Work is really slow and I haven't posted in a bazillion years, so here's a little tid bit.

I'm working at Vanderbilt Children's hospital right now.  I work three days a week and Jacob stays home with Keiran. He's been working once or twice a week cause this job doesn't pay as much as my school year job.

Keiran is amazing. He's crawling and eating table food, saying dada and momma and dedede. He makes the most hilarious faces, he's so happy and loves to laugh.  He does not like to take naps always, but the rest of the time, he;s such a joy.  Makes me want another one (I have to keep taking myself back to the early months to remember why we need to wait).  Oh, I think I here one of my patients crying, I should go. Maybe I'll add more later.

Currently Listening Good Monsters By Jars of Clay see related

I've been thinking about and learning about how to live as a Christian in a non-Christian culture.  So many unbiblical goals and ideas have crept into my ideas on life that I'm just now realizing.

Work: I want to stay compassionate.  That is one of my main goals.  During my last clinical rotation I really struggled with this as we had several children in foster care whose biological parent would come to the appointments.  God really did teach me how to be compassionate toward these people whose the abuse or neglect that hard cause their children such harm. If God can transform my heart to love them (enemies of my professional efforts I guess) then I'm hopeful that he can supply my needs for any other deficiencies I have.

Parenting:  We've been reading a book on this lately.  The main shifts from cultural/ unbiblical ideas to biblical has been as follows: instilling a fear of God and not fear of man in disciplining.  Using methods that promote selflessness instead of reward systems that capitalize on selfish gains. And also taking every opportunity when my childs weakness and sin nature are exposed to share the need for and promise of redemption that was secured by Christ.  How powerful to learn from the beginning to obey God and not just your parents; the freedom in learning that every time you struggle with sin to look back to the cross; that when we stumble, theres not just a firm hand waiting for us, but salvation and redemption!

Going through and challenging my thoughts and ideas against the Bible has reminded me or shown me just how radical it really is.  Now Dr. Phil raises red flags, Oprah's insight seems very limited.  Our cultural preachers if you will are not teaching the gospel and we should be concerned when our ideas on life gel so well with pop culture.

I better go, Keiran needs his diaper changed.  I hope this encourages you all to take a second look at your ideas on life.

SO the state has issued me and Advanced Practice Nurse certifcate of fitness...I'm officially official now.  My job won't start for another week still. I'm looking forward to it, except that I'll be off for 2 months this summer, and the bills won't be.  Don't know how its gonna work out, I just know that God will take care of us one way or another.  Talking with Jacob the other night, we resolved that money will probably always be an issue, but if it weren't , we would have a false sense of security and not need to trust God to provide anymore.  Financial fear is one of my biggest struggles, but we have really been blessed and He has never failed to provide a way.

Speaking of God providing, crazy thing happened last night.  Jacob and I are not in complete agreement on some child rearing issues.  We've been trying to locate a book or other reliable source to study together about it.  One of the ones we had considered was How to Really Love your Child.  We hadn't purchased any books or made up our mind which one to read yet.  Yesterday I was looking through the book case for something to read during Keiran's nap and I saw it at the very end of the middle row, the loving your child book I just mentioned!  Neither of us remember ever seeing it before and I checked my amazon account I had not purchased it there. So I guess thats divine intervention telling us which one to study! So far its a great book with some great marriage insight too!  I recommend it already.

I better go get my workout in while he takes his long morning nap. PEACE!

    Happy New Year!  2006 was quite eventful for our family.

January- Celebrated our 2nd Anniversery.  About a week later, found I was pregnant! (total suprise)

February-Jacob turned 27 and my morning sickness is full swing (except that the first hour of the morning was the only time I didn't feel nauseous for about 2 months)

March - Jacob begins playing shows with Go Aberdeen and Eric Wilson & the Empty Hearts

April - Ultrasound reveals its a boy!

May-Finished my spring semester at school and then begin my last semester! In between I visit my brother in California.  We spend a weekend at Yosimite National park and I hike Keiran up to the top of a waterfall!

June- My car hydroplaned off the interstate one rainy morning.  By God's grace, Keiran and I were not hurt at all and my car was salvageable.

July- We spent the 4th rearranging the furniture in our house to make room for the babe since Jacob had just finished building his drum room in the back of the garage!

August- Finished graduate school! Took one last preparent trip to England!  Had a great time and got to see Lindsay.

September- Keiran was born at 10pm Sept.16!  We had a beautiful natural childbirth, Keiran was perfectly healthy, yet I had a fairly rough recovery (for those of you who know, I only pushed for 30 minutes or less, which was a little faster than my body could handle)

October- Jacob plays a lot of show and does some recording; Keiran and I tag along for some of it. Keiran is a dinosaur for Halloween.

November- I turned 24 and later that month passed my board examination to become a nurse practitioner.

December- Hired for my first job, don't start till January.  Keiran's first Christmas, my parents had a great time.

To come in 2007:  I've got the blogging itch lately, so maybe I'll make a strong comeback on xanga; then again if I can find the time.  My new job will start and Keiran will grow and change and Jacob will learn the joys of being a stay at home dad while pursuing what God has for him in music. We will all grow older and wiser and deep in love.

So I passed my boards a couple of weeks ago!  Now I'm in the hiring process for a job where I do well child exams in the public schools.  Its not using the full range of my skills, but it will be nice to be on a school schedule while Keiran is so young.

Otherwise I stay busy keeping up with the kid.  When he naps I work on one of my various projects (other than the internet): homemade ornaments for Christmas presents, making Keiran's stocking, and sewing homemade diapers out of old t-shirts and towels.  Yes we have begun cloth diapers now that he only poops every 5-7 days.  Its really not that bad.  They leak less than disposables and will save us thousands of dollars, literally.

I also clean house whenever I can so I better get back to more productive uses of my time.  Oh, and I'm putting all of his pictures on www.flickr.com/photos/keiranw