Molding our Son

I was just thinking about how much the life of our soon-to-be born son is already being shaped; that is, what some of the things he will like and dislike are.  He won’t really know what most of these  mean for a few years, but he is already becoming a patchwork of the family he is being born into.

Andrea and I talked about what we want his bedroom to look like.  Both of us agree that it we want it to be somewhere he can “grow into”; which means that we don’t want it to look too “baby.”  We decided on an explorer/traveler theme with compasses, ships, planes, etc.–or shall I say that I chose it!  I think that parents naturally want their children to be images of them, in a way: at least the positive parts of them.  With that being the case, Allen (I’m pretty sure that’s how we’re going to spell his name!) will probably be molded into a boy who likes geography and history.

Of course, his grandparents will also get a lot of say.  His Grandpa Speckhals already bought him a whole lot of St. Louis Cardinals apparel: including pacifiers, onesies, a ball cap, bottles, and a few other things.  What does that tell you?  He’ll be a Cardinals fan.  Of course, his Aunt Sharon may have a thing or two to say about that, being a Cubs fan!

Then, Allen’s dad (me!), Uncle Adam, and Grandpa Murdock are surely going to make him a Michigan State Spartans fan.  I can’t remember, but the Murdock’s may have gotten him a few Spartans things already.  If there’s anything he will be a fan of, it will definitely be Michigan State!

What will the Leslie’s make him?  If his Grandpa Leslie has his way, Allen will be a long mountain climber!  Aunt Sharon will want him to be a Marathon runner, Uncle Jim: a wrestler , and Aunt Lindsey: a cowboy, for sure.

Lastly, but most influential, will be his mom and dad.  Dad is going to want him to like McDonald’s, and Mom is going to want an authentic Mexican food eating partner.  From mom will also come a love for good biographies, classics, and the Spanish language.  From dad will come a taste for war, guns, and basketball.

But after all of this, he will be completely his own person; which makes all of this so exciting!  It will be fun to watch him grow up: to see his likes and dislikes, his hobbies and his hates, his tastes and repulsions.  Nothing is more important, though, than for him to inherit the Christian heritage passed on by his parents and grandparents.  If that was all we could give him, Andrea and I would be overjoyed!

The Stork is Halfway Here!

Well, we’re over the hump…last Monday made twenty weeks, and I think that is officially considered halfway.  Tomorrow will be twenty-one weeks.  And the next Monday, at twenty-two weeks, we will find an answer to the big question:  He or She!?!  (So, you have just about one week to vote.  Please leave a comment including your guess as to Boy? or Girl?  We would love to read everyone’s opinion, and then announce who was correct when we find out!)

I feel this critter a lot now…lots of little taps and pokes!  It is exciting!  And, yes, I am starting to get into Maternity clothes.  My regular clothes have been getting snug for quite a while, and my closet options seem to be diminishing by the week!  I finally got down to a very few skirts that were still wearable, and a friend kindly offered to go maternity shopping with me!  It was such a nice gesture, and turned out to be a very successful trip.  Now there are a few more choices in my wardrobe, and I am just about to plunge whole-heartedly into the maternity look!  I have actually been waiting a bit anxiously for this, excited to wear some of the cute maternity tops I have found or been given!  It is a bit challenging to change your whole wardrobe, though!  Now I have skirts and tops, but not all of them have a matching counterpart, and, well…we’re still sorting things out!  The funny thing is though, that your size is constantly changing (getting bigger, that is!), so something that worked last week may not work this week!  Keeps life interesting!  (All the moms out there are probably laughing at me and my ‘pregnant newbie’ discoveries!)

Speaking of getting bigger, this baby does not help matters when it wants to eat chocolate and sugar all the time.  And of course, I don’t want to be selfish;  it’s not about me and what I want (whick is only healthy food, of course!) –it is about the BABY.  So I just have to sacrifice and keep giving the little one the chocolate and sugar it wants.  Ohhh the trials of eating for two!  And the other thing is that baby wants to sleep all the time!  Why it’s making me yawn now!  Oh well, if I have to eat chocolate and sleep in every day for the baby, I will suffer through it!  I’m joking!  (Well, kind of…)  I have had a big sweet tooth lately, and the baby does make me more tired, but I don’t sleep in EVERY day!

