So Nathan is officially in the middle of his “cram week” before finals. He has no classes at all this week, but next week he’ll be taking some of the toughest tests of his life. Kind of brutal for the week before Thanksgiving, don’t you think? Selfishly, I like it because we get to see more of him during the day. Pray for him next week if you think of it. After this, second semester doesn't start until February. In the meantime, Nathan will be taking two (maybe three) "J-term" courses, which are one week long, intensive, all day classes, that involve much reading beforehand and big papers afterward. So I'm sure he will stay busy. We're still on the fast track, trying to get through seminary as fast as possible so that Nathan can be a pastor as soon as possible, Lord willing. He's not working right now, and I'm only working a piddly 10 hours a week. We're not sure how long we can stay on this income; our savings are quickly dwindling. We know that the Lord could choose to provide miraculously, but it looks like Nathan might have to get a job sometime before next school year. I am contracted to work part-time through February and haven't decided yet if I will continue beyond that. The desire to spend more time with Silas and be able to do things like the zoo, the park, and story hour is tugging at me, but I know that the opportunity to work from home is a rare one that I shouldn't turn up my nose at...I have a meeting with my boss on Monday about this very thing, so you can pray that Nathan and I would have wisdom in knowing what is best for our family.
We had quite the adventure last weekend. Silas and I took a trip up to Madison, Wisconsin for the wedding of my very good friend and former roommate, Megan Baird (now Tatreau)! Nathan had to opt out because he couldn't miss his last class of Greek, and I was pretty nervous about traveling without him. My good friends from Taylor, Kristopher and Monica, who live near Cincinnati, were SO kind and offered to drive us so we wouldn't have to buy a plane ticket. And so we commenced the 9-hour drive...I'm amazed all my stuff fit: Boppy, diaper bag, Pack n Play, booster seat, humidifier, dress, car seat. It was insane. So we drove only as far as Wheaton and stayed at Monica's sister. I thought we were in for a long weekend when Silas woke me up at 5:15 am Illinois time and woke the rest of the house at 7:00...We spent the next day driving, dining, decorating, and dining again. I proceeded to leave my camera at the receptoin hall and didn't get it back for over 24 hours, so that explains my sorry documentation of the weekend you will find below. Silas was a CHAMP. Get this--we slept in a hotel room with the bridal party on Friday night. This should tell you how amazingly selfless the bride was. She actually WANTED a baby in the room next to her. And he slept in until 6:45 Madison time, which I was very happy about!!! Si and I went down to breakfast where I proceeded to pay $10 for a breakfast I thought was complimentary. But it was totally worth it; I got to share the gospel with the waitress, something I have never done before so directly with a complete stranger! She didn't speak very good English, so I have no idea how much she understood. I kept urging her to get a Spanish Bible...So pray for Evelia, and if any of you find yourselves going to Madison and staying in the Courtyard Mariott, please bring her a Bible!!! Evelia said straight up that she wasn't a Christian, but she believed in heaven and hell. She didn't know if she would be going to heaven or not. We talked a lot about the sin in our hearts and the fact that it makes us guilty before God. I urged her to turn from her sins and put her trust in Jesus' death on the cross as having paid the penalty for sin. Evelia seemed convicted and agreed that this was something she needed to think about.
So anyway, Saturday was really chill and laid-back--how refreshing to be part of a non-stressful wedding! I did the hair of two bridesmaids while Silas napped, and we spent a lot of time in the room where everyone was getting ready...Then the fiasco happened.
I should mention that Silas is eating all kinds of food now. He loooves sweet potatoes, squash, apples, and avocado the best. But we have discovered that he has a VERY sensitive gag reflex. Remember how when he was younger he was a ticking time bomb of projectile vomit? Well, these days are reminiscent of that. We've cut out all texture and only feed him very smooth food. I had been food processing everything (with my huge Cuisinart I got for $7 at a DC yard sale!) and freezing it in ice cube trays. Incredibly time-consuming, but I keep reminding myself of all the money we're saving...it's worth it. Right??? So we had stopped using canned food, but I'm discovering that I can't get peas, green beans, and carrots as smooth as Gerber.
Back to the fiasco...I had decided not to lug the booster seat into the church and was holding Silas on my lap to feed him what I thought was safe food- Gerber carrots. Well, I hadn't eaten yet, and my good friend Deb (God bless her) offered to finish feeding him so I could eat. Deb was already in her beautiful dress, ready for the ceremony. And guess what happened? You got it--orange projectile vomit in massive quanitites, soaking Silas' dress pants, Deb's dress, and the pretty little chair she was sitting in. I wish we had videotaped it, because it was amazing. It couldn't have happened to a better person...Deb was dying laughing immediately. Effective crisis management kicked in: both parties stripped down, the dress was rinsed and dried with a hair dryer, and Silas donned an extra pair of pants. The chair? Well, I hope the church doesn't mind adopting a new color scheme. And let me say I'm really thankful the bride wasn't the one holding him at that catastrophic moment.
So Kristopher watched Silas during the wedding, I sang my song in spite of a weak voice from a nasty cold, and the Tatreau couple was united in matrimony! It was a beautiful ceremony; the sermon was really helpful, talking about what kind of love is God's love and how Christ is the perfect example of that love. Then we had a great time at the reception and drove to some friends' parents' house to spend the night. Silas slept until 8:15 Wisconsin time; I actually had to wake him up to get ready! We drove all day back to Cincinnati, where Nathan met us for pizza and we got to hang out at the Salsberys'. What a fun weekend!
Can I just say I have the best friends ever? The Salsberys were so gracious with my nursing stops, excessive baby gear, and cranky little boy. Everyone was so helpful with loading and unloading all my stuff EVERYWHERE we went. My Taylor friend, Jeane, actually missed the couple's first dance because she was standing in the bathroom with me for like half an hour while I nursed. I think Silas was held by about 50 people during the weekend, including the bride's parents at the rehearsal dinner, which I just found hilarious. He was truly the life of the party. After the bride and groom, of course. :) Half the time I didn't even know for sure where he was...Is that bad??! So even though I missed my husband dearly, I am so thankful for such sweet friends.
What is Silas up to? Scooting. Yep, you read it right. This boy, who is too lazy to even roll over, is now scooting slowly backwards, army style. Don't get too excited; he probably only moves like 2 feet in 20 minutes, but still...we are proud. Also, I feel like he's suddenly looking waaay older, I think because his most recent haircut (#3) just made him look like a little boy instead of a baby. I can actually picture what he'll look like as a toddler, which is kind of sad but also cool!
Tomorrow we head for Ohio, a quick trip of less than 24 hours. We're excited to see family; my grandparents haven't seen Silas since August!
And now, some pictures for your viewing pleasure...
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