Introducing Caleb Roy Tennant!

Our newest addition, Caleb Roy, entered the world on November 29, 2012!

7 #, 14 oz.    20 1/2 inches long

His Name:

Caleb:  In the Bible, God himself described Caleb as one who "had a different spirit and followed Me fully," (Numbers 14:24).  Though he lived among those who did not believe God and who put their trust in themselves and their own perceived wisdom, Caleb chose to courageously trust God and and live for Him.  That is our prayer for our Caleb- that he, too, will "follow God fully."

Roy:  Paul rallied for this middle name since we found out that Caleb was a boy.  We gave him the middle name Roy after Paul's late paternal grandfather, Roy Tennant.  We've described him as the patriarch of the Tennant family, and Roy was one of the sweetest (The first time I met him- before we were even engaged- he told me that I was "part of the organization."), pleasant (He enjoyed living simply in the house that his family built all by themselves.), brightest (At 90 + years old he could still beat any family member in a game of Checkers.), and loving (He always spoke respectfully to his wife of 60 + years and loved her until his dying day.) men we've ever known.

Labor Day:

After having intermittent painful contractions for over a week leading up to Caleb's birthday, Caleb came at 39 weeks, 1 day.  

2:30 a.m.: Contractions were 7 minutes apart

4:30 a.m.:  Contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, which was when we knew that this was no false alarm; it was (way past) time to head to the hospital!

Here are some pictures that document the day.

Heading to the hospital at 4:30 a.m.  Paul's smile is sincere, but mine is 100% fake.  I'm certain that this was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.  Thanks to Chris Smith for taking this picture, bearing with us while we waited to go to the hospital, and watching Luke until Aunt Kathleen arrived! 

This smile, on the other hand, was 100% genuine.  I got the epidural at 7:00 a.m., and it was glorious.

And Caleb came a few hours later at 10:48 a.m.!  

Paul and I got a kick out of the OB asking Paul if he wanted to put on gloves and help with the delivery.  He opted out of that, but here he is examining Caleb minutes after he was born! 

Happy, thankful parents...

We were able to bring him home a day early!

  Luke loves to rock Caleb's rocker as he says, "Beebee..." 

This little boy has adjusted like a champ.

Somebody takes after his big brother and holds his ears when he sleeps! 

First "family of four" photo!

This is about as expressive as Caleb got during week 1... 

Week 2 of Caleb's life...

I wasn't the best at taking pictures in general, but here are some of friends who stopped by!  

Only a few days away from finding out if Caleb's newest Frantz playmate is a boy or a girl!

 What a help Mimi and Aunt Kathleen were during our hospital stay and Caleb's first week!  Thanks to them Luke remained well-fed and happy- and I remained as rested as possible! 

And Mama T was our saving grace after that!  Somebody doesn't look like he's lacking attention, does he?

We praise God for the gift that Caleb is and for the privilege it is to be his parents!  

"In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever."

Psalm 44:8

"

Celebrating Caleb

Having two boys so close in age has already proven to be convenient.  As we prepare for Baby #2's arrival, we have bought virtually nothing.  So when some sweet friends recently asked if they could throw a baby shower for our coming little one, I shared with them that we really do not need anything.  They knew, however, that I would appreciate a very small get-together with a few friends to pray for him and for my upcoming labor and delivery.

So on Friday night when our plans to have dinner with our dear friends, the Frantzes, were conveniently cancelled in such a way that the night was freed to have a "women's ministry meeting" at my friend Jill's home, I should have known something was up.  Paul was home in perfect time to watch Luke while I headed to the meeting with my notebook in hand.  And when Jill's four children greeted me with wide-eyed smiles at the door, I should have known something was up.  But since they're such sweet, happy kids, I entered their house without suspicion, only to soon discover a group of my friends yelling "Surprise!" with balloons, flowers, some of my favorite snacks, and a cake in hand.  It was valued time of fellowship and prayer over our coming little guy.  

Here are some pictures of the memorable night:

Mariah did a great job on this!  She has mastered the art of making pretty cakes that taste excellent (something that I've yet to accomplish!).

Sweet friends. 

If Luke would have known that this little one was going to be there, he wouldn't have minded being the only boy there!

Love my friend Meg!

How encouraging it was to have friends lovingly pray over Caleb and our family as we transition in the months to come.

I have enjoyed getting to know these girls!  

Sweet Susan to the left and the organizer of the evening, Jill, to the right.  Grateful for these godly friends!

It was such a treat to get to see Lindsay as she was in town from Michigan.  I miss this girl!

Our babies are going to be BFF!

This evening reminded me to praise God for graciously giving us such dear friends! I have been incredibly blessed by each one of these girls!  

