Hurricane Presleigh

So, Gustav is on his way to batter the New Orleans coast, Hannah at his heels. Palin is preparing to bring an arctic freeze to the DC beltway. If you think that's a storm, you should have been in my bride's belly this morning. The band started crankin at church this morning and so did she. We saw a lot of fluttering, some kicking, and a whole lot of rolling around. Yep, today was a very active day for our little baby.

She's only 6 days away from her official due date, so I think she's packing her bags and cleaning her room, in preparation for her (hopefully) short journey down the birth canal. Keep us in prayer for a smooth week. I think we're okay with the wait if it has to be Saturday before we finally meet her. But, as a first time Dad, I've got to admit, that day can't come soon enough.

Thank you, all for your prayers, thus far. Also, with the current donor match campaign, we'd like to thank those of you who've come on as new givers to Seasons of Life. This week, we've got a new $200, a new $100, and a new $20 that we're giving thanks for, and we want you to know your generosity is greatly appreciated.

(P.S. Cristine's trying to tell me she's having a slight contraction right now... I've got to go get dinner off the stove.)

8 Days a Week

Yep, it's just about Friday. That means, it's just about a week. So, I'm calling 8 days a week. One week until Presleigh's arrival! Woo-Hoo!!!

Today, Presleigh's been fairly active, with visible kicks and movements. Tonight was the first night that Cristine thought she might pass out from a Kung Fu kick to the kidneys. So, if that means our little black belt is about to begin her uteran descent, I may just have to follow my wife around to prevent her from passing out when Presleigh's next kata begins.

Anybody watching Nadal right now? I can't believe he let that last game go. Oh, well, it's 6-1, 6-2, 5-4 right now. He needs to kick it back into gear.

Speaking of kick, I'm going to go catch my wife.

The Long and Winding Road

11 days until the due date is an obvious reminder that this pregnancy is winding down. A revisitation by our good old friend, "yucky tummy" (nausea) is another harbinger to the arrival of our new daughter. How God decided to pair such misery with great joy is still somewhat beyond me, but one day, we'll get to ask Him face to face. Sure, it's a sign of the fall - we are citizens of Heaven temporarily living in abroken world - but, the dichotomous marriage of discomfort and delight is still odd in my book.

Cristine once thought herself an extrovert, a myth thoroughly debunked when she married the Mr. Networker, Aarron Pina. If I'm sick, I'm energized by my best bro's coming over for a Lord of the Rings marathon. When she's sick, she'll kill for solitude. Tonight, it was highly out of character for her to allow a very close friend and her husband to come over with dinner. Part of the night was linked to the promise that this friend would bring a camera and take some family and hubby/wife photos of Mr. & Mrs. Preggo. Yeah, she's a sucker for creating a family photo album, so dinner was just a nice bonus after the photo shoot.

Now, her friend is neither professional cook nor photographer, but the turkey dinner and the photos were a very welcome and well executed gift. (Nice work, Camarie!) My real-McCoy Cape Cod cranberry sauce certainly didn't hurt the whole spread, either (if I do say so in all humility...). [1 bag of cranberries, a whole orange, and a cup of sugar, all thrown into the food processor. Let it sit and soak up the sugar and it's all good.]

So, thanks to a persistant friend on a mission to serve, here's how my trooper of a bride looked tonight, despite the swollen fingers and feet, humid Atlanta weather, and inescapable "full" feeling.

In this photo (right), my sad lack of tan in the middle of a HotLanta summer is an embarrassment to my Cape Verdean heritage, especially in contrast to my loverly bride's gold medal bronze. To my credit, Cristine's been wearing a one piece bathing suit all summer, so I'm at least darker than the fair skinned "Babybelly."

(For what it's worth, I don't know where the "Prince" look on my face came from in the above photo. I haven't worn that smirk since Purple Rain. Regardless, my bride looks pretty dang hot.)

Nice for the sun to make an appearance for this photo (left), you think? Too bad it can't outshine her "Preggo Glow"! Some people can pull off pregnant, can't they?


Alright, so I've mentioned that through the faithful, God has displayed great faithfulness to us during this season of our life (nice plug, eh?). When I say we've been showered with love and "blessed", I don't mean it in a trite, prosperity gospel way. I mean it in a "Wow. We're not worthy, and yet God has still shown us such great favor" kind of way. We've got the crib - covered, stroller and seat - covered, clothes - flat out covered. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our friends, small group, Oasis participants and co-facilitators. We are overwhelmed at your generosity. We're gonna need a bigger boat...

