Eleanor Clair Bradshaw

Hello all, this is Jason posting on Jodi's behalf.  

Eleanor (Ellie) Clair Bradshaw was born yesterday at 6:36 pm weighing in at 7 lbs., 3 oz.  There should be a few pictures of her below.

My To Do List

There has been a lot going on in the Bradshaw household the last few weeks. I had a list of things that NEED to get done before the baby arrives in August.
1. Get a bigger vehicle (specifically to be able to visit our parents which was hard to do in our 2 door civic and saturn with just one child).
2. Get work done on our crawl space so that we can redo the room above it.
3. Redo our bedroom to make as Owen's new room. If you have never been to our house our 3rd bedroom is off the kitchen and super loud so we are making that our room (just moved in the furniture tonight).

We have completed #1 and purchased a new mini van (new to us at least) about 3 weeks ago. After having it for about 5 days we found out it needed a new transmission!!!! My brother owns the same van and I knew they had a recall on it. So I asked the Honda mechanic to check and we were literally within a week or two (of a seven and a half year time period) before it expired! God is good! Not only did we get a van with lower mileage than we thought we could afford but it also came with a brand new Honda certified transmission. :)

#2 is happening this week. I am going to hang out with my sis in Columbus for a few days while our crawl space is being worked on. We were originally quoted 4x the cost of what the total is actually coming to - another one of God's many blessings. Can't wait for that work to be done with.

And last but not least, #3 is hopefully going to take place early next week. I have purchased LOTS over the last 9 months for Owen's big boy room. Last summer we found super cute Pottery Barn Kid's quilts for 70% off!!! We also cashed in some of our credit card points to buy sheets and other random things at Target. My favorite part of the whole room is the bunk bed set that we purchased used through some friends of friends. They are not stacked on top like regular bunks but the top one goes across while the bottom one comes straight out (Kind of like a "T" if that makes any sense). On the sides of the bottom bunk there is a book shelf and a desk. So excited to see how everything turns out. I will post some pics when we get the room done.


So it looks like I am way a head on the list but of course the unexpected always pops up. Last week while giving Owen a bath I suctioned up his little play basketball hoop right above the tub on our tiles. When I pulled it off it took a few tiles with it!! I must be stronger than I thought! But we had Cleyo come and look at it and the whole wall is rotted out so they are going to re-drywall a few walls in our bathroom. So we cannot take any showers until the work is complete - it is rather humorous to see a grown man try to wash his hair in such a small tub. :) As much as we don't want to deal with this right now at least it is happening while our house is already being torn apart and it obviously something that needs taken care of .

So not much more is going on. I am enjoying life right now with just one child as the realization has set in that life is going to change very soon. Owen is hilarious and within the last few weeks has started laughing so much more - he is such a blast! He has also taken up playing by himself more when we are at home which is a huge praise!

Our one last bit of news is that we are leaving for Myrtle beach in less than 3 weeks!! WOHOO! My parents are staying with us for 2 days and then taking Owen back home with them for 4 days. I am so looking forward to just spending time alone with Jay! We are planning to lay out at the beach and read during the day and going out to dinner at night (just like vacations before kids). :) So thankful for this little break before the next baby arrives! My parents rock!

I am having problems uploading pictures since I lost the cord. As Owen would say, "UH OH". I have searched the house for it but still can't find it! When I do find it (or we have to purchase one) there will be some serious picture posts! Hope you all have a wonderful week! It is time for me to go to bed. Good night!

Sissy

We just found out that Owen is going to have a little sister!!! Yeah, more estrogen in the Bradshaw household! When the woman told us it was a girl we were completely shocked. Not really sure this day would come (last 3 generations of Bradshaws are boys). They said she looked very healthy and she even gave us a yawn when they were taping (super cute). We are very excited! Now to make the nursery a little more girly. :) 

I will be posting pictures soon from Owen's birthday party soon! 

Awesome!

One of my best friends got to hold their baby boy for the first time yesterday. Ben and Janet are in Ethiopia right now with their son, Isaac. It has been awesome watching them go through this journey (maybe not for them all the time). God has truly provided for them through the process(financially, spiritually and emotionally) and their hearts always seemed to be overflowing with thankfulness. You can check out a family picture of them by going to the link "whipple words" on the left - it will make you smile! 

South Carolina pics

Enjoying a snack outside with Cousin Tali in the warm North Carolina sunshine. 