36 Weeks and A Tribute to Krispy Kreme...

I love Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.  It probably has to do with the fact that I worked there during the summer of 2004 while at a Campus Crusade for Christ summer project in Clearwater Beach, FL.  A few things resulted from my experience as the "doughnut stacker" at the end of the conveyor belt:  1) a respect for the hard work that goes into every box of creme-filled doughnuts that you see at your local grocery store.  The people who provide those wake up at 3:30 a.m. to stuff creme in the doughnuts, pour glaze over them, and stack them into boxes; 2) a deep appreciation for the marketing of doughnuts (For what it costs to make them, the profit is ridiculous!); and 3) a chipmunk face by the end of the summer.  The perks of the job were revealed through some serious weight gain that summer!

My sweet friends, Bethany and Elise, and I try to get together weekly for girl time and play time for our little ones who were born months apart from each other.  It's always a useful time to catch up on each other's lives and to provide great social interaction for our little ones.  Two of the three of us are currently pregnant.  And we've both been craving Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  So this week was a "play date" for the pregnant moms and Bethany, and the kids were sweet to tag along.  By the looks of these pictures, it's not difficult to assume that they had a blast as well!

I'm indoctrinating him at 15 months.  Look how happy he is to be at Krispy Kreme!

But let's be honest- he's much more excited  about devouring the hat.  

Sweet E!

Such troopers for appreciating the pregnancy cravings of friends!

The mommy-to-be with her soon-to-be 1-year-old!

Look how sweet and still this little one is as she compliantly poses for a picture with her hat on.

Here's what happens to Luke's hats.  Notice we have no picture with mommy like the ones seen above.  

It was hard, but I was kind enough to bring some of these home for Paul.  (Okay, I admit that two of these were my breakfast this morning!)

And here is Baby #2 at 36 weeks!  I am very thankful that this little boy is no longer breech, and today my doctor informed me that he will stay that way.  Thank you, Lord!

We can't wait to meet our little surprise miracle.  It's just a waiting game from here!

22 Months; 14 Months; and 33 Weeks

22 months ago we were a family of two.  14 months ago Luke was born.  And for the past 33 weeks we've been preparing to welcome baby #2 into the world.  Here is an update on our little ones!

Luke, 14 Months

Luke is a delight to our family.  It's still very early for us to confidently discern his personality traits, but from what we can tell, Luke is a very good balance of an introvert and an extrovert.  He can play in his crib by himself for as long as I prefer for him to, and he frequently laughs at himself, which usually occurs when he makes up silly noises (thanks to Daddy's influence, he has also learned to laugh at himself when he burps!  Manner lessons are in this boy's future!).  

He also thrives around others!  He never whines when our good friends snatch him up at church, and it's obvious that he is very comfortable around his surrogate aunts and uncles.  We're also thankful that Luke draws our family in town from all over!  Within the past month and a half, we've had visits from both of Paul's parents, his aunt Kathleen, and his Uncle Adam.  Uncle Van is using some of his vacation time next week to come visit him! 

Any of our family and friends know that as a first time parent, I've been concerned about his low weight.  Since he's been born, he has not exceeded the 3rd percentile of weight, and for a while he was below the 0 percentile.  But thanks to bananas(!), that number has likely increased, in addition to his appetite as a whole.  He has realized the joy of food, and his chunky arms and legs serve as proof of this discovery! 

Luke began walking about 2 weeks ago during our vacation at Paul's grandmother's home in West Virginia, which was right when he turned 14 months old.  I was hoping that he would walk during Paul's vacation, as I wanted Paul to see Luke's daily improvement of walking.  We both really wanted Luke's great-grandmother to see him walk for the first time, too, and she gladly stepped in and helped him reach this milestone.

His favorite toys are his dump truck (thanks again, Susan!) and books.  He loves looking at animals in books, and he usually makes the noises of the animals that he sees (dogs, cows, gorillas, lions, and tigers) .  One of his favorites is the gorilla, and he enjoys beating his chest like a gorilla when he sees one.  I've attached a video of his most recently learned animal noise- the cow!

Baby #2, 33 Weeks

 This pregnancy has flown by!  I've been very blessed to have very easy pregnancies with no nausea and little discomfort, but since entering into the third trimester, I have been exhausted!  Most of this is likely attributed to chasing our little monster around all day, so these days I usually nap when Luke does.  This little baby seems to be just as active as his big brother!  I laugh to Paul about the unnecessary concept of us "counting kicks" at this point, because whether I'm awake or asleep this little one rarely stays still!  This probably explains why he is breech right now, though he wasn't at my OB appointment 3 weeks ago.  Prayers for this little one to flip before God brings him into the world are greatly appreciated!

Here is a picture of Baby #2 at 33 weeks along!

We are thankful to God for His abundant grace in giving us these children, and we pray that we will rear them in a way that glorifies Him! 

