Well, one way or the other, they tell us this is the week Nate will be making his first appearance. These 9 months have seemed so long, but at the same time, they have flown by. My wife may think it's been a little on the slow side. We've seen some of the 3-D pictures they can take and let me tell you, he's got some big ole cheeks. Looks like he may be a little on the chunky side, so he should fit right in at our house. (I am referring to only myself of course)
We like to laugh and joke about Nate and how fast he will be doing things. I think the latest goal was to have him running laps by about 6 months. Pretty sure he's going to be playing catch with me within the next couple of weeks. I figure he won't start mowing the yard until he's at least 4 or 5, I mean, gotta let him stay little for a while right? All kidding aside, I'm sure he will grow up wayyy too fast, but I'm just glad I get to be a part of the experience.
Ashley insists Nate will never play soccer, ever. I believe the plan is to avoid all things soccer like the plague. So, if y'all really want to make things interesting, introduce Nate to soccer. Just don't let his mom know.
Ashley has also decided that Nate and Carrie Underwood's baby are clearly future BFF's. Apparently his name is Isaiah Michael Fisher, for those of you who enjoy random factoids. We shall wait and see, but I have my doubts about this plan.
Because I haven't said this enough I shall say it again, We cannot wait for Nate to be here! I really don't fully know what to expect, but I'm sure I will quickly become very informed. I just pray that God keeps Nate and his Mom safe and healthy through everything to come.
They tell me that the father doesn't get drugs during delivery, hopefully I don't become the exception to the rule.
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Monday, March 30, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
Lessons for Nate from Cinderella.... (Yes, you read that right)
My wife asked me today if we could go see the movie Cinderella as our final pre-child date. Well almost the final, we were planning on going grocery shopping at some point over the weekend, but I'm not sure if that counts.
The movie was a total chick flick so it would not have been one of my first choices under normal circumstances, such as if there was another option to watch anything else. There was even a short of Frozen played. I have never had so much testosterone drained so quickly from my body in all my life. But, my wife enjoyed the movie, so that's what is important to me.
The movie did have a recurring theme that I was impressed with, Have Courage, Be Kind. As I was thinking about this post, I thought those are two things that I hope Nate will learn to have in his life.
I hope we can teach him to have the courage to stand for what is right, even when you feel like you may be standing alone, like Elijah. I hope he will have courage in situations, even when he may be afraid. Courage doesn't mean not being afraid, courage means doing the right thing, even when you are afraid. Courage is something that is severely lacking in our world today. Too many people make decisions that aren't right, they choose the easy path. Having courage means that you will take the path less traveled.
Being kind is something that is not very common today, even among Christians sadly. I have seen Christians far too many times react in a less than kind way to a matter that was inconvenient to them, not even a major issue. I am sure I have acted in a less than kind way many times myself. Being kind can be a daily struggle. I hope I can teach my son that we as Christians, are to be kind to others, even the people who don't treat us the way we would like to be treated, or they didn't fix our car the right way, or they messed up our order when they brought out our food, whatever the situation may be.
Nate will hopefully be born very soon, we can hardly wait for his arrival. If he could be born and have his mother's ability to sleep, that would be absolutely fantastic!
The movie was a total chick flick so it would not have been one of my first choices under normal circumstances, such as if there was another option to watch anything else. There was even a short of Frozen played. I have never had so much testosterone drained so quickly from my body in all my life. But, my wife enjoyed the movie, so that's what is important to me.
The movie did have a recurring theme that I was impressed with, Have Courage, Be Kind. As I was thinking about this post, I thought those are two things that I hope Nate will learn to have in his life.
I hope we can teach him to have the courage to stand for what is right, even when you feel like you may be standing alone, like Elijah. I hope he will have courage in situations, even when he may be afraid. Courage doesn't mean not being afraid, courage means doing the right thing, even when you are afraid. Courage is something that is severely lacking in our world today. Too many people make decisions that aren't right, they choose the easy path. Having courage means that you will take the path less traveled.
Being kind is something that is not very common today, even among Christians sadly. I have seen Christians far too many times react in a less than kind way to a matter that was inconvenient to them, not even a major issue. I am sure I have acted in a less than kind way many times myself. Being kind can be a daily struggle. I hope I can teach my son that we as Christians, are to be kind to others, even the people who don't treat us the way we would like to be treated, or they didn't fix our car the right way, or they messed up our order when they brought out our food, whatever the situation may be.