Owen LOVED the petting zoo and would not leave the poor sheep and goats alone. 

Check out this grin. What is he thinking?
Just chilin with Tali after a long day. 

Last few weeks

This was our first time to the park this spring. We only got a few pics because my batteries ran out but Owen was laughing so hard while he was swinging. 
We met the Staders at the park for a picnic. Owen loves playing with Audrey. 
Owen has a fascination with dry noodles. He loves to transport them from pan to pan (or just throw them on the floor).
Helping daddy tear down the crib. Notice Owen has his tools out. Last night was the first night he slept on his "big boy bed". 

Quick Update

Thought I would take a minute and write what we have been up to the last few weeks. I have been continually feeling better and our house is getting back to somewhat of an order. Since the warm spell we have not been spending much time inside. Everyday (that is above 50) Owen and I have been walking and/or going to the park. I am always amazed at the hope that spring brings. For some reason this is the hardest winter for me that I can remember. Even though we have spent much time playing outside Owen never seems to be able to get enough. The other evening we ate dinner outside, went to the park, played in the yard and went to get ice cream and Owen still did not want to come in (after 3 and a half hours). He just loves to be out there and I do not blame him after being cooped up in our house all winter.

In other news Owen is starting to say A LOT of a new words. It is funny how many times you repeat things and then all of a sudden they click in their minds. He is starting to show ownership by saying "daddy's car" or "mommy's coat". It is amazing to watch him learn. You can just see the little wheels in his head turning. He is also a big fan of the songs "Lord's Army" and "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" (with hand motions). To cute! 

Owen's birthday is just a few weeks away. I cannot believe that he is almost 2!!!! We are having a party for him in about a week (just a little early so that my mom could come). The party theme is Elmo (of course!) and he loves hearing about his upcoming party and going through the bag with all the decorations. We are finding out the day after his birthday the sex of the baby. I wish that I could wait until the birth but I like to have the nursery all ready and if is a girl we need to make it a tad more girly. We are so excited to find out but really I do not care either way (we already got our boy). 

Jay is staying busy at work and keeping up with being a wonderful father. Nothing brightens Owen's day like hearing the garage door open and knowing his daddy is home. I am so blessed and some times do not think life could get much better! 

I will post some pics of our time in South Carolina as soon as I down load them. Have a wonderful first day of spring (thanks for the reminder Dee)!!!!

Baby Baby Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?

On friday we got to hear our baby's heart beat for the first time. How amazing! Reality tends to sink in at this point that yes there is something growing inside of me and I am not just getting large for no reason. It also somehow makes sickness a little easier when you realize there is a little guy/girl growing inside of you and it will all be worth it.

Our due date as of now is August 24. When the doctor examined me he said that he thinks I am a little further along (like a few weeks). With Owen they pushed my due date back a month so this is very welcome news. I am going to have a ultra sound on friday to help determine our new date (if it will be changed at all). I am so excited that we will have 3 ultra sounds instead of just one this time! YEAH!!!! 

BIG Sale

I always recommend Sovereign Grace music and right now they are having a HUGE sale on all of their cds. All their albums are $6.00 plus free shipping. If you go to our church you will already know a lot of the songs. If you do not own any of their cds yet I would recommend Psalms and Valley of Vision. You have to go to Sovereign Grace's web site to order them (sovereigngracemusic.org). Happy shopping!

A Few Random Thoughts

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you who wrote encouraging responses, emailed or called. Many of you showed grace to me being that you have more little ones than I do and yet you were understanding to a hormonal and tired pregnant woman. :)  I appreciate and am thankful for all of you! 

~ Time at my mom's house was wonderful. Owen did not so much like the plane ride down (neither did anyone else on the plane with how loud he screamed) but once we landed he was good. We spent a few days outside (some in the lower 60's) and went to the zoo for two days and to the children's muesuem for two days. It was wonderful to get out a do different things in a city. Owen seemed to change as the week went on. He is back to his normal self and very happy now. I think my mom was right when she said sometimes you need a break from the kids and sometimes the kids need a break from you. :) Ohh the wisdom!

~ I have a new addiction. I started playing around on Face Book when I was at my parent's house and once I joined I could not stay off the computer. It is so cool to get back in contact with people that I have not seen or heard from since high school or college. I love it! Some people may see it as a waste of time (like my husband - probably because he sees how much time I spend on it) but I think it is relaxing and fun. 

