Another Catch-Up Post!

Well, needless to say the last 7 months have been life-changing, and a struggle to find some sort of balance between taking care of Ella's needs, and having enough time to ensure my sanity remains intact. It has taken much longer than I anticipated, but we're settling into a routine of sorts, and I have learned to not only function but thrive on 5 hours of sleep. I joke about it, but this is a huge blessing being that pre-Ella if I didn't get an 8-10 hour stretch, my whole body felt like it was going to fall apart....oh how we adjust.

First things first, HAPPY 7 Months, Ella Grace! You bring me great joy! Despite our days of teething & constipation, you still smile....way to work on being content regardless of your situation! ;)




Secondly, what in the world are we up to?! I'm so glad you asked!

Andrew: Andy is currently working full-time at the distribution center at Menards on the West side of Eau Claire. Starting in September, he will be going to graduate school part-time at UW-Stout in Menomonie. He was offered a graduate assistantship in the career services department & will be creating & analyzing surveys for the school's use. He is pursing his Masters in Applied Psychology. This is not a counseling degree. Its something he will use for a career in which he will be doing data driven decision making. Basically, my dear husband is the hottest nerd I know, and thrives off of analyzing things & making them better via the data he has collected. LOVE HIM!

Hannah: For the last 7 months, I've been staying home with Ella, spending time with my dear friend, L & her three kids. Andy jokes around about Ella growing up feeling like the youngest instead of the oldest because of how much those three spoil & fawn over her. Its too cute! Speaking of that family, my friend L is going to work part-time at her husband's office & they have asked me to nanny for them. This is a huge blessing, as I will be able to bring Ella with, and get out of the house! :)

And, another huge blessing is God has provided us with a temporary house! A family from our church is temporarily relocating to PA for the next 2-3 years. They have a gorgeous home, and have asked Andy & I if we will live in it while they are gone. Ummmm, yes please?! God's timing is so perfect! We've been on the look-out for an apartment for the last month or so (as well as a part-time job for me!), and within one week, God not only provided the dream nanny job for me, but also a place to stay that is within our budget, and is far beyond what we even imagined! He is good. He is good!

I hope to update at least once a month...we'll see how it goes, I feel like I go in stretches, I do really great for a month or two, and then no one hears from me in months. I am going to work on it!

Ella Grace Baldwin

Well, after not posting since the end of November, I am somewhat embarrassed, but maybe with the newest addition to our family, I'll be better at posting on a more frequent basis. Hey- one can hope, right? lol

Ella Grace Baldwin was born on December 29th, 2010 at 11:34 am. She weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz, and measured 19 inches long. She is beautiful! A lot of you have been asking for details, so here they are:

I started having noticeable contractions at 11 pm on the 28th. My dear husband came home from work at 1:30 am to find me sitting in the chair by the fireplace with a pen & notebook in hand, and the stopwatch on my cell phone ready to go. Most of my contractions were 60-80 seconds long, and by the time he came home were about 7-10 minutes apart. We loaded up the car, called our midwife, and headed north. As we were driving, I remember thinking, "this really doesn't hurt that much, I can definitely do this..." When we arrived at our midwife's birthing center (LifeCircle Birthing & Wellness Center) in Shell Lake, WI at 3:30 am, she told me I was at 1.5 cm and definitely in labor. However, she encouraged us to go home and rest until my contractions were stronger & closer together. We headed to my parents house, and by 7 am, I was contracting every 3-5 minutes and my thinking changed to "wow this is really intense and is definitely painful."

We called our midwife, and headed back to her birthing center. I went from 1.5 cm to 5 cm in 5 hours. Our midwife estimated that I would deliver our baby around 2 pm that afternoon. I was so excited, but at the same time thought to myself...2 pm?! That's 6 hours away! Well, Ella had different plans, because within 2.5 hours, I was completely dilated and was told I could start pushing if I felt up to it. Within half an hour, Ella made her entrance via water birth. It was the most beautiful and powerful experience of my life. Having a natural birth was something I've wanted since the day I found out I was pregnant. I knew it would be painful, and wasn't afraid of the pain, but learning to let go of pain in the midst of a contraction and trusting my body to do the work God created it to do was life changing for me. I never knew I was capable of doing something like this- I am blown away at the strength God gives when we think we can't go on. I am also blown away by my amazing husband who was a rock and a great source of encouragement & comfort throughout labor. I am beyond blessed!

Ella truly is perfect in every way (I know that as her mom I'm a little biased), and has already brought so much joy to Andrew & I. Despite sleep deprivation, figuring out breastfeeding, and poopy diapers, I am beyond content and filled with so much love and joy for our daughter. Andrew and I are so blessed to be parents and are enjoying it very much!

Another Chapter Finished

Wow...I am on a blogging roll!

