SEW: On The Way To The Park

We got to have a picnic on Monday afternoon, and this is what we passed on the way to the park. Isaiah was too busy watching cars go by to take the time to smile for the camera.

Just Waiting

So, heard from the doctor today, but I had a really, really hard time understanding her; I think she was outside because there was tons of strange background noise, weird. Anyway, the gist of the plan is this: everything was all right with my blood sample, so we don't know anything about why our baby didn't stay with us. Next month after my, hmm, how shall I put this delicately...after the way of women has come upon me, I am to call and make an appointment with her. I think that she wants to do an ultrasound to check the lining of my uterus to make sure that it's sufficiently thick for an embryo to implant.

So, now you know, maybe more than you want to know. Thank you for your prayers and very sweet comments and facebook messages the last few days. I'm sorry that I haven't replied to each one, as I would normally like to do, but I've actually been pretty busy and not on the computer very much, until very late at night, when I have no business writing to anyone because it wouldn't be coherent. Come to think of it, that time of night is getting earlier and earlier for me lately, hmmm......

Well, good night, from this side of the world.

FYI--But Really Nothing to Report

In case you want to know, I went to have the blood draw this morning that I mentioned in my previous post. Isaiah and I made the day of it, packing lunches and having our first picnic of the year! We enjoyed beautiful weather and even ice cream!

I won't know the results of the blood analysis until after 5 pm our time, which is 8 am in NC and 7 am in LA, for those of you in those time zones who would be curious. And I really doubt that I'll know anything then anyway, but that's when the doctor is supposed to call to let me know what we're going to do next.

But we had a great day. I mean, who couldn't have a great day with this Little Man for your lunch date?

Until We Meet

There are certain things that I know to be true:

God is good, all the time.

God gives good gifts to His children.

Sin is evil.

Heaven is wonderful because God is there.

Life is not always beautiful, but can be lovely.

I don't have to understand everything to believe in God. (Hallelujah!)

Nothing can separate me from God's love.

Because I know these things, I can write this post, and hope that God will be glorified in my words and in my life.

Two weeks ago, I found out I was expecting our third child, and I was happy.  Four days ago, I learned that our child was with God, and I am heartbroken, again.  (I realize that I used bad grammar here, but when I typed "was heartbroken", it just wasn't accurate, so please overlook my purposeful use of bad grammar in order to communicate more accurately my emotions.)

You might be wondering why I would "bother" writing this post, since most people did not even know that I was pregnant.  Well, to be quite honest, I think this is for me.  I need to put down somewhere the things that I wrote at the beginning and remember that in this, too, God is good.  I don't understand why our 3rd child did not stay with us on earth.  While I would love to know why this happened, I don't have to know the reason in order to continue to believe that God is good.  And for some reason, I also need other people to know, so I put it here, rather than in a journal for my own eyes (though it's there, too!).

After our first miscarriage in March, I wrote this post.  To my surprise, I was told afterwards that it was printed out and used for hopeful encouragement for some other women in similar circumstances.  I don't know how God will use our second miscarriage, but I pray that He will be glorified.  Perhaps no one else will read this beyond my few faithful readers, but even if that is the case, I pray that God will use this in y'all's lives as He sees fit.  (be sure to read that last part with a good southern drawl, it sounds better that way)

And in case you're curious about the medical side of things, here's some info:

I went to a different clinic to see the doctor this time.  We decided for convenience sake I would go to a clinic that I could get to more easily.  This clinic is actually a Finnish-Russian clinic, so the doctor does not speak English.  I went on Tuesday of last week for the first time.  The doctor was very kind and spoke very clearly, so we were able to understand her very well!  When we didn't understand a medical term that she said, she was able to explain the term (in Russian), and we were able to understand then.  She did an ultrasound and was not able to see anything.  We did a blood test, and she called with the results of very low hcg.  The very next day my period started.  And I cried.  A lot.

I go back on Monday (tomorrow) to do another blood draw.  The doctor will call me on Tuesday to let me know the results, and we are going to do a follow-up ultrasound (I think) to make sure that everything is all right in there.  She said "we need to make sure your body is ready for your next baby" (rough translation).  I was really glad that she brought this up, because it would have taken me at least twice as long to get my point across in Russian, especially over the phone.

