And unto us a son was born

This is our son, Isaac Jean Garcia:



Isaac means "laughter" and Jean, which is a variant of John, means "the Lord is gracious." But his names have higher meaning to us. We chose Isaac because, like God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah, he also promised a son to my husband and I, and we too had to wait and wait for him to arrive (it took about two and half years to conceive him). And Jean was my husband's Grandmother's middle name who passed away about two weeks before her great grandson was born.

Isaac was born on St. Patty's Day, weighing in at 7lbs, 4ozs and was 22" long. Why is it that babies are measured by length instead of height I don't know....

Now that he's almost three weeks old he weighs 7lbs, 13 1/2ozs and is 21 1/2" long...how he shrunk I don't know. He sleeps a lot but not when mommy and daddy want to. He's a sweet baby and gentle like he was in the womb. He loves his head rubbed like his daddy and his back tickled like his mommy...it puts him right to sleep. He is very ticklish which is cute because he squirms. He's starting to coo and he's holding his head up for longer periods of time...although he still resembles a bobble head doll most of the time.

Our days are filled with lots of boob and huggies products but these are the best days of my life. I would take staring into his eyes and holding onto his hands over a repeat of any other day of my life it's that good.

Unicat:

This word popped up as my verification word needed to give another fellow blogger a comment on their latest post and I think I know what it means:



It's a one-eyed, one-horned putty tat! Too bad it's not purple, doesn't fly or eat people.

Little did I know, Unicat isn't as cute an innocent as he looks in real life:



Ah...the things one can find on google images.

Serious problem

So I have one more thought that I've been waiting to blog about: Homelessness. In a recent news report on the economy which is in shambles (if you haven't noticed, you will), Sacramento, California's latest homeless count was 1,226 homeless people.

Here's a statistic that will wake you butt up: Bellingham, Washington's homeless count as of March 2008 (this year's count hasn't been released yet) was 1,326 people. Because I have insider knowledge, I know the count is closer to 2,000 for this year. Bellingham's population? 67,171. Population of Sacramento? 1,223,499. Percentage of people homeless in Bellingham (based off of last year's statistics)? Almost 2 percent. Sacramento? point 1 percent.

When I mention homeless people, this includes: men, women, children. There are just over 200 results when I search for churches in Bellingham and over 900 when I search Sacramento. People, where's God's hands and feet in this? What if each church adopted a homeless family? We'd get rid of homelessness or significantly decrease it.

Now I understand some homeless people prefer to be that way and there's more than likely nothing you can do to reach them. However, there is an even larger percentage that you don't see that need the help.

If you found yourself homeless, would you want your own stereo-type to be shunned upon you? It can happen. Think about that the next time you drive past someone on the side of the street. Maybe pack a costco-sized box of granola bars in your back seat at all times and hand them out when you see the next guy on the side of the street. Who says money is all they need? I can guarantee God will bless you if you bless someone else.

Please check out the Lighthouse Mission's website and make sure to read the article on Panhandling. Maybe it will open your eyes.

He's not coming out!

I am an elephant with a gestation period of 22 months and won't get to meet my son for another year.

Currently I am 6 days past my due date. I don't want to go anywhere right now because every time I do somebody asks me what my due date is and I say, "6 days ago." Then I get the, "well I thought you were about ready to pop but didn't want to say anything" response, as I'm thinking "what changed your mind from thinking you should say it after knowing that important piece of information?" At this point I don't like it being rubbed in. My belly is huge, my stretch has stretched to the max, I'm afraid of having a 12 pound baby and then what will I do with all the newborn diapers we have that won't fit him because he came out too big, my feet are swollen, my back hurts, my husband is asking me every five minutes how I'm doing (sweet but honey, I'm still pregnant...how do you think I'm doing), I have a bazillion phone calls during the day where I answer the phone, "no baby yet" because I know the reason they're calling. And although I'm very appreciative of all the support I'm getting, the back rubs, the foot rubs, my husband having to re-paint my toenails, my BFF surprising me with a good book and some 'give birth' remedies, I just want to meet my son that I have waited 10 months for.

