Micah turned 6 months this week.  He is so incredible.  We can’t take our eyes off of him.  Amazing how your love for your first child can grow so much for two kids.  Truly this is the biggest blessing in life….being a parent.  Having ‘things’ is great, but it is so shallow in the fulfillment that it promises and always fails to deliver.  So much is learned about life, about yourself, about your relationship with the Almighty God when you are responsible for one of these little guys.  You are stretched so thin and brought to tears, but also ache with joy so deep as you gaze upon the innocence of new life.  Children truly are a gift from the Lord…and I am finding out that they are also a tool that He uses to refine and shape us….a small tool that screams a lot, poops a lot, and doesn’t sleep for very long.

We are dedicating Micah to the Lord on the 26th of June at our church.  It’s not confirmation and it’s not baptism as both of those aren’t found in the Bible for infants.  Rather, it is Joelle and I standing before God and our congregation as we give Micah back to the Lord and commit (dedicate) him and ourselves to raise him in the ways of the Lord.   When he is old enough to understand, he can make that decision to get baptized.

On a different note, I was laid off from my job about three months ago.  It has been an interesting ride so far, but the Lord has been so faithful for my whole life that I have no reason to doubt that He will lead and provide for my family.  Actually, I am incredibly excited about the future.  I have started my own landscape architecture firm called GROVE Landscape Architecture.  I get a laugh that my last name fits so well with what I do for a living.  Anyhow, I’ve spent the past couple months getting this thing off the ground (business cards, website, home office, marketing, etc) and I’m diligently seeking work for municipal, commercial, and residential design.  I’m actually getting used to cold calling architects and civil engineers.  Check out my site if you have a moment at www.grove-design.com . Your prayers are appreciated.

Emmelia absolutely loves her little brother.  She gets so excited around him that she can’t control herself and we often need to separate her to calm down.  She starts pre-school this August at our church and she is so ready for it.  Gramma has poured so much knowledge into her that she already knows the stuff that she will be taught.  We love her so much that it hurts.  Since she is three though, she has become more challenging.  She is certainly testing the boundaries that we set to see what happens.  Generally, things don’t work out so well for her when she does. Lately, she is really into this cartoon called the ‘Backyardigans’.  If you don’t have small kids you probably don’t know what it is, but she can’t get enough of it.  I’ve watched it and it’s innocent and harmless, but the characters names are Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, and something else.  When she is in her room, I can hear her pretend talking to them…it’s pretty funny. For some reason, she absolutely adores me.  She’ll bum rush me and try to tackle me or jump on my back…but she loves me.  I’m soaking it in because it won’t be long before dear old dad will be an embarrassment.

Joelle is doing ok.  Her work is very stressful and often leaves her exhausted at the end of the week.  My prayer is to have her come home when my business takes off.

Thanks for catching up with us.  We hope the Lord blesses your life, your family, and your occupations.

So, it also took me a while to be ready to talk about the birth and share my story with all of you. It was so very intense, but overall, I am so grateful for the experience. I wonder who actually has those calm, peaceful natural childbirths we see on the videos….not me I guess. A couple of days before he was born, I had finally told my job that I was done working and needed some rest before the baby came. I only had one day off before Micah made his appearance. I spent the day with Emmelia and had a special day out together. A mommy saw me at the mall, she had a little girl Emmelia’s age and a newborn boy, she asked me when I was due. I told her I was one day overdue and she talked about the “pineapple trick”. She explained she ate an entire pineapple and that made her go into labor. I was going to the store that afternoon and thought, why not? I ate the entire thing and sure enough, it worked for me too. My water broke around 11:45pm and I immediately started having contractions. I woke up Brian and thought I would step into the shower to shave my legs…well nice try. I was slammed with the most intense labor right away! I could not even finish the shower. We called the doula right away, thank you doula Dawn! When she came, she helped calm both of us down and get all of us on the same page. I think Brian and I were not expecting everything to happen so quickly and as intense as it did. I needed a whole lot of verbal encourgement for sure. I really do not know how I would have done it without Brian. He held me physically and emotionally and endured with me for 13 hours straight…what a man I married! I am so blessed by the Lord. Even though my body seemed ready to push, something was just not right. The midwives were thinking maybe the baby’s arm was stuck or something, because he was just not moving down. It turned out that his head was turned wrong so that he could not dip his head under my pelvic bone. They had to move his head for him and then he came out after a lot of hard work pushing while standing up…..ugh, very very difficult. I was so tired and did not think I could do it, but the Lord somehow gave me the strength to push this big guy out….all 8 pounds 4 ounces of him! I mean, Emmelia was only 6 pounds, I could not help but wonder why the c-section was not him instead of her…I could have easily pushed her out! It is so strange how in the instant when he came out, how everything changed. Everything in me felt a huge rush of relief and joy as I got to hold my baby boy for the first time. My team at home was amazing and each person served a role that I absolutely needed that day. We really have the best doctor EVER.

