theGodzwas.com

No that score is not a misprint.  The American University Eagles have just beaten the Maryland Terrapins 67-59.  While not a miracle, ESPN reports that the improbable win was AU’s first over the Terps since the 1926-27 season (the first season for basketball @ AU).  Way to go Eagles!  Enjoy your Christmas break.  You’ve earned it!

In a recent post, I described my out of control life and how it was teaching me to be more flexible, to enjoy life’s spontaneity.  I was ready for a few curveballs, but I wasn’t prepared for this week.

On Monday, I was off to a great start!  Sam and Levi stayed in bed until 6:30 am and Nate had a half-way decent night.  I told Jen to stay in bed and rest while I got the kids breakfast and made sure Sam was ready for school.  I decided to help Jen out a little more by taking Levi with me as I dropped off Sam @ Pre-K.  The morning was going like clockwork.  Sam got settled in his classroom and I was all set to run a few errands, but when I picked up Levi to head out the clock sprung apart.  Pain.  It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.  The motion of picking up my 22 lbs son produced the sensation of a dagger planted in lower back (I’ve never had a dagger in my back, but I imagine it would feel something like that).  I scratched the errands and hobbled home.  So much for the helpful husband.

Fast forward to today.  After large doses of Ibuprofen and Icy Hot my back is getting consistently better (I can turn over in bed without screaming in agony) and we’re only 1 day away from heading to Jen’s parents’ house for the holidays.  We’ve turned the corner and soon we’ll be laughing @ our first week with 3 kids.  Not quite.  Jen woke me up @ 4 am shivering.  Two hours later she had a fever of 102.  We packed up the kids in the mini-van and went to see the midwives.  Diagnosis: Mastitis–an infection caused by breastfeeding.  Jen was prescribed an antibiotic and plenty of rest.  Dad is back on duty!

After the appointment, I dropped off Jen and Nate @ the apartment to get some sleep, took Sam to school (20 minutes late) and headed with Levi to the nearest pharmacy to get Jen’s prescription.  To my surprise, it all worked out. Sam jumped right into his day, I found a parking space 1 block away from the pharmacy and Levi was incredible for the whole trip.  It also gave Levi and I some one on one time which doesn’t happen too often.   It was an unexpected bright spot in a difficult morning.

Can I ask you to pray for the Godzwas?  Pray for Jen.  Mastitis can get serious.   Pray that she’ll respond to the antibiotics and not require any further intervention.  Pray for Sam and Levi.  They’re (especially Sam) going through a difficult transition.  Pray that they’ll be as flexible and understanding as possible while their medicated parents take turns addressing their needs.  And finally, please pray for me.  Pray that my back will be healed so I can take care of my family pain-free.

Earlier I mentioned my holiday experiement.  This was a bit more than I bargained for.  I have to admit that I was starting to freak out a little this morning. Then I was reminded of the words that I wrote a few days ago and I started to feel myself becoming more flexible (physically and mentally).  Jumping into the deep end of parenting sure is shocking, but I imagine you get used to it a little faster.  Here’s to life out of control!

I know what you’re here for.  Here are some of the better shots of this week.

I ran (literally) an errand about an hour ago. Little Nate’s nose is a bit stuffy so I volunteered to grab some saline from the store and took the chance to stretch my legs and work off some extra calories (thanks for all the yummy meals Stoddart friends!).

While running through the neighborhood, I began to realized how out of control my life really is. How did I get myself into this situation? Life was extremely simple before kids. Not including some compromises for the sake of my marriage, I did what I wanted to do. What did I do? The only thing that really comes to mind is I got a good amount of sleep. Oh how good that sleep was…but I digress. What really got me on the subject of my lack of control was thinking about Nathanael’s birth.

