Some excitement from the big boys

I thought I would share some of the joys of the past few days with three boys :)

When I got home from the hospital Ben was at school so it was just Jacob around. He seemed a little mad at me so we gave him a "gift" from Caleb. This kept him busy for awhile :)

When Ben got home had had caught word of the gifts that were coming. He ran in the house with a big smile. I thought he was excited to see me but really he just wanted his gift from his brother.

The boys are being very good but Jacob is extremely jealous that he does not have as much time with me. I was holding Caleb and Jacob took my hand and walked me over to the carseat and pointed to it (implying he wanted Caleb in it). Jacob will also frequently come up to me when I am holding Caleb and tell him to move.

Mom and I took all three boys to the Dr. yesterday (that was an exciting adventure for sure). Caleb just for an overall checkup and the older boys for these nasty colds they have had for 2+weeks. I guess it was a good think I ended up taking them all because both Ben and Jacob have sinus infections and Jacob also has bilateral ear infections. I guess that explains the really bad behavior I was getting from both of them yesterday.

Since we have had three rounds of antibiotics already I am hoping that they are both feeling better today and their attitudes will quickly follow. I was feeling like this was going to be super hard with three but I think it really won't be that bad once the big boys are back to normal.

Caleb is a super content baby (well at least he has been in the 3.5 days he has been alive). He is very excited to be getting real milk (from mommy) now. He is a great eater and seems to have no issues. I am still amazed that God has trusted Josh and I to raise three boys. I am so thankful for each of them and the amazing gifts from God that they are.

Introducing. . .

Caleb Joshua Nast
March 28, 2009
9:11pm
8lbs 11oz

more details but Caleb and I are both home from the hospital and doing well.

For such a time as this

I just finished a Bible study on Esther. It was an amazing study by Beth Moore (one of the best of her's I have done).
Anyway the theme of Esther is that we are here "for such a time as this"
As I was listening to the final session tonight we turned to Ecclesiastes 3. The verse we were actually looking at was in verse 11 but we started at the beginning of the chapter. The verse that hit me the most today was: "A time to be born, a time to die" verse 3:2. It amazed me tonight to think that before I even thought of a 3rd child God knew the time he would be born. It is a time we still don't know for sure (although we know it will be soon) but God knows. He knows exactly what our third son will be, who he will look like, how many hairs will be on his head. He knows when my labor will start, he knows who my nurses will be in the hospital, he knows the moment Caleb will take his first breath of air, I am so thankful that I serve such an amazing God who is not wondering when Caleb will be born.
HE KNOWS!!!

I am thankful that "for such a time as this" God reminded me of His complete control over all my circumstances and instances in life.

Hospital but no baby yet

I just got back from the hospital. I have been feeling very dizzy and like my heart is racing the past day or so. Since I had all the complications after Ben's birth I wanted to make sure the same thing was not happening this time. Baby looks great. He heart rate was strong and I was even having a few contractions while I was there. Thankfully I don't have to worry about my little man just about me :) Here is the report I came home with

1. I have a bundle branch blockage (see below for description)
2. I have high blood pressure - this has not been an issue the entire pregnancy so, I am hoping that it just means I am ready to go
3. Because of the high blood pressure I am collecting urine for 24 hours to make sure that I am not spilling protein (this would be a sign of eclampsia)
4. I am going to the OB in the am
5. After I go to the OB I am going to call my cardiologist and see what he would like me to do.

I am hoping that all this means that Baby will be here in the next few days. I am ready and very tired of feeling funny all the time. We will see what the week has in store. Pray that I am able to deliver naturally and quickly and without any complications for me or baby.

Bundle branch block

By Mayo Clinic staff

Bundle branch block is a condition in which there's a delay or obstruction along the pathway that electrical impulses travel to make your heart beat. Bundle branch block can occur in people who appear healthy, and it's often a sign of another underlying heart problem.

Injury or damage to the heart muscle or blockage of a blood vessel in your heart can slow or block the electrical impulses that make your heart beat. Even though interference with the impulses may last for only a fraction of a second, that may be enough to cause bundle branch block. Bundle branch block sometimes makes it harder for your heart to pump blood forcefully and efficiently through your circulatory system.

Although bundle branch block itself often requires no direct treatment, you'll need treatment of any underlying health condition that could cause bundle branch block, such as coronary heart disease.

n most people, bundle branch block doesn't cause any symptoms. For those people who do have signs and symptoms, they may include:

• Fainting (syncope)
• Dizziness
• Feeling as if you're going to faint (presyncope)
• A slow heart rate (brachycardia)

You may be born with the condition (congenital) and have bundle branch block for years without knowing it. This is particularly true with bundle branch block that occurs on the right side of your heart, which tends to be less serious than is left bundle branch block.

