A Baby Girl and San Diego :)

Well I have been super busy as of late but wanted to let everyone know that Noah and I found out we are having a baby girl. I will talk more about my thoughts and what I am feeling about this later, but wanted to let everyone know. Her name is Alethia Grace Oldham but we will call her Allie. I have always liked the name Allie, and Noah wanted something with deep meaning, so we came up with Alethia which means truth in Greek. We are also leaving for San Diego in the morning so I will update everyone and post either while I am there or as soon as I get back :)

17 Weeks Along and a little theologian?

Well I am passed the 17 week mark and things are still going well. My nausea is almost totally gone which is Awesome and the headaches are down to about every other day. My back pain has subsided a little bit but does flare up and let me know when I have been on my feet to long.
This week Noah is in Chicago for the Gospel Coalition. As I sat at home last night I wondered if they would be streaming the conference live and sure enough I found it. I decided to watch. Mark Driscoll was speaking (always a bonus) and it made me feel like I was with Noah. After watching for about 20 minutes or so I started to feel something in my stomach. I have had little twinges several times before and always wondered if it was the baby but this time it felt very different. It felt as though something was fluttering in my stomach. It is so hard to describe because it doesn't feel like anything else I have ever experienced before. I knew it was the baby and what cracked me up is that I knew Noah would be thrilled to know I felt the baby move for the first time but to add that it was while I was watching Driscoll preach would thrill him. He was so proud! So who knows...we may have a little theologian on our hands... at least we know peanut (as emily calls the baby) is a fan of Driscoll. :)

More Time

Ok so I know this song came out in 2007 but for some reason I really like it right now.  I think it describes where I am at in life.  I have felt like it has taken us forever to get to the place to launch August Gate and now it is right around the corner.  As Noah and I are continuously trying to raise funds his famous line is if we can just get through this first year we are going to be fine.  I think that is why I love this song so much.  Its not that I want more time its that the months ahead are months we have longed to see for so long but at the same time this is the scariest time of my life.  So I guess deep down inside I am screaming... we need more time to figure it out... we need more time to raise the money gives us a few more months and we will be fine.  HA!  How little my faith is.  It is like when I hear this song God is laughing at my lack of faith and I know that.  You know how sometimes you feel so strongly that the way you feel is valid until you say it out loud and you hear your own stupidity. That is why this song makes me smile because I know that God is faithful and in its own unique way this is my little reminder. So Noah... its you and me till the end.  I love you always and forever no matter what!

Lord Captivate Me in the Wait

This week has yet again been packed with decisions and emotions for Noah and me.  First of all we decided to go with the apartment that I talked about a few posts ago.  We will be able to move in July 1 and we can't wait for the challenge of moving all of our belongings into a small apartment... should be an adventure. However the thought of having a small little place that only Noah and I live and and are able to bring a baby home to thrills me beyond belief.... I can hardly wait.  I can also hardly wait for the Lord to prove his faithfulness once again over our financial security.  As most of you know Noah and I are raising support for Noah's salary to plant the church that God has called us to plant to reach the city of St Louis.  In the financial times that we are in raising support is not an easy task.  For the first time EVER I have felt myself starting to get nervous.  I know God is faithful and I know he will provide but with the way things are going he is making it imperative that we trust him and step out on COMPLETE faith.  Lord captivate my heart in the wait.  I also decided this week that I can hardly wait to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl.  It seems silly I am sure but I have started feeling what I can only describe as slight twinges and every time I wonder if it is the baby moving.  My mind races every day as to whether I will have a son or a daughter and the weirdest things is a really don't care either way I just feel like I can't move forward in my obsessive need to plan without knowing.  Today as I was thinking about this God began to bring me back to the journey that we have been on that has brought us to where we are.  The pain and tears of longing for a baby seem so distant and yet it was only 17 weeks ago.  I am so grateful for the journey, I am thankful for deep gratitude it has given me for the life that God is knitting together in my womb. I praise Jesus for the wait and all that He taught me and continues to teach me in the times of waiting.  I was reminded today of my favorite poem and I wanted to share it with you.  May the Lord captivate your heart in the wait....

Desperately, helplessly,longingly, I cried.

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.

I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, "child, you must wait."

"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future, and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me "wait"?

I'm needing a 'yes', a go ahead sign.

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

And Lord, you have promised that if we believe,

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, "you must wait"

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut

And grumbled to God: "So I am waiting for what?" 

He seemed then to kneel and his eyes met with mine

And He tendrerly said, "I could give you a sign."

I could shake the heavens, darken the sun,

Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

All you see I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust, just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me,

When darkness and silence was all you could see.