As some of you know, I've been filling in at our church in the children's department. Today was my last day. I have had so much fun and have learned so much while spending time with and teaching the children at our church. They have truly wiggled their way into my heart...having a child come up to me, grab my hand and not let go, or give me huge hug makes it hard to walk away. However, I am blessed to know our children are going to be blessed beyond measure by our recently hired Children's Minister. She has so many great ideas, clearly loves the children, and has already become a friend. Below are some of the things I'm walking away with from my time with these kids...enjoy!

One day, I asked the kids this question: "If you could ask Jesus anything, what would you choose to ask?"

- I would ask Him what its like to forgive

- I would ask Him what it was like to die on the cross for us

- I'm not trying to be funny, Miss Hannah, but I would ask for a lot of money....like $100.00!

- Ummm Miss Hannah, I'm not trying to be funny either, but I would ask for an unlimited supply of cheeseburgers

The week before Thanksgiving, we told the kids that we had a special snack planned for them. But, the kids were having a hard time paying attention during the lesson, so I told them that if we didn't get through the lesson because of poor listening, we wouldn't be able to make the snack or eat it. Half way through the lesson, I asked the kids to calm down, and one of them cries out in anguish:

"YOU GUYS, THINK ABOUT SNACK!"

One Wednesday night, we were talking about the story "The Good Samaritan." In the Bible, it says a teacher of the law was the first to pass by the wounded man. So I explained this to the kids as a pastor. I said, "after the man had been lying on the side of the road, a pastor walked by. What do you think he did?"

Their responses were:

-He prayed for him

-He asked God to heal him

-He helped him

-He took him to a hospital

"Well, that's what you think he would do, right? But this pastor looked at that man, and crossed to the other side of the road, and kept walking!" To which one of the kids yelled out:

"HE'S NOT A REAL PASTOR! A REAL PASTOR WOULDN'T DO THAT!"

As one of my friends pointed out this morning, isn't it great that they have such a clear understanding of how a genuine pastor should act? Way to go to the parents

who have clearly instilled this understanding of truth!

And last but not least, today we were talking about reputations and what that means in our walk with Jesus. One of the kids says to me: "I've never even heard of that word before!" To which I replied, "well, that's why we're learning about it!"

There are tons of more things these children have said or blurted out in class that have caused me to struggle to not laugh (or at times lose my patience) but later on, have caused me to ponder on the truth of their statements. Sometimes, I think its easy to blow off what kids have to say as unimportant, or rude if it means they interrupted us to say what they wanted to say. But God has taught me a lot about faith and patience during my time with these kids...and I feel I learned the most during outbursts. I finished this chapter today with bittersweet but overall, thankful feelings and excitement for what is yet to come for these amazing kiddos!

Be blessed by the children in your life this week!

Surprise!

Well, for Thanksgiving, I was expecting the usual Baldwin tradition...family arrives around 11, stays for lunch, football, and then helps eat the leftovers for dinner. This year, Andy's Aunt Donna (mine too!) and cousin Sarah planned a surprise baby shower for us! It was tons of fun, and I realized once again how blessed I am by the family we share. Enjoy the pics!

We were pinned with ribbons that say:

"Dad To Be" and "Mom To Be"

Look how happy my husband is! I am so blessed! :)

And, what is a baby shower without
balloons and a banner?

We played this ridiculous (but fun!) game in which we had to sift through
rice and pick out the safety pins WITH rubber gloves on...
do you know how hard that is?!
At the end of about 3 minutes, Aunt Donna called off the game. I
had found 1 saftey pin, and Andy had found 2.

Andy says: "Babe, no big deal, but I doubled your score"

A sample of the adorable outfits & baby gifts we received.
Thank you, Baldwin family!

Pregnancy Pictures!

I do apologize to those of you who don't have facebook...I've been pretty diligent about uploading pictures there, but not here. Better late than never, right?! ;) Anyway, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

16 weeks
19 weeks...downtown Sault Ste. Marie, MI
23 weeks....heading to a wedding!

25.5 weeks...heading out for a date in EC w/ Andy!

32.5 weeks...attempting to get a good belly shot on my own


33 weeks- girls weekend in the Dells!

I couldn't resist- my tankini is officially too small! LOL!

34.5 weeks- modeling our ADORABLE Pack 'n Play from MJ & Kate :)

35 weeks:
Andy: Hannah- you're smiling kind of cheesey
Hannah: BUT I'M JUST SO EXCITED!


35 Weeks:

Thanks Quint & Chels for the carseat- I LOVE it! :)

I realized at 35.5 weeks that Andy & I
don't have many pictures together....thus the following two photos:

By far my favorite photo so far! :)

35.5 Weeks...pretty much sums up how I feel

35.5 Weeks...only 4.5 to go! Woot-Woot!

YouthWorks Pictures

Well, even though this is EXTREMELY delayed, I thought some of you might like to see what our site was like in Michigan...enjoy!

