The Kids Got To See the Baby on TV!

When I was 11 weeks pregnant they noticed abnormalities in my U/S. For more details on this, please scroll down to "PERFECT" to read about this in more detail. Since then we have been blessed to find out the Lord has given us a baby with Down's Syndrome. We truly believe this is a gift from God as each child is. We know God will use this child to grow us more like Him and to fill our lives with much joy. We know it will be a challenge for us,especially for me, as I am NOT an organized person but have been praying for this in my life. I believe God will use this child, Lord-willing, to help me in this area as it will be much different raising a child with Down's who likes organization and structure.

Dr. Moore said with a Down's baby I will not feel movement like a "normal" baby. I understand this but it is more difficult to "live" it. I am used to feeling my babies at 16 1/2 weeks and did not feel the baby for sure until last Wed. night after church. What a wonderful feeling it was to know my baby was alive in me! I am 21 weeks now so this was late for me.

Today we went for our ultrasound to see our "Little One" being knit in my womb by God. Our whole family went to see the baby on "tv". We watched closely as the lady, Michelle, measured and checked the baby. "E" picked up the parts easily and would get excited and say, " I see the......!"



I was relieved to hear the heartbeat. It was 159 beats per minute. The baby was moving all over. Arms bending, legs kicking, head turning to "see" what was poking into "Little One's" home.

Everything looked good. The heart had it's 4 chambers...something they didn't see last time. Brain measured fine. Kidneys working great, spine looks beautiful.

To diagnose a baby with Down's Syndrome, they have to have 3 out of 4 markers present to be sure. So far they have marked 2. The femur bone is short, and their is an extra layer on the neck. This is one of the most prominent features and markers. The other 2 are a short bridged nose and heart defects. They could not detect the nose today because "Little One" would keep turning away. We will go in January to a Pediatric Cardiologist to check the heart.


It was fun watching our child move around inside of me. The kids had fun playing with their youngest sibling. Michelle, the U/S lady, was great with them. At one point the baby was moving the arm and she told the kids their little " brother or sister" was waving at them. They really enjoyed this! She pointed out to them the 5 tiny toes, ribs, tummy, and more. At one point, the baby did a "thumbs up" sign with the hand. She told the kids the baby was showing them a "thumbs up that things are looking good". :)All in all, we had a good time seeing our baby from God. He has blessed us with the technology they have these days and the things they can see...all through sounds and vibration that are hidden to the human eye without this machine.

It brings to mind how we are as people......

On the outside we all look different. Some have black hair, some blonde. Different skin colors, weight, height, etc. We can portray ourselves how we want to. We can put on a "front" that we have it all together in life. We are good people. We help those in need, therefore we are nice and compassionate, we always seem calm, we may go to church so we must be going to heaven.

Christ sees our outward appearances but most importantly He sees our souls. The deepest part of us. He sees our sin. He sees the motives of why we help others, the anger that may dwell inside, our pride ( wanting to look good), our selfishness, impatience, evil thoughts, bitterness...... Just a little something to think about......when we notice these things in our lives, we should quickly seek Christ. Repent of our sins. Go to the Holy Bible. Meditate on the words of our God......just something to think about......

Well, we are ever so excited to have seen our "Little One". No, we did not find out the sex of the baby. We like to be surprised! I do have a poll on the side of my blog to see what others think we might have. If you have time, please vote. It will be exciting to see the outcome...and the winners!

We love you, our "Little One", we look forward to the day we can meet you! Thumbs up!!!

Go Gators!!!

Our family lives in La. but I was raised in Florida. Though I like the LSU Tigers, I will always be a Gator fan!

Love You Gators!Go Gators Go :)

I've Been Tagged

Thanks Amy (http://www.thehouseofshelbys.blogspot.com/) for tagging me and forcing me to think!

Here are the rules:
-Link the person who tagged you.
-Mention these rules on your blog.
-List 6 unspectacular things about you.
-Tag 6 other bloggers.