I had it all planned out really. Jen had been consistently past her due date with the delivery of both Sam (7 days) and Levi (4 days). Seeing a pattern, I schedule several important meetings right up to the due date. “No problem!” I would say when someone would ask, “I’ve got it all under control.” Hah! The lack of control was apparent @ 5:45 am on Tuesday December 11. For those of you keeping track @ home that’s 2-4 days before our due date depending on if you were using our HMO or our midwife’s prognoses. The first thought that came to mind when Jen shook me out of my blissful sleep (ahhh sleep) was, “This can’t be happening…I had a schedule!” I didn’t make any of my meetings that day.  It didn’t really matter though.  That’s the funny thing about when you’re “expecting.”  You prepare so you can be ready when it’s “time.” What’s really cool is that others allow for your absence so you can experience the wonder of the moment.

As I was running tonight I had this feeling that this is really how life is.  When it comes to the important things, we don’t really control much.  Don’t worry, I’m not becoming a fatalist.  I’m recognizing my limitations.  The power we have is in how we set ourselves up to deal with the crazy mess that life is.  I realize that I can’t control relationships, traffic, the weather, or my sons’ sleep cycles (or their birth days for that matter).  What I can do is make room to find joy in the unpredictability of these things.

Over the holidays I’m attempting an experiment.  I want to stop living in the frustration that comes from feeling like I’ve got to control everything.  I want to stop packing things in so I have to schedule life by the minute.  I want to stop procrastinating.  I want to allow for the flexibility that life in the real world requires.  I really don’t know how I’ll do, but I think I’ll find some joyful moments in the midst.

Nathanael James comes home to some brotherly love.

Here’s Baby Nate’s birth story via video.

Here are a few of Nathanael James’ first pics. As you can see from the scale, he’s a big “little guy.” Jen, Nate, and I are resting up in the new Mother and Baby Suites @ Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and we should be heading home tomorrow. I can’t wait to introduce him to Sam and Levi!

Nathanael James Godzwa is born! He arrived @ 1:35 pm (official time), tipped the scales @ 9 lbs, and is 22 in long. Both he and mom are doing great. I’ll post some pics as soon as I get an internet connection.

I’m writing from the hospital on my cell phone (don’t tell the nurses). Jen was admitted around 8 this morning and we’re now in the late stage of labor. All we now is for Jen’s water to break and we’ll be meeting little Baby G.

Please pray for everything to progress smoothly and for strength for Jen. As you can imagine, she’s in a bit of pain.

I hope to have some pics of the little guy for you soon!

“Do you believe in miracles?” That was Al Michael’s famous line as the buzzer sounded for Team USA’s amazing hockey win over the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics. It’s funny how the word miracle seems to be associated more with sports these days than anywhere else. The 1980 victory (and every other unlikely sports victory for that matter) was amazing, incredible, surprising, but miraculous–that’s a bit of an exaggeration.Why am I writing about miracles? I’ve been a witness to a real one.

Amy (name changed) is an AU student who is a part of our ministry. She has been struggling with cancer. Over Thanksgiving break, Amy went home to be with her family and collapsed. The chemotherapy treatment she had received a few days earlier had inadvertently caused an infection to spread through her body. She need CPR both @ the scene and in the emergency room. Her heart was not beating for 15 minutes. When Amy was finally shocked back to life, her organs began to fail. She was unable to breathe on her own and her kidneys were not functioning. Her family was called in to say goodbye.

I received an email in the middle of this ordeal asking me to pray. That’s what I did. I prayed and enlisted dozens of other students and friends to do the same thing. God came through. Amy’s infection levels began to decrease. Her kidneys began to function. And when her oncologist told her he wouldn’t clear her to play hockey (she plays for a club team) if she didn’t wake up immediately, she did just that! After she was disconnected from the ventilator she almost ran out of the hospital. She was caught trying to climb the stairs with her IV and insisted that she be given a hockey stick and ball to practice. Amy was released from the hospital two days later and right on schedule flew back to Washington, DC to finish her semester @ AU. Amy was dead on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the next Tuesday she was in my office telling me the story. This weekend I’m going to take Sam to watch her play hockey.

Do I believe in miracles? Yes I do!