Our Adoption Status

Lately friends have been asking about any adoption updates.  Next month will mark two years since we officially began the process.  In fact, this blog was created specifically to inform our curious family and friends of our adoption journey, as narrated here. Though our reasons for adopting did not include a suspicion that we could not biologically conceive, we would have never guessed that God would have intervened with not one, but two, biological children.  

Our agency has informed us of a new policy that they have recently begun, whereby they essentially pause the process for parents who are expecting a biological child.  They want to allow time for the parents to adequately bond with their biological child after the child is born, and once that occurs, we have been told that the adoption process will resume with us at the top of the list to receive a referral.

How comforted I am by Psalm 37:5, where God commands,"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act."  Our ways are not God's ways, thankfully.  We still remain committed to bringing home children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we look forward to seeing how God "acts" as we commit this adoption process to Him!

"Wait and See"

Monday night was the most exciting encounter that I've had with Mrs. Schreiner (a-hem, Diane! I'm trying!) since her accident.  Just like anyone else, this optimistic Diane fan was hoping that her seeming abilities to recognize, to express emotions, and to be aware of her surroundings were sure signs towards a good- and maybe complete- recovery.  But when Paul, Luke, and I left the room, Paul, attempting to bring me down from Cloud 9, looked at me with a serious face.  Before he could say a word, I read his mind and responded to him, saying, "I know, I know.  Don't get too encouraged or too discouraged.  It's still just 'wait and see'."  He responded with a confident, "Exactly." And I've been so encouraged that her family is following the same advice from her doctors and nurses by waiting patiently for Diane's progress.

And apparently the doctors and nurses aren't the only ones who advise that we "wait and see" in faith-stretching situations such as recovering from a traumatic bike accident. Charles Spurgeon has something to say about it as well.  Luke and I have developed a new breakfast routine which consists of reading from Charles Spurgeon's Morning By Morning (which really includes me reading aloud to myself as Luke shoves bananas and Cheerios into his mouth and joins with me in talking, though his volume is about 10 decibels higher than mine and his language is certainly not English).  Today's read was providentially relevant, as Charles Spurgeon exposits Psalm 27:14 which commands, "Wait on the Lord."  The quote below is lengthy but certainly worth the read:


"It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures that a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching.  Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still.  There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take.  Then what shall it do?  Vex itself by despair?  Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?  No, but simply wait.  Wait in prayer, however.  Call upon God and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid.  In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord.  It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.  But wait in faith.  Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is but an insult to the Lord.  Believe that if He keeps you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not tarry.  Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it.  Never murmur against the second cause as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, 'Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done.  I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes.  I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God and my spirit waiteth for Thee in the full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower'." 

After reading this, two thoughts crossed my mind: 1) I'm not the only one who is bad about using run-on sentences, and 2) I was convicted about the object of my wait in this situation.  Though I've been telling myself to wait on the Lord, I have actually been waiting on doctors' reports and even updates of new developments and occurrences of Diane's responses.  But I am so thankful to be reminded to wait on the Lord, knowing that He has providentially arranged all circumstances for His glory and for the sanctification of all of His children- both Diane and all of her Christian brothers and sisters who are alongside her, bearing this burden.  May God receive great glory as He helps me "wait on the Lord" and see how He proves his faithfulness in all of life's trials.

A Plea for Prayer

If you're one of the few who are reading this blog, then you have likely heard about the traumatic bike accident that Diane Schreiner experienced 3 days ago, leaving her with multiple fractures and more importantly, causing bruising to her brain.  For those who do not know Diane personally, this post is an attempt to allow you to know of this woman of God so that you will be compelled to pray for God's miraculous and complete healing over her fragile body.  For those who are blessed to know her, nothing below will come as a surprise to you.

Since her accident, I have felt a strange guilt for hurting so bad, and after discussing this with my friend, Mary Ellen, last night I have realized the reason:  the thought of her suffering has brought about a grief that I would assume only family could feel.  And I feel so guilty for this grief (which, Schreiner family, is why I stayed home on the day of the accident- I was a mess!  I'm glad Paul could represent us both), because I know her immediate family has to be hurting so much more!  Then I concluded that though she is not an immediate family member of mine, she has become a spiritual mother to me, exemplifying Titus 2 more than anyone else in my life.  

By the grace of God, I have met with Diane every other week for the past 5 out of 6 years.  When Paul and I were dating 6 years ago, she kindly initiated intentional weekly discipleship time (an answered prayer, as I was too shy to ask her for this!).  She and her husband met with Paul and me for premarital advice, and they even invited medical students and physicians to their house once while we were dating so that we could receive guidance about maintaining a strong, Christ-centered marriage in the busy world of medicine.  The following year I moved away to marry Paul and live in Memphis for his final year of medical school.  Throughout that first year of marriage, her e-mails and phone calls of wisdom and advice to an immature wife served as highlights of my day, and I know that Paul has benefited from the encouragements and rebukes she gave me during that year.  So it's no surprise that the influence of the Schreiners in our lives was one of the most compelling reasons for Paul to try to match in Louisville for ENT residency.  And by God's kindness, we did.  I've often told Mrs. Schreiner that we are in Louisville because she prayed so fervently that God would bring us here. And during the 5 years that we have been in Louisville, we have met every other week.  

