Big Girl

Kalvary has been worrying us a little with her treatment of Glory. She sometimes hits her. We think it is in fun and she just doesn't realize it might hurt Glory. But yesterday we found out that she does feel responsibility towards her. We were at Levi and Cora's playing Settlers of Catan with Kirby and Holly. Glory was out in the living room with Kalvary, Alyssa and Great Grandpa and Grandma. We are not sure what happened, but at some point Levi went to take a shower and Cora went to the kitchen. Kalvary came running into the room where we were playing, crying and saying, "Baby fall over, Baby fall over." I ran into the other room, and sure enough, somehow Glory had fallen out of her car seat, and was on the floor. She scared me a bit, because she wasn't moving, but when I picked her up, I found that she was sound asleep. We don't know how she fell out, but we do know that it scared Kalvary and she knew where to go to get help, and how to articulate it. Here is Kalvary, sitting in the very same car seat, reading one of the alphabet board books that Sydney and Erin sent us. Thanks by the way, she is having a ball with them.

Glory's first sunday

Today we took Glory to church for the first time. She handled it quite well and slept most of the morning. Afterwards we had lunch at the Freeds and then stayed there the rest of the day. To tired to give you much more about today.

Lazy Saturday.

Whatever. Today did not feel lazy. It might be because of the lack of sleep we are still getting. Glory is settling down, but she wont be sleeping through the night for a while. This morning, Grandpa and Grandma Shirk came by, had breakfast and said goodbye. Grandma will be back in two weeks, when I go with the Youth to Louisiana.

After they left, Kalvary and I went to walmart to get a slow leak in one of our new van's tires fixed. The wait was two hours so we wondered around walmart. I had forgotten the diaper bag, fortunately for me Kalvary held off on filling her diaper, and when snack time came around, we enjoyed some free samples. We ran into no less than 6 people from church. Walmart is a popular place. Then we went back to get the van. They couldn't find a leak. Nice. Two hours. At least is was fun bonding time. Then this evening, Grandma and Grandpa Freed came over for supper and to hold and coo over Glory. They brought the pizza and watermelon and it was all delicious. They placed Glory in a dolls basket at one point. It made her look like Moses. She also didn't like it much.

Grandpa Shirk came today!!

The happy news is that Grandpa Shirk came out to visit today. The sad news is that he is taking Grandma back with him tomorrow morning. We are going to have to learn to do things ourselves. Some other good news is that Glory seems to finally be getting the hang of latching on and breastfeeding. Hopefully this means more sleep and less crankiness for all... Including me. Some more pictures for you. I hope most people don't mind, but "Ryan's Rant" may have more to do with baby Glory for the near future. Here is a funny thing that we didn't realize, and ponder this. Grandpa Ben told us, "Do you realize that you have gone from Kalvary to Glory?

The comparison

Here is a picture of Kalvary and a picture of Glory at about the same age. I'm a thinking that they are not going to look much alike. :)

So today I went to dig those pesky 4 foot holes for the clothesline. I got about 8 inches into it when I had the scary thought about buried power lines. I went in and looked up the number you are supposed to call to check on such things. It turns out that I am not allowed to dig without permission. Great. Guess I'll wait a few days. They also have a website. It seemed that they were almost more worried that I would damage some of the underground stuff than that I would be vaporized by a sudden jolt of electricity. Almost wish I had just dug'em.

Last night was what you would expect from a newborn. Little sleep for us or her. Hopefully tonight will be a little better. I am contemplating going to rosedale in the morning to play some basketball and get some exercise. We'll see.

Here is Glory's first bath, courtesy of Grandma Rose, who also made us a scrumdidilyumptious supper.

Some Labor Details

Before I forget, here is how the labor went. On Monday night we were going to just go in, Kris was going to get some medicine that is just supposed to soften up her cervix. Sometimes it can send you into labor, and that was the hope. If that hadn't happened by morning they were going to give her some small doses of Pitocen (labor starting drug) to get the ball rolling.

It didn't happen that way.