~ My brain is like mush. I am forgetting everything at this point and even if I write it down I forget where I put the list. Pregnancy comes with some interesting side affects but I will not go into detail about the others. :) 

~ I am so blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship without fear. We had a man come in from Pakistan and speak in our church on sunday and it was like getting a huge punch to the gut. We are such lazy and whiney people. I have so many things to be thankful for that I take for granite daily. I am always asking myself why has God blessed me so much by not only choosing me to be His child but giving me abundant blessings on this earth? I am pretty sure I will never be able to answer that because I do not deserve any of it. 

 I had more to add to the list but realized I am supposed to bring snacks for life group and it is 4:00. Whoops! There goes the pregnancy brain again. 

Mommy Dearest

My parents used to live an hour from here but 8 months ago moved to NC. I must say that I thought I was a big girl and could handle it but the last month I have missed them more and more. 

Most of you do not know my mom but she is my hero. She has the BIGGEST servant's heart I have ever seen. An example is when we had Owen she came to stay with us for a week. Not only did she clean the house, do laundry, make some meals but she also slept in the same room with Owen so that I could sleep unless he needed fed. She is willing to help anyone when they need it. 

I cannot complain (thanks to Margaret's post and the Spirits conviction) but I do feel that I need her right now. I just feel a little overwhelmed even though I have so much to be thankful for.  I called her this afternoon and through the crying just told her I was struggling with things myself (physically, emotionally and spiritually) and with Owen (specifically discipline). When she prayed for me over the phone she began to choke up to because she left all her children and grandchildren in Ohio. We said our good byes and hung up the phone. Not more than five minutes later the phone rang and my mom said we are getting a flight.

Hopefully, I will be leaving on thursday to fly down to visit for a week. We (Jay & I) decided that I am going to go down instead of her coming up. It is so relaxing at my parents and this will be the last time for just Owen and I to go down without any other family. He will be soaking up lots of one on one time with G & G Slagle. So I will be going to NC twice in the next month (pretty pathetic I know).

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for the parents God has given me. I am also amazed at the caring and understanding husband I have. Jason is going to be home alone for 2 of the next 5 weeks but insisted that I need to go. He has had so much patience with me and has been such a wonderful help around the house and with Owen. Thank you God for the people You have placed in my life because I do not deserve them. 

It's Official

We have known for a while now (and I am sure that many of you know) but we are pregnant!!! I thought that this is something I should blog about since it is a life changing event. I had my first appointment yesterday which consisted of talking to a nurse, peeing in a cup and getting blood drawn. We are still not sure of my due date but probably will not find out until I am 20 weeks when we get our first ultra sound. I am either due end of July or August. 

Life has been interesting here the last few weeks. Christmas was a whirlwind and consisted of my parents visiting us for 2 days, going to Columbus one full day and then hitting the road for Jay's parents for 5 days. I think it was a little to much for all of us. I started to get morning sickness (all day) when we were at the Bradshaw's house and it took Owen a good week a half to get back to normal. I think next year we will cut back a little bit. 

The last two days I have been feeling a bit better but my days still consist of waking up with nausea and going to sleep with nausea. At least with this pregnancy I have not been throwing up (although sometimes I want to). As long as my stomach has food in it I am okay. Our house on the other hand it not okay. Because of not feeling well and being extra tired I have been sleeping when Owen does so it has not had a lot of TLC the last few weeks. But I am sure by mid february our house will be the cleanest it has been in years. After 20 weeks and up until about 35 weeks I had crazy amounts of energy and was nesting like a mad woman - I hope that happens again.

Other than that not much has been going on here. We have not been going out a lot recently due to the weather. I must admit I hate winter after Christmas and always seem to be a little down in January, February and March. I am already looking forward to the spring. We will be keeping busy coming up soon with visits to Columbus and Owen and I are going to fly with my sister and her youngest daughter to see my parents in North Carolina (got to get in one more free flight with Owen before he is 2). 

Overall, we are doing well and very excited to be pregnant. Owen has no comprehension of the fact that there is going to be another child but when I say "where is mommy's baby?" he points to his belly. At least he somewhat gets what I am talking about. Poor guy has no idea what is coming and that all the attention he gets is going to start being divided. I am so thankful for the two and a half years I will have of just being able to get to know Owen before the next one comes. I will keep you updated!! 

Praising God!!!