Ironically this episode of my favorite show, Gilmore Girls, came on a couple of days ago while I was at the "GET OUT OF MY BELLY NOW" faze of my pregnancy. Granted I'm still there. Maybe this was God's little way of helping me cope. Because I couldn't find the clip I've got the link to the entire episode but the scene is about 25 minutes into the show if you want to fast forward to it. It's the scene just after the garage band rock out. Make sure the title of the video is "Gilmore Girls: The Festival of Living Art" and not another video. You'll be able to see it on the menu to the left side of the screen. Sorry I couldn't embed it for you.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS247&q=watch%2C%20gilmore%20girls%2C%20living%20painting&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#q=gilmore+girls%2C+festival+of+living+art&hl=en&emb=0

I go in Monday to be induced. Perhaps we'll have a little St. Patty's day baby??? Much better than a Friday the 13th baby. That would be scary. Hopefully he'll just come this weekend and I won't have to be induced because I really wish not to.

Hi there!

This last week, I celebrated the first day of the rest of my Grandmother-in-law's life. My husband's Grandma Carol went to Jesus on Wednesday, February 25. Although there is a mourning process to go through as I have lost the earthly life of a woman I loved very much, I can be joyous in that she is with her Father, spending the rest of her life without pain and can finally golf again. I can still hear her sweet voice, see her smile, see her beautiful face, and hear her Dolly Pardon type laugh.

Grandma Carol had a very rare lung disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, that claimed her life. This disease basically allows anything and everything to be contracted and turn into Pneumonia. Every time Pneumonia hits, scar tissue forms within the lungs until there's so much scar tissue, it closes the air passages in the lungs and eventually you can't breath. Unfortunately, when you know you have the disease, it's too late for any curable treatment such as a lung transplant.

I was never close to my own Grandparents. My Grandmother on my Mom's side of the family passed away when I was very little and she lived in North Carolina so I only met her a handful of times. My Grandmother on my Dad's side was very much a part of my life, however, we didn't have a very good relationship. Actually, we had a very unhealthy relationship. When I met Cameron's Grandma I thought she was an overly sweet woman...almost fake...until I spent the past 9 years getting to know her. I found out very quickly that she had a heart of gold. She loved unconditionally. She had a very gentle personality and was grateful for all the little things you did for her. She was the Grandma that carried around the camera 24/7. At times it did get annoying but that was Grandma.

I remember one time she came up to visit Cam and I. It was late in the evening and we were getting ready for bed. Grandma was sitting on the couch with her piggy socks and P.J.'s. She had her entire, big Grandma purse, dumped out all over our couch in the sort of manner that if you sat on the couch, you had to be careful not to smoosh the cushions so that all of the little accessories would avoid falling in the bottomless pit of the couch cracks. By the way, this was a frequent occurrence. I started laughing and asked her what in the world she was doing...I knew what she was doing but it's always good to get a rise out of Grandma. In her hand lay some sewing needles. She gestured them to me as if that was the only thing she was downsizing and said I'm cleaning out my purse. As the bundle of pens and pencils wrapped in a rubber band, the latest Internet research printed out and folded up, at least three kinds of lotions, a couple of combs a pick and a brush, and every other Grandma-item you could think of lay scattered, Cameron piped up and said, "Grandma, I don't think you'll save any room in your purse by cleaning out a couple of needles."

Grandma, you'll be very missed, but I will see you again soon. And even though I know you were so looking forward to hanging out with your new Great Grandson, I know you'll be watching over him and making him giggle just as much as you made me giggle. And now you don't have to worry about breathing. You have blessed me with so many memories and have taught me what a real Grandma is like. You have humbled me in your sweet gentle way and encouraged me in all I do. Thank you for the mark you have left on my life. I'm so going to miss you.

New Talent

I'm always inspired by people with new talents. It makes me think I'm not so cool.

