#12 IS ON THE WAY

Thank you for all your kind congrats from our riddle post! Life has been full and busy around here. Never have I been able to welcome a grandchild home and announce a pregnacy all in the same week! What fun it has been :)

Our life is feeling somewhat normal again...the new normal. Mark is very happy to have his helper, Joshua, back! It always amazes me how you just make do when you don't have....but when you have someone back....you wonder how you ever did without. Only God's grace!

As for the riddle.....YES, we are very exctied to announce that we are expecting our 12th child around the beginning of August.

I have often wondered if I would one day be a pregnant Grammy! And the Lord saw fit to make that a reality. I am over the morning sickness (or rather all day) now.....so things are going pretty well. I am having a bit of a struggle with high blood pressure though. My blood pressure has always been kind of borderline high in most of my other pregnancies.....and we have been able to keep it under control without medication. But never has it gotten this high.....and never quite so early. So I found a Dr. who is willing to work together with my midwife and let me monitor things closely at home with my own cuff (which she checked out with hers to make sure it was accurate) and for now I have been able to stay off of medication. So if you think of me could I ask you to please pray for my blood pressure........that it would stay in the normal range.

Other than that everything is going great! We heard the heart beat on Thursday. That is always exciting no matter how many times you experience it! A little miracle inside.....a precious gift from God. Never do I want to take for granted this experience, because I know there are so many who have never been able to experience this or desire to experience it again and haven't been able to. I often wonder why God allows some women to conceive and not others, or some who would like more who haven't been able to conceive again. But then I have to remind myself that God is God, His ways are not my ways, He sees the big picture.....and He is in control....not me!

So that's the latest news around here. EVERYONE is very excited to have a new brother or sister, Lord willing, in the summer. Jennifer thinks he/she would be a wonderful birthday present (July 30). We have Brooke working on names. What she has come up with so far? "Lil ol Fella" :) Kind of has a nice ring to it don't you think!

And of course Josiah is ecstatic for a new little playmate! Here is a picture of him when we told him the wonderful news (ok....not really!)

Praise Father Son

Hey...This is Megan :) Last week we led praise and worship at our church and Mom, Jen and Kerri did a special number....So on Saturday when we were practicing I decided to record Mom and the girls singing their special number so that all of our blogging friends can have a glimpse of what I get to hear almost everyday...I think that I am so blessed to have these WoNdErFuL singers right where I live :) Hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oh, and as for the last post (Riddle of the Day) I think Mom will be having more on that soon :) :)

RIDDLE OF THE DAY......

What do these things have in common with the Pauls family?

He's Home!

Words can't even express my emotions right now.

Yesterday Andrew left the hospital and came home to meet the rest of his family.

It was a very special day that none of us will soon forget.

We are so thankful to the Lord for answering all of our prayers.

So now a new chapter begins for all of us.

The chapter of having a grandson and actually being able to see him without driving over 2 hours to a hospital. Being able to cuddle him without juggling monitor wires.

For all the aunties and uncles it will begin the chapter of actually being able to see and hold him in person. They were all so excited yesterday to meet Andrew for the first time and hold him.

We all met at the Penner's house for supper. It was time for celebrating. It was so nice to be able to share this precious moment together.

As you can imagine Andrew didn't get put down almost all afternoon and evening. There was lots of snuggling to catch up on! I just hope he gave Daddy and Mommy some sleep last night :) after him sleeping almost all day long! But at this point I know that they are just thankful to have him home......sleep or no sleep!

Thank you again for your continuous prayers on Andrew's behalf. Could I ask that you would please continue to pray for his continued health and strength.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and the aunties and uncles first snuggles with little AJ. I think they look pretty happy....don't you!

(Not everyone got a picture taken....but all did get to hold him)

Brooke

Jesse

Zachary

Caleb

Kerri

Megan

Jennifer, Raechelle and Rita

Group picture of all the proud Aunties!

YES!!!!!

That's all I have to say right now.

Go to Josh and Rebecca's blog to find out why.

The Countdown is still going....

Thank you so much for your kind comments and continued prayers fpr Andrew.

It is such a blessing to know that we are part of a larger Church family that can unite together and bring requests to our Heavenly Father.

As for Andrew. He had a small desat on Wed but Rebecca said yesterday he was having a very good day. He hadn't had a desat all day! Glory be to God!

So just wanted to let you all know that we are still counting down the days until our families can lead somewhat normal lives again.

Please continue to pray.

"Your kindgdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Please Pray

Andrew has not had any desats for a few days now so his Dr. decided to take him off caffeine. She said it will take 5 days for the caffeine to get out of his system and if he has not desats after that time.... HE CAN GO HOME WITH HIS DADDY AND MOMMY! So we are asking all of our special blog readers and friends who have been praying so diligently for this little man that God will grant him healing so that he will breathe properly and have no desats for the next 5 days!

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your prayer support. We have told you many times and we will tell you again how much all of your prayers over the last almost 3 months has meant to us. You are a blessing....each and every one of you. We will keep you updated over the next few days!

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

AJ and Grammy Cuddle Time

Yesterday I was able to have some quality cuddle time with Andrew at the hospital.

He is a bundle of love and is growing so big! It's weird how your perspective changes. If he had been born full term at this size we would have though he was so little.....but compared to what he was....he is now BIG!

