Jeremiah is head butting Silas

Yesterday we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound and the news is...(drum roll please) we are having another boy! At the moment we think he will be named Silas Edward. That is our exciting news for the week. It is weird to find out what the sex of the baby is because now we can call him by his name. With Jeremiah we had an idea that he was a boy but we weren't 100% sure. So Silas is doing well, all 11 0z of him.

Jeremiah on the other hand is going through the terrible two's early. He is throwing tantrums all the time. He whimpers, wants to breast feed like he is a starved child (which isn't extremely conducive to weaning), is hitting his head against things on purpose when he can't get his way... needless to say he is being difficult. He even has been throwing his head against my belly and poor Silas has no choice but to take the abuse.

Life is going...sometimes it is easier than others.

Guest Blog: Jeremiah's First Digit

Jeremiah, our son, hit his first digit today. And since this is (at least to us) a momentous occasion, we thought that I (Evan, Jessica's husband) would have the honor of blogging his day.

The actual birthday party won't be until this Saturday, the 8th of March. Still, there are still some pretty exciting things that occurred today:

• The first thing didn't actually happen today, but one year ago on this day. One year ago at 12:35 pm in the Birthing Center of the Silverton Hospital, my son took his first breath of fresh air. At that point he was already 9 months and 2 days old (he was 2 days late) and was ready to continue his growing, but this time on the outside of mommy. And so with much joy our son went from his mother's belly to her chest. He's remained there many days since. I suppose, since he was already alive 9 months and 2 days when he was born, that means he has been alive for 21 months and 2 days. He's already an old timer.

• The second exciting thing about today again wasn't today, but a year ago. You see, our beautiful baby boy was born on a special day. A math day. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a history teacher through and through, but a little math distinction is kind of cool in my book. Jeremiah was born March 3, 2007 or 03/05/07... which are three consecutive prime numbers. And, he was born at 12:35 in the afternoon. If you divide 12 by the number of fingers (not including the thumb) on Jeremiah's left hand (four), you get 3. Then if you divide 35 by 5, you get 7. Or in other words, our son was born at 3, 5, 7 on 03/05/07.

• The third thing that I would like to share about today actually happened today. For some reason, as though his mind and body knew that today he was one years breathing, Jeremiah has made leaps and bounds in his development. Its all in the little things too. One example is that normally in the bathtub he is very docile. Not tonight! Tonight he started splashing and splashing and splashing. And when I would tap my hand on the side of the tub, he started doing it right next to mine keeping perfect time. Also, when I told him to put his toys into the tub at the beginning and to take them out at the end, he did so with such understanding and seemingly happiness. He seemed pleased to follow directions.

These are not the only things that I've noticed about my son today, but they are a few of the cute things that have just warmed my heart. It is a great privilege to be a father. Tonight, watching my son play in the bathtub, it was almost as though I were watching myself. It was surreal but very pleasant. I have the joy of raising my son. In a sense, I am raising myself. That's one digit down. Let's make it to two.

News, news, news...

On Monday Evan had a Skype phone interview with the principal at the Cikarang middle school, along with the principal of the high school who was also present. It started at 8pm our time (11am their time) and lasted an hour and a half. The principal, Eric Semler, was really nice and went into a lot of detail about things. They asked a lot of questions, but Evan did an awesome job answering them and really showed his teacherly ability. By the end of the interview Eric said that Evan was just what they were looking for and was a good fit for their school and that "this is a job offer."

We were a little shocked. I figured it would be a long wait again with the constant check of emails and the daily reminder that "it is 8am in Indonesia." But there it was, a job offer. If he were to accept he would be teaching 9th and 10th grade Language Arts and Social Studies. He would probably also be involved in some after school sport as well. We told him we pretty much knew our answer, but would pray about it for a few days to make sure and then email him back. We will probably email him tonight with the answer.

INDONESIA! We knew it could really happen, but it's hard to believe it really will be happening. There are still some concerns, such as having the baby. The school can't cover us with insurance when we get there. We will either have to pay for having the baby ourselves, which might work since it is a cheaper standard of living, or me possibly staying behind and Evan coming to get me and Jeremiah and the new baby in October when they get a week break. Eric was going to find out the prices for us to have a baby there and get back to us. We have to really get going too, there is so much for us to do before we go. We need to sell everything in our storage unit, buy a bunch of stuff, do a lot of planning, sell the car... etc, etc.

The only really hard thing to think about is leaving family. Our families would be happy if we stayed here and yet we would be miserable. If we go, we will be happy and our families will be upset. My parents are having a particularly hard time with it all. My mom worries a ton about things and this is like a worry hay-day for her. Also they have had Jeremiah here for almost a year and refer to him as "my baby." They wouldn't see the new baby in person for at least a year, but possibly two. Hard things. I keep thinking about what pastor Keith has said in the past. If you are following God, sometimes those around you will have to make sacrifices and suffer for your obedience. It's true and a bit sad all at the same time.

Since this is getting long, one last thing. Today Jeremiah is one year old! Can you believe it? My baby is not a baby anymore, but a toddler. It goes by so fast.