So, here are 6 unspectacular things about me you may not know:

1. I still have my first baby blanket given to me at birth...and I still use it! When we travel I use it as my "travel blanket" to keep me warm. After all these yrs. it is in pretty good shape still!

2. Something I would like to do is visit every state of our great nation...America.

3.My favorite books of the Bible are James, Psalms, and Leviticus.

4. I would love to "rough" camp down a river, spend the night on the banks, get up and continue down a river...doing this for about a week. I would only take the basics of food and water, sleeping bag, and my Bible.

5. I love insects as much as my kids and making tents with them is probably more fun for me than them.

6. My favorite # is 6. I like six ice cubes in my drink and will take out the 7th one when AJ tries to trick me. :) I eat in 6's and if I have more or less I will make it fit my number somehow. Strange but true.

The only other bloggers I know have been tagged already so I will pass on this one. Thanks Amy for sending me this, I had fun thinking of things!

POWERFUL!!!

Thursday, August 28,2008, it was finally confirmed, by the local news, Louisiana and the Baton Rouge area were in great danger of being hit by the "powerful" Hurricane Gustav on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd. As things were becoming more clear people began preparing for the storm rushing to the grocery stores, filling up their cars with gas, leaving their homes to stay somewhere "safe". Some were in panic while others refused to leave the place they call "home".

AJ and I prepared as best as possible. We considered staying at our church, Trinity Baptist, as we felt the structure would be stronger than our home and we would be safer there. As Sunday evening approached, the forecasters gave their report... Hurricane Gustav had weakened and was now a Tropical Storm and would hit Monday evening. AJ decided we would stay home.

Monday morning we wake up to a beautiful, sunny day. AJ questions if we are going to have a storm this day as they have predicted. We turn on the news to learn it was now a hurricane again. No problem, we thought, as the outlook was good for Baton Rouge. About 2 hrs. later, the forecast changed...again. It was headed straight for us here in Baton Rouge.


Around 1:00 pm after lunch, the winds began to pick up strongly. The skies grew dark. The kids were growing more and more excited. For the next 3 hours the rain came down, though not as hard as we expected, and the wind picked up. We watched as the trees swayed back and forth and the wind howled a deep sound through the leaves. Gusts got up to 91- 95 mph depending on the station you listened to. We lost power arond 3:00 pm.
At one point of the day I decided I wanted to video tape the "powerful" storm. I went outside and quickly jumped into our van. It was rocking back and forth from the harsh wind. I have to admit, it was scary. Needless to say, I only stayed out there a few minutes because I wanted to get back in the house again where I could feel safe.


During this "powerful" hurricane, God revealed himself to our family as He faithfully does. Kaylyn rushed over to tell me excitedly she had prayed for the tree that is favorite to her daddy. Her words were, "Mommy! Mommy! I prayed for daddy's favorite tree because it was wiggling a lot and I was afraid it would fall and the tree is not wiggling anymore!!!" I wish you all could see the look on her face. Here the wind was fierce and "daddy's tree" was barely moving anymore....God heard the prayer of a 7 year old.....

Near our sidewalk we have a big patch of mistletoe. AJ will bring a clipping in from time to time and hold it over us. The kids have picked up on this "game" and will do the same also. They were very concerned it was going to blow down. We had limbs falling on the ground, we heard them hitting the roof, Everywhere you looked were limbs galore! But guess what!?! That patch of mistletoe never came down. And I know why! Because God knows our hearts. He heard the children so concerned for "thier" mistletoe. He proved to them in the midst of a "powerful" storm, He cared for their concern.

As I sat next to the window watching the power of Hurricane Gustuv, trees bending back and forth, things flying all over the place, I was reminded of GOD'S POWER!!! As "powerful"as the storm was, it was NOTHING compared to the GREAT POWER OF MY GOD WHOM I SERVE.

In His Word, the Holy Bible, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat when a great storm came. Christ was asleep and his disciples came to him asking if he cared if they perished. "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. " (Mark 4:39)

Now, THAT IS POWER!!! He spoke and the winds STOPPED! Who else can do that? Can you or I? Simply put, NO.