Let me tell you about this incomparable woman.  Aside from her unwavering devotion to Christ, this woman loves her family more than anything else in the world.  This is the woman who, after being married for I'm assuming at least 30 years, still skips to her cell phone when she hears her husband's Johnny Cash ring tone and answers with a flirty, "Hi, Tommy!"- to which Mary Ellen and I consistently laugh out loud- to which she always grins back. This is the woman who has raised her children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and who couldn't be happier with the godly wives that all three of her sons have chosen.  This is the woman who can't talk about her daughter without grinning from ear to ear with pride.  This is the woman who truly loves her neighbors and knows their names, as she intentionally seeks to meet them during regular walks.  This is the woman who smiles with embarrassment when she is late to our meetings, but it's only because she has been painting the toe nails of sweet, blind, elderly women.  

This is the woman who makes sure our time together is not wasted. She has taught me to live simply  (and Paul absolutely loves her for this!).  She has one of the most empty pantries and refrigerators I have ever seen, yet she somehow manages to have a dessert (and fruit, of course!) on hand at all times.  Just last week I told her that Paul had encouraged us to avoid buying Luke birthday gifts since we assumed that our generous family would be supplying those, and her response was, "That is why I love Paul!"  Then she handed me a gift-wrapped Bible story book for Luke's birthday.  

She has taught me to give, as she would rather give her money, time, and resources than store up treasures here on earth.  If I come home to any random gift on my doorstep (iris flowers, tea, an ESV Bible, and even a printer), I laugh and know exactly who dropped it off.  

She has taught me to love Paul  in a way that Christ has called me to love him, and she has a God-given ability to smile with compassion as she slaps my hand for not loving him as I should.  I will never forget her rebuking me for my selfishness in the middle of SBTS chapel 6 years ago, telling me that I should never put Paul in a box that Jesus doesn't have him in.  I'm so thankful to have taken her advice; I wouldn't want to be married to anyone but Paul Tennant.

But the most important thing that Diane would want you to know about her is that she has been redeemed by the blood of Christ.  As well as she has just been portrayed, she would be a wretch without the love of Christ intervening in her life and saving her from her sin.  Because of God's work in her life, loving and knowing Christ is the most important mission in her life.  If there is anything that Diane Schreiner has imparted to me, it is the truth that God is always good to His children, working in them every second of their lives, and He is worthy of our praise and devotion in all circumstances.  As she laid in her hospital bed 2 days ago, I told her that everyone is trusting in the goodness of God right now, partly because we know she'd whoop us if we were not doing so.   

If Diane could share anything with us right now, I believe that she would say, "God is good.  He is worthy of praise, even now."  And if you don't know Him, she would be thrilled to know that any ounce of her suffering could point you to the saving knowledge of God through Christ.  Then she would undoubtedly give you a Bible to read.

Mrs. Schreiner, you have commented on every single blog post that I have ever written.  I can't wait for you to comment on this one and scold me for making so much of you.  I love you.  Rest well, and come back to us, we pray.  We love you, and He is with you!

Celebrating Luke

If you've worked in the nursery at our church- or if you've ever been to our home- or if you've ever seen him needing to be pacified, you know that Luke's favorite toy is his rubber duck.  This past Saturday many of our loved ones got together at our home to celebrate Luke's first birthday at his rubber duck themed party! We are so blessed to have so many family and friends who delight in our little boy.

No party is a true party without a table full of food!! 

And thanks to Pinterest, how could we have a rubber duck themed party without "duckie punch?"

We also bobbed for ducks... who do you think the winner was?  Matt?

Robbie?

Uncle Van?

Nope!  Luke Tennant won, of course!!

Uncle Adam, you were still in our thoughts- especially every time we looked at this pacifier you gave him.

Do you think Luke was having fun?  As seen from his water-drenched shirt, this boy was loving his party, even after he fell in the water pail.  Thanks to Daddy for swooping him up like a hero!

Here he is soaking all of this fun up as we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

And the climax of his evening... banana pudding!  Other than the few times that Daddy has snuck him a spoonfull of ice cream (yes, even at 8 weeks old), this is the first official time that Luke has had a non-fruit sweet. 

And from the looks of this face, he's a little upset with Mommy and Daddy for not sharing this wealth with him before!



Even after having multiple baths since this picture was taken, he still feels sticky...

Happy Birthday, Luke!  We love you so much!