INTRODUCING . . .

Our newest addition!!!

Aaron Jager Vanderwest joined our family at 3:08 pm on 3/03/08!!! He is a healthy boy - received a ‘10’ rating on his Apgar test and everything! At 9 lb. 2 oz. and 21 ½,” he is a sweet bundle. All went well with delivery – THANK YOU for praying for us! I am a convert to the epidural; why on earth hadn’t I tried that before? I was able to take two naps during labor and it was a rather peaceful, quiet day prior to delivery. Quiet is not a word we typically use to describe our home, so it was a pleasant change to enjoy some restful time together.

I just re-read the above paragraph: Don't think there wasn't any pain, however-just much less than previous deliveries! :) I mentioned to my high schoolers that they could "say a prayer for me Monday" and one of them asked, "Why would you need prayers?" I assured him I could use all the prayers offered for me at ANY time, and then asked, "Do you know what the word 'labor' means?" Another student called out, "It means WORK!" "Yes, it does . . . and that is why prayers are welcomed," I answered. :)

Aaron is Hebrew, meaning 'mountain of strength.' The name Jager means ‘hunter.’ More importantly, Jager (pronunciation as in Mick Jagger) is a family name. Ken’s Mom was Shirley Jager before becoming Shirley Vanderwest. With our four children, we are glad we could honor each grandparent through their middle names.

To me, Aaron has strong similarities to Robyn at birth. He is a champion eater and we believe he is adorable!! He is a beautiful miracle and we are awed that God has blessed us with him.

Thank you for your love and prayers. If you would, please pray for our transition as a family and that Mom and Dad would have love, joy, strength, and patience. (and all the other fruits of the spirit!! :) It is my (our) desire to relish and make the most of each day and phase of our children's lives. Sometimes this is difficult in our active household.

Will post more soon. Please praise God with us!

Due Dates Are Overrated!

That's my thought for the day/week! I shared that with my students on Tuesday and after they chuckled about it, one smart cookie in the back raised his hand and said, "So, the due date you gave us for that essay that was due today was overrated, too?!" He's one who has a keen mind. I smiled and said, "That is ONLY regarding pregnancy!!" Bummer for him that his essay was turned in a day later (and subsequently marked down). :)

Went to the Dr. on Tuesday afternoon. His words: "There's nothing happening." "But Dr., this is my 4th child!" He smiled pleasantly and responded, "Babies come when they want to come . . . "

Robyn asked me this morning, "Mom, when IS our baby coming??!!" She is the most verbally excited about our new baby's arrival, and her excitement makes me smile. Nathan is hoping he/she holds off until March, so we have two children's birthdays in February and two in March. (How did THAT happen?!) I still say Leap Day is a cool day to have a baby . . .

I AM GRATEFUL to be feeling well this week. As long as I feel baby continuing to move, my mind and heart are re-asssured. Dr. doesn't want me going over more than six days, so the plan is to be induced (with epidural, let me assure you - never had one before, but see no reason to endure extreme pain with #4!) on Monday morning, if I don't go into labor before then. I am pleased that Dr. Karnes is on call Friday through Monday, so he will deliver our baby. He's a neat Christian man and I love how he prays with the mother/parents at the first OB appointment and after delivery.

I'm also glad I've continued to teach this week - gives me something productive to do and keep my mind off of the Big Question: "When is this baby coming?" (Though my students look surprised each day to see me.) I made cupcakes for my English classes and we'll have a little celebration tomorrow (I'll emphasize we're celebrating the upcoming birth, NOT that Mrs. Vanderwest is "outta here!!" :) They're great students and I will miss them. It's been fun to have high schoolers "walk through" this journey with me. I hope and pray they have realized/been impacted that being married to a solid, loving person, and then having children together is the BEST route to take! I also hope it's impacted them that a pregnancy = a child, not a mass of tissue/matter. Lastly, I hope they have seen the joy through me of how special and precious children are - and THEY are.

SO, that's the news from Lake Wobegon. Happy Trails to You, until we meet again!

Let's Have a Contest!

OK, blog readers - a contest for you. I've had a contest at school with each of my three classes, where they guess the gender, birthdate, height, and length of our baby. After he/she is born, I'll stop by and introduce the baby and award a prize to the winner in each class. SO, let's do the same here.

In the comment section, make your guess! Include just gender and birthdate - oh, and your name, too. I will send a prize to the closest guesser . . . perhaps of the chocolate variety. Although if Sara Fisher wins, I think I could rummage around in the cupboard and find some coffee to send her way. By the way, official due date is February 26, and remember it's a leap year, so there's 29 days in February (one of my students guessed 2-31-08 - Hmmm.)

My maternity leave sub "shadowed" me yesterday and I am pleased to leave my students in good hands with her. I have been concerned and praying about that for a while - I have wonderful students and want them with a competent person. Our day went well and I have confidence in her. Thank you, God, for answered prayer! I plan to teach through Friday, February 29, unless baby or much discomfort comes first. She is "on hold" - will be there when I need her from this point on. Lynn is a mom with three school-age children who would like to re-enter the teaching field. I think some of my male high school students were hoping for a cute, young, female teacher, because the only thing they wanted to know was "How old is she?" When I told them she was older than me and married with three children, they seemed rather disappointed. :)

Let the guessing begin!