God is POWERFUL. He made this earth and He does as He wishes. He IS in control which means His hands guide these storms.

So if God is so powerful, why would He not stop these hurricanes from hitting land which destoys homes and takes lives? Because He doesn't want to. He has ordained them. I don't know the mind of God and do not pretend to, but I do know He has a reason for all things. Could be to judge. Could be to draw people to Him, bring families together, gives opportunities to put others first and serve them. Could be to show a 7,5, and 4 year old that He hears their prayers and knows their concerns. Could be to SHOW HIS GREAT POWER!

Thank you God for Hurricane Gustav. Thank you for the things you showed our family during this "not so powerful" storm.

Rejoice In This Day?

Have you ever had one of "those" days when you just "know" it will be bad? Let me tell you how a day of mine was last week......

I wake up to feed Elijah around 6:00am. After changing his diaper and putting him back to bed I began my daily time with my God in prayer. I was not feeling well but decided to persevere and spend time with Him instead of going back to sleep. About 30 minutes later around 6:45 am the girls wake up and then here comes "E" around 6:50am. For my children...this is early. They don't usually get up until 7:15-7:30. So for them, getting up early is a big deal.

"Great" I think to myself murmuring inside. " they are going to be cranky all day, fussing and fighting with one another, complaining in that whiny voice I can't stand and disobeying me each chance they get." I say a quick prayer to God for a "gentle spirit and soft tone of voice inspite of their attitudes."

I get up and thus began my morning......

As soon as daddy walks out the door for work "E" starts the disobedience. I tell him to go to my room for discipline. He starts to yell, "I want Daddy! I want Daddy!" as he is crying and now has managed to wake Elijah up again. In my frusteration and sin I reply," Fine! You want Daddy? I will go get him!!!" And off I went to stop AJ and call him in to discipline "E".

As AJ is in the back with "E" the girls get in a squabble over something minor. I remind them in a harsh voice, "We NEED to be loving to each other! This is what God wants!!! Not for us to be easily aggravated over LITTLE things!!!" At this moment I look onto the ground to see the long piece of yarn stretched across the room I placed their the week before, I am immediately convicted.

AJ finishes talking with "E" and as he walks out the door he gives me a soft sweet smile and reminds me in a gentle way, " Remember Christine, God has given you this day. He has preordained it this way for a reason." My heart is softened at the reminder. Until.....

I shut the door and Elijah has managed to get the box of cereal and poured the rest of the box on the ground and is spreading it. I clean it up putting it back in the box... off of my dirty floor which has not been mopped in 2 weeks because a child decided to drag my mop through the mud for fun and leave it behind a car without us noticing it and I run over the mop and ruin it... So I bring our dirty cheerios over to the table and tell the kids, "we don't have much, you get two small bowls each." This is not a lot for them as they can eat a box in one sitting...yes, my thin little ones can do this!

Off to the fridge I go to open the door and find we have enough milk for about one bowl... Sigh...we each have our TINY amount of milk and toast with peanut butter along with the cereal.

As we are eating one of the children decides they don't want anyone to look at them which upsets the others and starts bickering back and forth. I could have easily became angry at them BUT...

God in His wonderful way placed the song in my heart..."Rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice" clap, clap. ""Rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice..." instead of getting upset with the children joy filled my soul. God's strength took over my flesh and I began to smile and sing the song to the children. We all sang it and guess what happened? All of our hearts went from murmuring to joy.
I thank God for HIS strength and joy and ask Him to keep this fresh in my heart and in the children's.

Remember me saying I felt sick. Well, I was quickly getting worse and had to go lay back down in bed. I sent the kids to do their morning chores and put Elijah back down for his morning nap.

About 5 minutes after getting in bed, the kids come in and ask if I need anything. I assure them I am fine. "E" insists I need to have a drink of water and runs off to bring me back 2 glasses, one with ice, one without. Katie Faith says, "if someone is sick they need a fever damoniter thing ( thermometer)" and runs off to find one for me. Kaylyn says she will "watch the kids" for me and "get Elijah if he cries or the phone if it rings." I thank them for their kindness and compassion.

