one day

Hi everyone! This is the first blog I have written since having Simeon.(Thanks Josh for posting the pics!)

Sorry its been so long. I write a new blog in my head each week and then between poopy diapers and spit up it never gets to the computer:) Thanks for being patient and I will do my best to be blog happy again!

This is kinda a serious blog taken from an e-mail to my fam about how one day a lot can change. And don't worry, i will post amazing pictures of our beautiful children in the next blog because they are so fun and Josh and I can't get enough of them!

-Had my 6 week ob check and im doing really well. I still can't believe how quickly the healing has been compared to Hallel's delivery. I just have had one weird thing. I will tell you the story and ask you to pray.

Mon the 12th about mid morning i suddenly lost hearing in my left ear. I thought I was sick so I started taking head cold medicine and realized a few days later that I didn't have any sick symptoms. I was able to see a Dr on Fri and he said that my left ear and throat were swollen so he gave me some flonase and told me to e-mail him on Mon. There was still no change in my hearing so my Dr put me on antibiotic on Mon and still no progress. In the meantime, I had my 6 week check up and my ob Dr. put me on Sudafed. Still no progress so after over two weeks the Docs sent me to an audiologist. I was there this morning and had multiple hearing tests. The aud said in short that I have "Sudden Hearing Loss" and sent me to see a Medical Dr. He said that I have had a viral infection at some point and I have an immune problem which triggered the hearing loss. He then put me on Prednisone and Zovirax to deal with the inflamation and hearing loss. He said that when this happens it is permanent damage and sometimes they can recover up to 1/3 of the hearing. I will be on these medicines for 10 days and then go back to the Drs. in 2 weeks for another hearing test.

I am asking you to pray that if the Lord wills that He will restore as much of my hearing as possible or all of it. It is definitely hard to hear the kids when there is other noise going on. And being in groups is really noisy and I feel like i am straining a lot to hear well. The good news is that my right ear is really good so I can still hear well with that one. I think that we have been to the Drs one to two times a week for the past 7 weeks:)! I am so thankful for great insurance right now! It is kind of a sudden change and impacts our family a bit. As always, Josh has been extremely patient and helpful.

Sorry that this e-mail is extremely LONG and I'm sure full of grammatical errors but I wanted to update you all and ask for prayer.

We are loving our kids and this stage of life and the HUGE blessings that God gives us each day most of all His Salvation!!!!-

Simeon Caleb

Sorry we haven't posted a blog in a while. Here are some pictures of what's been going on around here lately.

Hey little brother, come play!

I just can't wait to meet you!

Daddy will snuggle with you...

I will read to you...

Aunties and uncles and cousins will give you lots of lovin...

I will even let you use my pink stroller...

and my crib...

come on little bro!

If only he knew how much we wanted to meet him, hold him, and how many kisses he would get I am sure he'd bust on out here. Let's face it. If I was in a cozy warm hot tub I'd probably want to stay too. (Josh keeps reminding me that it is not Simeon who chooses to make the exit).

If you haven't guessed we are still waiting in anticipation for our little Simeon. And to have these questions realized.

Will he look like Josh or Stacy or Hallel? Will he have a head full of hair? or red hair? How will we as parents feel the second time meeting our child in person face to face? How will Hallel respond to her very own living baby brother? Will he be a chunk (yeah, we are pretty sure about that:))?

We are still praying for a healthy, safe, and uneventful delivery SOON!

UPDATE: This morning at my doctor's appointment my doctor set up an appointment to be induced TOMORROW!! We're so thankful and excited. Please be praying for us all.

baby love

Well, we are on the countdown! Baby Simeon is officially due on Friday in 2 days! Hard to believe after 9 months of him growing big enough to be ready to enter this world. We know that he may not come till later but it is definitely feeling Real and Exciting! We went to the hospital today to visit brand new baby Ella who was born Tuesday morning in the wee hours. It is such a beautiful reminder of how a brand new baby is a complete miracle of God!
Please keep praying for our dear little Simeon Caleb as he prepares to enter this new home!

Some sweet reminders from my dad about the process of waiting.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a "For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born..." "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

In the mean time our little entertainer continues to shine at her job.

Sonoma

It has been crazy rainy off and on here for the past few weeks so when we see the sun we try and head outdoors even if its just on the front porch. A few weeks ago it was a sunny Saturday and we made a run for it.

We had a family outing to Sonoma and ate lunch at our favorite Sunflower Café on the back patio! Sonoma also has a huge park in the middle of town and so Hallel walked the majority of it all by herself! She chased the geese and tried out all the slides.

Josh would put her up on top of the slide and she would scoot her cute little bottom to the edge and go down. About half way down the twisty slide she would close her eyes tight and smile. It was the cutest thing! I hope she stays unafraid and adventurous about life (with some caution:)).

February 10th

I love the fact that Josh and I were married right before Valentines Day. It feels like all of the stores are getting festive for our Anniversary! Josh and I celebrated our 4th anniversary this February and I still can't believe that we have been married that long! It was a special day to just stop and remember. I think with the new year and the baby coming our minds have been elsewhere and it seemed like the clock just slowed for one day and we took time to remember who we are and where we have come from. Basically, how there is no way that we would be married if it were not for the Lord! He has been so kind and so gracious and we are excited about what He is doing in our marriage for the long haul. We both reflected on how marriage is one of the hardest things that either of us have ever worked on and yet at the same time one of the most rewarding and worthwhile. I can see why God invented it and knows how to do it best!

Enough philosophizing here is what made it special! We both had busy mornings and then our sweet friends came over and watched Hallel while Josh and I saw The Book of Eli (Josh got movie tickets for $2, good job!) It is not one that we would recommend to our families, lots of violence. But we both really liked it and have liked talking about it for days after. Really inspiring thoughts about the Bible and faith. Then we came home and took our little sweetie pie to one of our favorite places, the Macaroni Grill thanks to gifts cards from Sara!

Unfortunately we only have one picture from the day when we are all tired putting Hallel to bed. But we will always have the memories!

The Mathews

Beautiful pictures by a beautiful friend!!!!! Thanks Shan for making us look so good and filling our albums with timeless memories!

want to see more go to shannoncphoto.blogspot.com