Ben and Janet are wonderful friends of ours that just got their referral this week for their little boy in Ethiopia. We met this couple at Cedarville when we all traveled on singing teams. Janet continues to be one of my best friends (even though we do not get to see each other all to often) and her blog over the last year has been such an encouragement. It has been amazing to see how God has provided for them and their hearts of gratitude towards those who wanted to help out with the adoption.

If you want to be encouraged today be sure to check out their blog on the left - Whipple Words.

Simple Yet Complicated

I was just telling my mom a few weeks ago how I think this is the least stressed out I have ever been in my life. I was just not made to work full time outside of the home, Before we had Owen I was working 30 hours a week (at a job I loved) but was still a little too much for me.

Life just seems so simple right now - I love it!!! I love being able to just play with Owen and not worry about time (for the most part). It is awesome that I can stay in pajamas till 3:00pm and no one cares. Our house can be a wreck and I can blame it on the fact that I have a 20 month old!

But at the same time I feel like this is the most complicated my life has ever been. There is a lot to read between the lines of "Raise a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." How do I raise a child in the way he should go? When do I know what offense to spank for? How do I stop something from becoming a habit of sin in his life?

We just got done doing a study at church on the life of Christ and going through Luke. One of the main things I came away with is that the disciples were a little bit slow, to say the least. Fortunately for me millions of people do not read about my mistakes like we can the disciples'. We are so depraved we do not even realize how depraved we are.

Anyone who does not think that men are sinful should have a child. WOW! Owen has just started a new stage of complete defiance that I am not ready for. That makes life complicated!! Jay and I have had numerous conversations over the last few months about discipline. We want the same end but we just don't always agree on the means to get there. I guess we will keep having these conversations for the next twenty some years. :)

Above all, we long for Owen to grow up as a man who loves his Savior. One other main point I came across in the study was God's mercy and grace. He continued to stay with the disciples even though they kept missing the mark and even though they abandoned Him at His death (and He knew they would). I am realizing more and more everyday that I am just like the disciples and need grace everyday for raising Owen, my thought life and my attitudes that so many of you have probably seen. In the holiday season that we are in I am so thankful for many things but I am most blown away by God's grace and mercy in my life.

September & October Update

I am a little sick of looking at the same pictures of Owen every time I go to check blogs so I decided to do an update. Frankly, blogging has been way down on my list of things I need do (I would much rather just read someone else's than write one myself). We have been out of town for over 2 weeks this month so have not really been keeping up with it. Here are some pics of our last two months....


We celebrated Labor Day at the park with friends and pizza (Owen's favorite).

My Dad turned 60 in September so we went to Columbus for a party and all went out to dinner afterwards. Can I just say how much I love my family??

Saying bye to grandpa Slagle and giving him a big birthday kiss!!

In mid October Owen and I went to visit my parents in North Carolina for nine days. He loved lots of one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa Slagle. We had a GREAT time and it went way to fast.

When we were in the south we also got to visit the whole Slagle clan in South Carolina. These are some of my first cousins and Owen loved all the attention he got the whole weekend (I think Owen was a little sick of being held - which you can tell in the pic).

We went downtown for Owen to do some trick or treating at the local businesses. That is one cute cow!


This past weekend we visited Brumbaugh Farm. Lots of fun but it was freezing!


Owen decided when we were out of town to start talking. His vocabulary now includes mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, Elmo, up and car.

Our Book Worm

When you walk into our home there is a bookshelf to your immediate right which has about 30 different children's books and various toys. No toy has gotten as much attention as "Are You My Mother", "I Love You Through and Through" or "A to Z" (just to name a few of his favorite books). There comes a certain time of the day when all Owen wants to do is read. He walks up to us carrying books and grunting. He does not let us finish what we are reading before another one is plopped into our laps.

The crazy thing is that now he knows most of the titles so if I ask him to get me a certain book he just walks over to the pile and pulls it out. About 2 weeks ago he started to go into his room and look through other books all by himself. He just sits there and looks at each page individually and sometimes points and makes the animal noises. :) To cute!!

You can see the little wheels in his head turning all of the time as he is trying to make sense of things. What a fun age!

Last Few Weeks

Jason and I were able to go to the Worship God 08 conference this last week in Gaithersburg, Maryland (I wrote this the week we got back - the first week of August). This was held at Covenant Life Church which is part of Sovereign Grace Ministries (CJ Mahaney, Joshua Harris). "Let Your Kingdom Come", "Psalm 103", "Grace Unmeasured" and "Glories of Calvary" are just a few of the songs that we use at our church through this ministry. Their songs are extremely gospel centered and have incredible lyrics. I would totally recommend their worships albums (sovereigngraceministries.org).