I might add, Baby’s Daddy has been quite the sweetie lately!  I’ll admit I am getting a little spoiled…seems like we have been going to eat where I want, and buying other little things that I like.  It really pays to be pregnant!

All in all, things are going very well so far.  Didn’t have much of any morning sickness in the first trimester, and even now, there are some common side effects of being pregnant, and aches and pains here and there, but nothing too bad at all.  I think I am VERY blessed compared to what some moms have to endure.  Thank the Lord…He is always better to us than we deserve!  And we are looking forward to raising this child for Him.  What a privilege…and an immense responsibility!

My Cup Runneth Over

My sister Sharon recently reminded me of this phrase in a song we both heard –“I’m drinking from my saucer, ’cause my cup’s overflowed!”  That is about how I feel right now –blessed beyond anything I deserve.  I hate to go on and on about a house and all the little material things I like when there are such greater things to be thankful for such as Salvation, God’s Word, a wonderful Godly husband, good Christian families (on both sides), a strong church and Pastor, and good friends here and around the world.  But I also know God cares about little things; and as a Father, He delights to please us in so many ways, great and small.  I love to notice the little things God does for me…it would be a shame to let them pass me by.  So I would like to share a few–

A really nice kitchen…

A gas stove, and a real flame!  I grew up with a gas stove, and in the last two years I learned to appreciate them even more, having an electric one.

A fire place.  Can I tell you how much I love having a fireplace?  I love fall, and Christmas, and even winter –wierd, I know.  But again I grew up having a fireplace, and am so excited to have and use one again, especially as the chilly days draw nearer.

Living Room with Fireplace

A dishwasher.  I have never lived in a house with a dishwasher.  Growing up, my sister and I WERE the dishwashers, according to Dad.  It’s not too bad with just two people, but for baking, or having company, it is soooo much easier to just throw dishes into the dishwasher, then to wash counterfuls upon counterfuls of dishes!  I think I just might enjoy cooking and baking more too, knowing I don’t have oodles of clean-up to keep in mind!

Lots of windows and outdoor light.  I love the brightness of our home.  And curtains are so fun!

(And you may be saying, "Outdoor light?" We are in the middle of the outreaching effects of Tropical Storm Lee! Rain, rain, rain! No, not much outdoor light today!)

Outdoor living space.  Although we didn’t miss it too much in our apartment, it will be very nice to have picnics outside, cook burgers and steaks on the grill, plant flowers, and sit on the deck.

A grill!
This was before many of my plants either went into shock because of so much sunlight (weren't used to it), or flooded, and I brought most of them in.

A living room and kitchen adjoined.  I love being able to work in the kitchen and still feel a part to what is happening in the living room.  We can do our separate things and still converse, and maybe one day the kids can play on the floor and Dad read the paper while Mom bakes cookies…all in the same area!  (But life is sometimes less than ideal!  Maybe it will be more like –The kids arguing on the floor, Dad talking on the phone, and me hustling about the kitchen with timers going off and smoke rising from the oven!  We’ll be all together, though, nonetheless!)

A big master bedroom.  I love the roominess of our bedroom.  And I love the way Dustin and his Dad set it up.  I didn’t envision it that way, but I like it so much better than the idea I had.  It makes the room feel so spacious.

And I could go on and on, but I will stop there.  God is so good to us, and we don’t deserve such a nice, new house.  He even gave us lots of “little” things he knew we specifically would enjoy.  May we use them all to His glory and share liberally with others.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23

Home of the Speckhals Family

As of last Friday at around 6:00pm, Andrea and I officially own our first home!  I don’t think that I realized how much was involved, but I am extremely happy with the responsibility we have been blessed with.  We even had a few visitors to: our friend, Salome, from Switzerland, visited last week, and helped A LOT with packing; then, my family came two days after we moved, and helped tremendously with hanging pictures, putting up blinds, and unpacking.  Andrea can tell the rest of the story sometime in the next week…

Anyways, I wanted to share with everyone a few things that I really enjoy about the new house

Sunsets from the back porch (and better yet, sunrises...but no pictures of that yet)
A light post in the front
Someplace to put a grill

And other things, including:

  • A room for the baby
  • New neighbors to get to know
  • Somewhere to spend time outside
  • A nice place to invite friends for dinner
  • A spare room for visiting family and friends
  • The sound of crickets at night instead of cars
We look forward to making many good memories here!