Eden and the ER!

You know that part in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, where the Grinch is trying to tug the slay back from the edge of the cliff and his heart grows something like six times its original size all at once?  I think that is something like what happens when a woman gives birth to her first child, her heart multiplies in size.  As that child grows, so also does a mothers heart, but as Katie learned on the 21st: a mother's heart can only take so much!

The 21st was Eden's second trip to the ER, but it was not nearly the joyful trip she experienced the first time.  Although she was not admitted, there was plenty of trauma and tears.  Turns out our little one only had a viral infection that should clear up in a few days, but coming to that conclusion required a lot of probing (literally).

Katie and I have been taking rectal temps for Eden ever since she started running a fever last week, but the nurse in the ER did not seem to have nearly the concern for Eden that we have as she jammed a much larger thermometer pretty far into her... Eden screamed like she just saw a demon!  Unfortunately that was only the beginning of the probing.

The next traumatic experience was a nurse attempting to give her Tylenol by the mouth.  Eden somehow managed to spit it out even though his technique was supposedly  flawless... He was surprised at her ability and said it made his night. Although, it did not help Katie's heart any, there was a bit of laughter involved (between the nurse and I ) as we watched Eden's stubborn side appear. He actually was a very nice guy and ended up giving Eden a colorful bear at the end of the night, and asked her if they could still be friends :)... However, since Eden wouldn't take the medicine by mouth, it was time to get it in her elsewhere... that's right, a suppository!

After the nurse popped the rather large suppository inside her, Eden hadn't even calmed down before two ladies entered to give her a catheter for a urine sample.  Eden did not make this easy, by peeing twice when they opened the diaper, thereby making it hard for them to collect a sample.  Finally, they put the cath in and Eden again screamed like she was being pinched!

At this point mother Katie had reached her heart's crying limit.  She nearly died just hearing her little darling scream for all three probes, unfortunately her night of crying was nowhere near done.We went home at 11:15 pm, and I had to go in to work that night.  Eden spent most of the night screaming as if someone were still hurting her, she wouldn't fall asleep. Finally, she gave in around 4am after watching veggie tales sing along 6 or 7 times with Katie and Uncle Ben.

Katie's mother heart was pushed over the edge that Saturday night, but the thing about these stressful times is we come out on the other side stronger.  Just like going through the agony and pain of labor produces a child that causes a woman's heart to multiply in size, the pain of seeing your child scream and suffer through pain makes a mother stronger and more able to love her through the tears.  Though we would not wish it to happen again, I think Katie is a stronger mother for it.

2012 Goals update: July

WARNING: The post you are about to read is filled with tales of failure and overall lack of progress.

The good news is we still remember our year's goals, which puts us ahead of probably two thirds of people who make resolutions/goals.  The bad news is, as you will see below, it has been three months since our last update and there has been shockingly little progress on some of our goals.  Summer life for us has been hopping.  If you read our last post you would see just how many different events we have been celebrating; plus we are praising God that he has been providing me with 40 hours at my job nearly every week!

Without any further explanation, below I will list each goal, a summery of its progress, and give an EPC (Estimated Percent Complete):

1. Read 2 parenting books
1. After reading only two chapters of "Shepherding a Child's Heart" in two weeks time, we had to return the book to the library and have yet to either check it out again or buy it.  So zero progress has been made on this goal.  We haven't even decided which book to read after this one. We are talking about reading "Give Them Grace" Or "Raising A Strong Willed Child"
2. EPC: 5%
2. Jog a 5K together
1. Our last update in April claimed that we would now be jogging with Casey and Heather and hopefully running a 5k together with them.  Well that has yet to happen once, and I doubt it will.  In fact, Katie and I have only run together a time or two all year.  I have made it out about five more times by myself, but this is supposed to be a together thing.  We are just struggling to find the time to do it together.  On top of that, the 5k we wanted to run happens to be on the same weekend my wife is planning to attend a biannual consignment sale in Indiana with my aunt.  So we have no 5k to run either.  It is looking so bleak for this goal that I am rolling back its EPC from 3% in April to 1%
2. EPC: 1%
3. Pray together 5 nights a week before bed
1. Praying together at night is a wonderful and life changing experience.  This was supposed to happen more often once I moved from night shift to days and actually am going to bed with my wife.  Still, we struggle to make this even a semi-consistent practice.  Lately (as in the last three of so nights) we have been praying together and it has been wonderful!  Unity in the Spirit is such a huge joy in a marriage, so please pray that this goal gets up and running for us on an every night basis!
2. EPC: 14%
4. Take an active ministry role in a local church in Michigan
1. After much prayer and many discussions between Katie and myself, we settled on attending Bethel Baptist Church of Fruitport as our home church.  We love the people and the passion at Bethel and couldn't be more thrilled to call it home!  Already God has opened multiple doors for ministry at Bethel, especially in the youth and nursery ministries.  Katie and I have committed to working with the youth for the summer and attending every Wednesday night.  I had the opportunity to speak to the youth about what "Haughty Eyes" are and why God hates them.  Katie is taking an active aiding role to Abby Gagnon in helping with the church nursery, especially in its renovations.  This goal is basically complete, but I will leave ten percent uncompleted because ministry is something that requires faithful attendance over a long period of time, and therefore the last ten percent will be filled with our faithful participation throughout the rest of the year.
2. EPC: 90%
5. Update this blog twice a month
1. I am very sad to say that this goal finally fell behind.  We were proud that we had kept it on track for 5 months.  I did post 3 times in May, once on the 31st, but only 1 time in June.  Still, in spite of the fact that we can no longer fully complete this goal, we will aim to get as close as possible.
2. EPC: 54.2%