Okay now to the conference.... all I can say it that I feel like I have been punched in the gut a few times because of being convicted of some issues I have been dealing with. I went to this conference just thinking I would be learning more about music, singing and studying the Psalms. I did not expect to learn so much on family worship in the home and being a pastor's wife. While at the conference I was also reading "Feminine Appeal" by Caroline Mahaney which only added to the list of things that need to change in my life (I am not yet finished with this book but would totally recommend it). Lets just say that my attitude toward raising Owen and Jason being in full time ministry is not always the best! Thank you Lord for Your grace and patience with me!!



We went to visit Jay's parents two weekends ago and they took us to the Akron Zoo. Just walking around with Grandma Bradshaw.

Yosie and Owen having a "meal" together at Carriage Hill Park.

Owen at the Great Darke County Fair. Our one and only visit for the year.

Owen just chillin out at home.

We have been gone a lot the last few weeks (hence not blogging or commenting on blogs). Next stop is Cedarville. For the next few days Jay will be playing guitar on a worship team for Fall Bible Conference. Owen and I will be joining him tomorrow evening. After this I am going to be ready to be at home for more than 5 days straight but at least we have kept busy :).

No Sleep for Me

It is 11:26 pm. I am sure that you are all aware of the fact that I cherish my sleep. Why am I still awake? This weekend I got a little sick on sunday and stayed in bed for 24 hours straight (yes, I have an awesome husband). I think that I could get an average of 3 hours of sleep for the next few days and it would not faze me. Thankfully, I am feeling much better now but just have a nasty sore throat (I think I had a 24 hour flu virus or something).

I have not posted in a while because I feel that nothing monumental has happened in our lives recently. To be completely honest it seems like since we have been back from vacation life has just been a little boring. Not that we do not have a lot going on, but it just seems like I keep doing the same things over and over and over (Groundhog Day??). Owen is officially at the stage that I cannot leave him alone for more than a few seconds. He is into everything. I find it kind of discouraging that anytime we go anywhere one of us has to give up adult interaction in order to follow Owen up a staircase or through a yard. I know it is just a phase but sometimes it wears me out.

I also know that I have a VERY healthy and vibrant little guy, which I am extremely thankful for. I really am trying to cherish these times (like all older women tell you to do) and just enjoy them while Owen still loves being around me. I have never been more content than where I am right now (being able to be a stay at home wife/mom) but I guess, being the sinful person I am, I am never fully satisfied.

Now that I have written down the things that have been floating around in my head (and the fact that it is midnight) it is time for me to go to bed. Thanks for listening. Good night.

Home Sweet Home

Our sticky boy after downing LOTS of watermelon.

Owen loved the lake water.

He is his father's son. Owen just relaxing and playing with Jay's ipod.

Bath time in our condos huge tub.

I am always ready to head home when vacations are coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I love them but I also enjoy being on a schedule and knowing what my day holds. Owen decided to start every day nice and early at 5:30 am (we were on central time) but we also had a lot of free time in the evenings because he would go down about 6:30 pm. Mostly are days consisted of a morning walk, a nap time (all of us), going to the pool or lake and dinners with the whole family. It was very relaxing and yet completely different than any vacation we have ever had (Owen was only 2 months old on our last one). Lets just say that we did not lay out and read the whole time (which we used to do). I don't think we will have another get away like that for a LONG time but that is okay with me. I am so thankful for our time away!

Tennessee Here We Come

There are a million things I SHOULD be doing right now because we are leaving for vacation on friday morning. Other than get all of our stuff packed we are also having an open house while we are gone so it needs to be clean (I like leaving the house clean but not that clean). I just cannot wait to go on vacation!!

Let me explain, my father is CRAZY about vacations (this may run in the genes). Both my parents were school teachers (when my mom worked) and so once spring break and summer rolled around it was time to hit the road. My dad bought into a time share when I was just 5 and continually has built weeks since then. My parents were not wealthy at all (did I mention they worked at Christian schools) but this has always been a priority to them. They drove junky cars, we did not eat out often and a lot of things were hand me downs but we did have great vacations.

Now that my dad has points stored up he generously gives us children vacations. I am so thankful for this because I feel that it is a need and otherwise we would not be able to afford them. The most vivid (and best) memories I have are from vacations and I am so looking forward to building some of these with our little family.