December
2003
Merry
Christmas to our beloved friends and family! After sending out 300 birth
announcements a few months ago, I had to resort to email Christmas cards
for the second year running- hopefully next year I will be back to my
usual Christmas card habits.
We have had a wonderful year in 2003, celebrating the joy of being a family.
I began the year in full nesting mode, preparing for Virginia Austen’s arrival at a neighborhood birth center. I had a mile-long list of what I wanted to get done before the baby came, but the main thing was to have Isaac’s birthday first. Here is what I wrote about Isaac’s birthday party on the night of the 26 February 2000:
When the door closed on the last "guest" (my sister, who lives across the street and who we see almost every day), he turned around, ran over to me, and lifted my shirt.
"My baby sister didn't come out yet?!"
Yes, I have told that little boy, my whole pregnancy, that first it would be HIS birthday, and then his baby sister would come out. The last birthday guest having left, his birthday was over as far as he was concerned, and he just wanted to see if he had missed it when Virginia arrived! Oh, my sweet, precious boy.”
Four
days after Isaac’s birthday party, my dear husband Kurt gave me
the gift of a lifetime, consenting to the homebirth I had so wanted. Two
days later, six days after Isaac’s birthday, I went into labor.
I was posting on the March 2000 Mommies board less than 30 minutes before
Virginia was born, just as transition hit. Fortunately my midwife Debra
listened to what she knew about me, when I called her at 6:45 a.m. instead
of listening to my words (“No rush!”), and she rushed- making
it to our home for the birth, with 23 minutes to spare. Kurt was getting
concerned that he was going to have to catch the baby himself! I waited
until Vanessa arrived from school to attend the birth, and had Virginia
at home, 8:43 a.m. on 4 March 2003, weighing 8 lbs 8 oz. It was a beautiful
experience for all of us- Vanessa decided she would like to be a midwife
that day. (I will never forget hearing her voice saying in delight, “Look!
The amniotic sac!”) For more details and photos of Virginia’s
first day of life, you can see our website at: http://www.skoogie.net
Becoming a family of five has been far easier than I had feared it might be- Virginia is a sweet, easy baby, and the best sleeper I have ever had. She is mainly only sad if I put her down! As long as she is my “hip ornament” and in physical contact with me, she gamely goes anywhere and hardly makes a peep- or only a happy peep. Virginia is a pixie though- only 14.5 lbs at nine months old- Isaac was 14.5 pounds at TWO months old! She says “Ta!” (for cat), da-da and mama, pulls up to standing and scoots around the floor to get what she wants, claps and squeals if you say “yea!”, and “gives five”. Virginia loves her big sister and brother and they love her too- they even get along better with each other now, because they are united in being “the big kids” while Virginia is the baby. This has worked out so beautifully- not sure what will happen when Virginia wants to “grow up” and be “a big kid” too! For now, I just rejoice in my family and the sweet days of being a mother of small children. Looking at my Vanessa, now 7.5 years old, I well know that this stage is very fleeting. We rejoiced in Virginia’s baptism this month as my grandfather performed the ceremony and many of our loved ones were in attendance.
Isaac truly lives up to his name’s meaning, providing us with laughter every day. He is in the three-morning-a-week preschool program at Kessler Park UMC, where Vanessa and I also attended preschool. His teacher this year is Ms. Halabi, and his beloved Spanish teacher is Senor Mendez. “Senor Mendez says…” is an authoritative, inarguable statement, as far as Isaac is concerned. We thank God that Isaac’s health has been very good all year, with only minor blood sugar lows on a few occasions. He counts to over 40 with an actual understanding of the number/object relationship, and sings constantly as he goes about his daily business. His favorite knock-knock joke is “Knock knock”, “Who’s there?”, “Who”, “Who who?” “Is there an owl in here?!” (Or of course, any joke that involves the word “poop”.)
Vanessa
is growing up so fast! She is now in second grade and 7.5 years old- going
on 17. She has been taking piano this year, along with singing in the
church choir and the school choir as well- we really enjoy her musical
and artistic talent! Her drawings are detailed and expressive- as someone
who can’t draw stick figures competently, I am always amazed at
the scope she is able to demonstrate in her sketches. We have been very
proud of her straight-A report cards even with the accelerated spelling
words her teacher gives her. I hope she gets a scholarship for that nurse-midwifery
degree 18 years from now! She is a great big sister (especially to Virginia)
and a daughter any parent would cherish and be proud of- and we do and
are.