BlogFart

I haven't been able to write about much lately because no good ideas have popped in my little brain...well they have but they're all lame.

So here's a baby update...exciting for me, possibly boring for you:

*Isaac has exactly 4 weeks to go on Sunday.
*We painted the furniture for his room.




*Isaac apparently likes to sit on my lungs now and he is a very squirmy but gentle baby. I don't get any of the mean punches or kicks that everyone's been warning me about. If you could see inside my belly it would look kind of like this:



*I have to see the chiropractor twice a week and get a massage once a week to keep my back from going out.

*I've only gained 24 pounds the entire pregnancy, however...

*....nobody told me your chin has a baby too:


*Isaac can eat an entire bag of baby carrots or an entire quart of strawberries in one sitting. He likes healthy snacks.

*Juice is Isaac's favorite drink, especially anything with mango or oranges in it.

*Isaac's Daddy loves him very much:



*And so does his mommy:


*And even though pregnancy most of the time sucks, the joy and excitement of awaiting the arrival of our little boy is well worth it

What Makes You Happy?

I've been doing a lot of reflecting on what makes me happy. What truely makes me giddy inside. Of course, my husband, my friends and family make me happy but if none of that existed, what would I, alone, have to make me happy?

It seams like when I have these periods of deep reflection, God gives me more resources to help me through the contemplation. And this morning, The Today Show had a segmant on what makes someone happy. They said the majority of people think what makes them happy is something big like vacationing, a wedding, the birth of their child, etc. However they say we need to focus on the small things. The little things that we experience throughout the day.

Does technology make me happy? I can sit and watch a good movie and be happy, but vegging out in front of the television for hours will give me anxiety and guilt for the things I should have been doing instead of watching mindless junk.

One thing The Today Show also touched on was taking pictures. If you're too focused on taking the perfect picture at the part, you're not focusing on the party, you're focusing on the picture and you tend to not enjoy yourself or feel like you've missed out.

We need to recognize when things are going well, look at the glass half full rather than half empty.

I think the key is to limit yourself on the good stuff. If you have ice cream every day, it no longer becomes a luxury. If you watch TV all day long, it no longer becomes fun, it becomes mundane.

But ultimately, I believe that God made us to serve one another. This is what makes us happy. Volunteers, while often get burnt out, will still say they love serving in their volunteer position. This is because human nature is to serve another.

People ask all the time, "Why would God make humans?" I believe it's because it makes Him happy. As much as we screw up, we still make Him happy. AND He loves to serve us. He sent His son to be a servant of His people and to make the ultimate sacrifice. God loves to serve His children. He loves to love us, to encourage us, to motivate us, to create for us. Happiness isn't stuff, it's not reliant on another person...happiness is found in loving God and loving your neighbor. Shifting the focus from what makes
me happy to what kind I do to make someone else happy. God created us to live in community. He wants us have fellowship. That's why people who live by themselves in the woods are usually cranky. He created us to find joy in other people. I've found in my marriage that if I'm the one getting served and not reciprocating...I become board and I want more. I get to this point of never being satisfied...I get cranky and bitchy (that's right, I'm a pastor's wife and I just said bitchy). However, if I flip that around and start serving the one I love, the joy I get out of that is 10-fold.

There's just one problem....

I can't see my toes!

61 days and counting

Isaac's scheduled arrival is in 61 days. Yikes! I haven't even gotten the baby's room done yet.

7 wonders:

1. When Isaac arrives, will he still remember what God looks like?
2. When he looks at me for the first time will I cry or laugh? Will he even be able to see me?
3. Will we be friends when he's older? I sure hope so.
4. Will he be more like me, silly and creative? Or more like his Dad, compassionate and tender? I hope the best of both.
5. What will his voice sound like?
6. Will he smell good like all the other babies?
7. Will he love God just as much as his parents do or more?

Goodbye 2008. Hello 2009!

Here's a great video representing the top 2008 songs:



Enjoy!