Pregnant!!

Most of you probably already know this, but Miranda is pregnant again!!! Due date is Feb 24th! We’re incredibly excited! We’ve pretty well decided not to find out the sex this time and it’s driving Patti, my mother-in-law, crazy. She wants to start calling the child by name before he/she arrives, but Miranda and I just think it’ll be fun to be surprised. Odds would say it’ll be another boy – I think there are 5 girls out of the last 20 children born to Corns. Anyway, we’re gonna love this baby no matter what and will be happy either way, so. . .yeah, surprises are fun. Oh – No we don’t really have any names picked out yet. We do have a “girl” name that we decided upon when Kasen was born that we could still use, but. . . . I guess only God knows.

Prayer:
Lord, You are the Creator, and I want to put Miranda and this new child in Your hands. As You create this special one just for Miranda and I, help us to remain faithful in praying and doing all we can to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Keep them safe and protect them from harm or illness. Hold us all close and prepare Miranda and I as parents. Give us special wisdom in understanding Kasen’s needs in response to a new baby in the house too. Help our time to be multiplied so that we can be everything You call us to be as parents. Allow us to be drawn closer to You and spend more time in the Scriptures and in prayer ’cause we’re gonna need it. We’re excited to think that You are entrusting us with such an incredible gift and we’ll be looking to Your Spirit to help us. Thank you for Your presence and the confidence it provides for us as we begin this new journey. AMEN!

It’s a Boy!!!

Yep – we found out yesterday, that we’re gonna have little boy! All his parts are in correct order too. He has two kidneys, a stomach, a spine, two arms and legs, etc. . . I was even able to see the four chambers of his heart. It was all pretty amazing. They said he was 10 ounces right now so considering that I drink lots of 20oz drinks, I figure that means I could drink him twice right now. (Sorry, maybe I’m sick, but I thought that was kinda funny.)

Anyway, we’re kickin around the name Kasen Mathew. Let me know what you think. That’s why we haven’t decided for sure. We wanna see what the name means to people and what kind of memories or thoughts it stirs up. According to my research it means (1) “purity” in one language, (2) “shining upon mankind” in another and (3) “protected by a helmet” in another. The middle name “Mathew” is Miranda’s maiden name.

Anyway, here are some pics. I know, I sound like an idiot proud father here, but I guess that’s what I’ve become. This first one is his profile.

Here he is smiling at the camera. (Seriously, you could see him opening and closing his mouth.)

He waved at the camera in this one. His hand is near his face.

Pregnancy and Poetry

Arttorijoy I just thought I’d write about the strangest Bible class I’ve been to so far. It really wasn’t strange because of Dr. Loken, but because of me. About 10 minutes before I entered my class on the Psalms the other night, Miranda called me and said that she was pregnant. WooHoo!!! I’m gonna be a dad! Amazing!!!! I’m gonna be a dad! God is blessing me with a child of my own!!! I will have the opportunity to understand more fully the love that God has for me as I love my child unconditionally. I will learn how it must feel for Him to take care of my needs and I’ll get to learn how to love someone else more like the way He loves each of us. There’s no question – I’m clueless as to how this is gonna impact my life. I know it’s gonna be an amazing blessing, but I also know there are some tough roads to walk ahead of me. Lord, help me.

Anyway, all these thoughts are just racing through my mind as I try to concentrate on how the book of Psalms was put together, how there are 5 main sections, and how some are considered laments, and others are joyous, and others are for specific occasions like when kings were enthroned, and how this one was blah, and this one has a subscript that explains its blah, blah, and it wasn’t long before my mind was hearing blah, blah, "you’re gonna be a father," and blah, blah, blah, and "that’s a huge responsibility", and blah, blah. . . . . . . . . .Oh finally, a break – I’ll go call my mom!!!!

With a little grin on my face. . . ."Hey mom – yep – she’s officially pregnant!" I think her word that night was "Ecstatic!!!" Anyway, she says, "be sure to call your sister." (I found out later, that she had an ulterior motive – she was making sure that I’d be talking to Brenda next, so that she could call and tell my brother.) Anyway, I call my sister, Brenda, and tell her the good news and she’s all excited that she’s gonna be an aunt again. She also tells me that she and Schonn are getting ready to buy a new house. (Gosh, God is good – He’s blessing all of us in so many ways.)  Next I call my brother, Roger, and it takes him a while to answer, but when he does, he says, "Congratulations!!!" That’s when I figured out what mom had done. Roger said, she called and said she just had to tell someone. I’m gonna have to give her a hard time about that one later.

OK – break’s over – Psalms, blah, blah, You’re gonna be a dad, acrostic psalm 119, blah, you were just a crazy sinner, and now you’re gonna be a dad, congratulations, blah, blah, read your favorite psalm to the class,  hmm. . . . favorite psalm? which one is about being a Father? maybe 103? I dunno. . . .

I’m not sure what else we really talked about in class, but I do have good notes that I can look back over. Hopefully it’ll all come back to me when I need to know it.

I looked around at some of the Psalms to find a favorite and Ps 103 captures what I was feeling that night the best, but I also found a poem on-line that pretty well says what I’m feeling about being a Father. I changed almost all of it to fit my circumstances better, but a few of the lines are certainly not mine. Maybe we can call it my "modern Psalm" or something.


COME OUT AND PLAY

My heart seems to beat a little faster these days.

Maybe it’s the thought of my life changing in so many ways.

I’ve heard so many tales of sleepless nights,

And tests of patience taken to new heights.

Yet my excitement grows as we count down each week,

For I know soon we will finally meet.

I have a little fear, I must admit,

The whole fatherhood thing, will I be good at it?

I’ve always been told that I’m a big kid,

But Dad was the same, and I hope to be like him.

Should I imagine playing with footballs and spaceships?

or maybe Barbies, dancing, and painting lips?

I’ll introduce you to family, cousins, and dogs.

Our fridge will be home to the things that you draw.

I’ll raise you in church and pray His Word be Your sword.

Will the way that we live introduce you to the Lord?

I’ll take you to the zoo, and the mountains, and the beach.

What’s your favorite toy? and for what dreams will you reach?

Can I watch on as mom leads you in prayer?

What will it be like to brush your hair?

Will you run to our bed when you have a nightmare?

Will you be tall? Do you like cheese? What will you like to wear?

Can I slay the monster under your bed?

What other things will run around in your head?

How will I explain the birds and the bees?

Oh, I must have a million of these,

Answers to questions, questions to ponder,

Things to see, places to wander.

Together, we’ll be the ultimate team,

Limited only by what we can dream.

So as the weeks are counted down, I anxiously await,

That Oh – so – wonderful date.

When the waiting’s over and we will all smile,

as I hold you in my arms, My beautiful child.