As you can see in the video below, he is is changing quickly and is looking all around. That morning the nurse said he had stayed awake from 8:30 to 11:30 just looking at his mobile.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We see improvement in him almost daily. Still no word of when he might be able to come home.....but until then we will enjoy our hospital cuddles :)

To view the video click on the 'tiny' square in the bottom left hand corner and it will bring you to a new page to the video.

From Pictures

Introducing...

Future Air Hockey STAR!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

Andrew...Perfectly Created By God Himself

Dear Andrew: From the moment you were born we knew you were a special gift from God. But this past weekend we found out just how wonderfully created you really are. " For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. " Psalm 139:13-16

When God knit you together Andrew, He made you just the way He wanted to. No mistakes....no accidents....fearfully and wonderfully made by God Himself. A precious gift to us all.

When your Daddy and Mommy were telling us that they finally found some answers of why you were still in the hospital, that you have 22q11.2 deletion syndrome we were so thankful to know that this was not life threatening for you. You may have a few more hurdles than other people have to jump over in life. But Grammy has found out through the years that it is through hurdles that we grow strong in the Lord. And you Andrew, will be strong in the Lord.

Your Daddy and Mommy picked your name well.

Andrew.......Manly......Courageous.

Joshua.....Jehovah Saves.

A courageous little man who has been saved by God. Already you have had so many obstacles to overcome. Being born premature has not been an easy road for your Daddy, Mommy or you. But through this I have seen their faith grow stronger. What a blessing it is for you to be born into a family that has the Lord as it's sure foundation. For when the foundation is firm....no storm can break it down. This is what we have witnessed in your parents. You are very blessed!

And even though the doctors have diagnosed you with this syndrome, God has already proved that He is in control. We have discovered that a large percentage of babies born with 22Q have heart troubles...but your heart has been checked out and it is just fine. Another thing many babies are born with is a cleft pallette. You don't have this. So for these things, we are very thankful. And we know that in the future God will continue to strengthen you and show Himself strong in your life.

Our human thinking doesn't alway understand why God things the way He does, but we do understand that He has a perfect plan for your life and this is what we put our hope in.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Grammy loves you so much Andrew. I pray for you everyday....not just that you will be healthy and strong....but most importantly that as you grow, you will learn to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And that no matter what hurdles you have to overcome you will know in your heart that God is good and that you your lips will always bless His holy name. You are very special to Grammy Andrew. Don't ever forget that!

For this reason we also, since the day we (I) heard it, (I) do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Love Grammy

Until That Day....

Jen wrote a song for her dad's birthday, The girls recorded it and made a slide show to go with it. Go to Megan's Blog to Check it out

You KNOW you live with a NOISY Family When.....

Many Descendants

I have often wondered how many desendants Mark and I will have. I hope our story is like this one that I came across on Visionary Womanhood's blog awhile back! My only fear would be, HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO REMEMBER ALL OF THEIR NAMES?!?!?

Here's part of her story. "One of Jerusalemite Rachel Krishevsky's grandchildren says with pride, 'Grandma knew all of her descendents' The commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" the Krishevsky family follows quite closely. Last Saturday, the great grandmother, Rachel Krishevsky passed away at the age of 99, leaving behind no less than 1,400 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren. Krishevsky got married to her cousin, Yitzhak, just before turning 19. The couple brought seven sons and four daughters into the world. In accordance with haredi custom, Krishevsky brought up her children to see children as a great joy. Her children subsequently adopted her outlook and produced 150 children of their own. These 150 children continued the commitment to be fruitful and multiply and themselves had no less than 1,000 children. From here, the lineage continued even further, and Rachel Krishevsky was blessed with a few hundred great-great-grandchildren. Rachel Krishevsky died on Saturday surrounded by loving descendents. Due to their great numbers, the family is not quite clear on precisely how many descendents there are. "The estimate in the family is that we are about 1,400 people since almost all of those from the family line were blessed with many children," said one of the grandchildren Wednesday. Though she lived a full and long life, the family is saddened by Rachel's passing. Krishevsky lived nearly her whole live next to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open-air market. "Grandma was a God-fearing woman her whole life, and her door was always open to the homeless and poor near the market who were looking for a place to eat," added the grandchild. "She knew the entire book of Psalms by heart, and participated in all the family events, happy and sad, up until two years ago. She knew all of her descendents. We are sad about her death, but proud of what she achieved in her life and her righteousness and compassion." "

Hard to Believe

Last week Friday we had 2 birthdays to celebrate.

My wonderful hubby's and Josiah who turned 1.

It's hard to believe our baby is already 1.

I think the more children we have, the faster time flies.

Josiah has been such a blessing in our lives.

It really is hard to imagine how our family lived without him.

Here is a year in review of Josiah's life so far.

Just minutes old

Couple of days old

Sweet 1 month old chubby cheeks

Bright eyed at 2 months

3 Month Photo Shoot

Enjoying some time outside

First taste of solids

What the youngest of 11 doesn't go through!

Enjoying the horses. Seeing the animals is his favorite thing to do outside.

And he sure does know how to melt our hearts :(

Playing Peek-a-Boo is a favorite

And he never has a shortage of lovin'!

We love you Joey and look forward to many more fun times with you!

Happy Birthday :)