Brianna joined us for a few photos, too. Here they are to wrap up tonight's post - "Family of 3.5" and "Point at the Presleigh":

All clear... Hurry up and wait!

Apparently Heaven was interrupted last night and this moring. It seems a whole lot of you were praying for us. So, thank you!

Whether it was your prayers, God's Providence, or a combination of the two, they were able to chalk it up to Presleigh being uncharacteristically lethargic following a prolongued period of paternal emulation. Translation: she's so much like her dad that she wore herself out and was taking a nap. (Like both of her parents, she's a sound sleeper!)

So, they "topped off" Cristine's fluids, did a quick exam in the AM when our doctor rolled in and dismissed us back to our role in the waiting game. We got back on GA-400 just in time for rush hour traffic. (God bless you if you commute from Cumming to Buckhead everyday. Par-king-lot.)

Mama's resting now, Daddy's back to work, Brianna's back to school, and all is "normal" at Chez Pina.

11 days! Woo-hoo!!!

Pray it up

Hey, gang, just lift up a prayer or two. We've had no fetal movement in several hours. Going down to Northside to be proactive and get this checked out. Forward to anyone pertinent.
in Christ,
Aarron & Cristine

Patience is a virtue...

Well, we've had our share of conversations with friends and family about how we understand that our new baby will be here in God's timing rather than ours. But, it doesn't always make the anticipation any easier. Cristine, my wonderful bride, has been so patient, even as far as her own patience goes. Which brings us to our topic of the day - when you pray for patience, does God give you patience or just opportunities to exercise your patience muscles?

Yeah, that's what we thought. So, today is officially 13 days from our due date. Mama Cristine is ready to have this baby. Our discussions between each other have revolved around excitement, amazement, gratitude to God, and how very impatient we can be in spite of all He's done for us. Cristine said "I'm just tired, hot, and ready to feel 'normal' again..."

To which I replied:
"If anyone has a right to be impatient, it's me. You've been waiting almost 9 months for this baby - I've been waiting 37 years..."

For once in our marriage, I may have been right.

God is sovereign. God is good. God is worthy of all our praise.

HOW much longer?

So, we've heard every wives' tale about "carrying high means a boy", "drink coffee, you'll have a girl", "take ginseng and you'll have twins", etc. The most annoying of these is this: "Second pregnancies usually deliver early."

Now, this is my first child, but Cristine's second pregnancy. So, if that's all true, 16 days early shouldn't be too much to ask... or should it?! I love my wife. She's a heck of a soldier. But, let's be honest - it's summertime in HotLanta. And, in my book, that's no time to be carrying a 20 lb. turkey around your waist! Ya think? (I don't hear anyone shouting cadences...)

Biblically speaking, my charge is to live with my bride in an understanding way (if you're down with the NASB translation of the Greek). Now, I'm not going to get into the whole "weaker vessel" thing, because it's polarizing for those who have not chosen to follow Christ - it's more about the husband not being an overbearing jerk (guilty) than it is about the wife being "weak". But, I digress.

My point is this: I want Mama-C to be happy. But, yesterday, the doc said "Still 16 days. We're only at 1 cm." So, would you pray with me?

"Jesus, if You are willing, in your infinite grace, would you get Cristine to 5 centimeters in a big, fat hurry? We ask this in Your name. Amen..."

Alright. So, 16 days it is.

Keep the prayers coming. Thanks, again for all of your support.

Hey, if you haven't signed up for our FaceBook cause, would you click on the link over there?

Coming Soon!!!

As of today, we're officially 17 days from delivery. That's the official word. But, how many of you have seen the steadfast Cristine braving her way through the hotLanta humidity to church lately? She's ready to have this baby.

In light of the fact that so many people want to know the latest news on our impending new arrival, we've resorted to blogging. This way, we can get all of the time sensitive updates to everyone who wants to know, and maybe even post a few photos along the way.

In the meantime, we've posted a few links and a photo or two that we DO have (in the womb, it looks like she has my hair, right?), which can also be found on Facebook. This one's from a few months ago and doesn't show her good side yet.

That's all we've got for now. Keep your eyes peeled and your iPhones ready. Presleigh is coming to town!!!