Normally, electrical impulses within your heart's muscle signal it to beat (contract). These impulses travel along a pathway, passing from your heart's upper chambers (atria) through a small mass of cells called the atrioventricular (AV) node and then to the lower chambers (ventricles).

Along the route on this pathway, the impulses move along a slender cluster of cardiac fibers called the "bundle of His," which divides into two branches — the right and the left bundles — one for each of the heart's ventricles.

If one or both of these branch bundles become damaged — due to a heart attack, for example — this change can prevent your heart from beating normally. The heart's electrical impulses that make your heart beat may be slowed down or blocked. When this occurs, the ventricles no longer contract in perfect coordination with one another.

Bundle branch block may be caused by:

• A heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Thickened, stiffened or weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
• A viral or bacterial infection of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Scar tissue that develops after heart surgery
• A heart abnormality that's present at birth (congenital) — such as atrial septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the upper chambers of the heart

The Park

It is a beautiful day in Michigan and the boys needed some time to run around so we walked down the street to the elementary school to play at the park. Ben rode his bike and although he is a scardy cat about just about everything he did a very good job this time (our last bike ride ended up with josh and I walking at such a slow pace it took us forever to get to the park). This summer will be great with the park so close by. I am sure we will spend lots of time there with the littlest man in the stroller along for the ride.

Our little swimmer (well one of them)

Thanks to Goldfish (and the fact that Josh and I insist that our boys love the water). Both Ben and Jacob are great swimmers. Jake loves to go under and has been swimming with me for the past year or so. Ben keeps moving up the swimming ladder and recently began to learn butterfly. I finally got around to getting some pic's of Ben in the pool. It is a really hard thing to do actually. Anyway here are some attempts at seeing his swimming.

Look at those great butterfly arms!!

Practicing his freestyle arms

Workshop number 2

Help . . . As a leader, how do I help the Depressed? - Gloria Baker
“Be better informed and prepared to minister to the depressed. This workshop will examine the causes and symptoms of depression along with the physiology and treatments. Suggestions for ministering to the depressed and identifying lifestyle choices to help prevent depression will also be discussed”



This is a subject that is close to my heart. I was diagnosed with depression my sophomore year of College. I really struggled with the diagnosis for awhile because I was not sure what I believed about depression and if it was a spiritual issue or a physical issue. I think that this is a big problem in the Christian community. Several people assume that depression is just simply a sin problem. There must be something in ones life that is causing them to not trust God enough or they are being too prideful and therefore just feeling sorry for themselves. At the time I examined my life and knew that the root of the problem was not sin but I was still ashamed to tell people that I was on medication for depression. I always liked being knows as a happy person and depression is not something that I thought would define my life. Anyway, I kept living life and taking my little blue pills and I will admit that life was much better.
Fast forward in my life to about six years ago when Josh and I were talking about having kids. I assumed I needed to go off those little pills and thought I will be fine. I called my doctor and SLOWLY went off the pills. I was not the person that I wanted to be however. There was nothing that I could do to make myself calm and steady as I had been for so long. I prayed and prayed that God would reveal why this was the case. I attended a Christian conference at that time and one of the women was sharing her story which happened to include depression. She exclaimed that she was so thankful that God allowed to man to make the little “happy” pills and if that is what it took to make her into a better Christian woman she would continue to take them until she went to heaven or Christ returned. At that time it was good enough for me so back on the pills I went.
I still desperately wanted to have kids and had to figure out a way to take the pills and be pregnant. It was at that time that I finally realized the connection with the migraines I had had and depression. Obviously most of you know about the neurosurgery I had in high school. After that process I had some pretty bad migraines that would sometimes land me in bed. I was being treated for these at the headache clinic in Ann Arbor as we called it. Well I seem to remember them talking a lot about a serotonin imbalance and that being the reason for all the headaches. Well in my research I also found that depression is a serotonin imbalance. Amazingly enough since I have been on medication for depression I have not had nearly as many headaches. I finally got it. Headaches are a physical pain. I have never heard anyone exclaim that they don’t believe in headaches it is just a sin problem well the same thing that causes headaches causes depression so therefore depression must be a physical issue. That same idea was spelled out at the conference in a very clear way. The following is the chart that was provided at the conference. (Somewhere in this process I talked to my OB about my depression and getting pregnant and they told me that the pills I am on are fine to take while pregnant. SO I followed their advice and almost three kids later I am still taking those little pills)



Creation
(no pain and suffering everything was perfect)

The Fall (Genesis 3)

Brokennesss (as a result of the fall)
(This includes pain, suffering, disease, and death)

Many try to break this brokenness up into two categories
Bone Brain
Here is the question to ponder . . .
Does God value pain “above the neck” differently than pain “below the neck?”

I do believe that there is a spiritual dimension to depression that needs to be treated as well. I don’t think that it is right for people to just be put onto pills without having some counseling to consider where the problem is really stemming from. I know that I have days that it seems like my depression is out of control. I know that on those days I need to pray harder for God’s grace and strength. I need to pray that he will protect my mind from the thoughts that can so easily overtake me and I need to remember that this too shall pass and someday very soon I will be in the loving arms of my Heavely Father where there will be no pain.