About 30 minutes later I go into Kaylyn's room and lay on the bed. They are supposed to be in there cleaning but are easily distracted by things. So I give them each things too pick up. In the midst of this. "E" asks his sisters if they want to sing songs to me to help me feel better. They choose a few and began. Their notes are off tune, they mess up on some words, they were loud, but they were the most beautiful notes and words to my ears. To know they were singing because they love me brought warmth to my heart.

God convicted me that day. As I got up in the morning it was ME who was murmuring most in my heart, it was ME who was not being loving with my tone of voice, it was ME who determined I WAS going to have a bad day. I sat my children down and told them I was wrong for my attitude earlier and I had sinned against them and God. I asked for their forgiveness. I repented to God.

Inspite of my raunchy attitude and sinful heart, God chose to bless me. Remember that piece of yarn on the floor? That is there to represent "longsuffering." In our morning devotions we are discussing CHARITY ( Love). The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 " Charity sufferth long" so we placed a yarn to remind us to be long suffering with one another. When we are not, we walk on the yarn and pray for God to help us and remind ourselves how He is patient with us so we need to be patient with others......Gos is so patient with me. I sin against Him all the time and yet He forgives me and still loves me. How much more should I be patient with my children and others!

God blessed me with joy. Even though I was complaining in my heart and was aggravated. In His Word it says "Rejoice In the Lord ALWAYS"...not sometimes, not only when everyone is getting along, not only when the day is moving along like I want it to, BUT ALWAYS!!! This means when there is no milk for breakfast, when kids are fighting, there is a big mess on the floor, or maybe you have a co-worker who just annoys to no end, or a traffic jam on the interstate, flat tire, the fridge stops working, you just find out you have to be on a special diet after having blood tests done, a child of yours decides to poo-poo on the ground and the sibling goes and steps in it(Hi to my mommy friend who this happened to today!)......whatever the circumstance...rejoice!


This is the day that the Lord has made! Preordained the way HE wants it...maybe to teach you patience, maybe to to give you rest in the midst of a busy week so everything goes just like we want it to for that day, or to grow you in an area you have been praying God would help you in ( mine would be meekness), whatever the day is like, Yes...WE must rejoice in it.

Are you rejoicing today?

Newlywed!

11 years......I can not believe it has been that long? Where has time gone? I still feel like a newlywed!...

July 13, 1995 I was at a hotel in Melborne, Florida waiting to fly out the next morning on a mission trip to the Bahamas. I was playing the game Spoons with some others I had met when I was introduced to a guy, AJ, about my age. "He seems nice" were my first thoughts and then I returned back to my game. Next morning while flying over the crystal blue Atlantic ocean I spoke to AJ trying to get to know the group of people from Louisiana I will be spending the next week with. He was stand offish so I quickly went to the next person....

My love for the Bahamians were especially for the kids. I loved to spend time with them. No time for beach, boat, snorkeling trips, no time to rest. I wanted to share about Christ. I wanted to play with them. I wanted to know their concerns. As I would spend my days with them AJ began to join me in ministering to these precious children. My days were now filled with a partner to share our joy with Christ.

As the week ended we had become friends who decided to keep in contact....long story short...we began courting ( dating with the intentions of marriage) long distance. I knew AJ was a man of God desiring to live his life for the Lord. This was and is the most important requirement for a husband of mine.

July 13, 1996 AJ asked for my hand in marriage with the permission of my father.
July 5, 1997 I walked down the aisle, with AJ singing to me a song he wrote just for me, in my white lacy dress, hair pulled up the way he requested, and a big grin on my face.

This was the first day of being Mrs. Christina ERWIN. :) The beginning of a new life.

Throughout our 11 years of marriage we have had our good times and our times of trials. Though these were hard I count it as good trials as these are times that made our marriage stronger in Christ and less in our own fleshy desires.

