Speaking of dreams

I've been having a lot of dreams lately about the baby coming early and us not having anything we need for her. Then in childbirth class last night, a lady on the video was talking about how she had a dream that she gave birth to five rabbits. So I guess mine isn't too weird.

We just hit week 30, if you can believe it. Only ten more to go. It sounds crazy, but I'm going to miss being pregnant. I know that having the baby on the outside will be even more amazing, but these last few weeks have just been so much fun. Seeing her move inside of me and feeling her kick, and even getting woken up at all hours of the night. It's pretty amazing. Plus, we don't have to deal with the crying or the pooping right now, which is always a plus.

I've been getting to know one of our townhouse neighbors, which has been a lot of fun. She's also pregnant and is due about a month after I am. She's home during the day as well, so we've been taking our dogs to the park together and meeting up for lunch and such. It's nice to have someone to talk to and to eat with.

I think we've also found the church that we're going to commit to. It's in our neighborhood and just feels right for us. There are a lot of babies and young families, but plenty of older people as well. They do a lot of outreach and community stuff, which we really want to get involved in. We're going out of town this weekend, but when we get back we're going to give it another Sunday or two and then maybe pop in to one of the small groups.

So since I've been so bad at the picture posting thing, I figured I should post some to let you all see how fat I'm getting. It's pretty much all in my tummy and boobs, which is starting to really make me feel a little top-heavy. But as long as my butt doesn't get any bigger, I'm okay with that. These aren't the most flattering pictures in the world, but I didn't have time to Photoshop out my double-chin.

Love you girls!

Secret Agent Akers!

I dreamt last night that Chris and I were secret agents! We were on a mission in a foreign country that took place in an airport. We had to do a "trade" of documents, or money, or something... that our connecting contact (let's call him Alfie because he didn't have a name in my dream)didn't know about. It was my job to switch the documents from our bag to Alfie's. Chris and I met up with Alfie in the airport for coffee. When Alfie got up to pay, I quickly made the switch. We knew that once we made the switch, there would be only a short period of time before he would discover the switch, so then we had to get away (without him being suspicious of course). So the rest of the dream was Chris and I getting out of the airport, and away from Alfie (who discovered the switch before we were able to get out of the airport). It was all very exciting, and we were having fun!
I told Chris about the dream this morning and he replied "You weren't supposed to remember that. Now I have to get rid of you." I love Chris, he's so hilarious. And, i'm thankful for a husband who adores the fact that I'm a little bit loco!

prayer

Angie, I think it's great that you are developing your sense of urgency and commitment to pray for other people. You're becoming an intercessor. That's an awesome role in the body of Christ. It's something we all need to develop if we haven't already. I'll keep your uncle and friends in my prayers too. I know they're all going through a lot. Hope all of you girls are doing well. Liz, how's the pregnancy going thus far? How are you feeling? Kim, you're rounding the corner on that last trimester. Violet will be here before you know it! Steph, how's life in Tulsa? Jamie, I saw you guys got snow in Colorado this week. yuk! How are you guys doing? And Jenn, we need an update on you too. Love you girls!

The power of prayer...

I have been challenged in my prayer life in the past couple of weeks. Not necessarily to pray on my own behalf, but more on the behalf of others - those close to me. I've known for a long time that I need to be challenged in this area and I'm thankful to see some real, evident answers to my prayers and the prayers of others.

An update on my uncle Glenn...
He is doing very well. He has made a lot of progress this week and they were able to move him out of trauma and into ICU over the weekend. His lungs are healing well, in fact, as of yesterday evening he was breathing on his own for a 24 hour period (that may be longer now, I haven't heard an update today). Once he is able to breath on his own for 48 hours they will move him into rehab. The doctors say he is "out of the woods" now, but the healing process is not fun. The contusion on his brain needs time to heal, and in the mean time he needs to be tied down most of the time so he doesn't do anything that would hinder the process. This is probably the hardest time for the family. Reality has sunk in and now its just a waiting game. He is not himself and they have to limit their visits so not to over stimulate him. He gets very frustrated with his current position and is very irritable most of the time. The bone doctor said yesterday that his bones are healing very well, especially his collar bone, so they are very happy to hear that. The family is so thankful for the progress he has made and continue to believe for a "miraculously speedy, full recovery"
Specific prayer at this point as per the family:
1. Continual healing throughout his body, specifically the contusion on his brain.
2. A calming peace for my dad as he goes through this process and enters rehab.
And I would add to that list, overwhelming peace, patience and strength for the family as they go through the healing process with Glenn.
Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. The family is overwhelmed with the miracles God has performed in the life of their husband/dad. The power of prayer is so evident in this situation and they are so thankful for all the support they have received.

