Little Fish

I guess this is the first post about the littlest Fish. For those of you who aren't on facebook (I rarely am these days) I posted about 12 weeks ago that the new version of the Fish family will be here December 27th. We are so incredibly excited...even Culley knows that her mommy has a baby in her tummy. Although...she has absolutely no idea how her world is going to change drastically!

Three weeks ago we had our sonogram to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl. Unfortunately they were inconclusive! The technician thinks it might be a boy...but she said she wouldn't paint the room just yet.
So...we will wait for a few more weeks and hopefully get a better picture of the ornery one.

Which brings me to another point. We are asking for prayer for our little guy...can I call the baby a guy even though it's inconclusive? On September 8th we go to a heart specialist to have a level two sonogram and a fetal echo. There were some concerns with the umbilical cord. In normal cases the cord will have three blood vessels...but in our case there are just two. The doctor said that everything looked fine but that we just needed to make sure. This type of thing can often be a sign of problems with the heart for the baby. So...please pray for our developing baby. I will keep you posted as we know more.

P.S. If you or someone you know has heard of this...and you are tempted to share horror stories with me...DON'T. God is on the throne...and Brian and I intend to leave Him there and take this one step at a time with Him. Thanks!

Culley at Thirteen Months

It’s an interesting job…motherhood. I remember Brian and I asking each other the question while Culley was still yet to be born, “what do you think she’ll be like?” Even once she was here…when she was yet to crawl or walk we would ask each other the question, “do you think she’ll be laid back?” And…even when she started crawling at 5 months we began to assess that she was a “go-getter” but we would still ask each other, “will she be funny or serious?” I’m sure that we will be asking this question well into her life. I think the question will change a bit, and instead we may ask, “what kind of woman will God make her?”
Well, regardless of the past and in anticipation of the future, we have stopped asking the questions and rather begun to make observations. This young toddler has begun to sprout a personality at which we could only guess. There are combinations that we see and understand that in the future may prove to be rather complex and difficult…yet currently they provide a small amount of humor. More and more often I find my eyes widening with a smile of unbelief as I am amazed at what she understands and many times at her responses to various situations.
Culley has always been a hard one to crack…even from the beginning she would never laugh or smile when prompted. One day a tickle spot would crack her up…and the next it wouldn’t even phase her. Brian and I would be amazed at a new “trick” she could perform, but when we would ask her, or even bribe her, to show someone else she would look at us as if we were crazy (Brian says that’s a look she learned from me). She is still a hard one to crack…unless she’s the one cracking the joke or trying to be funny…just don’t expect her to perform anything twice.
Lately, we’ve been commenting on how much of a goofball she is. In many cases I think she may thrive on people’s reactions. She’ll start to do things to see if I will react. If not, she’ll quit…if she sees me start to react she will continue with whatever is bringing out the response in me. Often it’s throwing her sippy cup in the trash…or standing too close to the top of the stairs…or even acting like she’s going to throw her sippy on the floor. I have learned that a well-timed look will mostly diffuse the situation better than any other response I can give. Often…with a look that says, I know what you are trying to do…don’t…will often cause her to pull her hand from the trash, back her up from the stairs, or place the sippy on the tray. However, there are always those times when I am too late, or she’s already made the decision to act. Oh boy…can we skip the teenage years?
There’s so much that we have to learn…and there’s still so much she will show us and so much she will develop and become. It’s a blast to imagine how God can use any part of Culley’s personality for His good. I’d love to write more, but right now my daughter is yelling for Dad…which in translation means Mom…and she knows the difference. She just knows that if she calls me Dad it will bring a response.

The Fish Family Camping Trip

We have just ended our first ever Fish Family Camping Trip. Wow...what an adventure! After a week of getting our camping gear ready and organized...packing Culley and I's clothes for two weeks in a small carry-on bag...and planning the menu and grocery list for the week we set out on our first camping trip on July 5. We started our driving at 3:00 a.m. Culley did a tremendous job, sleeping until 9 and only fussing for probably an hour total of the 16 hour drive to Indiana. We spent the night at Brian's parents' house then headed to Potato Creek State Park for five nights of rugged camping. Although the first day was a bit hectic with trying to get set up and everything organized...and after a few setbacks we were ready for dinner at 7:00 p.m. Culley was a bit clingy...it was tough to walk on some of the terrain and quite honestly she heard the word "no" rather often as the fire was hot, the stove was hot, the road was dangerous, the dirt wasn't safe to eat, etc. However, with only two rough nights and a couple of clingy days, we had a fantastic time.