When we go there they put the medicine on the night stand and hooked Kris up to a monitor. The medicine stayed on the stand for the next two hours, and I think it eventually got tossed in the trash. From the get go Glory's heartbeat was way to fast, and while it seemed that she wasn't in distress our midwife and a Doctor who was passing through, felt that the baby had to be monitored more closely. This called for breaking Kris's water, and attaching a monitor to the baby's head. This, of course, started labor. They then gave Kris pitocen, which made the contractions come so hard and furious, that by the time Kris was at 5 Centimeters she asked for an epidural (she had Kalvary without). Things calmed down for a while until about 245 when they checked her and found her to be at 10 centimeters and ready to push. Glory was born at 3:08 and now you know how it happened. If you want more details, you can call Kris and ask her tomorrow, I'm sure she would love to talk about it. The pictures are of Kalvary holding Glory, so far she LOVES her, and Grandma Rose holding her as well. Rose has been invaluable to us, taking care of both Kalvary and us as we get through this transition. If you want to see some more pictures just go here.

More pictures

Here's a few more from today.

Here's Glory Joy!

Just a few pictures of our new little angel.

Todays the Day!!

Glory Joy Freed
Born at 3:08 am after about 6 hours of labor. She is 8 pounds 5 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. She is darling. Her hair is fooling us. It looks like it might be dark red, but it depends what light you look at it under. I will put pictures on later, but right now, I need to get ready for my interview.

I have NEWS!

Yes, I have news. At our appointment today, we discussed some options and decided that Kris would be admitted to the hospital tonight. They will give her some drugs that sometimes help to start labor, and at least soften things up a bit, and then if she hasn't gone into labor by morning they will induce. So this baby is getting born tomorrow, whether it likes it or not. :) Since the appointment I have been really busy. I went to the store to do some last minute shopping, put up our new compost heap I've been meaning to do, and worked on our new clothesline. Ran out of time there. I have the posts ready to go, but at 4pm I realized I just didn't have time to dig two 4 foot holes and pour concrete. I also got our laundry room doors bottom shaved off so that it will close better. I took it over to Richard Troyers shop, Acorn Cabinet Company to get that done. Tomorrows the day. Stay tuned. I may update, I may not, but I will let you know when it is all over. :) Oh, and here is a picture of Kalvary that grandma took. Kalvary likes using her new broom.

Monday Morning

I got nothing for ya. I'll say something after Kris's appointment at 1015 this morning.

Due Date plus 8

Tomorrow we go to Kris's next and hopefully final appointment. I think Kris would let them induce tomorrow if they wanted too. It would be nice if it came tonight, but I think I have said that for three weeks now. I taught my last adult Sunday school class on media choices today. I think it went well. We focused on print media and internet. Kris, Kalvary and Rose went to a bridal shower for Joni, my cousin Ben's fiance this afternoon. I went over to the Freed homestead and played settlers with Dad, Shaun and Ben. Levi was there too, but he mostly watched the pistons/Cavaliers game. Dad finally won a game of settlers. He has played maybe 20 times and a win just alluded him. Pulled it off today though.

Sunday Morning

Here is the words I use whenever I answer the phone. "Nope, No baby yet." I can't write more because we are getting ready to go to church. Wish it was the hospital.

Due Date Plus 7

We are now officially a week late. We are also officially bored with it all. Kris and I have gone from thinking, "It could be tonight!" to "It might be tonight, but it probably wont be." This baby WILL be born in the next 7 days. It just might need a little help from some medical professionals. I so thought that it would be here by now. I have an interview on Tuesday that I was expecting to have a week of a squaling newborn under my belt, but now it is possible that child won't even be here by then. Weird. It could be tonight..... But it probably wont be.

Zoo day

We did go to the zoo. Kalvary had fun although she got tired near the end. The one picture is of her waiting patiently to ride the carousel and the other is her hanging on for dear life. She was little scared at first, but I think the next time we go she will flat out love it.

The stress test went fine. The baby seems to be fine, so now our next appointment is on Monday. I would really like not to be there, but if we have learned anything from this baby, it's patience.

May 20th

There is no baby yet, but it would be kind of cool if it would come today. Kalvary's birthday is on June 20th. To have a baby on May 20th would mean that it wouldn't be hard for me to remember birthday's. I am going to work on my final adult Sunday school class on media choices this morning. Tomorrow we are going to talk about print media, internet and then a little wrap up. Talk about your broad subject matter. Kris and Rose are making breakfast right now so I better take the time to get some work done. I'll let you know how the stress test turns out.