I am very thankful for this doctor.  I am thankful that my Russian has progressed to a point that I can go to this clinic--it is SO MUCH EASIER to get to!  I am thankful that overall the weather is prettier right now, it's amazing to me the difference some sunshine can make!  I am thankful for a little man who loves life and waves at cars that go by as we take long walks in the sunshine.  I am thankful for a God Who never leaves me or forsakes me, who sanctifies me and purifies me and cleanses me.

So I've been thinking a lot about heaven lately.  I think that when we are in heaven, we'll probably be just so stinking excited to be in God's presence that that joy will be greater than anything else, but in my imperfect state right now, I must confess that heaven seems closer because we have two children there.  While I know that Christ is totally reason enough for wanting to be in heaven, this emotional mama also looks forward to meeting her children and telling them how much she loves them, though she's never seen them with her eyes or held them in her arms.  And somehow, realizing that I can love someone that I've never seen or touched our kissed or hugged helps me realize that I can love Christ even more, He Who has done so much for me.  Though I have never seen God, I love Him; and I want to love Him more.

Please pray for me.  I really want to have another baby.  Please pray that I will be patient and trust in God's good timing.  And practically, please pray that I will sleep well.  I'm very tired, but when I lay down to go to bed at night, I must confess, my mind wanders a lot, and sleep does not come easily at times.  I want to be refreshed and ready for doing what I need to do the next day (especially for Isaiah!), and I know that sleep is a big part of that.  But most of all, please pray that God will be glorified.  Thanks, friends!

Tot School--E Week

This week was a little different, but I don't really know why.   I don't have many pictures, but we did do some other activities, so words will just have to suffice.

Unfortunately I didn't do that well with a Bible verse for this week.  I just had a hard time choosing one, and then I didn't talk about any of them very much with Isaiah.

Bible Story:  Elijah

We enjoyed reading from his Russian children's Bibles about Elijah.  We read about Elijah's faithfulness to God when lots of other people were not faithful, and we read about the altar that shouldn't have burned, but God made it burn!

E is for 

Elephant

I found this elephant mask online, but have since lost the web address.  It was something about Go, Diego, Go!, but I don't really know what that is, since it's not on Russian television. :)

Isaiah wasn't too thrilled with this thing on his face.

So we pulled out his elephant foam puzzle square from his really awesome foam mat from Aunt Emily, Uncle Rich and Luke.  He seemed to enjoy taking all the pieces out, but didn't really care about putting them back.

Our friend Deanna also came over for supper one night, and she brought Isaiah a really cute stuffed elephant because she knew we were working on E, but I didn't get a picture of them together like I should have! 

Aunt Emily

For some reason, it had been a while since we looked at Isaiah's family book (get ready for more that next week!), so I pulled it out and he loved on the pictures of his family, oh so far away.

Eggs

I don't have pictures of this, but Isaiah really liked playing with his plastic eggs again this week.  He could even get them apart!  I finally remembered to save an egg carton for him to put them in, and he could do it!  I wasn't sure about his ability to put them in specific spots, rather than just a big bowl.  I was pretty excited about this new development!  He also did well picking up the color egg that I asked for, though he wasn't interested in naming them himself.

Egypt

This sort of happened by accident.  We unexpectedly had to eat lunch out one day due to no electricity, and Isaiah got a pyramid-shaped toy with his lunch.  (yet again no picture)  We hid treasures in his pyramid and talked a little bit about Egypt.

Eli

Who is the main character of one of Isaiah's favorite books, Moonpowder, which obviously doesn't start with an E, but Eli does.  And Isaiah sounds really cute when he says that name!

At the end of the week, Isaiah got sick, so we've been focusing on keeping his fever down and limiting our activities.  Hopefully next week Mama will be more "with it" and plan ahead a little better!

For the other Tot Schools, be sure to check out 1+1+1=1.

Our Day in Pushkin

The last week of April we enjoyed some great family time together.  One day we took the train to Pushkin, a smaller town on the outskirts of St. Petersburg where Peter the Great built a palace for Katherine the Great.  It's also a nice quieter city, which is a great change after living in a city of 5 million!

Here's Isaiah ready to be outside ALL DAY!

Some things we liked inside the palace:

And our view during the beautiful day!

Katherine's Palace

But I think it looks better with people, especially these people.

And we even managed a family shot!

It was an enjoyable day in God's creation with my wonderful family!