There are two other situations that I have been praying for that I haven't told you all about.
1. One of my very close friends is going through a lot of serious marital problems and is contemplating divorce. I have been praying strongly that God would intervene in their relationship and give them both an overwhelming strength to forgive each other. God has brought good things about in this situation over the past week, but she is still wavering. Please pray that God would open up her heart to forgiveness and open up her eyes to the reasons why she loves him. This has been one of the most challenging situations for me. I want to be a friend to her and the more I talk to her about this situation, the more I realize her stance on marriage is not as strong as it should be. There isn't much I can do, but pray and ask God to give me the words of encouragement that she needs, however hard that may be to hear.
2. Another good friend of mine is dealing with a very rough pregnancy. She is now about 4 months along and is still not able to keep a stitch of food or water down. For the past couple of weeks she has been on an IV at home that provides nourishment for her and her baby. I believe she is being recommended to a specialist this week. They have a 2 1/2 year old as well and are dealing with some other challenging situations in their life - change of job, trying to sell their condo and get into a better situation financially. This pregnancy was not planned and makes it that much harder.

So yea, pray for me, that I would be able to grow in my prayer life. Thanks so much for any and all prayer support you can and have given. I love you girls and am so thankful to have you in my life.

It's official...I'm an Auntie!

My very first niece was born on 10/10/07 at 6:09 PM. She was 9lbs 6oz (BIG baby!) and 21 inches long. Shay had to have a c-section, but everyone is doing very well - happy and healthy!

Update.

My uncle made some real progress over the weekend, but according to the doctors he is not "out of the woods" yet. In was in to visit on Sunday and we are so thankful for the good reports over the past few days. They have his breathing machine down to 40%, which means his lungs are providing for 60% of his breathing, which is huge progress. His oxygen counts were a little lower, but the doctors said that is normal in his case. He's been responding to the doctors as well. He can open his eyes when asked, as well as squeeze hands, follow commands, and respond to yes and no questions by shaking his head. They had him sitting up for therapy the other day and he seemed to do well with that as well.

The family is very pleased with the progress, but there is still a lot of recovery ahead of him. They are asking for people to continue to pray for his lungs and recovery, and also for wisdom as they make decisions to go back to work this week.

Thanks for your prayers, it really means a lot. Praise God for all that he is doing and continues to do in Glenn. We are looking forward to his full recovery.

Pray, pray, pray...

I don't usually ask people to pray for people they don't know, but this is a really serious situation and requires a lot of prayer.

My uncle Glenn was in a cycle accident last weekend. Somehow (the details of the accident are not clear) he lost control of his bike and went sideways into a fence. The whole one side of his body is pretty beat up. He had ruptured spleen (which was removed right away) swelling on his brain (luckily no blood), a major concussion, a broken nose and jaw, a fractured vertebrae in his neck and several in his back, a broken shoulder, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and ligaments torn in his knee. He has been in the ICU all week and has developed ARDS disease due to the trauma his body went through. Basically ARDS causes the lungs to tighten or stiffen.

The family has been through a lot of ups and downs this week. Currently Glenn is stable, but still in a comma. They have reduced his drugs to monitor his response and they are a bit concerned he is not responding more. However, the major concern right now is that his lungs will continue to respond favorably and his oxygen levels will continue to rise. Overall the outlook is hopeful that Glenn will come out of this, not only that, but come out of it will little to no major lasting effects.