Ok now back to the conference and how we can help those who are depressed. The teacher went into great depths on how depression affects our brains and how the pills cause our brains to function properly. (if you want more explanation on that one let me know).

Here is a helpful outline for ministering to a depressed person
• Have a biblical mindset (w/in the framework of a Christian worldview)
• Educate yourself (causes, symptoms, treatment)
o An educational DVD “the Only way Out is through”
o Websites
 www.medlineplus.gov
 www.depression.com
 www.nih.gov
 www.depression-doctor.com
o Books
 The estrogen-depression connection, Karen Miller and Steven Rogers
 Becoming Emotionally whole, Charles Stanley
 Healing for damaged emotions, David Seamands
• Make “I Statements” rather that “you statements”
o (Lately I’ve noticed that you seem much quieter than usual)
• Focus on real needs by utilizing “I CAN”
o C – Connect with them in their pain. LISTEN without judging (refrain from cramming scripture down their throat)
o A – Affirm them . . . rehearse their positives/accomplishments, pray with and for them, cards, calls of encouragement.
o N – nudge them . . . I’m wondering what you plan to do about this? Offer your help.
NOTE: recognize the depression trinity – feeling helpless, hopeless, worthless
Be a source of hope as well as help!
Unfortunately some have been known to “shoot” the emotionally wounded!

A depression questioner is a great way to get to the root of the issue. Here is a good one that I have used before http://www.depression.com/depression_questionnaire.html

Workshop number 1

Recently I went to a Christian woman's leadership conference in Grand Rapids. The conference was great and I had a great time getting to know some of the women that I was with better. I have been asked to share some of my experience at our leadership meeting next Thursday. I have been compiling my thoughts for awhile now and though I would post them on the blog. The conference consisted of 3 main large group sessions as well as 3 workshops. There were about 12 workshops to choose from. I thought I would write about those three workshops and just share my notes.

So here are the notes from the first one.

Five star leadership: Attracting and Equipping others for service and ministry – Helen Stewart

“Learn to think as a leader; develop your passion as a leader; discover your greatest assets; develop integrity and unleash your leadership energy!”

Mind/Head

o Right thinking about God

o Know you are serving the God of the impossible

o Know God never changes and will never leave or forsake us

o God loves us with an everlasting love

o God Loves our whole person

o God is Omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient

o The Holy spirit is alive in every believer in some he is prominent and in only a few is he allowed to be preeminent.

o Your team will only be as strong as your weakest person

Heart (will, emotions, intellect)

o Must believe what they are proposing

o Must know how to cast a vision

o What a leader believes must consume them

People Skills

o Have integrity

o A leader must work right along with their people

o A leaders role is to life up students, love, encourage and support them

Character (what makes us and marks us)

o When we let it all hang out

o Moral/ethical choices we make reflect our character

o Expect excellence

o Relentlessly chase perfection we will never get it but we will catch excellence in the process

Soul

Spiritual

Favor/Man Wisdom

(Social/emotional) (Mental)

Stature (Physical)

3 sides without spiritual = dysfunctional people

• Leadership is all about persons with souls
• We appoint/God anoints

Words to Lead by

By Sondra Thiederman

Looking for Leadership? Look in the Mirror.

A Leader is . . . a dealer in hope.

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.

Where there is no vision . . . the people perish.

Study the past, live in the moment, plan the future.

Leadership is action . . . not position.

There are no shortcuts . . . to any place worth going.

Don’t wait for your ship to come in . . . swim out to meet it.

Most things are difficult . . . before they are easy.

Act like you’re invincible; know that you’re not.

Fail to honor people . . . and they will fail to honor you.

Blame softly . . . praise loudly.

The more you say .. . the less they remember.

Be grateful for luck, but . . . don’t count on it.

It’s not what happens when you’re there.

It’s what happens when you’re not.

Think with your heart.

Authority is a poor substitute for leadership.

Hold everyone to high standards.

Hold yourself to a high standard.

Listen . . . and lead!

Remember . . . there’s always room at the top.

But even more room at the bottom.

So . . . see out people . . .

Better than you, different from you, braver than you.

The time is always right . . . to do what’s right

Keep your promises; Keep your confidences,

Keep your temper.

Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?

Be out . . . and about.

Enjoy the process . . . but crave the goal.

We will either find a way . . . or make one.

Be not afraid of greatness.

Real leaders are ordinary people . . . with extraordinary determination.

Trouble

Recently Jacob has been disappearing in the house. I find up here:

The problem is that he does not know how to get down. Fortunately he does not try to get down on his own yet. Somehow I have to figure out how to make him stop going up there. Really he is going to be sleeping in that room sooner than later.