AJ, the person I can go to when I need prayer, a question if I don't understand something in the Bible, he is my best friend, my protector, my confidant, the one who makes me laugh, my encourager, the wonderful father of my 4 children, my snuggler, my goof ball, he is the one that points me to Christ, and most importantly...he is a man of God. He is "MY MAN".

It has been 11 wonderful years of marriage to AJ. I still have frequent "Love Bursts" ( a burst of excited love that makes me want to hug him as tight as I can and giggle with a big smile) for AJ. I still look forward to the time he comes home each day as I can't wait to see him or to hear his voice on the other side when I answer the phone......

In my heart I will always be a newlywed...always proud to be the "Mrs. Christina Erwin".

I love you, My Man. Happy 11th Anniversary!!!

Date with husband

Could you feel the love in the air Friday and Sat.? Because I was radiating with love! My overnight date with AJ was a splendid time. He reserved a nice room at a very nice hotel at the heart of the French Quarters. In our room were plush towels, plush pillows, a sitting area, a desk and more. At one point we were confused about this long but pretty piece of fabric under the table. We were astonished when we found out it is a cover so we don't have to see the cords ( only for the rich people!) to the lamps. On the rooftop it had a large pool overlooking the Mississippi River. The view was nice.

Once we arrived and settled in we decided to go for a walk down to Jackson Square, hand in hand. They have many artists, music, live statues in the Square. Sadly, also many palm and tarot card readers. There is a beautiful cathedral with amazing paintings on the ceilings and glass windows. After our stroll we went back to the hotel and dressed up for dinner. I enjoyed putting on my new dress for AJ, he liked it a lot. We went to a nice place to eat a friend had recommended to him. I wish I could say the food was good but I was congested and couldn't taste a thing. The common people we are, we did not know how to eat at this place. We were eating things with the wrong items and there were 3 forks! Who knew it took 3 forks to eat a meal! We enjoyed ourselves, laughing and talking the whole time with an occasional kiss.

We went back to our room after dinner as AJ started to feel sick. He was sick for the rest of the evening. So, we enjoyed a nice evening in the room while laying on the bed. We talked about our love for each other, "old times" , our love for each other...life together and the trials God has brought us through in the past 11 years. Our love for each other, our kids, and our love for each other. It could not have been nicer...except for AJ being sick to his stomach. :(


Sat. morning we went downstairs to the hotel's resteraunt. Did I mention this was a nice, rich hotel? AJ's SMALL glass of orange juice was $4.00! And it was fake! My bagel with cream cheese...$6.00. AJ had yogurt with fresh strawberries and granola...$4.00 I think it was. He enjoyed it a lot but we could have gotten it from Target for about $1.00! We lifted our glasses up for a "cheer" of another wonderful 11 yrs. and more in marriage.

After breakfast we went for a swim in the pool, it was nice and refreshing to AJ...me...let's just say goose bumps galore!!! It took me 20 minutes to get in BUT I got in! We swam a few laps and challenged each other in different tricks.

After we said our goodbyes to our room, we went to a little place down the street for lunch named Johnny's. It is a poboy shop. It was delicious. Prices were good and service was nice. Next time we go down there to New Orleans we know where to go to eat.

Our last stop on our date was a new Insect museum that opened 2 weeks ago. Call me strange but I like bugs. The bugs in there were AMAZING!!! ( Yes Taryn...they were!) They had everything from ants, beetles, millipedes, butterflies and more! They had little areas you could touch and pick up the bugs ( I picked one up just for YOU Taryn...what a friend I am!). After 2 hrs. it was time to go. It was a fun museum, AJ and I enjoyed ourselves greatly.

A short time later we headed back to Baton Rouge to get our children. Though we had a good time we missed our little ones a lot. It was nice to see their smiling faces and arms in the air waiting for a big hug.

I thank God for a great husband. He planned a great date for me, and although a few things didn't work out liked he had planned, I am thankful to all of his efforts in putting this together. He didn't have to do this for me, but as he put it, he "loves" me and wanted to do something special for me. And I love him also. More and more each day!