Please pray that Glenn's lungs would continue to strengthen and that he would have a quicker-than-expected recovery. Also pray for his family. His daughter Shawna is our age and pregnant with the first grandchild. Pray that they would continue to have strength and hope. There are a lot of people praying for him, and we all believe he will be healed and whole in the end.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

motherhood

So, it's time for an update I think and I entitled this blog "Motherhood" because that is basically all that I have going on right now. I am starting to get hooked into some groups in Columbus and it's starting to feel more like a "life" here. The thing about life when you become a mom is that your whole world revolves around children and anything you can do that will allow you the cherished opportunity to relax and not have to entertain your children. Or at the very least, to take care of your children and entertain them along with other adult humans who can help preserve your sanity for a couple of brief hours. You stop even caring if you have something in common with the other women you are talking to because the very fact that they speak in full sentences and you don't have to wipe their noses is a huge improvement from your normal company of 2 year olds. So, I have been very lucky to be able to get involved in a support group for residents' wives at the hospital where Josh works. We have a playgroup activity with our children every Wednesday and we meet for food and adult conversation most Thursday nights. The extra benefit to this group is that everybody's husband is a grunt doctor like mine. So we are all equally desperate for people to hang out with and all understand what it feels like to be a single mom who actually has to maintain a healthy marriage without receiving any of the benefits of marriage (a husband who is present). We call ourselves the "widows club". I am also joining a group called MOMs. They have activities daily and it's nice because I can get out of the house pretty much every day if I want. (By the way girls, it's a National organization. So those of you who are soon to be joining me in the joys and perils of motherhood can find one in your area if you want in case you feel like you need a little support every now and then and need a fun place to go with your kids for sanity sake). So, all that to say... I am getting to know some people and that is very nice. Although, I have not yet met a single Christian woman who I could be friends with. I would really appreciate you guys' prayers for me that God would help us find a church, and that I can find at least one good Christian friend in Columbus. =)

So, Josh is doing well and staying extremely busy. He's actually on a really easy rotation this month so he's been home more than usual. He's had a lot of studying to do, but at least he's home more this month. He's only working about 70 hours a week this month. Yay! He also just had his attending evaluations done by his seniors. he got fantastic reviews and one attending even said he was "by far the most competent intern." Seth and Lilah are good. Lilah is getting teeth and is working pretty hard on standing one her own. She forgets that she needs to hold onto things and will stand for a few seconds. Someday soon we're hoping she'll realize that she doesn't actually have to hold onto things and can stand on her own quite well. Lilah is going to be my strong-willed child and is already flexing her will-power when she can. She also has a rather aggressive temper. We have no idea where that came from....

Seth has also hit a new milestone this week. He discovered that he is able to get out of his pack n play. This has been an exhausting milestone for us. Seth was up at 6:30am yesterday to ask Josh when he would be out of the shower. He refused to take a nap that afternoon because he "doesn't like it his bed." And last night we started putting him to bed at 8:30pm. He got out of bed and came out to the living room literally every 30 seconds until 11pm when we finally locked him into his room with a door knob cover. We talked to him, we sang to him, we prayed with him, we spanked him, and we put him back into bed completely ignoring him. We did everything that Dr. Phil, Super Nanny, and James Dobson all say to do to get your child to stay in bed... completely to no avail. There is no professional on child rearing that says to lock your children in their room until they fall asleep on the floor I'm pretty sure. But that is what we did. Because we had already put him back into bed at least 80 times. (I'm NOT exaggerating, every 30-60 seconds for 2 hours.) I found Seth asleep, standing up next to his bed, with his face and arms flopped across the side of his bed. He woke up at 7am today crying "Mommy! I need a hug! Please let me out!" That woke up Lilah. So I'm tired. Really tired. And I'm hoping Seth decides to start sleeping soon. I'm also just tired of diapers, and poop, and snot, and toys and messes, and of CONSTANTLY mediating fights over who had the toy first, and of picking green beans out of Lilah's thigh rolls. I'm tired of having to hide my car keys because my 2 year old son has an unnatural obsession with driving, and of having to remember to put my coffee up high every time I leave the room because Lilah will knock it over within 10 seconds. I'm tired of of digging chunks of my mail out of Lilah's mouth and of having to keep the bathroom door closed at ALL times because Lilah will eat the knobs at the bottom of the toilet while splashing in the toilet water. But now Lilah is flashing me a big snaggle-tooth grin and I admit that even though I'm tired of all the gross stuff that's part of motherhood, I really love that chubby grin and those smiles and cuddles that I get every once in a while throughout the day, or hearing Seth say that random hilarious thing. (He totally greeted my great Aunt from Texas last week who I've only seen like 3 times by saying "hi crazy mamba jamba!") Right now Josh is playing with Seth asking him about all the parts of his body. When Seth gets the answer correct, he gets tickled. Josh just asked him what his upper thigh is called and Seth just responded by pointing to his rear end and saying "it's my sugar pie!" I seriously have no idea where that came from! And even as I type and look at Lilah's single-toothed grin, I am realizing that she has a pistachio in her mouth that Seth gave her without me seeing him. I need to go dig it out of her mouth before she chokes. Love you girls! And thanks for giving me a chance to vent about my boring life with kids. =)