Thanks for taking a moment to keep up with Team Worth!  We are now more than half way on two of our goals, but woefully behind on the other three.  Let us know what you think or how you are doing on your goals/resolutions for 2012 by leaving us a comment.

Where Have We Been?

Sadly, it has been a while since we have updated this blog. One of our goals was to blog twice a month this year. We were doing so well until June! We fell 1 post short of our goal! Oh well, we will keep pressing on anyway.
The month of June was a hectic one for sure. It was a marathon of celebrations for us! I flew back from NJ on June 2nd, and Mark celebrated his 27th birthday on June 3rd. We had a very nice day together. Went to dinner at the best Mexican Grill around, Qdoba.( This is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to eat at). Then played 2 of Marks favorite games Batchi Ball, and Dirty Marbles. Oh and Mark's birthday wouldn't be complete without his favorite cake: Confetti cake, with Rainbow chip frosting!
  Right around the corner was my 24th birthday, on June 8th. Mark, along with his family, took me out to Chili's. It was excellent! We also went to the movies ALONE. Aunt Casey, Nana and Papa graciously agreed to watch little Eden.We saw What to Expect When Your Expecting! Very funny! Definitely more humorous now that Mark and I are parents ourselves.
The celebrations continued with Uncle Ben's birthday on June 16th. We of course ventured out to another restaurant, the Asian Buffet. I would say a Worth family favorite, but more importantly Ben's favorite :). We then enjoyed cake and a game of Dirty Marbles at the apartment.
The 18th came just 2 days later, that being Mark and I's 2nd Anniversary. Now do you understand why I said marathon of celebrations? This was a very fun day for us as a family. We could not believe that it had already been 2 years. We have seen so much change since that day back in June of 2010. God has seen us through some very difficult times, but also so many wonderful blessings. Eden was with us the whole day, she of course was and is the best blessing we have received since TEAM WORTH was established! We journeyed to Grand Rapids for the day. Had a nice picnic, went to the John Ball Zoo, drove around Holland MI, went out for ice cream, and watched the musical fountains in Grand Haven. What a looong day! It was also very hot. Eden did fantastic though! We didn't do anything extraordinary,but enjoyed every minute. Simply setting aside a day to be a family was amazing!
The 24th Mark's Aunt Kim, Uncle Tim, and family came over for a grill out and party.  The best moment of the evening is when Mark's cousin's daughter Sasha (two months younger than Eden) sat down and saw Eden, and the two of them spent the next hour or so screaming back and forth to each other (in a good way we think).
The next celebration was for Aunt Heather's half birthday.  It is a Worth tradition to celebrate her birthday on her half birthday since she is born on December 28th, 3 days after Christmas.  Heather requested that we do breakfast one Sunday morning at the Golden Corral!  She was thrilled about eating cotton candy at breakfast, as was Mark!

So it is safe to call June the month of celebration here in the Worth household.  This post did not even mention the three celebrations in late may (Parents anniversary, Ben's new position at work, and Mark's getting certified in MI for CNA).  Katie's parents also have their anniversary in mid May and we were sad to not be able to celebrate with them because of the distance!  In July we are going to have to start making things up to celebrate in order to keep up the festivities.

We appreciate you taking time to read our blog and hope that it gives you a small glimpse into our family!  We miss and love all of our friends who live outside the West Michigan area and hope to reunite with you as soon as the Lord blesses!

10 on 10:July

For this month I chose to use pictures from June18th. That being Mark and I's 2nd Anniversary. We had a day planned with adventures, and I knew I'd be bringing along my camera. Mark and I decided  to start a tradition of celebrating our anniversary in a different city every year. Last year we spent the day in NYC. We of course will not always be able to go to a big city, but we would like to try to stick with the theme as much as possible. So this year our dream was Chicago, but due to finances and having a baby who doesn't take a bottle, we chose Grand Rapids. We took our precious Eden with us for the day. We had such a fun day as a family! We started our day in Rosa Park Circle, where we enjoyed a mist fountain, and our yummy Subway sandwiches. Next we went to the John Ball Zoo in GR.We practically melted in the heat,but had a great time! Eden loved the petting zoo. Next we ate dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then explored Holland MI. Finally,we headed towards home, stopped for Ice Cream, and enjoyed the Musical Fountains in Grand Haven MI. What a fun filled day it was! Enjoy these pictures from our sweet day! ( I apologize if you've already seen these on my facebook page :)

Head over to Arlee's page to check out her 10 on 10 for this month! http://www.timandarlee.com/blog/

10 on 10: JUNE

Here are my 10 pictures for the Month of June.taken on Wednesday June 6th. Enjoy watching the day unfold through my eyes. I love captions/descriptions. So I will give each picture one! Hope you ladies are enjoying this project as much as I am! Thanks Robyn for setting this up!