You would never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late in the night;

The faith that I give when you walk without sight;

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dreams for that loved one o'ernight could come true,

But the loss! if you lost what I am doing in you.

So be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft'may My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all... is still... wait.

5K/ Walk a Thon Benefit

For those of you who do not already know, Noah and I along with members of our core team are planning a 5K/ walk a thon to raise money for August Gate (the church we are planting in the city in August). We are also planning on donating a portion of the proceeds to Children's Miracle Network who inturn supports St Louis Children's Hospital as well as Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. The cost to participate in either the walk or the run will be $25.00 and the event will take place on September 12, 2009!

To back up and explain why we are giving a portion of the proceeds away.... A huge part of who August Gate will become is giving back to the community. We want to be know as a church that loves and gives freely back to the community we are wanting to reach. So with that being said we felt like the hospitals were a huge part of that community.

We have just started the planning process for this 5K / Walk a Thon but God is placing the details in place. First of all Children's Miracle Network is excited to partner with us and help us in any way that they can. Secondly, we have been blessed with a resource in the city who is going to help us work on the details with securing a location and a permit. I have also started working on getting sponsorships to help underwrite the upfront cost of the event and yesterday I heard back from Vitamin Water. They are going to partner with us and take care of the drinks and hand out free vitamin water bottles at the event! Praise God!

If you are interested in partipating or helping sponsor this event please contact me at heatheroldham@gmail.com. I am excited to see what God is going to do through this event! I am ready to be utterly amazed :)

Moving to the City

Noah and I are seriously looking over a lease for a condo in Lafayette Square. We will be moving down there in July. However, with moving into a condo comes a lot of challanges and changes for us. First of all we have never lived in a residence this small and with a baby coming soon after we seriously have to get rid of some stuff. Not to mention this condo would be on the 4th floor of the building which would make taking Cubbie out a bit of a challange. I mentioned to Noah last night that many people get rid of their dogs after they have a baby. Well Noah has taken this seriously like this is the final plan. I am not saying I want to get rid of Cubbie because I don't. He has been part of our family for almost four years. I just want what will be best for us and for him. I don't know if it is best for him to live on the 4th floor where the lease says he has to be

leashed and muzzled when we take him outside. Not to mention the challanges that come with me trying to take him and a newborn outside in the middle of December. My mom has volunteered to let Cubbie come visit for a while if that is what we decide. I just don't know. I don't know if I can look at Noah's face if we really did this. We do love our dog very much...so we will see how it all pans out. Back to the condo, we are prayferully considering if this is where God would want us to be and would covet your prayers as well. We know this is a big decision and want to stratigically be placed where God would want us to be. We do love the Lafayette Square area and love the idea of being right across from the park. Should be an interesting ride...like always :)

Easter Weekend

This weekend Noah and I went to Eldorado to celebrate Grandma Grays birthday and Easter with Noah's family.   I took a ton of pictures and wanted to post a few of our niece Hallie Kate and nephew Nolan.  We had a blast spending time with Nate and Betsy and Noah's Dad.  Hallie Kate kept us entertained and Nolan is the sweetest most easy going baby. 

            

Keeping You Updated- 16 weeks along

When I first attempted to start a blog I had the best of intentions to keep it updates so that all of our friends all around the world (mostly the United States) would be able to easily find out what has been going on with Noah and I. Well at the risk of a major excuse we have been SO busy that this is the last thing on my mind. I keep saying that will change when the baby is born but lets face I dont think life will ever get less crazy so I am starting fresh.

First of all I want to update everyone that I am 16 weeks pregnant and doing well for the most part. My major complaints are headaches and back pain. I have finally moved past the nausea stage for a bit (though it comes back to visit every so often) and now I am battleing major headaches on a daily basis. I have been told this is commen in pregnancy so I am trying to suck it up and drink more water. The back pain seems to be my sciatic nerve and the doctor told me I should feel a little relief in a few weeks but not to get to comfortable because it will be back when the baby gets bigger :) Oh the joys. I would do this everyday of my life to hold that beautiful baby in Sept/ Oct.

For those of you who don't know we are due on September 30th. This is exactly 1 month after we launch August Gate in Soulard so times are exciting!!! Noah and I believe we have found a condo in Lafayette Square to live in. Though we are not thrilled about the idea of moving again we are very excited for what the next stage in life will bring. Always an adventure :)

On the baby note I have decided to do cloth diapers. I have been researching several kinds and all the different options pose their own pros and cons however I believe I have decided to go with Cottonbabies- Bum Genius 3.0 All in One/ One Size Fits All! If anyone knows where you can register for these I would be excited to find out that information.