Our son...

Baby McFall,
We found out today that you are a healthy developing baby boy.  We are so proud of you and how much you've grown.  I have had dozens of visions today of who you might be someday.  Whatever paths you choose, know that you will be loved.  The family and friends that have all asked about you today is overwhelming.  Before you've even taken your first breath on your own, you have countless people thinking about you and praying for you.

You will be successful at whatever you do and we will love you unconditionally.  Every dad wants to have at least one son, and I've been blessed with you.  Your mom loves how active you are and that you kick her every night at 2 in the morning...we'll work on that schedule once you're born.

You're going to be the oldest child...that is a lot of responsibility...you have that in common with your mom.  You'll have to fight off jerk guys from your little sisters or defend your little brother if someone picks on him.  You'll be a role model to your siblings and they will want to be just like you.

This is what you looked like today...

and this...

You entertained us for about an hour during the ultrasound.  At first you were curled up and hiding so the tech had to coax you out.  Finally we got to see you and hear your 144 bpm heartbeat.  I think you got a little tired by the end because we saw an enormous yawn...sorry if we bored you.  And, right before we finished, you rubbed your eyes like a tired little boy after a long day and we said goodbye until we see you in person.

You're ahead of the curve in weight and you're ahead of the curve in love.  Keep growing little man of ours....we can't wait to meet you.  God has big plans for you and we are so blessed to have you.

Love,
Mom and Dad

19 Weeks!

Just a short post here.  We've hit 19 weeks...and in about 38 hours we will find out whether we're having a boy or a girl.  I know this is a cliche, but I just hope for a perfectly healthy child.  I'm so proud of my wife, who has handled all of the changes that pregnancy brings while continuing to surpass every woman on Earth in beauty.

 

Everyone keeps saying how small she looks and I think that helps her, but she is a proud momma-to-be. I know she is going to be a great mother.  Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to be able to be a great father.  I mean, I've doubted myself before, like when I order a 16 oz. steak instead of an 8 oz., but this is a little bit more critical of a challenge.  I just want my child to know he or she is loved and I want him/her to live each day to the fullest. I want to lead my child, but not make every decision.  I want him/her to be succesful, but I want them to dream.  I guess what it comes down to is balance.

But, right now, I just hope we can get a few good nights of sleep during the first few weeks after birth.   

On another note, we're beginning the Lenten season tomorrow at church and instead of giving up, I'm taking up a habit of reading my Bible and praying everyday.  Also, I intend to enjoy every second of every day. I live too much in the future....I only have this moment and I'm letting too many of them go by without making a difference.  I just heard the song again "Hello World" by Lady Antebellum and the lyrics struck a nerve with me...I think there is a lot of connection to Christ here:

"Oh, the empty disappears

I remember why I'm here
To surrender and believe
I fall down on my knees
Oh hello world, hello world, hello world"

There has been some "empty" in me lately, especially as I go through the motions of my day to day life.  It's time to snap out of my trance...and live in this world right now again.  I surrender to Jesus...I want Him to fill my emptiness.  I want His will to be done in my life.

Blessings!!!

So, three years ago, almost to the day, here we were...

I, not fully knowing what I was getting myself into had just proposed to my wife-to-be, Kara (you can't see it here, but my heart, at this point, had just returned to normal rhythm). Now, before I get into trouble, the "what I was getting myself into" has been an amazing journey thus far filled with incredible moments of knowing that true love really exists sprinkled with moments of stress, as any marriage experiences. 

Those who really know me understand that I'm pretty indecisive.  I'm pretty sure George Washington didn't put as much thought into his war strategies as I put into deciding which restaurant to go to or whether or not to wear a long-sleeved button-up or a polo.  But that indecisiveness took a back seat when it came to deciding that I wanted and needed Kara in my life.  In other words "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible". (When Harry Met Sally)

So, we had a beautiful wedding, planned almost entirely by my wife, which is why everything looked amazing that day.  Had I been responsible for all of the planning, I'm pretty sure we would have eloped about 6 days into the planning.  Here's the beautiful bride and the other guy.  

 

We've had a great first two years....here are some highlights.

Honeymoon Cruise....without our luggage!!!!

We both had a fantastic time though....Even though we wore the same clothes everyday...our smell didn't seem to offend too many.  I really liked the towel animals...if you can't tell.

We rescued a cat, Charles....who was 7 months old.  He is now fat and lazy and is basically the real-life version of Garfield.

 We built a house...it helps when your father-in-law owns a construction business.

Kara finished her second Bachelor's (mainly to make me look dumber, which isn't difficult).  She is now a registered nurse and I would have a picture of her graduation, but because of my lack of attention to detail, I didn't bring the camera that day. 

Finally, enough about us.  I will begin writing what all of the people in our life actually care about, our pre-birth child.  As I write this our young son or/and daughter (99% sure it's either/or, not multiples) is nearly 19 weeks along.  The inevitable question is, "Are you going to find out?"  YES.  We will know very soon. Approximately 8 days 10 hours, and14 minutes from now, but who's counting? 

The anticipation is driving me crazy, though.  When I was 7 years old, I was so excited on Christmas morning that I got out of bed so quickly that I puked.  That's what I call enthusiasm.  But, 7 year-old Jim's excitement pales in comparison to that of 29, nearly 30 year-old Jim in anticipation of this child. 

This is Kara at 5 weeks and most recently at 18 weeks....

And here was our child at the first ultrasound...

This was at 8 weeks...I cried when I saw this, I cry every time I hear the heart beat, and sometimes I cry just because I'm thankful.  Which brings me to the title of this post, "Blessings".  God has given us more than we need and all that we truly want.  I want to raise this child to look for ways to meet the needs of those around him or her.  The community we live in, much like my hometown of Tell City, and countless others, is filled with people that just need to know that they're cared about.

So, there are two purposes of this blog.  For one, writing is my way to reflect and I want to explore what it's like to become a parent and discuss the struggles and triumphs of our journey as parents.  I also want our kids to be able to reflect on their development and know how much they're loved. 

Second, I want to discuss stories of people helping people. Parkview Church of the Nazarene here in Nashville is our church home and one of our values is Loving One Another Deeply.  There simply is not enough of this in the world.  So, hopefully by observing examples of this, I can see how our community can be served and maybe things can get just a bit better for someone else. 


"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" Matthew 5:3