Kurt has taken control of his health this year and is doing great with watching his diet and exercising regularly- he looks extra great too! (I don’t THINK I’m biased… <wink>) Also, he has continued in another year at Network Associates, and has been getting great client satisfaction ratings. This fall we have had some uncertainty, from NAI announcing that some satellite positions must be filled either from within/transfers, or from externally with layoffs to create headcount. Only one of these positions has been filled- Kurt was willing to transfer to GA for the right offer, but so far no decisions have been made. In this technology job market, we are just glad for another year without a layoff, and wherever we are in 2004, we hope to add another year to that statistic of us not becoming a statistic again! Two layoffs in 2001 were enough for us for a long time! We pray that God will direct us in where to live and work, and place us where we need to be to best do His will for our lives, in 2004. I am learning a lot about patience and trusting God’s provision- it is not a comfortable lesson for me, but it’s a good one and I do have confidence that when it is time for us to make a decision, we will know it and be willing to go where we are sent- whether here or elsewhere.
In addition to enjoying another year of full-time mothering, I have continued leading a Tuesday night women’s Bible study group, which has been a tremendous blessing to me. We finished our Beth Moore study on the fruits of the Spirit, and another on Becoming a Woman of Prayer, and have continued on our book club book A Woman After God’s Own Heart, and have begun a new study on The Purpose Driven Life. Having a group of women to pray for and with, and be inspired by and held accountable to, is a great joy in my life. This fall I have also taken on Disciple I, a Bible study offered through the United Methodist church which will have me read 80% of the Bible during this school year. I am learning a lot! I also am the Scholastic Book coordinator for Isaac’s school, the webmaster for my midwife’s website, which my brother-in-law and I created: http://www.fcmcdallas.com , and I am in charge of Membership for our Sunday School class this year. Now, if only I had a part-time job, and maybe some home improvement talent/energy to tackle some of the projects our 80-year-old house would benefit from, I would have a full plate!
It is funny to me, that a year later I am saying the same thing about 2004 as I did in 2002 about 2003- God has blessed us beyond imagining, but I don’t have any plans or focused idea of what is coming. However, I will look forward to sharing whatever happened, in next year’s Christmas letter- hopefully in a “real” card! We hope that you have a deeply meaningful holiday season and a joyful coming year.
Love from us all,
Delilah, Kurt, Vanessa, Isaac and Virginia Ray
Merry
Christmas to our beloved friends and family! After sending out 300 birth
announcements a few months ago, I had to resort to email Christmas cards
for the second year running- hopefully next year I will be back to my
usual Christmas card habits.We have had a wonderful year in 2003, celebrating the joy of being a family.
I began the year in full nesting mode, preparing for Virginia Austen’s arrival at a neighborhood birth center. I had a mile-long list of what I wanted to get done before the baby came, but the main thing was to have Isaac’s birthday first. Here is what I wrote about Isaac’s birthday party on the night of the 26 February 2000:
When the door closed on the last "guest" (my sister, who lives across the street and who we see almost every day), he turned around, ran over to me, and lifted my shirt.
"My baby sister didn't come out yet?!"
Yes, I have told that little boy, my whole pregnancy, that first it would be HIS birthday, and then his baby sister would come out. The last birthday guest having left, his birthday was over as far as he was concerned, and he just wanted to see if he had missed it when Virginia arrived! Oh, my sweet, precious boy.”
Four
days after Isaac’s birthday party, my dear husband Kurt gave me
the gift of a lifetime, consenting to the homebirth I had so wanted. Two
days later, six days after Isaac’s birthday, I went into labor.
I was posting on the March 2000 Mommies board less than 30 minutes before
Virginia was born, just as transition hit. Fortunately my midwife Debra
listened to what she knew about me, when I called her at 6:45 a.m. instead
of listening to my words (“No rush!”), and she rushed- making
it to our home for the birth, with 23 minutes to spare. Kurt was getting
concerned that he was going to have to catch the baby himself! I waited
until Vanessa arrived from school to attend the birth, and had Virginia
at home, 8:43 a.m. on 4 March 2003, weighing 8 lbs 8 oz. It was a beautiful
experience for all of us- Vanessa decided she would like to be a midwife
that day. (I will never forget hearing her voice saying in delight, “Look!
