Here he is!

Well, Jonathan is here, and he's now almost 6 weeks old. Wow, time has really flown. In a way I can't believe he's already been here that long, and then at the same time it's like he's been here with us all along. I have to say that these past 6 weeks have been absolutely fantastic. Jonathan is so amazing, and he's already growing so fast! He's already smiling at us and trying so hard to make baby babble to us. As I sit and hold him I can't help but wonder what his little hands and feet are going to do someday. I wonder what things he will love and hate, who his friends will be, what his greatest accomplishments and hardest struggles will be. And Ben is just the best dad ever. He has been so supportive and loving to me, and is always happy to jump in and change a diaper or hold Jonathan whenever he can. He is the best!!!

Waiting for Jonathan

Well, we are about 2 weeks away from our due date, and ready for Jonathan to be here! Ben's dad gave me some baby pictures of Ben today and I couldn't stop staring at them, trying to figure out if they looked like Jonathan did in the ultrasound. Silly, I know, because who can really tell what anything looks like in an ultrasound, but I tried. His room is almost ready and I can't believe we're so close to meeting our baby boy!

Kristen

It's a BOY!

The long wait to find out the big gender question finally came to an end the Tuesday before Christmas. As the title points out, we will be having a boy! He cooperated perfectly with the ultrasound and was moving around like crazy. Our Scottish ultrasound nurse was very patient with us (me especially) as she pointed out things on the screen. Wow, it is difficult to see what is going on with those things. We have decided to name him Jonathan after my grandfather Trueblood. We are still unsure about a middle name.

The weeks are flying by and Jonathan is moving around more than ever! Kristen is still feeling him a lot more than I am, for obvious reasons, but when I jump at the opportunity every chance I get. April 27th seems like so far away but if the time to this point is any indicator then I know it will be here before we know it.

Now that things are happening more often we will do our best to keep this updated for all of you to check out if you so desire.

New Life

We are having a baby! Kristen is 12 weeks pregnant this week, and according to babycenter.com, that means that our baby is about the size of a lime. Wow, that is crazy to think about. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat two weeks ago at our doctor visit and I have to say that is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. We both sat with eager anticipation as the doctor began to search for the heartbeat and when she found it our reaction can be described only as shock and excitement. We heard it for abot 45 seconds or so and that was not long enough. I think that we could listen to it for hours on end.

We are both very excited and know that many changes are ahead for us and our family. What changes? I'm not sure i can answer that yet but I know that all of you with children probably know the answer already. All we know is that things will change in a major way and it is a change that we are anticipating both with nervousness and joy.

The next big thing will be in about 8 weeks when we can find out the sex of the baby, and yes we will be finding out. It is kind of strange to me to refer to the baby as "it" or just the generic "baby" during this time when we do not know. I am ready to begin saying "he" or "she." Which brings me to the next question. Everyone wants to know what we would prefer to have, boy or girl. I have asked that question of those who have been pregnant and now I realize the difficulty in giving an answer. It is something that we are truly undecided upon and I think it will remain that way until we find out in 8 long weeks.

We will definately keep you all up to date on what is going on throughout this time. Please remember to keep Kristen in your prayers. Pray for her health and the health of the baby. We appreciate it more than you know!

busy...

We have started tonight what will be a week of long days and late nights. The reason for this is the Team Impact Crusade that began tonight at church. The crusade will last until Wednesday night and we will be going to 30+ school assemblies this week with the guys from the team. Wow, every time i think about it I am blown away at the amount of work that will be done this week.

Work, yes but worth every long day and every late night. The guys from the team are amazing. They are authentic men of integrity who breathe to see people come to Christ. Many times when people hear of Team Impact or something similar the immediate thought is, "that's a children and youth thing." Well, I was impacted tonight not by muscles, broken concrete or snapped handcuffs. As I stood in the baptism water I was impacted by the 50+ year old man who I was about to baptize. Children and youth event only? Not for Bruce. I will never forget the look of excitement on his face when I brought him up out of the water. He shook my hand and thanked me and there was so much passion and sincereity in his eyes. Bruce was definately experiencing what it means to have new life in Christ!

Tonight, lives were forever changed through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we are so thankful that He is blessing us to be a small part of what He is doing in Springdale, Arkansas.