I am so grateful that I had Micah at home. I would have had another c-section if I would have been in the hospital because he was stuck. So, we are so thankful that we had this experience. I am not sure if I could do it again for 13 hours, maybe 6 or 8, but not 13. Who knows….now that we are out of the sleep deprovation phase with the baby, maybe we will have a number three some time in the future…we will see what the Lord has in store for our family. All I know is that we are truly blessed: we have two beautiful, healthy, happy children that are blessing our socks off. I love hanging out with my family and I cannot believe every day how good God is to us. We also have the most incredible extended family members who help us care for and spend time with our children and who just pour love into them. Who could ask for anything better?

What a season of blessings and challenges….isn’t that just life these days? I miss my dad so much and think of him every day. It was so hard to lose him only two weeks after Micah’s arrival. We are thankful he got to meet Micah, but cannot help but wish that they could have gotten to know one another. Emmelia saw Bart’s picture the other day and said, “Mommy, I miss Nono”. I agreed with her completely. And, now Brian is at home after being laid off, but he gets this amazing opportunity to start his own business. What a challenge and a blessing. We are learning how to keep our seat belts buckled during this ride of life and hold onto so many things losely. We have been blessed with such beautiful kids and such a loving family and yet have had to say goodbye to Nono, and have the resolve to start up a business for Brian. We are trusting in the Lord’s timing and for His provision and look forward to all that He has in store for us in the future. We hope you enjoy these photos and apologize for not posting them sooner….but we are sure you understand why we have not until now!

Here he is!  The Lord has blessed Joelle and I with another beautiful child.  Please allow me to get the details taken care of first before I move on to the birth experience.

weight: 8lbs. 4oz.

length: 21″ long

date & time born: 12/2 @ 12:56 pm

location of birth: our house

Yes…our house…in our bedroom.  I don’t really know how much information to share here…but I’ll back up a few months for context.  Home-birthing isn’t for everybody, but Joelle had wanted a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) home birth after Emmelia, and being the woman she is, did a boatload of research on the subject.  Overall it seemed like a reasonable idea after she presented all of the information to me, with the exception of a possible uterine rupture do to the scar tissue from Emmelia’s C-section…pretty much resulting in the baby’s death (no biggie, right?).  But I later learned that statistically this occurs less than 1/2% for VBACs.  So, we proceeded down that path and interviewed some mid-wives to get further education and a comfort level with who would be delivering our son.  In addition, we had our Doula on board (who is also a great family friend) and counsel from the most incredible OBGYN in the known world, Dr. Robert Biter, whom we both love and respect tremendously.  While the book-knowledge, DVD’s, and wisdom from those who have gone before us were very helpful….there’s just no way to anticipate the full range of emotions, exhaustion, and pure insanity that a home birth (may) bring.  I say may because I’ve heard of some lucky gals only being in labor for a few hours…Joelle’s was 13.

Joelle’s water broke close to midnight on the 1st and pretty much went into labor right away…which certainly caught me entirely off guard as I was groggy from my sleep and ‘thought’ we had some time before the real party began.  It felt like we went into panic mode at that point because I still needed to prepare the room while my wife was seething with pain on the floor already.  Emmelia was fast asleep which was a huge blessing though. I immediately called our Doula and she was over within 1/2 hour…bringing a level of peace with her as only someone with experience with this could.   Our mid-wives (ours came in pairs) arrived around 4 am and set up shop in the room.  By that point, Joelle had been laboring pretty hard and steady between the bath tub and our bed…dialated at 6cm.  I guess the average time for a woman’s 1st vaginal birth is around 12 hours, so I knew we had more time to go…but I wasn’t sure how much Joelle was able to take as she was visibly exhausted.