OMG

Oh My Gosh Liz! Congratulations! I had not even read your blog when I emailed you the other day or I would have congratulated you then. Sorry! I'm so happy for you and I hope you're feeling good. God Bless!

yea!

Congratulations Liz and Nathan!!! loved the pictures of the house too, looks like you have done a lot in a short time!

more news....

Well, you all should be very proud of me....blogging twice in the span of like a month or so. Things here continue to be busy. My new job is keeping me insanely busy, and grad school doesn't help matters. I can't wait until I'm done with my Master's. Only a few more months to go! The house is still coming along. I am uploading pics to Kodak as I type, so you will all have pics of the house shortly, along with some of Bella as well:) I couldn't resist. As much work as she is with everything else going on, it's so fun to come home from work and have her so excited to see me, and just want to play in my lap:) But many of you already relate to that.
Ah well, so we decided we apparantly did not have enough on our plates at the moment with continuous upgrades and work to be done to the house, the new dog, the new jobs, grad school, etc. This apparantly was not enough adventure for us at the moment, and we have officially embarked upon the new chapter of parenthood. Yes, we are pregnant! I am 9 weeks pregnant, and am due April 27th. We were going to wait till we were 3 months to spread the news, but our families couldn't make it that long. It's quite impressive we made it this far with them actually. Oh, and yes, it was planned. I figured I'd answer that now, as that seem to be the first question. So that's our newest news, and the most exciting by far in our minds. I wanted to make sure I shared it with my girls.

Mia Ann Ekle

I have a new niece! That makes 12 (i think) nieces and nephews. Mia Ann Ekle was born last night in Seattle, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces and born with a full head of black hair. yea :)

Labor Day Weekend...

Hi all... I've really been meaning to post for quite some time. I still don't have Internet at home and feel bad taking more time to surf the net than I already do.

This summer was pretty busy for us. After Seattle, we sent 4th of July in Ohio. We decided to visit his Grandfather last minute cause he wasn't doing well. He's been dealing with prostate cancer for almost a year now and the doctors have pretty much done all they can. In spite of that, he has been doing much better lately. The last I heard he was getting up and around a lot more than he had and we are so thankful for this turn of events. He really didn't look well when we were up last.
Between now and then we had a couple of small trips and a nice week long vacation at the beach with my family. The summer went so fast, which brings me Labor Day weekend. The in-laws were in town, which mean lots of talking and entertaining for us. Overall I think it was a success and I'm pretty sure they had a good time, but let me tell you I'm very exhausted. I need a holiday to recoup from the holiday weekend. They stayed in town till yesterday, which extended the weekend a little longer than usual. Anyway... I survived.

Well I guess there isn't much else to say. Things are good. Sounds like you all are busy with changes in your lives - new puppies, new homes, new babies... What an exciting time for all of us. I just wish I could join in the fun. Soon enough I'm sure.

Talk to you all soon, until then keep it real.

Back again....

So i realize it's been far too long since I've blogged, so here I am. Things have actually been quite insane here with us since June when we closed on the house. The home we bought was a foreclosed house, and the previous owners took pretty much everything with them before they left (appliances, even the air conditioner!). So we had tons of work to do. We actually since have tons of work to do, but it's coming along. We had a lot to do before we could really even live here, and there was a rush to get it done because my parents had summer company, and we were taking up the guest room. Anyway, much of the inside is now done, which leaves us with some decorating, and the formidable task of the landscaping. I need to finish taking the "afters" of the before and after pics, but once I get those taken, I'll send them to everyone. We definitely are happy with the house, despite the work. The up-side to buying a house that needs work is that when it's done, it's exactly what you wanted, so that's nice. And the house is also only 7 years old, so it's like new now.