Due Date plus 6

Tomorrow, if the baby hasn't come by then and who knows, it could, we have to go into the hospital in the morning. Kris gets to be strapped to the monitors and the baby will undergo a stress test to make sure that it is ok. If everything is alright, we go home and wait till our appointment on Monday where we will discuss induction. But maybe it will come tonight.

We are not sure how we are going to spend the rest of tomorrow. We thought about the zoo. Also we may check out some more garage sales. I might work on putting up a clothesline if I feel really industrious, and if my Sunday school class is prepared. We'll just have to see.

Cousins

Grandpa Freed wanted me to put this picture of Kalvary and her cousin Kaelyn on here. Ain't they cute? All waiting on cousin # 3.

Its FRIDAY!

Ahh, another uneventful night. Grandma Shirk moved in yesterday to await the new arrival. Hope she doesn't have to wait too long. Today, I think the plan is for Kris, Grandma Rose, and Kalvary to hit some garbage sales on the west side. I will work at the station, and I have a meeting at one. I hope this doesn't mean that this child will always have a tendency to be a little late. Those of you who know me well, know that Ryan doesn't like to be late for pretty much anything.

Due Date Plus 5

Just in case anyone cares, these are our pet fish. They are, from left to right, Beans, Rice and Jelly. Jelly is our newest acquisition. The aquarium store up on Sawmill had a sale on Koi and I had store credit. Generally these fish are 9-15 dollars a piece and very hardy. The downside is that they will grow to be 4 feet long and can live up to 50 years. That is a downside because right now they are in a 40 gallon tank. My parents have a small gold fish pond that would be big enough for them, but they are moving. Kris says I can't dig a pond until all of our children are old enough not to accidentally drown in it. The state of Ohio says it is illegal to release fish into the wild. You see my quandary. Oh and the reason you all tuned in today? Nope, no baby yet.

Grandpa Shirk

Grandpa Ben had to head back to Indiana this afternoon, but before he left he said goodbye to Kalvary and promised to come back after the baby is born. Oh and yeah, no baby yet.

Thursday morning, nothing new

We had a good night of sleep. It's weird when you are hoping that your sleep will be interupted. Kris and I were just chatting the other day about how many pregnant women we have known lately who have gone long. 4 out of the five that we could think of in the last 6 or so months. Maybe there's something in the water. Today, I think Kris, Grandma Shirk and Kalvary may try to take a trip to the zoo. That's risky this time of year. You may end up there with thousands of school kids on field trips making life miserable for teachers and you. I plan to write my final Newsletter for the Radio station. Of course, we might just have a baby and all that would have to be postponed. I like that option.

Due Date plus 4

Sure wish I had something new to tell you. I went and worked at the station most of the day today, Elaine has really come into her own at the station and knows most everything that she needs to do. It is hard to believe I only have a week and a half left there. This evening we took the Shirk Grandparents, Ben and Rose, to Chipotle in Columbus for BIG burritos. I think that they approved.
We never get our hope up these days, every time it seems like we might go, it doesn't happen. I've been a little stunned by the number of you who are checking in several times a day to see if anything has happened. Just so you get a idea of what shape Kris is in :), we thought we would put up a profile shot of her, taken this evening.

NADA

Ok.... How about today? Today would be good too. Seriously, Kris had kind of a rough night. No labor, but the baby woke her up by kicking her really hard in the front of her stomach in the middle of the night. It seemed to really hurt.

Traffic Jump

My pal David posted a link to this site at 5 today and since then I have had over twenty hits on the site, bringing today's grand total to 47, which is twice what we normally get. Thanks buddy. I guess the suspense is killing more than just us. I missed out on visiting with Kris's Mom and Dad when they came tonight due to a church elders meeting, but they should be around for a few days, and if Kris would go tonight, her mom may stay several weeks. That will be nice, we'll need the help, and Kalvary will enjoy spending time with grandma. Just so you know, if it is humanly possible, I will post on here when we go to the hospital. I can't promise updates during labor, but I will get here as quick as I can with a birth announcement. Tonight would be good. I hope it comes tonight.