Wednesday: Today was incredibly HOT. It reached 96 degrees and the humidity was any one's guess. We began today with my poor baby waking with a horrible diaper rash. Not a great beginning for a week of dirt and sweat. Not to mention we went to the beach and swam in the lake. This was an interesting experience but Culley absolutely LOVED it! She remained clingy and after a hot afternoon nap we headed to Walmart to get ice. We also drove back to the Fish's house so Culley could take a bath. Her diaper rash was getting worse and she just needed a good bath. Once we got back to camp we took a 6.6 mile bike ride up hills, down hills, around curves and through the woods...Culley fell asleep for about 45 minutes, which was a HUGE mistake. Once we got back to camp bedtime was immediately a goner as she laughed and played in the tent until after 11:00 p.m. All in all this was probably the toughest day with the heat, Culley's clinginess and a rough bedtime. I was ready to throw in the towel for the week. But I'm so glad I stuck it out.

Thursday: This morning it rained. A rather large amount. Once it stopped, the only place for Culley to play was in the mud. My daughter...who hates to get her hands dirty...played like a champ in the mud. For some reason she was much more comfortable and began to roam around the campsite. We did cheat a bit today. Culley needed a good afternoon nap so we headed back to Grandma Fish's for naps and ice cream. Today we have begun to see an extremely stubborn and independent heart in our daughter. She was quite disobedient and we had a few challenges that we haven't had before. I guess I now know how to specifically tailor my prayers, huh? We sang around the campfire before bed and Culley had a GREAT sleep.

Friday: This morning we went for another bike ride. This trail is beautiful and fun to ride. It's a bit winding and I think Culley may have gotten a bit "car sick" as she hurled all over when we stopped for a snack. It didn't phase her and she kept right on being her social, independent self. In the afternoon we went for a hike and then Patsy and Elson came over for dinner and games. Today was probably my favorite day...until...1:30a.m. Yes...this mother hasn't camped with a little one before...and definitely not in an area where it can get below 60 at night in the summer. This night was COLD and I didn't bring winter jammies for Culley. She hates to be confined in her sleeping bag or under blankets so she kept kicking off her warmth. At 1:30 a.m. she began to whimper and whine and cry in her sleep because she was so cold. After about an hour of warming up in our bed we finally put her on the floor next to us so I could keep putting covers on her when she kicked them off. Needless to say, we were all quite tired the next day.

Saturday: Another great day. We had a lazy morning...played at the play ground where Culley became a big girl as she went down the slide and she went swinging on the big-girl swings. Then we came back for naps and Brian's family came to the campground for games, dinner, and fellowship. We had a GREAT day. Our final night at the camp ground ended with a huge thunderstorm that Culley slept through. Brian and I enjoyed sleeping in a dry tent listening to the thunder and rain.

Sunday: We packed up and headed back to Brian's parents' house.

Highlights:
On our trip, Culley learned how to say "uh oh" and she said it so much I heard her saying "uh oh" in her sleep one night :)

When Culley would walk around the fire and we'd remind her that it was hot...she would make the funniest face as she thought that if she looked away from it, it wouldn't be there. Problem with this little strategy of hers is that she would look away from it and walk right toward it! This gave her mommy and daddy a few heart attacks...but we make it through the week with zero burns.

My daughter seems to have both Grandma Lambert's and Grandma Fish's ability to make friends and be social. EVERY car that drove by, she would wave to them and tell them "hi". She would tell most of the kids that rode by on their bikes "hi". In fact, most of the kids didn't know what to do with her. :)

Another mile marker for her was she was able to swing on a big-girl swing. There weren't any baby swings at the playgrounds so, by my standards, she was forced to grow up a bit too fast as she went swinging on the big swings. She did a great job and we had no injuries.

We had a great time. My descriptions above don't give justice to the week...but the best part was watching Culley adjust to her surroundings and it seemed like she grew up right before our very eyes. For those of you in Kansas...you may not recognize her! As much fun as it was, though...I am thankful for a shower and bed for the next five nights before heading home. :)

Now that it's gone...

