What's In a Name?

It looks like we will be adding some more testoserone to our household in a few months. Yes, we are having another baby boy! Finding out it was a boy is a whole other dramatic story for another blog, so I will save the analysis of that.

One reason I enjoy finding out what the baby will be is I like to start referring to the baby by name. It starts to cement their place in the family before they even arrive. I know many others have a different viewpoint in regards to this. I will only say it is a very personal decision, as is almost every aspect of gestating and birthing a child.

When we found out it was a boy we immedietly began running through the mental list of names we had. Chris was completely convinced it was a girl so we had spent the better part of our time thinking of girl's names. It was quite a frustrating process for me. With Kaylie and Micah I was almost immedietly certain on their names. It came so naturally I never dreamed I would have such a hard time.

Names are important. I truly believe they convey so much about the person as well as family heritage, and by heritage I don't necessarily mean family names. I think of heritage as more about where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.

There were many names we tossed around, but we usually could not agree on a first and second name that really sounded right.
I began to pray this morning that God would reveal to me the name He had for this child. I wanted to hear it and love it, and I wanted it to speak destiny into his life.
I began perusing over the baby name sites for what seemed like the millionth time. Suddenly the name Isaac stuck out to me. The meaning was: He will laugh. Immedietely I thought about all we have been through in these last few months. I thought about the frustration and the heartaches. I then remembered that in the Bible Isaac was the fullfillment of the promise God made to Abraham. He was the result of faith.
We have been on quite the journey of faith this past year, and yet we are continuing to see the promises of God fullfilled in our lives.
How perfect this name is. In spite of the hardship of this past year what joy this baby will bring to our home. I believe that he will indeed be filled with laughter and bring the blessing of joy and promise to all he meets. The middle name has been quite a sticking point for every name we picked out. I went back to a name I like which is Timothy which means to honor God.
So our son will herby be known as Isaac Timothy Medrano.
He will laugh to honor God.
Let it be so.

Turkeys, Unemployment, and Other Thoughts

It's been a long and winding road this fall season. We went from the devastation of job loss, to the excitement of a job offer one week later. This was short lived as we found out the following week that the company decided to eliminate two of the positions they were hiring for. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. God and I had a lot of conversations during this time. We had to make some tough choices, that were not ideal. In spite of this thanks to Chris' diligent saving while at Thomson, things are tight but not too uncomfortable. The following months have been filled with job searches, interviews, and job fairs. I would love to say I have stayed completely calm and sane at all times. Unfortunately that is very hard for a woman, and a pregnant woman at that. Fridays are usually difficult. I suppose it is just that if no job prospects have panned out for the week I feel a little defeated, but by Monday God is faithful to renew my spirit. Chris has a pretty good prospect that he interviewed for this week. Of course I think I become more of a nervous wreck after an interview, because waiting is not my strong suit. No matter what God has taken care of us. I thought I would be entering the holiday season with dread, but if anything it has reinforced the things that are most important to me in life. We still have reason to celebrate, even if the material side is a bit smaller, our joy is no more diminshed.

Speaking of holidays next week is my favorite holiday. I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Of course

I love Christmas as well, but there is something special about Thanksgiving. It still has all the excitement and anticipation of holidays to come, yet it sheds all the glitz and glamor in favor of a more understated approach to giving and sharing. Instead of worrying about what to buy or how much to spend we can come together with family and friends to give of ourselves and our most precious possession, time. Just thinking about gathering together in a home filled with warmth and love fills my heart with warm fuzzies. Turkey... this is another thing that makes Thanksgiving great. What other time of year can you find grocery stores fighting for customers with awesome deals like a 13 lb turkey for less than five dollars? How awesome is that???!!!

Hmmm let's see ,news on the baby front. I am 21 weeks along today. Time is really flying by with this pregnancy. With the holidays coming up I am sure that will shoot this pregnancy into warp speed. We find out the gender of the baby on December 7th, providing baby Medrano is cooperative. I wasn't sure how excited I would be in the beginning since we already have one of each. As we get closer I find I am really excited to know. I am the mom that cleans the attic and then looks at old baby clothes and cries remembering when my babies were well babies. It is a bit thrilling to think a lot of those tiny clothes are going to get used again. My best friend of many years will also be joining us for the sonogram which I am super excited about. With distance and our busy lives we didn't see much of each other when the other kids were babies. It is really wonderful to share this experience with such a dear friend.

I have experienced some anxiety along the way knowing that I will be birthing this baby naturally without the aid of drugs. The epidural was always my safety net. Some days I feel like a strong woman who can do anything, even tackle the rigors of labor. Then there are other days when I worry that I won't make it and I may just die right in the middle of it all. I know I am a bit dramatic. No matter what my fears, I have never felt more comfortable with my birth decision as I do now. I know that no matter what the outcome the God given strength is within, and He will carry me through.

To all my readers, yes all 3, maybe 4 of you have a very happy Thanksgiving. In lean times, and in times of plenty life is still a precious gift to be thankful for.