Announcing with great joy ...

(but shamefully overdue - the announcement not the baby, that is) ... the birth of Caleb Luke. He weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and arrived on November 5th 2008, just four days early. The latter part of my pregnancy developed into somewhat of a trial, the horrid details of which I will spare you. For a combination of medical reasons we were denied a homebirth, although as circumstances worked out we very nearly had one. Indeed we very nearly had a 'backseat of the car, parked in the middle of the woods' birth. Caleb arrived just five minutes and five pushes after arriving at the hospital. The midwife hadn't even time to put on gloves and was actually still trying to attach one of their pesky fetal monitors to me as Caleb made his entrance into the world. Ah, hospital protocol.


The birth although blissfully quick was not without its complications. I hemorraged badly (amongst other things) and my blood pressure spiked after the delivery. It has taken a fair while to recover and I am still on medication although we are trusting God that this will not be a long term thing. But we are full of thankfulness to God for His amazing mercy and goodness in all of this. Caleb is such a precious little baby and has brought us all such joy. The boys are totally in love with him and show him such gentleness and care. It is so sweet to watch. Thank you everyone who prayed for us during the pregnancy. Rob and I really were blessed by it.


Here are two photos: one taken within minutes of his birth and the other a more recent one. He is 15 weeks old today. I can hardly believe it.

Just a quick update

When I posted last week I confidently expected to be fully recovered within a couple of days.

Ha!

The boys are fully well and Rob too (except for a niggling cough). Praise God for that. I, on the other hand am still doing a passable impression of a Victorian invalid. I am feeling pretty rough. On the menu this week are painful sinuses, coughing and vomiting. I am comforted by the thought that it is only a virus and it will go, eventually.

Probably just in time for the next family reunion.

Cometh the family reunion ...

... cometh the virus!

For the last 10 days or more we have all been sick, sick, sick. Nothing serious, thanks be to God, just a thoroughly nasty viral infection. In fact it is the nastiest I can ever remember having. Even my poor husband, who is normally incredibly robust, succumbed and had to take time off work. Cue sore throats, runny noses, infected sinuses, aching limbs, throbbing heads with a side order of nausea and vomiting and a mild chest infection to finish. For four days I was unable to even get out of bed, except to stagger to the bathroom or the couch. Too sick to read, can you believe, and way too sick to look at a computer monitor. Even when I had pneumonia, I don't remember feeling this bad.

We are all on the mend now, however, and I am anxious to gather up the reins of my household in capable hands. Ha! The 'household' looks as if it has been sacked by every ancient tribe that ever indulged in sacking as a recreational sport. It will be a while before even a semblance of order is restored. Rob has gone back to work and the children are in fine fettle. It is 10.30 in the morning and I have wilted already. Back to the couch, I think.

Tiny Tablet Provides Proof For Old Testament

We read about this astonishing find in the Daily Telegraph and my husband has blogged about it here. When I was a young girl one of my cherished ambitions (one among many) was to be a world renowned scholar who would make astonishing discoveries from materials hidden in dusty archives that had been overlooked by others. My fame would lead to me being asked (nay, begged) to take over the directorship of the National Gallery - which I would graciously accept, art history being my passion at the time. Ah, what folly!

I don't know if this 'tiny tablet' was quite discovered in a dusty basement cupboard but it is fun to think that it was and I am certain that most, if not all, scholars, dream of uncovering something that has been overlooked by others. I do so hope that the British Museum will put this tablet on prominent display now that its importance has been recognised.