Good grief...aren't we supposed to learn this lesson early? The extremely important that says you never really appreciate something until it's gone? And good grief...haven't I quoted that to so many people young and old? Haven't I flippantly used this expression in more conversations that I can count? I guess it's true that it's always easier to remind others rather than learn the lesson yourself. But, alas, I am finally having to repeat this to myself over and over. The interesting fact is that this is such a small, minute item that has vanished, yet now that it is gone I realize how much a part of my life it had become. So, this time without it...this time of drought...actually might be good for me.

I'm talking about internet. **GASP** I know! Who doesn't have internet in their home these days? Isn't it like TV or a phone? Oh my goodness...will I ever survive? Can I make it through? Yes. In fact I have made it for almost an entire month and I am still alive...I still have family...I still have friends...and for some reason I have found plenty of activities to occupy my time.

Interestingly enough...the one thing that I miss the most is blogging. **GASP** I know! My dad is thinking she doesn't blog anyway...how can she miss it? Well, you don't know what you've got until it's gone!

All of that to say that now I have an excuse for the lengthy spaces in between my blogs...but I think that once internet is restored to our home I may just have to make sure I take advantage of it...I may have to appreciate it more...I may actually have to sit down and blog. No promises...but we'll see. I do, however, promise to get some more pictures posted.

Blessings!

A Few Random

It seems so silly to be posting these pictures now...Culley has changed so much. Early in the spring we began going outside. She LOVED it...until I put her in the grass.

She has absolutely no use for grass. She literally looked like a beached whale and it was all she could do to keep her legs and arms from feeling it. Even now that she can walk...she won't walk in the grass without her shoes on.




The pics with her jammies on are her very special silk jammies from China. When she was just two months old, Brian spent two weeks in China with our church and brought back two pair of jammies for her. They are so incredibly soft! Wish I had some too :)

It's such a blessing to be a mother. Through the tough and good times I am reminded of the beauty of such a calling. It's not easy...but as my pastor's wife says, "it's the toughest job you'll ever love."

We are Still HERE! :)

Yes...I know it's been a while. Yes...I know that I have been slacking and honestly I just haven't had the time to upload pictures and I figure most of you get tired of my words and would rather see pictures than anything else. So...although I have too much to say most of the time, I've been really trying to cut back, which in turn means I have to take the time to upload pictures. So...my plan is to update you all a little at a time.

Let's start back in March. :0 In March, Brian traveled to L.A. to attend the Shepherd's Conference. Our church helped bring a Chinese pastor over to attend that conference that we had met during our trip there in 2008. Pastor David and Brian have been corresponding off and on throughout the time and our church really wanted to encourage the pastor by bringing him to the States and allowing him to be fed by others. It was a tremendous time for both Brian and Pastor David. They spent 10 days in L.A. and I think Brian was more encouraged by Pastor David's presence than anything else.

All of that to say, during Brian's absence, Culley and I went to stay at the farm with my parents for a few days. During our time there we attended the nursing home services that my Dad's church provided. They always begin their time singing hymns and allowing the residents there to choose which hymns they would like to sing. This is when I realized that Culley LOVES to sing! She sat on Mrs. Overmiller's lap and sang away (while pretending to read her own hymnbook). It's amazing what a 10 month old can pick up on...and how she can mimic human behavior.



The scary thing is...she mimics my behavior. This is all cute and nice when it's singing at a nursing home (which, by the way, they LOVE little babies). However when I see my own struggles with sin begin to creep up in her...this gets a little scary. I know...I know...she's too little, right? Well...no...I see similar sins in her that I struggle with. She mimics my attitude...she mimics my selfish desires...she mimics my whining. Maybe it's simply human nature...but I want to show her, model for her, the importance of confession and the beauty of grace. So...as scary as it may be, it's an amazing opportunity to parent her heart and show her her need for a savior because my need for Jesus is no less than hers. May God grant the faith and wisdom to model Christ-likeness for her and a submissive heart to the Word of God. Would she see in my life that I battle my own sins and hold Jesus and His grace as more beautiful than anything this world has to offer.



***There I go again...more words than pictures. :) I'll work at it!

Blessings today as you live in light of the beauty of your salvation!