So the time to push finally came a little before noon on the 2nd of December.  Joelle was already spent.  It was at this point where I began to worry, where I began to wonder if she had any strength left to push this baby out into the world.  My concern must’ve been obvious on my face because the mid-wives were asking if I was ok.  I felt helpless as she lay there in immense pain, breathing as if she ran a marathon, pushing to the point of her skin turning red and purple.  For most of the labor and through the pushing, my head was against hers as I whispered in her ear words of encouragement and hope to a desperate woman.  Occasionally though, I would peak down to see what was going on…if I could see his head.   Sure enough, he was close.  Joelle changed positions a lot in an effort to help the uterus align the baby with the birth canal, but in the end she had him on her back.  Once he crowned, I washed my hands because I knew I was going to pull him out soon.  I saw the head come through, with a lot of hair, and I pulled the rest of his body out and put him on Joelle’s chest.  I’m not sure if I’m surprised that I was never grossed out with the birth.  It was beautiful.  I teared up quite frequently as I watched the woman  I love in so much pain…and then ultimately elated with joy for her son (and that the pain was gone :)).  I have so much respect for my wife for persevering through this…for women who have had children in general….especially with no medication as it borders on insanity. The same day we had Micah I gave my mom a huge hug and thanked her for all she went through for me.  This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen or done in my life…and I’m so happy to witness the miracle of life in the comfort of our own home.  Joelle is doing great, the baby latched on within the first day (huge miracle), and Joelle appears to be producing enough milk for the little man….all of which never happened with Emmelia.

Hopefully Joelle will blog shortly from her perspective.  Life is a gift folks…every breath…every time you get out of bed on your own power…every time you see a loved one or friend…it is all a gift from God.

Enjoy what God has given you…be content….time is short…life is precious.

Thank you to everybody who supported us and for the outpouring of love and meals :)  Please pray for Joelle to get rest and for the postpartum.

Brian, Joelle, Emmelia, + Micah

Emmelia is growing up so fast! We cannot believe how much she is talking and what she can do now! She can swim, ride a bike, and talk talk talk (potty trained at 2!!!..whew!). It is really so much fun. We know that many of you have been asking to see some preggo shots, so enjoy them….he’s growing fast!!! We have been talking with Emmelia about how her baby brother will be here soon…

We also go to go out to Bates Nut Farm as a family this year…what a fun day we had! Emmelia had a great time with her cousins, auntie and uncle, and grandma and papa. This time of year is so much fun with her. We will be writing as soon as we have the baby with photos to share, please keep posted!

I think you can click on the photos for larger images…

Emmelia is slowly understanding that a new little person is going to be moving in and we pray that she takes to him lovingly….I think we can train her to change a diaper by December.  The little guy will be totally stoked in 15 years when he gets to hang out with all Emmelia’s girlfirends! On the other hand, Emmelia is sandwiched between her cousins Tre & Zeke and her little brother (Fransisco?) so I don’t think she’ll be hurting for attention….and Tre & Zeke can pound anybody that treats her in an unworthy manner at school  (or even looks at her wrong).

The top three names for us so far are :

Pierre

Steve

El Guapo (or El Magnifico…it’s a tie really)

Thanks for your prayers and support!

El Grove’s

Well, it has been a while since we blogged on our site….this news is prompting us to get back into it! We are expecting another baby! This baby is due November 30th, Joelle is already 3.5 months along and counting….we are so excited! We are going to find out what it is and will know in the next month or so. Emmelia is excited to be a big sister, at least to the point that she is able to comprehend it so far. She is two years old and such a joy, she makes us smile every day. It is amazing how much she is growing up and changing, we are very excited that she is potty trained…just in time to have another one in the house in diapers (one at a time to save the budget!). We know some of you already knew Joelle was pregnant by how big she already is, but we thank you for allowing us to tell you in our own time. Boy, the second one really pops out early!! We appreciate your prayers as all of us prepare for the new addition to our family. We will be updating our blog monthly until the baby comes, then we will be giving you weekly updates. So, please keep checking in with us.

Emmelia got to see her great grandparents for their 60th wedding anniversary celebration. Isn’t that amazing? And, she gets to visit her other great grandmother from time to time on Sundays after church. How blessed she is to have her great grandparents here to enjoy her.  She still spends the work weeks with Grandma, Papa, Nana, and Nono. We will never be able to express our appreciation for their love and servants hearts for our little girl. The relationship that has developed between them and Emmelia is priceless.

She has been having so much fun with her cousins, Tre and Zeke. She follows them around and is determined to participate in all of the activities that they do, even if she isn’t developmentally ready for them yet! They are so sweet with her and give her kisses all the time. Check out the photos from our most recent trip to the Wild Animal Park, too funny! She loved the petting zoo and making all of the noises when she saw different animals. We hope that you enjoy looking at all of the photos we have posted, sorry again about the amount of time that has gone by since we last sent out an update. Rest assurred that Emmelia is keeping us busy and growing way too fast for us. Can anyone stop the time so we get a chance to enjoy it? Oh, one more huge announcement…..Emmelia has a new cousin in Atlanta! My brother, Dante, and his wife, Beth, had their baby son 6/13/09, Luca Teri Walter Fenolio, born at 2 (something) am, 6 pounds 10 ounces, 19 inches long. Everyone is home now and doing well. We wish we could see him in person, it is a bummer to live on opposite coasts.

