by Kimberly | Dec 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
Almost every year I find a blogging santa swap to participate in. It is fun and sort of a modern day penpal. This year I participate in one partly hosted by Syndal @ www.synfullydelicious.blogspot.com I had fun putting together a cute little Christmas package for a blog friend.
I got my package a few days ago, but since we’ve been sick, this is the first day I’ve felt like doing anything. I have worn my present though (see scarf above, ok, sorry for the no makeup, I just had to run to Target to get formula), and I will be writing a quick thank you note on some pink stationery (that I had taken a picture of at Target and sent to my husband – saying that I really liked it for a potential stocking stuffer) – and lo and behold she got it for me! Abbey at Finding My Forever thank you for everything – including my little ornaments – love them!
by Kimberly | Dec 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
I love having the privilege to pray for my husband. It is something we as wives must do EVERY DAY . I need help in having that faithfulness, especially now since having a baby.
I like to read books along with the Bible that teach about his role as a husband or elder. This book, The Shepherd Leader at Home has been wonderful. Witmer has been forthright and winsome in giving husbands their job description in leading their wives and children. What an important and large task at hand!
What’ve I’ve learned most from this book is how I can be a helpmeet to him. That is why I read these books. I want to know what they are commanded to do from God, then how I can help them be a better husband. One way is not sulking when I don’t get my way, but joyfully following his leadership.
This book is conversational and easy to read, has study questions that would be great for a group discussion, and is centered on Scripture and not just man’s opinion.
by Kimberly | Nov 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
All day long I’ve pondered the little boy that I now hold in my arms, feed, change, laugh with, cry with, etc. I wanted to take the time to write out his birthstory and name sake story for all of you.
Elijah was due on Sept 13, 2012. I really wanted him to come early because we were supposed to move to Little Rock soon after he was born and I was ready to begin a new part of life. Well, due date came and went with an appointment but no headway in the birth department. I had been secretly trying different “wives tales” about how to hurry up birth, but nothing was helping.
My friend Jena-Marie suggested I go to her guy at a nearby salon for a pedicure. It was the best foot massage ever – and started contractions. We then went to walk North Gate mall and they kept coming – but then they stopped. Nothing more all weekend.
Monday, Eric and I were packing and just biding our time. I started having normal contractions about 10 minutes apart mid afternoon on Monday. On Tuesday we had a scheduled appointment and I was hoping she would get us going. Eric left for a tire appt down the road at 830am. I told him when he left that we probably wouldn’t be coming back to the house without a baby. I was eager and nervous. He got back. We left and we loaded our bags into the car: we had remembered all of our chargers and plugs and going home outfit.
Got to the Durham Women’s Clinic ( I LOVE THEM) and I was 2 cm dialated. Ok – but that wasn’t as much as I wish I was. So, we went to NorthGate again and walked and ate lunch. We saw my FIL in the mall and he could tell how much pain I was in. We only made it halfway around the mall and I knew we better eat some lunch and get back to the clinic. By the time our MW saw us I was 3 cm dialated and he was coming on his own, so she sent us to Durham Regional.
We got to DRHand walked right into our delivery room. Fabulous reception! I didn’t want to take meds right away, so we hopped in the tub. The nurse filled the tub so full of water that when I got in there was a tidal wave of water – we had about 2 inches of water on the floor. Oh, that was humiliating but we laughed about it. Then I got out and took some stadol. Then I got back in the tub. By this time my BFF got there, my makeshift Doula, Leah. She was amazing – being by my side to cheer me on. Husband, BFF, and fabulous midwife, Jualeah, I couldnt go wrong.
Got back in the tub, but knew I needed the epidural. I couldn’t do it. I am a wimp. 🙂 So, I got out and we tested me – 7 cm – but I wanted that epidural. I got it – piece of cake. 830pm – here we go, not quite there yet ready to push. About 1am I finally fell asleep. Woke up at 230 – was told to start pushing. Little Elijah came at 335am on Sept 19, 2012. It was hard, but wonderful. She told me to push the last time then bend down and pull my son out. What an amazing relief and experience. To hold that precious boy on my chest. To know the face of which I had only felt the kicks and heard the heartbeat.
After they took him away I was in the wort pain of my life. I had multiple blood clots, all the pain meds were gone, and I had had a third degree tear. My husband was my hero right then, never leaving my side. Leah was amazing taking pictures of our new son.
Shortly after he was born, the doctors noticed little pin prick bruises all over him. They knew something was wrong. So, after our pastor had time to pray with him, the doctors came and took him to the special care nursery at DRH. Then, they took him to Duke. That was the hardest part post delivery. My Big E had gone home to get some sleep (with my blessing) and my little e had just been taken to a different hospital then his momma. I was so lonely and hardly slept at all.
We finally got to bring little e home on Monday and it was an amazing time walking into our home with our son. Thanking God for rescuing his platelet level and giving him to us on loan to raise as a man of God.