The amniotic sac!”) For more details and photos of Virginia’s
first day of life, you can see our website at: http://www.skoogie.netBecoming a family of five has been far easier than I had feared it might be- Virginia is a sweet, easy baby, and the best sleeper I have ever had. She is mainly only sad if I put her down! As long as she is my “hip ornament” and in physical contact with me, she gamely goes anywhere and hardly makes a peep- or only a happy peep. Virginia is a pixie though- only 14.5 lbs at nine months old- Isaac was 14.5 pounds at TWO months old! She says “Ta!” (for cat), da-da and mama, pulls up to standing and scoots around the floor to get what she wants, claps and squeals if you say “yea!”, and “gives five”. Virginia loves her big sister and brother and they love her too- they even get along better with each other now, because they are united in being “the big kids” while Virginia is the baby. This has worked out so beautifully- not sure what will happen when Virginia wants to “grow up” and be “a big kid” too! For now, I just rejoice in my family and the sweet days of being a mother of small children. Looking at my Vanessa, now 7.5 years old, I well know that this stage is very fleeting. We rejoiced in Virginia’s baptism this month as my grandfather performed the ceremony and many of our loved ones were in attendance.
Isaac truly lives up to his name’s meaning, providing us with laughter every day. He is in the three-morning-a-week preschool program at Kessler Park UMC, where Vanessa and I also attended preschool. His teacher this year is Ms. Halabi, and his beloved Spanish teacher is Senor Mendez. “Senor Mendez says…” is an authoritative, inarguable statement, as far as Isaac is concerned. We thank God that Isaac’s health has been very good all year, with only minor blood sugar lows on a few occasions. He counts to over 40 with an actual understanding of the number/object relationship, and sings constantly as he goes about his daily business. His favorite knock-knock joke is “Knock knock”, “Who’s there?”, “Who”, “Who who?” “Is there an owl in here?!” (Or of course, any joke that involves the word “poop”.)
Vanessa
is growing up so fast! She is now in second grade and 7.5 years old- going
on 17. She has been taking piano this year, along with singing in the
church choir and the school choir as well- we really enjoy her musical
and artistic talent! Her drawings are detailed and expressive- as someone
who can’t draw stick figures competently, I am always amazed at
the scope she is able to demonstrate in her sketches. We have been very
proud of her straight-A report cards even with the accelerated spelling
words her teacher gives her. I hope she gets a scholarship for that nurse-midwifery
degree 18 years from now! She is a great big sister (especially to Virginia)
and a daughter any parent would cherish and be proud of- and we do and
are.Kurt has taken control of his health this year and is doing great with watching his diet and exercising regularly- he looks extra great too! (I don’t THINK I’m biased… <wink>) Also, he has continued in another year at Network Associates, and has been getting great client satisfaction ratings. This fall we have had some uncertainty, from NAI announcing that some satellite positions must be filled either from within/transfers, or from externally with layoffs to create headcount. Only one of these positions has been filled- Kurt was willing to transfer to GA for the right offer, but so far no decisions have been made. In this technology job market, we are just glad for another year without a layoff, and wherever we are in 2004, we hope to add another year to that statistic of us not becoming a statistic again! Two layoffs in 2001 were enough for us for a long time! We pray that God will direct us in where to live and work, and place us where we need to be to best do His will for our lives, in 2004. I am learning a lot about patience and trusting God’s provision- it is not a comfortable lesson for me, but it’s a good one and I do have confidence that when it is time for us to make a decision, we will know it and be willing to go where we are sent- whether here or elsewhere.
In addition to enjoying another year of full-time mothering, I have continued leading a Tuesday night women’s Bible study group, which has been a tremendous blessing to me. We finished our Beth Moore study on the fruits of the Spirit, and another on Becoming a Woman of Prayer, and have continued on our book club book A Woman After God’s Own Heart, and have begun a new study on The Purpose Driven Life. Having a group of women to pray for and with, and be inspired by and held accountable to, is a great joy in my life. This fall I have also taken on Disciple I, a Bible study offered through the United Methodist church which will have me read 80% of the Bible during this school year. I am learning a lot! I also am the Scholastic Book coordinator for Isaac’s school, the webmaster for my midwife’s website, which my brother-in-law and I created: http://www.fcmcdallas.com , and I am in charge of Membership for our Sunday School class this year. Now, if only I had a part-time job, and maybe some home improvement talent/energy to tackle some of the projects our 80-year-old house would benefit from, I would have a full plate!
It is funny to me, that a year later I am saying the same thing about 2004 as I did in 2002 about 2003- God has blessed us beyond imagining, but I don’t have any plans or focused idea of what is coming. However, I will look forward to sharing whatever happened, in next year’s Christmas letter- hopefully in a “real” card! We hope that you have a deeply meaningful holiday season and a joyful coming year.
Love from us all,
Delilah, Kurt, Vanessa, Isaac and Virginia Ray