#1 My daughter Eden, Screaming! No worries she just likes  to scream for fun  haha.

#2 A view of Eden's books and toys

#3 One of my newest addictions!

#4 Bubbly Bath in the AM due to a poop EXPLOSION.

#5 Staring down her Squash. (Solids have not caught on with her yet!)

#6 When it comes to laundry, there is ALWAYS more to do!

#7 My Little Sunshine!

#8 Breakfast for dinner on Wednesday, a "Redeker" family tradition.

#9 Eden enjoying "Beach Night" with Bethel's Youth Group

#10 You can never get enough of this view!

Head over to Arlee's Blog and check out her 10 on 10!  http://www.timandarlee.com/blog/

Settling In

I am really excited about the news I will share in this post, Katie and I have settled on a Church that we believe God is calling us to be committed members and involved ministers to (not a ministry position, but lay-ministry).  After visiting a few different churches, we have decided to plug back in with Bethel Baptist Church of Fruitport MI, the church which I grew up going to for something like 12 or 13 years.  I am very excited about this mostly because I have been longing to finally settle into a church and get deep in ministry!

Not only do the people at Bethel already feel like family, but the relationship that I have with them, and they with us, will allow us to get involved much more quickly.  Katie and I are particularly excited to work with the children, teens, and college age kids!  Bethel has a new pastor after a year and a half of searching, so the whole church is buzzing as churches usually do in that situation. We are excited to be a part of the new direction that pastor Paul is looking to bring to the church, as well as we are excited to get to know him and his wife and two young children.

Bethel has some very unique ministry opportunities especially focused on the children and teenage groups.  The Church is located right across from the public high school and elementary school, and very close to the middle school!  They have had some wonderful ministries through the years that have allowed kids to come to after school programs at Bethel.  In recent years they have had to cut back on those programs because of under staffing, but we are praying that we can get the staffing to save those wonderful ministries!

I ask that you would join us in praying for the health and focusedness of Bethel.  The church has been through a lot of change since I left for college 8 years ago, but it has a great people with a passion for God, so we ask that God would make his plan for bethel clear and that he would give us the courage to be strong and courageous as we enter this body and join in the fight for the Gospel with them!

Thanks for reading, you are all very encouraging to us and we cannot tell you how much we enjoy when you leave us comments!  Thanks for your prayers and we love you!

A Worth Divided!

Team Worth finds itself facing its greatest separation ever, for more than twice as long as ever!  Katie and Eden flew out of Grand Rapids on Wednesday for New Jersey to enjoy Memorial Day with her family.  They are not scheduled for a return until Saturday June 2nd.  The time and distance seemed a daunting task, but it is funny how God often uses the things we fear to work mightily in our lives.

The last month or two Katie and I began allowing frustration and arguing to get a foothold in our marriage.  We have never been prolific arguers, but recently you wouldn't be able to tell.  If marriage teaches you how selfish you are, then becoming a parent only intensifies that awareness.  I say this because, most of our arguing stems from our selfish desires.  We want our personal free time and both usually feel as though we have received the short end of the stick.

I have attempted to pin this recent bickering on a thousand different things, but it has clearly stemmed from a lack of intimacy with God, our Creator and Redeemer.  Now, Katie and I are finding that just having a couple days of distance has allowed us so see past our circumstances and the busy stress that brings out our selfishness.  We have become more acutely aware of how desperately dependent we must be on God, and how important it is for us to cultivate a daily awareness of His work in our lives.

I can also testify to the truth that absence does make the heart grow fonder!  I miss Katie like the desert misses rain.  This also aids in gaining a new perspective and refocusing our desires on our spouse, as opposed to ourselves.

I don't write this to say we are cured, or that just because we know what is wrong the struggle is now over.  I just write this to update you with how God is working in our lives.  It is a difficult process ripping out the deep seeded roots of selfishness.  A long and difficult process, but we cannot let bitterness find its way into our hearts or our marriage.  We must learn to love as Jesus loved us, giving Himself up for us.  That is what we vowed to do on the day we said I do, and I anticipate that this struggle with be a life long one.

Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to read what is new in Team Worth!  We would love to hear your feedback if you have gone through similar trials as this, or if you have an encouragement for us.