Nate will hopefully be born very soon, we can hardly wait for his arrival. If he could be born and have his mother's ability to sleep, that would be absolutely fantastic!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Nathaniel Reeves Steward: What's in Your Name
For my son,
Nathaniel Reeves Steward, long name for a little guy. We decided just to call you Nate when you're little but who knows, you may never outgrow it for your Mom and I. More important to me than your nickname, I want you to know what is in your name. By that I mean, your name is something to be proud of, I just want you to know what it means and why we chose it.
"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
Proverbs 22:1
Nathaniel: To be honest, I think your mom just really liked this name so that's what we decided to name you. But I looked it up and it means, "Gift of God." Son, you have been given to us by God as a gift. We are blessed to be able to love you, raise you, and to prepare you to serve God because after all, you are His. God has seen fit to bring you into our lives at this time and that is something that I am truly thankful for. Never forget that you are a gift given by God Himself, I pray you will always live you life with this in mind.
Reeves: This one is a little harder to talk about. I had a cousin growing up who was just a few months older than me. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would always be outside playing football, begging someone to come play with us, because after all, it's hard to play football with two people. He was always smaller than I was but he was a lot faster. Man, that Reeves could run, if he burnt me deep, there was no way I was going to catch him. One day, my Mom told me that Reeves was really sick. I couldn't believe it because Reeves and I were practically the same age, we weren't supposed to have this happen to us. I saw Reeves quite a few more times but I could tell he didn't feel good anymore. Sadly, when I believe we were around 11 or 12 years old, Reeves passed away. Reeves was so young, he wasn't supposed to get sick like this. We named you for Reeves because I have never forgotten about him. Always remember that we live to honor God, but also so that we remember our loved ones who have gone on before us.
Steward: I hope you are proud of the last name you will have. I have always done my best to live up to it and I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of. To be a Steward means you are honest with others and yourself. It means you will look out for others. It means you will do whatever it takes to help someone else in need. Be a humble servant, not only to God, but also to the people around you. That's what a Steward is, a servant. I don't expect big great things from you in your life, I don't expect you to be really important, or to be a holder of enormous wealth. What I do expect, and hope you come to expect from yourself, is to be willing to serve others. It is very often, not easy. We don't do it for the praise of others, but we do it for the glory of God.
So Nate, I hope maybe one day, when you can read, that you can read this and let it sink in. I am still learning all of these things myself. Maybe as I continue to learn, I can help show you some things that will help you learn quicker than I did. Can't wait to see you son.
Nathaniel Reeves Steward, long name for a little guy. We decided just to call you Nate when you're little but who knows, you may never outgrow it for your Mom and I. More important to me than your nickname, I want you to know what is in your name. By that I mean, your name is something to be proud of, I just want you to know what it means and why we chose it.
"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
Proverbs 22:1
Nathaniel: To be honest, I think your mom just really liked this name so that's what we decided to name you. But I looked it up and it means, "Gift of God." Son, you have been given to us by God as a gift. We are blessed to be able to love you, raise you, and to prepare you to serve God because after all, you are His. God has seen fit to bring you into our lives at this time and that is something that I am truly thankful for. Never forget that you are a gift given by God Himself, I pray you will always live you life with this in mind.
Reeves: This one is a little harder to talk about. I had a cousin growing up who was just a few months older than me. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would always be outside playing football, begging someone to come play with us, because after all, it's hard to play football with two people. He was always smaller than I was but he was a lot faster. Man, that Reeves could run, if he burnt me deep, there was no way I was going to catch him. One day, my Mom told me that Reeves was really sick. I couldn't believe it because Reeves and I were practically the same age, we weren't supposed to have this happen to us. I saw Reeves quite a few more times but I could tell he didn't feel good anymore. Sadly, when I believe we were around 11 or 12 years old, Reeves passed away. Reeves was so young, he wasn't supposed to get sick like this. We named you for Reeves because I have never forgotten about him. Always remember that we live to honor God, but also so that we remember our loved ones who have gone on before us.