Novgorod--Take Two

All right, finally catching up again on some posts that are old, ok, maybe even very old, but at least the grandparents will enjoy the pics of Isaiah, right?

We enjoyed our trip back to Novgorod more than we anticipated, since it had been planned for us and we were kind of told we were going. :)  Actually, it was very nice.  The weather was beautiful, the company quite nice, and did I mention that the weather was beautiful?

We went back to several of the places where we had been before, except in the snow.  They looked a little different this time around.

Here's the monastery without the snow and ice, so I didn't fall down in front of large groups of people this time.  Many of the buildings were being restored and under scaffolding, so we didn't take that many pics.  This pic is leading up to one of the renovated churches that is still an active meeting place.

The first time we were there, we couldn't even get down to this river area.  This time there were people grilling on the banks of the river.  Gorgeous!

We went back to the Wooden Village, too.  It was easier to see the detail on the homes this time, especially since I didn't have to go searching for a place to change or cath Isaiah!

Isaiah with our friend Marta, also from our church, on one of the fun swings in the village.

Isaiah and I with his new friend, Daniel, the oldest son of the pastor with whom we stayed.

Some things inside the homes.  TL:  The living area where a family would eat, play, worship.  And in this case, family meant grandparents, mom, dad and lots of children.  TR:  A musical instrument similar to an accordion, but not.  BL:  A work area in the "downstairs" area of the home.  BR:  Of course I had to get a picture of the sewing machine!

And here's a whole group, minus Thomas who was taking the picture and the 2 youngest kids of the pastor who were at home with a friend.

One of the churches in the village.  I think there were 3, actually, but I can't remember for sure.

Isaiah was, of course, just thrilled to be outside!

His new friend Daniel was so sweet with him!  Daniel wanted to help push the stroller all the time and entertain Isaiah.  I always feel so happy when we meet new children and those children love my child!

Unfortunately, I got sick Friday afternoon and we had to return earlier than planned.  Overall though, the trip was a great success, with connecting with more believers and enjoying some fellowship.  Thomas was able to attend a special service and talk about the work that we are doing here and hoping to do in Siberia.  And we got tons of Russian practice!

An Update You Didn't Know You Needed

Life is always interesting...

Yesterday I thought Isaiah might be getting an ear infection, which would be his first ever.  

He woke up from his nap with a very high fever (102.2, and later went about 103) and was not his usual perky little self.  I gave him a fever-reducer, praying that it would kick in and prevent his fever from spiking further and bringing on a fever-induced seizure.  I also called Thomas and we arranged for a doctor's visit later in the evening.

Anyway, long story short--Isaiah has a UTI, which really surprised me and, I think, the doctor; there was nothing wrong with his ears afterall.  BUT for the first time EVER when having a UTI, he has NOT had a fever-induced seizure!  I can't explain the relief that this has brought us!  Usually a UTI means, Gear up, Mom and Dad, here come the seizures!  But God has seen fit to prevent them this time, and we are incredibly grateful!

To those of you who knew about our trip to the doctor and prayed for no seizures, thank you!  Please continue to pray, as usually the first few days of an infection also mean several days of a fever going up and down.  We are really excited about the prospect of Isaiah having grown out of these fever seizures!

It's funny (sort of) how God works sometimes:  Thomas and I have been pushing really hard lately and were feeling the need for a few days to stop and do nothing.  And now that's what we have.  All we have to do these next few days is take care of Isaiah.  Thomas was able to cancel some appointments so that he could stay home with us, as part of taking care of Isaiah also means regularly getting up during the night, which means being pretty tired the next day--it's really nice to have another adult around to help!

So anyway, that's part of what's been going on around here lately.  Now aren't you glad you know. :)

My Husband Rocks Fridays (a little late)

A couple weeks ago (I'm way behind on my posting!), International Academy had its Spring Concert.  Thomas directed the Jr. High/Sr. High Choir, Chamber Choir and then the entire student body (K-5 through 12th grade!).  

I'm always impressed with his musical talents, but I must say that I'm really impressed with how he can get all those kids to listen to him, and how he can even get them all to sing!  He did a great job!

Victory Day

Saturday, May 9 was День Победы or Victory Day. Russia really know how to celebrate this holiday! Starting Friday night with a ball and continuing until through Monday, Russians celebrate the end of the The Great Patriotic War, which is how WWII is named in Russia. You might recall how we celebrated last year, but if this is new to you, I'll add some history along the way, as I show you our pictures.