On other news, we also bought a puppy, as if a new home and all the work that comes with it wasn't enough for us. Her name is Bella and she's a Yorkie and she's just over 12 weeks old. I will also mention I think she's more work than many children sometimes. But she's starting to come along with her house training, so that helps matters quite a lot. I hate to leave her home while I'm at work:(

Which brings me to the topic of my employment status. After being unemployed for many months, I got a job as a preschool teacher, which I was more than happy to leave after a couple months of that. Not my calling. I just now started my first full week of school in my new job, which is great so far. I got a jobs as an elementary resource teacher in pretty much the best school district in southern Michigan. It's going to be an interesting year, as this city is one of the wealthiest in the country! I've even already had parents look me up online to check me out. But it should be fun. I'm happy to be back in elementary again and am looking forward to getting into the swing of things and finding my groove there. Also on the job front, Nathan is still enjoying his job. Things were very busy there for a while, adding to the stress of renovating and moving, but they've calmed down a lot now. So we're in the process of settling into our new life in our new home with our new jobs and our new little puppy. :) I wish it was really as idyllic as it sounds:) lol. I guess things like that never are. But we're enjoying the new adventures!

I've read the blog and kept up on everyone's life, even though I haven't posted, and it sounds like everyone is doing quite well. Kim, you'll also have to post pics of the new place. And let us know how the pregnancy is progressing! Jamie, congrats on the new position. It sounds right up your alley. How do you like having different kids all day? I love it. Julie, how's life in Ohio? You also need to post pics of the new house. Ok, I've gotta go work on a paper. I'm only 2 classes and comprehensive finals away from my Master's!! Whoo hoo!

Updates

So things went better than planned with Shawn's job - he's not hired on contract basis but on part time basis with a verbal agreement to work full time starting in December, which includes a renegotiation in salary at that time. Not bad at all. We're very happy with it. He's starting on Monday, so for the next week or so he'll be doing both jobs and school.





We went to MN over the weekend and had a great trip aside from the food poisoning from Taco Bell that put a damper on our first day there. Other than that, it was wonderful to see everyone...Shay is very pregnant and very ready to have little Madeline Loveday Rohde in this world. I can't wait to see what she looks like. We also went to dinner with bunch of my dad's side of the family after the shower - lots of cousins that I haven't seen in a long time. So, now I'm back at work and glad it's just a 4 day week! I have big plans of cleaning and organizing this weekend! I am actually very excited about it. I may even start on Friday night. :-)

Thank You for your prayers

Chad went home yesterday afternoon! The doctor has told him that he can return to college in January but Chad has decided he will prove the doctors wrong and be back by the end of September. The doctors have been amazed at his recovery and are shocked they sent him home so soon!! There is nothing left to do except praise God!

update on Chad

Hi girls,
I'm so glad today is Friday. I hope to take several naps this weekend as I had something going on every single night this week. I'm exhausted!
Wanted to give you all an update on Chad. The surgery was yesterday and the hospital staff all say it went as good as can be expected. The GREAT news is that Chad started moving his extremeties immediately after surgery. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!! Chad took out his own breathing tube, another good sign. He is currently in ICU. Prayer requests at this point would be specifically:
1. that his previous symptoms would reverse
2. for there to be no swelling or bleeding as these are the two major concerns
3. quick recovery
4. Chad's emotional state
I'd like to use this time to say how much I love coffee. I'm serious! I LOVE coffee. It's getting me through these days!
So, Nobu is nearing on the 60 pound mark and has more and more energy every day. Funny, it's been raining for a week straight here and this "water dog" will not go for a walk in the rain. He also has to be coersed to go potty in the rain. honestly, it's not fun walking outside first thing in the morning, wrapped in a towel, and stand in the rain waiting for your pokey puppy to take a poo. Yes, this was the picture of us at 6 AM today! (we have a fenced in yard, i was covered!)
So Hobby Lobby has scrapbooking paper 50% off this week - i stocked up! I purchased $52.80 worth of paper, for only $26.40! How amazing is THAT!
And here's my final piece of breaking news. I just can't take it anymore. I've been keeping a secret from my blog reading friends (personal blog). This is a great feat for me since I have always been known to be a terrible secret keeper. You may think i don't deserve credit, because i haven't kept the secret from everyone. But, I'm taking baby steps here (big baby steps in my mind!) Oh, and most of you already know, so it's not really that big of a secret... On Saturday, September 1st, we get to bring home this cutie to join our family!!! Everyone, please meet Fujiko!