Elijah, in the Bible, was a close-walking man of God. We both loved his character. We landed on Elijah pretty soon after we found out it was boy. Then we couldn’t decide on a middle name of a long time. But, then we came across this blog and I knew we needed it. Carl Levring Stam was Eric’s mentor and dear friend. Chip, as he was known, was a professor at SBTS where E went to school and I worked. I only got to know this sweet man after he had been diagnosed with cancer. The cancer took his life in May 2011. Eric talked to Chip before asking me out for the first time. Chip thought highly of me. I thought highly of him. The main thing he taught me: how to die well. He taught Eric almost everything he knows about worship in the Body of Christ. Levring was his maternal grandfather’s name. He was from Denmark. The blog talks much about who he was and his family. It talks about women of God in his life (Chip’s mother and grandmother). I began praying for Elijah’s wife that she would be a woman of God like these women.
http://www.carlstam.org/familyheritage/janestam.html
We are dearly grateful for our little buddy that we have in our arms. Happy Thanksgiving from our little family to yours.
by Kimberly | Nov 3, 2012 | Books, parenting, Uncategorized
Do you ever hear the term “Family Worship” and think how in the world am I as a parent supposed to do this? I ask myself this as I have a newborn – only 6 weeks old. For me, right now, it looks like praying with him while I’m feeding him or talking to him about patience when he is screaming for food or for his diaper to be changed. But, I know as he gets older, my husband and I have the primary responsibility to lead this little treasure to Christ and to help him grow to be a man of God and to have a heart for God.
Timothy Smith’s new book, 52 Creative Family Time Experiences, helps parents succeed in their role as their child’s primary Christian influence. This book is a great jumping off point for parents who really need help and direction with leading Family Worship.
Here are some great points about this new tool you can use:
1. It is adaptable. If you have kids of varying ages, you can use this book with all of them. It gives you ideas to make the lesson more applicable to older children and younger ones alike!
2. It is organized. Everything from the opening activity to the closing prayer, this book gives you 52 weeks of creative ways to teach the Bible to your children.
3. The main point is there. Smith definitely gets that it is the parent’s role to be their child’s main discipler. It is not the church’s. I’m thankful that he gets it! I wish every writer writing for families and for youth/children would get that main point. That is clearly what the Bible teaches.
4. It is varied. Smith understands that all children (and adults) do not learn the same way. He has examples and activities that hit in every learning style: auditory, smell, vision, touch, doing, etc. This helps when all of your children learn different ways.
My only hesitation for this book is that it is not gospel-centered enough for me. I would want to teach the explicit Gospel of Jesus in every lesson. Take just one lesson – the one for Thanksgiving. It says we need to thank God because He is good and blesses us. We need to be thankful. It doesn’t mention that we need to be thankful for the cross of Christ because it is the only way our sins are forgiven. There are some that teach that and have it written in the lesson, but not all of them.
All in all, this is a “get book” – especially for parents who are striving to teach their children about the Bible and have no clue where to start!
by Kimberly | Sep 22, 2012 | mothering, parenting, Uncategorized
I will write a post all about the birth of our firstborn son, Elijah Levring, and thoughts about his name and what he has meant to us so far, but that will come soon. Right now, I want to think through some early lessons I have learned in motherhood:
1. I am not in control. No matter what I tried to bring on contractions (and believe me, we tried almost everything), we delivered at 40.6 wks. That was really long. I think I had been done for at least 4 weeks. But, God knew when I was done and I kept telling myself that He would not give me anything which I could not handle with Him. Then I couldn’t control the tub I had. The nurse filled it so full that when I got in, we had about 4 inches on the bathroom floor. It was like a tidal wave of water. I can’t control the weight I lose (or don’t lose). Elijah was 9.06 lbs and I lost just that much and now have gained some back – maybe I should just stay off the scale. My husband would love that! I can’t control the lights on Duke Street. Since we are having to make trips to Duke UMC every day we travel Duke Street a lot – and we always hit the lights. I can’t control his platelet levels (which is why he is in ICN).
2. Prayer is my heart language at 2am. Who else is up with me? A friend gave me Psalm 121 and that is so true. I pray when I am holding him tight and he has all the cords hooked to him. I pray as I’m singing to him. I pray as I’m writing in his journal about what kind of man I want him to grow to be. E and I pray as we are going to bed, clearly exhausted, and just sometimes mumbling our prayers – thankful that our God hears even when we don’t make sense due to exhaustion and sleep-deprivation!
3. I need to extend myself grace. I started crying this morning when the only shirt that fit that would also be good for breastfeeding was a maternity shirt. I was upset at myself when I turned off the alarm at 2am which I had set so I could pump him some milk. i just rolled over and finally got up at 6am. I was frustrated this morning when Eli wouldn’t eat very well, but ate like a champ yesterday. I needed to extend myself grace when I finally gave in to stadol and an epidural 7 cm into delivery. I need to extend myself grace! My husband extends me much of it, but I need to as well.
Thankful for all these lessons I am learning.
by Kimberly | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
If you are so inspired to pray for your husband on a regular basis – and would like some guidelines or areas of prayer in which to start – look no further than Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons by Thabiti Anyabwile.
Now you might be saying, Kim, my husband isn’t an elder or a deacon, so why do I need to pray for him in that regard? Well, just as Proverbs 31 is a guideline for women and who they ought to be, I think the characteristics of an elder/deacon is what every man should aspire to be. Not the office per se, the characteristics.
Here are some of the characteristics you can pray for your husband out of this book: sincere, holds firm to the faith, above reproach, a one-woman man (who doesn’t want that?), leader at home, not materialistic, humble, mature, and the list goes on.
And, if you are a church goer – you should be lifting up your pastors/elders/deacons as they serve and lead you and others in the local church. This book has short chapters and is very applicable. Yes, written to men, but I found it very helpful to pray for my husband, who just finished as an elder at one church and is about to start a new role as an Elder