"Club Room"

Club was essentially youth group for the participants.

This is what the front center part of the room looked like:

To the right of what you just saw,

was a sleeping area for participants.

You can also see the t-shirts we had for sale

throughout the summer. These t-shirts

were sold to support inner-city youth in Minneapolis, MN:

Directly across from the above sleeping area

was our "UP Mail" station. UP Mail was a system

participants were encouraged to use to write

uplifting notes to one another:

The two images below are groceries for one week

of programming. This picture was taken

during a smaller week...these pictures are about 70%

of what we normally purchased for participants:

Below is our cooler-station.

Participants were divided up into 7 crews,

and each crew had a lunch & water cooler

to take with them for the day:

Below is a picture of us...along with some

random facts about each staff member. One

of our staff was particularly creative, and

helped make our site fun for the youth:

At the end of each week, participants received

"Reverb" a magazine written by and for teens.

Also, each day the participants had devos

that were tailored to the day's theme. Below is

a wall displaying a taste of these two resources:

Although there were a lot more aspects to our site, these are the only pictures I took of it! For as much as I love pictures, I surely could have done a better job this summer taking some. lol Thank you again for your support through prayer this past summer!

Yes, I know...FINALLY an update!

Well...I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been that great lately about updating the blog. After our adventure in Michigan, I think I hit writer's block as well as I honestly felt like I didn't have much to say. This was due mostly to the fact that I didn't really have anything to update anyone on. For two months we were in limbo in which we had no idea where God was leading us. For some of you, this post and its details are old news already, but regardless, I feel I owe it to the sake of my blog to write an update.

From the end August through the beginning of October, we lived with our wonderful friends, J & C. They and their two children were a huge blessing during a time of need & uncertainty for Andrew and I. We asked if we could spend the night at their house during an extended weekend in Eau Claire, and the morning after, they offered us their spare bedroom for as long as we needed it. God definitely made it clear that not only did He want us in Eau Claire, but that the puzzle He designed for us was going to be put together by Him....not me. lol

While living with J & C, I was able to do some babysitting, and also started selling jewelry to bring in some extra income. Andrew was able to chop wood for my brother's landlord & djay some dances for our good friends B & T. Looking back on our financial situation, I fully realize that it was God alone who continuously provided for us...not once were we in financial need during our time of transition from YouthWorks to steady jobs.

Recently (as in within the last three weeks), we moved into a 2 bedroom basement apartment on the west side of EC, Andrew started working full time at Menards Distribution Center, and I started working part time as the Interim Director of Children's Ministry at our church. I also picked up some hours at PESI (where I worked during my last year of college) to help out with their busy season. Andrew really likes working at Menards...a lot more than he thought he was going to! I've really enjoyed my time working with the kids at church- they have stretched my patience more than I ever thought possible, but at the same time have completely melted my heart! The church just hired a full time children's minister for the children's ministry, and I will be done working at the end of this month. Perfect timing! I can't imagine how some women are able to work full time throughout their pregnancies...there's no way I could!

Speaking of pregnancies, mine is going very well. Apart from being tired 24/7 and battling the occasional heartburn, I really have no complaints. I have been blessed with a great first pregnancy. :) The baby moves around A LOT, and recently had a growth spurt. The heartbeat is usually between 130-140 whenever we go in for check ups. I am excited to meet our baby....I wonder if its possible to predict what your baby is going to be like based off of your pregnancy. If so, I predict a baby who doesn't need much sleep, is VERY active. I better get used to being tired. lol

I know this is somewhat of an essay, but this update is long overdue. But, since I've already written this much, I might as well keep going!

If you could continue to keep us in your prayers, that would be amazing. We highly doubt our insurance is going to cover much if any of the delivery- God has been so incredibly faithful in the area of our finances, that I know I don't need to worry, but somehow in my human-ness, I do. Sigh...oh me of little faith. Please pray for God's will to be done in this area, and that I will continue to grow in faith as we hand this situation over to Him and do what we can to prepare as much as possible for the bills to come. I am also starting to get a little nervous about what I'm going to do when this little baby comes into the world...I know a lot is going to change, and although I am introverted, I really need quality time with my husband and close friends. I obviously want my child to be a priority, but I don't want my life to be defined by my child...pray I find the balance. But most importantly, pray that Andy and I will be Godly parents who desire to seek God's will in all we do.

Thanks for your patience....the last few months have been stretching, challenging, restful, nerve-racking, and so much more all in one....blogging was the last thing I wanted to do since I had no idea how to form my thoughts and feelings into something that was worth reading. I hope you're all doing well!