get home. At 7:00 am we were out the door and headed to my parents house since they live close to the hospital we delivered at. It wasn't long after we were at my parents home when I threw up and we decided we better get to the hospital soon. At 8:00 am we arrived at Methodist Women's Hospital..
My sister, Rachel, has delivered two children naturally and I asked if she would be at the birth to encourage me and be somewhat of a doula. Rachel lives in St. Louis with her family and decided to stay in Omaha after coming up in early January for Christmas. Rachel, Madeline, and Clare stayed with my parents until Jericho was born which was about 3 weeks! Thank you to my parents and Rachel for your sacrifices to make this happen. We had fun with Madeline and Clare while they were in town and I was grateful to see them almost every day.
While at the hospital, we walked the halls a lot to progress labor. CeCe was the midwife that was on-call that day and she arrived around 9:30 am. CeCe checked me at this time and I was about 6 cm. Around 11 am I was at 8 cm and CeCe suggested breaking my water at that point. I decided I wanted to let it break on its own and was willing to wait a little while longer. We walked the halls some more and I did squats during the contractions. What really helped with the pain was having Myron press my hips together and apply counter pressure on my lower back. Jericho was "sunny side up" which means I was having back labor. Although my lower back hurt, I've had worse back pain in my life. CeCe, the labor and delivery nurse, Myron, and Rachel helped encourage me throughout the day. I was expecting to get into the hot tub but CeCe said that it might stall labor so as long as I was doing ok, we would try other methods instead of getting into the hot tub. We walked the halls some more and at this point the contractions were getting stronger. By the time we got back to room, we spent about 30 minutes in there as I was trying to concentrate during the contractions. Once CeCe checked me again, it was time to push.. At that point I started to get very excited since I thought I still needed to dilate more. The pushing felt great since I didn't feel the contractions as much. After 30-40 minutes of pushing, Jericho Thomas was born at 2:02 pm. He was 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long.
Having a natural birth was a wonderful experience! Women's bodies were made to give birth and the body really does give natural drugs which helps with the pain. Most of it is mind over matter - the times I was most nervous during labor was when I was wondering if I could really do it and asked myself the question, "how bad is this really going to get, will it be bad enough that I can't handle it?" I know not everyone has the same experience and there are times when medication is a good and helpful thing. I wasn't against getting an epidural if I felt I wasn't progressing on my own or felt like I needed the pain relief.
Birth is an amazing thing and a child is a miracle. So grateful for our miracle, Jericho!
At 8 weeks along I went to see Dr. Jacobi who was my gynecologist and who I was planning on having deliver our baby. At 20 weeks along I decided I wanted to switch to the midwives at Methodist. I liked the approach of what midwives offer as I didn't have any complications with my pregnancy or any health risks. The midwives at Methodist operate in a team of 3 and you rotate who you see at each appointment therefore getting to know all of them. Who ever is on-call when you go into labor is who delivers the baby. I wanted to attempt a natural birth and thought it would be best to have a midwife deliver the baby as they have a more natural approach and were with me more during labor than a doctor would have been.
The pregnancy went well and we looked forward to the day our child would be born. At 20 weeks I found out that we were having a boy - I say "I" found out and not "we" because Myron said that he knew at 4 weeks along that it was a boy. He wasn't surprised at all during the ultrasound when the tech announced he was a boy but I was! I shouldn't have doubted him. :)
Jericho was due on January 25, 2011 but I thought I would go into labor early. I was 10 days early myself and my sister also goes into labor early so I thought it was in my genes. I was also progressing well and it looked like he might come early. Well, babies come when they are ready, not when we want them to! On January 24th, I went in for my 40 week check up and found out I was 4-5 cm dilated. Although I was almost half way there, I wasn't expecting to go into labor (but was hoping) since my earlier prediction didn't come true. That night, Myron and I went out to dinner and I felt different but wasn't sure if that meant anything although I was hoping Jericho was on his way.
On January 25th, Myron woke up at 5 am for a meeting and I woke up at that time as well. Toward the end of my pregnancy, once I was awake it was hard for me to go back to sleep. That morning I decided to get my day started and took a shower. I thought I felt contractions but had been feeling Braxton Hicks for a little while so I was waiting to see if these were the real thing. After getting ready for the day, I checked facebook and ate a bagel. At this time I realized that these contractions were the real thing and they were coming closer together. I called Myron and told him he better get home. At 7:00 am we were out the door and headed to my parents house since they live close to the hospital we delivered at. It wasn't long after we were at my parents home when I threw up and we decided we better get to the hospital soon. At 8:00 am we arrived at Methodist Women's Hospital..
My sister, Rachel, has delivered two children naturally and I asked if she would be at the birth to encourage me and be somewhat of a doula. Rachel lives in St. Louis with her family and decided to stay in Omaha after coming up in early January for Christmas. Rachel, Madeline, and Clare stayed with my parents until Jericho was born which was about 3 weeks! Thank you to my parents and Rachel for your sacrifices to make this happen. We had fun with Madeline and Clare while they were in town and I was grateful to see them almost every day.
While at the hospital, we walked the halls a lot to progress labor. CeCe was the midwife that was on-call that day and she arrived around 9:30 am. CeCe checked me at this time and I was about 6 cm. Around 11 am I was at 8 cm and CeCe suggested breaking my water at that point. I decided I wanted to let it break on its own and was willing to wait a little while longer. We walked the halls some more and I did squats during the contractions. What really helped with the pain was having Myron press my hips together and apply counter pressure on my lower back. Jericho was "sunny side up" which means I was having back labor. Although my lower back hurt, I've had worse back pain in my life. CeCe, the labor and delivery nurse, Myron, and Rachel helped encourage me throughout the day. I was expecting to get into the hot tub but CeCe said that it might stall labor so as long as I was doing ok, we would try other methods instead of getting into the hot tub. We walked the halls some more and at this point the contractions were getting stronger. By the time we got back to room, we spent about 30 minutes in there as I was trying to concentrate during the contractions. Once CeCe checked me again, it was time to push.. At that point I started to get very excited since I thought I still needed to dilate more. The pushing felt great since I didn't feel the contractions as much. After 30-40 minutes of pushing, Jericho Thomas was born at 2:02 pm. He was 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long.
Having a natural birth was a wonderful experience! Women's bodies were made to give birth and the body really does give natural drugs which helps with the pain. Most of it is mind over matter - the times I was most nervous during labor was when I was wondering if I could really do it and asked myself the question, "how bad is this really going to get, will it be bad enough that I can't handle it?" I know not everyone has the same experience and there are times when medication is a good and helpful thing. I wasn't against getting an epidural if I felt I wasn't progressing on my own or felt like I needed the pain relief.
Birth is an amazing thing and a child is a miracle. So grateful for our miracle, Jericho!
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