Parenthood is a trip. What a challenge and what a gift at the same time. Such a tool for God to use to refine and to bless. Praise God. How amazing it is to relive this life through your child’s eyes…..to see their wonder and amazement when they see something for the first time is inspirational. How quickly we take God’s creation for granted. I love having kids, it keeps me humble, tests my patience, and keeps my perspective in the right place.

But with the changes also comes difficulties.  For example, she used to eat anything we put in front of her…but now….dinner time especially has become a challenge.  Watching your kid defiantly throw food on the floor makes you realize that your sweet little cupcake daughter is a sinner like the rest of us.  Joelle is constantly trying to figure out what to feed her and most of the time she’ll find something that works….but usually only for that night.  We’re also transitioning away from the bottle and she hasn’t taken well to that either.  She cries and screams because we put her milk in the sippy cup….but soon she’ll catch on.  After we settle that issue, we move on to removing the binky cold turkey.  That should be a fun week.

Joelle and I began going to a parenting class about a month ago (it lasts 9 weeks) at our church to seek wisdom while she is still young.  I believe that God has a means and a method to proper parenting and I’m so glad that we’re investing the time now.  The information given in this class is absolutely foundational for any parent.  Yes, the information is based entirely from the Bible….and it works.  For those of you interested, all of the content is available free online at www.parentingministry.org with Pastor Craig Castor.  We could not recommend this information higher.

Emmelias birthday dinner was a blast.  She had both sets of grandparents there with mom and dad.  We were bummed that Harry, Shannon, Tre, & Zeke couldn’t make it because they were sick.  I made pizza for everyone and then Emmelia gingerly made her way through the starberry cake mommy made for her.  It was a charming cake….complete with ladybugs made out of raspberries and blueberries.

Enjoy the photos.  Here are a couple of videos also.  One is of Emmelia playing in the sprinklers, another is us at the pool, and the other one is her first birthday (which is a long video).  Neither are hilarious, but fun to watch nonetheless.

I’m sorry….but I can’t figure out why I can’t embed the video into our website.  You have to copy and paste the link…..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8682611439531392340&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3444846801660030785&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8097225962086683306&hl=en

Yes….it has been a long while since we’ve blogged (bragged?) about our little monster on the internet…but have no fear….the Christmas edition is here!  She is equipped with 8 teeth now, the ability to crawl at incredibly normal speeds, and a supernatural gift of reaching into octaves that Mariah Carey could only dream of. Things are changing so rapidly with her that it is hard to keep up…much less soak it in and enjoy it.  Her little outfits are so cute and tiny.  Her little giggle….holy moly…her giggles are absolutely PRICELESS.  She is a really good eater too….she’ll mow down her breakfast in less than 5 minutes and it’s not a trivial amount.  We tried to give her turkey on Thanksgiving but she didn’t take to it that well.  She does manage to grab her little puffed rice snacks and feed herself which is kinda cool….but you can’t really leave anything laying around that you don’t won’t slobbered or chewed on.

So, we got our tree up last weekend in record time.  Not without difficulty though.  Joelle had to have this 8′ noble fir tree because it was apparently mismarked as a 5′ to 6′ at our favorite Home Depot around the corner.  So, I did my best to man-handle that bad boy into the house and get it set plumb.  Getting it set plumb was the hard part as it was so stinkin heavy that I couldn’t just dead lift it straight up and jamb it down into the stand (of which is undersized for this size tree anyway.)  Keep in mind that it is set on top of a 2′ high wood box so Emmelia can’t grab it.  So then it kept tilting over and came close to crashing down a couple times….but I prevailed.  It is in….and we got a beautiful tree at a great price.

We are excited this year to have Joelle’s brother Dante and his family stay with us for awhile during Christmas.  We don’t see them but maybe once a year and our little niece Sierra is getting so big….and they’ll get to meet Emmelia for the first time

The pics below are of random events…beach day….Thnaksgiving, Joelle’s birthday, my dad’s birthday, decorating the Christmas tree, Emmelia in a pink elephant pool that I got on Amazon.com for $5….enjoy.

Merry Christmas to you….and thank the good Lord for giving us a sure hope and an incorruptible inheritance through our Saviour Jesus.