Steward: I hope you are proud of the last name you will have. I have always done my best to live up to it and I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of. To be a Steward means you are honest with others and yourself. It means you will look out for others. It means you will do whatever it takes to help someone else in need. Be a humble servant, not only to God, but also to the people around you. That's what a Steward is, a servant. I don't expect big great things from you in your life, I don't expect you to be really important, or to be a holder of enormous wealth. What I do expect, and hope you come to expect from yourself, is to be willing to serve others. It is very often, not easy. We don't do it for the praise of others, but we do it for the glory of God.
So Nate, I hope maybe one day, when you can read, that you can read this and let it sink in. I am still learning all of these things myself. Maybe as I continue to learn, I can help show you some things that will help you learn quicker than I did. Can't wait to see you son.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Life Lessons for Nate from Baseball
Nate thankfully continues to grow and all indications are that he is quite the healthy kid and for that I am thankful to God. I sometimes let my mind drift off and I wonder, what will he be like as he grows? Will he be more like his mom (has positives and negatives) or me? (mostly negatives) One thing is for certain:
We may be hoping he likes Baseball.
I sure hope the kid likes Baseball, or we will never hear the end of the complaining.
I have always liked baseball, you get to be outside, it takes teamwork, it also requires a lot of hard work to even begin to improve yourself at the game. Come to think of it, there are quite a few life lessons to be learned from playing baseball.
1) There Ain't no "I" in Team
I'm sure none of us have ever heard this wonderful statement. Who knew that sports coaches were such geniuses of the English language? But seriously, Nate has to learn, it's not all about you. So what? You went 4 for 4 at the plate and hit a home run, but the TEAM lost. Obviously, I won't downplay his personal achievements, but I want him to understand, baseball is a TEAM sport. You win as a team and you lose as a team. You always give 110% effort because that's how a good team plays, they support each other, they will put themselves on the line for each other, not for personal glory, but for the good of the team.
2) Give Maximum Effort, All the Time
Nothing infuriates me more when watching baseball then to see a batter hit a routine ground ball to a fielder and not run hard down the first base line. So what that tells me is that because there is a pretty good chance you are going to be out, you just aren't going to try. Because the odds are against you, you are just going to quit and make it easy for the other team. It makes the player look like he just doesn't care. What I hope Nate learns is that no matter what, if you're slow or fast, you run down that first base line like your britches are on fire. Because you know what? The fielder just might make an error, there just might be a bad throw, if you are hustling, the fielder may hurry to field the ball and make a mistake. I hope Nate grows to understand, that perfection, is not expected. But effort, will always be expected. He may be the slowest runner that has ever existed on this green earth, but that does not give him a free pass to not try.
3) Even the Greats Strike Out
For decades, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players to ever step onto a field, held the record for striking out more than anyone else. Babe Ruth failed to even put the ball into play more than anyone else. So why was Babe Ruth great? He was great because he didn't allow his failures to keep him down. Babe Ruth held the record for the most home runs in baseball for nearly a hundred years. He was great because he was able to step back up to the plate and face the same exact pitcher who made him look foolish the previous at bat. He was able to learn from his mistakes. People will make mistakes. I have made mistakes and will continue to do so I'm sure. Nate will make his fair share of mistakes. But what I hope Nate learns, your mistakes can define you, if you let them. How a person responds to their mistakes, is what truly defines an individual. I have heard very few stories about The Babe striking out, even though he struck out many more times than the home runs he hit. But people talk about the home runs. The stories exist because of the victories, not the failures.
These are only a few life lessons I hope Nate can learn from baseball, if he so chooses to play and enjoy the sport. I obviously hope that there are other things that are more important to him, such as serving the Lord and his family. But something as simple as a game, can teach him life lessons that he can use for the rest of his life.
We may be hoping he likes Baseball.
I have always liked baseball, you get to be outside, it takes teamwork, it also requires a lot of hard work to even begin to improve yourself at the game. Come to think of it, there are quite a few life lessons to be learned from playing baseball.
1) There Ain't no "I" in Team
I'm sure none of us have ever heard this wonderful statement. Who knew that sports coaches were such geniuses of the English language? But seriously, Nate has to learn, it's not all about you. So what? You went 4 for 4 at the plate and hit a home run, but the TEAM lost. Obviously, I won't downplay his personal achievements, but I want him to understand, baseball is a TEAM sport. You win as a team and you lose as a team. You always give 110% effort because that's how a good team plays, they support each other, they will put themselves on the line for each other, not for personal glory, but for the good of the team.
