the Flight of Time

Six years ago . . . a seemingly simple post of a mustache (below) launched our family on a great adventure. Two month's from that post we were living in Shreveport, LA. My years of wandering had become years of wondering, and yet when the time was right the Lord opened many doors and laid out the path before us. The night we arrived at the little house on Delaware St, we met many people that would become our dearest friends. I count the five years we spent in NW Louisiana as some of the best in my life. I finally found a job that I loved; we bought a house with land and got chickens; my youngest three sons were born; we had an amazing church community and friendships to last a lifetime. And then, last fall, we found our path was taking a turn; the Lord had a new direction for us. We've been in Georgia for a year now, living just North of Atlanta. It has been a difficult, but good year; full of tears and laughter. Every great adventure has it's turns and twists, perilous obstacles, setbacks, victories, and unexpected characters that change the course; and ours is no exception.  

Big Mo

Happy Movember!

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/10/22/fight-prostate-cancer-by-growing-a-mustache-the-2010-movember-contest/

Updates

Here is our young padawan

who is now a Jedi.

Jesse is such a delight, a very keen and thoughtful girl.

Here is a study in light, by our young artist, dancer.

Rosemary Jane

Rosemary Jane Harper was born at 2:27 on 9/12/09,

Weighing 7lbs 13oz and 20in long.

Korrie called me in from work on Sat. morning, not really wanting to deal with the kids. We knew the time was close, and she had had some early pre-labor contractions that week and again some that morning. Noelle, the new midwife working with Nancy (midwife for our other three) had checked Korrie and she was at a 3 and predicted a weekend birth. So. . .i came home. actually, i

was elated for any excuse whatsoever not to work, especially on a Saturday, but i digress, me and my job is another matter. After i got home, i tended to kids, got things ready, made up our overnight bag, dressed the kids, fixed car seats, on and on, while Korrie worked on finishing up some things for her grant job. Yes folks, she was hurriedly working on the computer while working through contractions, this went on for a couple of hours; "just a couple more things i need to email, just a couple more things i need to look at, i'm almost done." So around 11:30 we left for the hospital after a good walk to the mailbox to make sure things were progressing. . . nothing like getting to the hospital to find out you are only a 5. we're shooting for 8's here people! so we get there, wait in the lounge for a room to be mopped, get the room, fill out paperwork, and finally get checked. . . . . . . . a 6. (and Korrie asks, "is it a 5-6 or a 6-7?" nurse answers, "a good 6-7." Korrie smiles. not an 8, but pretty good)

We are wanting to get to the tub as soon as possible, Korrie relaxes really well in the tub, and Clementine was born in the tub, so we were hoping for a possible repeat. Now it is about 1:30 and neither Nancy nor Noelle are there. The nurse leave the room, and i say to Korrie as i run water for the tub we probably weren't going to get to use, wouldn't it be something if i delivered the baby while the nurses were out, and when they came in i just said, "hey, could you get me a clamp and some scissors?" (Korrie makes very little noise when giving birth, if you recall.)

Soon the nurses come back with a doctor, just in case and we get checked, now at an 8, i estimate about half an hour -- trying to buy some tub time -- and the doctor chuckles and says 10 minutes. Just after they leave, Korrie says she feels like pushing, i look at the nurse and say she's not joking, Nancy comes storming in wearing jean shorts and sandals, and checks to see if the tub is full! But, alas, the nurse shuts us down. Nancy dons the gown and gloves, takes charge of the room, chases off the guy from the lab who wants to draw blood?! and we get down to business. No big details to tell, a couple minor position adjustments, some deep breathing, a good push, readjust, shift, another good push - she's almost out, Nancy coaches, breathe, wait, now push, wait, relax, now push, the head is out, Nancy looks at me and i reach over and grab Rosemary to finish delivering her and . . . to my utter delight . . . Korrie throws back her head and gives a fierce WARRIOR YELL!!!!!!!

i was so proud. she came, she conquered. she's my hero.

ABCD

i have some video but i just can't seem to get it to upload. anyway, i just wanted to brag on my son, who at 19 months old learned his abc's. now, i don't mean he just knows the song, which he does, he actually knows the letters. we have these foam letters that Jesse was playing with, and he picked up the "O" and i told him the name and he ran in circles saying loudly "O, O, O, O. . ." then, in a couple days he was picking up letters and holding them out to get the names, by the end of the week we were working on the difference between F and E , K and X , M and W,
O and Q and now a mere month later, he is a super hit at parties. i came home from work this week and he had learned his numbers (sans "4") up to ten. and to top it off, just yesterday he grabbed my finger to pull me out of my chair and said, "daddy, show you" walked me over to the blocks where he lined up several and said, "look daddy, i did it!"

5 YEARS

Five years ago today, Korrie and i made our vows. A master's degree, three jobs, thirteen months unemployed, twenty seven months pregnant, three kids (approx. 3000 diapers), and 30lbs later i'm in awe of the Lord's goodness. He brought Korrie and i together and He has blessed us in so many ways, even when there's been more worse than better. i'm still amazed that this fiesty woman is by my side, in my life and in my heart.

CLEMENTINE

Welcome Clementine Elizabeth Harper!!

She arrived at 1:30pm Friday, May 2nd.

8lbs 1oz, 20 3/4 inches long.

Korrie woke me up around quarter to six to say, "today's the day." So we mustered the troops, readied the house and loaded the van by around 9 and, ironically enough, stopped by our auto mechanic's shop to see if he could fix our dash panel! He said it might take a little bit and i said,"how long is that? my wife's in labor in the van." He laughed and then looked shocked. We rescheduled, then headed into Nicholasville and got some gas and paid the water bill. We got to Nancy's (our Nurse Midwife) office to get checked at around 10am. Korrie was at a 5, so we walked the parking lot for a couple hours, while my parents headed our way with some breakfast.

At quarter to 12 we were at a 6 and we went over to the hospital. Nancy reserved a room with a tub for us, so after several long minutes of being strapped up to monitors and answering questions and signing here and here and bailing hot water from the sink into the tub, at 12:30-ish Korrie was able to relax in the tub and work through contractions without distractions. Everyone finally left, I turned out the lights in the bathroom and let her do her thing. (i'll do another post called "Korrie in labor") At about 1:15, i went in to check on her, knelt down and held her hand. She worked through a contraction. With the next contraction, she furrowed her brow, breathed heavily several times, then grunted. She said she felt like pushing. I offered to get Nancy, she said wait. . .i waited, she grunted again, i went into the hall, spotted Nancy and waggled my finger for her to follow (the less you say the better off you are in these situations). When we got back to the bathroom, i knelt, the light was turned on and Nancy went wide-eyed. She put on some gloves and half-jokingly said, "we're going to have this baby in the tub!" Korrie took this as a green-light, she grunted again. Korrie offered to get out of the tub, Nancy considered and decided to see one more contraction. With that contraction the baby was mostly out. With another couple pushes Clementine was on Korrie's chest in the tub. Seeing as how it's not exactly legal to birth in the tub at St. Joe East, and none of us had done this before, i took Clementine and the midwives helped Korrie to the bed. We were instantly famous throughout the hospital. And then serenity came to a halt and it was grand-central-station once more. Every new nurse that came in was talking about the water-baby. Here do this, lets go here or there, we need to take the baby over here. So, while Korrie was finishing up, I was playing protector/defender (imagine me checking nurses into the glass on an ice rink--almost). We are so thankful to all of you who pray for us and to have another wonderful birth and a beautiful little girl.