Life seems a bit crazy!

I've been thinking a lot about you all. This week started my third week of school and things are crazy. I love my new position as the Tech teacher. I'm really busy all day, but I spend it all with kids. I see the Kindergarteners - 6th grade. Each grade has it's uniqueness about it. My 2nd graders have to be the cutest. They are so poliet. They always ask how my day is going and tell me regularly that they love me. :) It is so cute.

My 5th graders are pretty good, but are starting to get attitude. :) My other favorite class is 6th grade, but that is only because they were my kiddos last year. I'm learning lots about computers and I'm really busy with school now. I've laid low the last few years and didn't get very involved with what happened at school. All has changed this year. I'm running lots of after school classes and committees. I'm going to love my break when it arrives.

Nick's family is coming for Labor day, so that will be exciting. I'm hoping that I will be prego by then, but nothing to report yet. It's been tough the past few weeks with the pregnancy stuff. I have a few friends around here that have gotten prego on the first try. I know God has a plan, but it is a little hard when you don't know His plan fully. I know you all understand that.

I love reading about what is going on in your worlds!! I'm praying for each of you daily. Keep posting!!

Kim...send pictures of your new house!!

Hi girls - It sounds like its been a pretty rough couple of weeks. I, too, have missed hearing from everyone, but I understand that life just plain gets busy sometimes. Kimmie, I am so sorry to hear about your Grandmother. I am keeping you and your family in my prayers more than usual this week. Juls, I am so glad you're close to your family right now. I would love it if you were here still - I could really use you around about now! - but I am so glad that your family is close to help you get through this challenging season. I really wish I was able to make it up to Ohio for the shower so I could see both you and Kim.

Thanks to all of you for all your birthday wishes! It was a good birthday, but I hope this year is even better than last. Things are looking up in the Cobb household. Shawn just has one semester left of school (yay!) and we just found out yesterday that the job situation is going to greatly improve. He will start next semester working on a contract basis (part time) for a company here in Tulsa as a Controls Engineer. When he finishes school in December, he will (hopefully) be signed as a regular salaried employee of the company. That's the plan, anyway, and it sounds like a great plan to me. Once he starts working full time, I can look at just working part time and going back to school. The financial burden will not be nearly as great, so that is music to my ears. That means more time and money to go visit my family and my Sapphires.

We are heading up to Minnesota over Labor Day to see my family. I am throwing a shower for my sister in law and my (soon to be) niece. The Dr. bumped her due date up to October 2. It's getting so close, I can hardly wait! We also got to spend some time with Shawn's niece and nephew and his mom last weekend. It was fun! But I would have liked it a lot more if we weren't all crammed into our tiny whiney apartment. :-)

Ok, well I suppose that should be all for now! I love you girls, and I think about you all the time. Let's get better at blogging, ok?

Adios!

sorry

Hi Girls,

Kim, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandma. I'm sure it's hard even when it's kind of her time and you've been expecting it. I'm sure it's especially hard because you can't make it into town for the funeral and stuff. That would be really hard. You and your dad are in my prayers.

I hope all the rest of you are doing well. People haven't been posting much since Seattle. I think maybe we all got our talking and updating out of our systems when we were together. =) I miss you all though. We've just been getting settled into life in Ohio. Josh is working all the time, about 90-100 hours per week. So we don't get much time together. The kids are good. They're getting big and staying busy and active. I'm still babysitting 3 days a week. We're still trying to find a church and I'm still trying to find friends and activities to do with the kids. That's about it for us. I've been going to my parents' house a lot when Josh is on call and that's been a huge blessing for me with his work schedule. I'm really glad that we're near family for residency. I don't think I could have survived otherwise! Love you all!