Early Saturday morning we headed to Дворцовая Плошадь (Palace Square, where the Hermitage is located) and found a spot to watch the military parade. We didn't get a very good spot, but we enjoyed the time outside and with friends.

Here's Isaiah just thrilled to be outside!

Lydia's family joined us for the morning, continuing a tradition we started last year. But we all pretty much agree that next year, we'll start in the afternoon.



This is a much-zoomed-in shot, we were nowhere near this close to the action, but on the stage stood many high-ranking officials who spoke during the parade. The orange and black striped banner represents one of the great medals of Russia. During День Победы people will wear this ribbon in celebration.



After the parade we were able to walk around on the square and get pictures and hand flowers to veterans and survivors of the blockade. I love this family!



We were thankful to know about the traditions of this day better this year. One that I particularly enjoyed was handing flowers to those who lived during the time of the war. The old soldiers were in their uniforms, usually and the women who survived the blockade wore special medals so that they could be identified as well. I was excited to buy flowers the day before in preparation for handing them out!



After the parade and some yummy Carl Jr's lunch, we headed down to a metro station in the center of town. I thought this square looked great with the flags blowing in the wind around the monument.



This year we went to the graveyard where the people who died in the blockade are buried. This flame burns in honor of the dead. People came and laid flowers around the flame, and all around the graveyard as you will see. Some people were trying to throw coins in to the flame

This lady is a "child of the blockade", which means that for at least part of the 900 days during which the Nazis had St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) cut off from the rest of the world, this lady survived. The lady behind her thought it was great that the two people in коляски (the word for stroller and wheelchair are the same in Russian) be in a picture together. Isaiah didn't seem to understand why he was in a picture with a strange lady and without mama and daddy, but I'm glad that we have this picture. The lady is holding a box of chocolate given to her by some men handing them out to all the veterans and survivors and of course, all the flowers given to her by people visiting the graveyard.

What looks like lovely green fields separated by sidewalks are the graves of the people who died in the blockade. No picture could adequately communicate the vast number of these graves. They are marked only by the year in which people died and were buried there. They appear to go on forever.

Behind Thomas and Isaiah is a memorial to those who died on the front or in the blockade. It was covered on all the non-walking areas by flowers left by people honoring their family members or long-lost friends.

When I gave this man a flower in honor of what he had been through, he wished me happiness and health.

People not only leave flowers; they also leave bread, representing the daily ration that was given to people during the blockade--half a slice of bread.

After visiting the graveyard, we returned to the center of town to get a good spot for the March of the Veterans. We enjoyed spending the afternoon with our friend Trevor, another missionary who is from Ireland.

Isaiah was ready to give flowers to the veterans!

The march was led by the governor of St. Petersburg, the lady in the white coat, and several veterans, including this lady in the navy uniform.

Following the governor and this first group of veterans were these soldiers carrying flags in honor of the heroic Leningrad.

Isaiah really enjoyed the parade this year. It's so fun to watch him be more aware of what is going on around him.

The next pictures of those who are called children of the blockade or of veterans. It was a very emotional parade as people shouted "thank you" and "for the veterans" in honor of these people who endured so much.

This man marches every year, and I mean marches through the whole parade route.

The communists were in this year's parade, too; but as they passed, the crowd became eerily silent.

Near the end of the parade people in uniforms from WWII rode by in these trucks, and the crowd began cheering again!

History is an interesting thing, when viewed from the eyes of someone from another country. In America, we often learn that America won the war. Since living in Russia, we've since learned that Russian often resent that implication, that America won the war. It seems that the truth of the matter is, it was definitely a group effort. Records recently released show that Leningrand probably would not have survived without help from the West, specifically America, who sent packages of food and clothing and necessities for survival. However, if Russia had not endured the brunt of Hitler's wrath for so long, dividing in a sense the focus of the German army, the West could have been in even worse shape. Every single family was effected in Russia by the loss of the war, something that is hard for someone as young as I to comprehend. Being able to celebrate Victory Day with the Russian people helps me to appreciate them better, always good to appreciate people to whom you want to minister; but it also helps me appreciate my own country better as well. I am thankful for the men and women who served and suffered and died to protect the world from evil. I pray that we will remember in order to help keep something like this from ever happening again.