Yesterday...

My daughter loves to be outside. I love to be outside. In fact yesterday we left the house before 10...went for a short run...played in the park...ate lunch in the park...and didn't get back home until 1:30. Culley was a trooper all morning long and absolutely loved the adventure. She then took a 3 1/2 hour nap from which I had to wake her for church last night.



Speaking of church. Our spring Bible conference happens to be during the passion week this year. We are incredibly blessed to have Dr. Bookman with us. He is a scholar on the life of Christ, an tremendously intelligent man, and he has an amazing ability to make it all understandable for little 'ole me. Last night he taught for two sessions. Each session I was frantically writing down notes and attempting to get every minute detail. So much was new to me. I know...I grew up in a Christian home and I've gone to church my entire life...it shouldn't be new to me. BUT there is so much to the life of Christ and so much beauty that I miss because I don't take the time to soak it in...to study the culture surrounding His life and understanding the impact that so much of what was recorded would have on the people of His day. Bookman urged us to understand the drama of the narrative...it is there that we will more fully understand Christ.

I am full of random thoughts and my mind jumps from one thing that he taught last night to another. In my attempt to slow down my mind and really try to meditate on what I learned there is a point that remains vivid and strong in my rambling mind:

Bookman emphasised that we must take rather seriously the very humanity of Christ. We cannot under appreciate His humanity. He lived on earth the very life that I live. He struggled through pain and sorrow. He was tempted and tested. He suffered. He was refined through trials. He was tempted to take His eyes off of the exact purpose of His life. He was hated and despised. He felt sadness and wept over those who rejected Him. He prayed for strength and discipline. He longed for God's presence and healing. The amazing fact is that I have access to the same power, the same Holy Spirit, the same comforter that He did. Yes, he lived a perfect life. But that does not lessen His struggles and pain on earth. Sometimes I flippantly think that because He was God it was easy for Him. I callously dismiss His humanity because His "Godness" could always take over. Friends...do we really, truly, and fully understand that His humanity was real. He truly can relate...He really is our high priest who intercedes because He knows...He understands. Bookman writes, "In His incarnation, Jesus took upon Himself genuine human nature. Thus, except at those relatively occasional times when the Holy Spirit directed Jesus to access His divine attributes, He lived out His life under the actual and real limitations intrinsic to unfallen humanity."

The passion week is the greatest week in all of history. It stands as a pivotal point in history...and it stands as a pivotal point in every human's eternity. Do we treat it flippantly? Is our heart callous because of all the Sunday school stories we've heard? Is it just another family get-together with too much food? I challenge you to read each of the gospels' telling of this week. Soak it in...and love Jesus more because of what He lived and died for...your eternal salvation for God's ultimate glory.

***If you are interested in more from Bookman, you can visit his website at: www.bookmanministries.com

A New Hobby

I've never been much of a creative person. I am such a visual learner that to imagine something in my mind and then create it is extremely difficult for me. However, due to a special gift I decided to try my hand at sewing...and I absolutely love it. Once I start a project I obsess. It's difficult to stay focused on other chores...and, alas, my daughter has, ashamedly, been put down for a nap early at least once this week. So, after much help from my mother-in-law and several hours of ripping seams, I have achieved what I never thought possible.

First we have the hem of an adorable skirt for Culley. It was at this time that I realized that when one says they sew...what they really mean is they press. There is much more work with an iron and pins than with the actual sewing machine. But I digress...


On the same skirt, it has pleats in the back...and straight in the front. This is my attempt at making one inch pleats along the back of the skirt.


This is Culley modeling her completed skirt. Woooohoooo!!! It won't fit her for a while since it's a 12 month and she's still in 3-6 month clothes...but I just thought she'd look adorable with a little red shirt...maybe some black tights...boots or little patten leather shoes. AHHHHH I love little girls!


Second is the cute shirt. It's a good thing I started with the skirt because this wasn't the easiest...but with my mother-in-law's adjusted directions I got it done. Please don't look too closely...it's not evenly hemmed and the binding isn't perfect! BUT...I just thought it was the cutest thing. The lining is the second material at the back...and the main shirt is black.


The finished product.

So...I have successfully done something I never, ever thought I could do. And I loved it. I hope Culley loves all the clothes I have planned for her! :)