She li'l as a dog!

Kristin brought food for our team Bible study this past Thursday. I sent several players out to get it from her. They took forever to come back, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then it hit me--they were meeting Halle! I was actually a little sad, because I wasn't there to see their reaction. But, as is typical, they weren't short of words and told me all their thoughts. "She cute Coach", one said. A few other comments and then, "She li'l as a dog though, forreal". We all laughed pretty hard, as we got the point but the slang wasn't really a good fit for the situation. Needless to say, this was the first of what we hope will be an enduring relationship between Halle and our students.

Still more pictures...

We'll write more as we have time...of course, let's be honest, what anyone who actually looks at this blog wants is pictures of Halle! Here you are, plenty to see!

Buck meets Halle: What's this crying creature?

Hilarious. That's the word I'd use to describe Buck's first experience with Halle. For those of you who don't know, Buck is our dog, a Shepherd/Husky mix. We are cautious but not anxious about him getting to know her. As a "pack dog", the most likely scenario is that he will grow to love and protect her very quickly, just as he does us.

But, obviously first he had to meet her! Yesterday I brought him home from the kennel and kept him on a leash downstairs with me, letting him smell various things she had been in contact with. We then walked upstairs, where Kristin was changing a diaper. I took over so she could visit with Buck, who did not notice Halle. But as soon as she started crying, his two ears went up like antennas, and he quickly moved to the side of the changing table to check out the scene. "What in the world is going on?!", you could see him saying!

Sniffing was the theme of his day yesterday. He sniffed her feet. He sniffed her back. He sniffed her head...and wagged his tail the whole time! We're not sure he knows what to think just yet, especially when she cries. He's not a big fan of that--at all! It seems like he's still trying to figure out not just what she is, but how long she'll be here. He was definitely a stressed out last night, but, overall, he still seems to have taken really positively to her. We think he'll be a great protector and friend to her as she grows up with him!

More Pictures...

What's in a Name?

(This is copied from our ministry blog, so some of you may have read already):

After many weeks of trying to decide the perfect name for our wee little girl, we finally chose one! We had been praying for just the right one, and it came to us at church as we were singing a song with "Hallelujah" in the chorus. Kristin thought, "Gosh, I love that word! What name could we get out of it?" Then it came to her...Halle! (Pronounced like Allie but with an H). This fit perfectly with a thought Shane had previously: The due date is a year from the date we moved, which is an amazing affirmation of God’s faithfulness. As we look back on our year in East St. Louis, we're excited to take her name from "hallelujah" because it means "praise and thanksgiving", and we have much for which to praise and thank our Lord.

Her middle name is Isabella, after Isabella Lilias Trotter (known as Lilias), who ministered to disadvantaged women during the 1800s. She was born to an upper-class family in England in 1853. When she was a young woman, God called her to love and serve poor women on the streets of London. She taught them job skills, helped them find work, and also shared with them the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Lilias chose this life instead of pursuing a career in art, even though a famous artist desired to mentor her and encouraged her to forsake these marginalized women in favor of the opportunity for fame and riches in art. She later moved to Algeria to share the news of her merciful Savior with Arab women.

We pray that Halle Isabella will experience the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and live a life that gives much praise and thanksgiving to our great God. Also, we pray she will be one who boldly loves and serves others, regardless of their race, wealth, or social status. Thank you for praying with and for us for this little child!

Halle's First Friends!

While we're certain Halle is quite the attraction in the nursery and is getting attention from nurses and signing autographs for other babies, we still consider Pete and Melissa Weseloh to be her first friends. They visited last night--great to see some familiar faces love on our little girl!

Halle Isabella Fast

Halle is here! Below are pictures a nurse was gracious enough to take for us just after her birth. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces--not bad for two weeks early! And, she was just under 20 inches. She is healthy, sleeping, eating, and, well, you know the rest! She's good!