Tuesday Morning Update

No News is still No news. We are looking forward to seeing the Shirk Grandparents this evening. I have two meetings today that I was totally expecting to have to skip, but it now looks like I am going to be at them.

Once again, No news.

Here are some of the things we have done in the last 4 days.

We have walked around Kmart trying to start the labor
We have walked around Tuttle Mall trying to start the labor
We have walked around the Springfield mall, trying to start labor
Kris has walked to the armory today, trying to start labor.
We had a full moon on Saturday
We had the due date.

I don't think walking works. Maybe I should chase Kris, or she should do some vigorous calisthenics.

We had a mid-wife appointment today. Every thing looks fine. If Kris still hasn't gone into labor by Saturday, we have to go in for a stress test, and then next Monday we are due into talk to the midwife about inducing options. We really don't want to wait that long. Stay tuned, I'm sure things will get exciting at some point.

Still waiting.

Nope, Not yet. Kris has an appointment scheduled for today at 3:00. Here is a baby picture of Kalvary so you will be able to compare whenever the new one arrives.

Not yet

It is sunday morning. No baby. So I guess that full moon thing is a crock. We are getting ready to go to church. See some of you there.

It's Here!

No not the baby. The due date is here, and we are bored sick from waiting. It's like, there are things we need to do, but we just want to have the baby, so we do nothing. If any of you want to ease our boredom, give us a call. Maybe we should set up a baby vigil, where we all sit around and play settlers and stare at Kris's belly waiting for contractions to set in. Oh, by the way, there is a web site where you can play settlers online for free if you have any time on your hands that you want to kill with a useless activity.
tomorrow at church we have a potluck for mothers day and all the men are supposed to bring stuff. If we go, I am supposed to bring a main dish and salad. I am instead bringing my soon to be famous tube steak Sushi, and some cinnamon Cuban bread. Hope someone eats them. I will...If we're there, which frankly, I hope we're not.

Still no baby

Tomorrow is the due date and it is also a full moon, which I hear is supposed to have an affect on such things. So.... Hopefully we'll be able to give you baby news tomorrow. We went and walked around the mall today trying to shake the baby loose, but to no avail. Kalvary enjoyed the kid area.

Quick update

Lo and behold, those pains went away. No baby yet. Maybe today.

No new Freed yet!

Here Kalvary and I wait. Kris has been having pains that might be the start of Labor. We are watching and waiting. It could be tonight!








Or it could be next week, labor is weird that way.

New Vehicle!!!

We went and bought ourselves a minivan. Once again Craigslist comes through. We purchased a Plymouth Grand Voyager today for 2500. It has two sliding doors on either side, which was a must, especially for Kris. It needs a little cleaning, but we are quite happy with it. Now we just need to sell our Lumina. See if craigslist can sell too.

Oh and by the way, no baby yet. Hopefully soon, Kris is getting quite uncomfortable. The baby enjoys kicking her ribs. Here is a picture of the car that the owner sent us last week.

Kalvary is one funny little girl.

We used to carry Kalvary from the bath to her bed room, but now, thanks to Kris letting her walk with the towell around her shoulders, I think we are stuck. No way are we carrying her now. Hopefully she has the bladder control not to wet the carpet on the way.

Job Search

I don't have much to tell you. I am currently pursuing the director of Enrollment services at Rosedale bible college job. I stopped in to Rosedale today, and they aren't quite ready to do a formal interview yet, so I'll get back in touch with them on Monday. Hmmm. I could quite possibly have another child by then. :) Here is the first one, helping us recycle walmart bags.

Update from the weekend

Well, the scary week of preaching, and teaching adult sunday school the same sunday has come and passed. It went rather well, I feel. The two extra days I received from the Armory having the Mold scare was very helpful... No baby yet, although, the Saturday night before I preached, Kris though she might be having some contractions. That would have made for a short service ;). I should have more to say about the job search by tonight, as I have several meetings/interviews today. I'm even dressing up. That almost makes me feel fake, so pray that it doesn't hurt my image for the interviews. Anytime I put on a Tie, I just think it makes me look awkward.