2) Give Maximum Effort, All the Time
Nothing infuriates me more when watching baseball then to see a batter hit a routine ground ball to a fielder and not run hard down the first base line. So what that tells me is that because there is a pretty good chance you are going to be out, you just aren't going to try. Because the odds are against you, you are just going to quit and make it easy for the other team. It makes the player look like he just doesn't care. What I hope Nate learns is that no matter what, if you're slow or fast, you run down that first base line like your britches are on fire. Because you know what? The fielder just might make an error, there just might be a bad throw, if you are hustling, the fielder may hurry to field the ball and make a mistake. I hope Nate grows to understand, that perfection, is not expected. But effort, will always be expected. He may be the slowest runner that has ever existed on this green earth, but that does not give him a free pass to not try.
3) Even the Greats Strike Out
For decades, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players to ever step onto a field, held the record for striking out more than anyone else. Babe Ruth failed to even put the ball into play more than anyone else. So why was Babe Ruth great? He was great because he didn't allow his failures to keep him down. Babe Ruth held the record for the most home runs in baseball for nearly a hundred years. He was great because he was able to step back up to the plate and face the same exact pitcher who made him look foolish the previous at bat. He was able to learn from his mistakes. People will make mistakes. I have made mistakes and will continue to do so I'm sure. Nate will make his fair share of mistakes. But what I hope Nate learns, your mistakes can define you, if you let them. How a person responds to their mistakes, is what truly defines an individual. I have heard very few stories about The Babe striking out, even though he struck out many more times than the home runs he hit. But people talk about the home runs. The stories exist because of the victories, not the failures.
These are only a few life lessons I hope Nate can learn from baseball, if he so chooses to play and enjoy the sport. I obviously hope that there are other things that are more important to him, such as serving the Lord and his family. But something as simple as a game, can teach him life lessons that he can use for the rest of his life.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Baby Birthing Class: Night Two
Night two of birthing class was not NEARLY as eventful as night one, sorry to disappoint all of you. We did get to learn about some wonderful things though, such as all the drug options Ashley will have available to her. Sadly, there are no drugs for the father.
One of the options available is an epidural, which is basically a large needle (which we will get to shortly) is inserted into the fluid in the spine and helps her to deal with pain. As lovely as I'm sure this is to witness, I am not looking forward to seeing it happen.
The needle..... Where to begin. Have you ever watched Animal Planet? Have you ever noticed when they have to capture an animal, what they use to put it to sleep? The word of the day: Tranquilizer Dart. That's basically what this is. Now, I seriously doubt they are going to sneak up on Ashley and pop her in the back with a tranquilizer, but you get the idea of the size of the needle. I'm sure all of you who don't like needles are as comfortable as can be right now. You are most welcome.
Just as a side note, I googled images for an epidural needle to add here. I don't advise looking that up. Most unpleasant sights in your near future if you do.
It was a good class and informative and I'm sure Ashley and I will be able to take what we learned and use it. Ashley mentioned to me yesterday that this is the month that Nate could make his grand appearance. He could, or he could wait around another month or so. She doesn't like that as much though. But I'm sure that he will show up when he is ready..... We are sure ready for him to be here!
One of the options available is an epidural, which is basically a large needle (which we will get to shortly) is inserted into the fluid in the spine and helps her to deal with pain. As lovely as I'm sure this is to witness, I am not looking forward to seeing it happen.
The needle..... Where to begin. Have you ever watched Animal Planet? Have you ever noticed when they have to capture an animal, what they use to put it to sleep? The word of the day: Tranquilizer Dart. That's basically what this is. Now, I seriously doubt they are going to sneak up on Ashley and pop her in the back with a tranquilizer, but you get the idea of the size of the needle. I'm sure all of you who don't like needles are as comfortable as can be right now. You are most welcome.
Just as a side note, I googled images for an epidural needle to add here. I don't advise looking that up. Most unpleasant sights in your near future if you do.
It was a good class and informative and I'm sure Ashley and I will be able to take what we learned and use it. Ashley mentioned to me yesterday that this is the month that Nate could make his grand appearance. He could, or he could wait around another month or so. She doesn't like that as much though. But I'm sure that he will show up when he is ready..... We are sure ready for him to be here!
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