Your dad and I spent last week working on your nursery (and a ton of other projects). Your room needs more work than probably any other in this old house and it’s still not yet ready for your arrival (in just 11 weeks!). As we were working away, I couldn’t stop thinking about how weird it is that you will have a room designed specifically for you. I thought about and prayed for all the babies I’ve held that live in grass huts or share a small apartment with their 6-person family. I love getting to be creative with space and design something beautiful just for you, but I desperately want you to know that you would be just as loved if we didn’t have any baby products or a nursery for you. I hope you don’t ever get caught up in the American dream or feel entitled. I want to raise you in a way that frees you to live contentedly in the biggest mansion or the smallest grass hut.

Please note in the pictures that your dad doesn’t have a drop of paint on him and I have it all over me.  Don’t worry- we are still ordering windows and floors and a crib.  You’re expensive, baby!

Recently, I asked your dad if he felt like we were ready to be parents. “Isn’t there anything you want to do or any place you want to go before we’re caring for kids for the next few decades?” I asked urgently.
That dad of yours, he’s so steady. He reminded me that we’ve already traveled the world, done the grad school thing, worked our dream jobs, spent years building memories with friends, cared for many kids. “We’re more than ready for this.”
He’s right, you know. In fact, I’ve been waiting to be a mom since I can remember. I’m so grateful for the experiences and the life I got to live before becoming your mom, but now there is nothing I’d rather be or do. Don’t get me wrong, I still dream big dreams and want to jump in and get my hands on a lot of opportunities, but I feel a deep sense that it’s time to put my energy and efforts towards raising little Olsons. What an honor.

Here I am  playing the role of the mom.  Your Uncle Kyle was the cowboy.  That was his only role for years. 

One thing you should know is that your dad and I both have strong instincts to fight for justice and for people in need. We’ll have to figure out how to instill this in you and also protect you at the same time. Tonight, while your dad was working, I had to call 911 because of a situation down the street. I was disappointed that the other bystanders left me with a distraught woman to wait for the police. And I was even more disappointed that after an hour and four 911 calls, the police had not shown. A teacher that pulled up to the scene took one look at me and told me I needed to leave NOW. I wasn’t really scared for myself, but her look made me remember that I now have to protect you at all costs.

I wonder how having you around will affect the daily decisions your dad and I make to get involved when people need help on the street? Will we feel differently about inviting ex-cons and those that are homeless to come in and share a meal? I pray that our choice to live in this crazy city will enrich your life and not harm it. I pray your dad and I will have real wisdom as we continue to serve others and provide a safe environment for you to grow.

Well, Baby O, after locking myself securely behind two iron gates and an alarm system, I’m headed to bed. One more thing though- I want you to know that I already love your personality and think you’re the coolest little kid. Today, your kicks were so strong and you were moving so fast and furiously that I involuntarily said, “wow” out loud to no one. I think you want to join us out here just as badly as I don’t want to be pregnant anymore. But you stay in there, okay? I love it when you’re quieter, too. You’ve been resting your foot in my left ribcage while you sleep and you’ll occasionally get a burst of hiccups. I suspect you’ll be a kid that’s always moving, but I secretly hope you will like to cuddle as well. You’re going to be well-hugged.

Love,
Your Mom (ah! feels so strange to type that!)

Our DIY photobooth was a really cheap addition and in my opinion, way better than the ones we could have rented.  We borrowed a back-drop frame from my SpringHill teammates, bought curtains from IKEA (they now hang in our house, so I technically don’t think that counts against the wedding budget), spray painted some frames, added some dollar store props and paid a SpringHill photographer to stand there with a camera for hours.

I think we had more fun looking through the photobooth pictures than any other pictures from our wedding.  Here are some of our favorites:

Photo credits to the very talented Steven Gavel.  He also graciously posed with many teenage girls. Seriously, he’s awesome.

I think our favorite part was seeing our guests, a mix of people from all walks of life, enjoy each other.  Our guest list even included teenage girls from Vista Maria, a local residential facility.  They definitely weren’t shy about jumping right into the party!  We wanted our wedding to be a place where all people would experience the joy of the Lord.  The pictures and the video below are a great testament to God’s awesome love for all His people.

*Photo credit and thanks to Jonathan Stoner

The best present we got was a video of our reception made by John Shaw, a friend and filmmaker.  Due to budget constraints, and the fact that John, the most talented videographer we knew, didn’t even dabble in wedding videos, we had decided we could do without a wedding video.  While we were still on our honeymoon, John surprised us by posting this amazing video to facebook.  It’s an incredibly beautiful reflection of our celebration.  It’s my favorite thing from our wedding and I will forever be grateful.

Josh + April from John Shaw on Vimeo.

Like every modern couple, our vows are now on YouTube.  I love watching this over and over and remembering our promise to each other.  You will notice that I added a brief glimpse of our song, “In Christ Alone,” at the end.  It’s not always going to be easy to fulfill these vows, but we’ve committed to stand in Christ’s love and power until He returns or calls us home.  I’m so grateful for our firm foundation.

1. This past weekend my mom came to visit.  We had a lovely sunny day to explore Belle Isle, with my brother joining us while we were there.  Before Josh joined us for a Slows-to-go dinner, I treated them both to La Gloria Bakery, a must-visit in Detroit’s Mexican Village.  I love life in the D. 

2. Josh did a lot of studying for a test he had this week.  I love sitting next to him on the couch while he explains medical things that I don’t understand.  He’s so passionate about his work and his studies.  I’m so glad he’s loving school.   Also, let this document that we are now eating 99 cent chips from Aldi.  I would much rather be at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, but I’m trying to get used to this “my husband’s in school and we’re having a baby” lifestyle.

3. I’ve been watching little M (the baby that lives on our third floor) twice a week while her mom works.  She’s a sweet little 3 month old bundle and I’m really enjoying my time with her.  I held her for a minute while she fell asleep, then put her in her bed so that I could be a blogger.  See how hard she is to put down?!

4. My grandmother in Texas is awesome.  She didn’t bat an eye (well, maybe she gasped a little bit) when I told her I wanted to spend all the money she was giving to Baby O on an expensive stroller.  The one thing I cared about for our own baby was a great stroller (I think all former nannies feel that way).  My Baby Jogger City Select came this week and I’ve loved taking Baby M out for walks.  We have 100 year old sidewalks that are in terrible shape and this stroller is just dreamy.  It also allows us to add a second seat so that we can care for more babies without buying another stroller. See?  I’m like a walking infomercial for the thing. 

5. Lastly, I leave you with a little update on Baby O’s nursery.  It’s coming slowly, but I’ve found my inspiration pieces.  I have always loved this hand-sewn art that was made by my great-grandmother, Mary Rudd, and was hanging in my nursery as a baby.  Luckily, I found a coordinating bedding set on ebay for $25.   I’m loving the gender-neutral decorating challenge as it makes me pray not only for Baby O, but for the many more babies we hope to have in that nursery. 

It’s been over 5 months since we learned about you, and we now have  4 months until we’re holding you.  That seems absolutely crazy to me.

I already love your personality.  You move around a lot.  Not just kicking and punching, but full out rolling and flipping.  I keep reading that active babies in the womb are active when they’re born.  Did you know that your dad was so active that his mom had to tie his legs to the high chair?  I can’t stop laughing about that.  Don’t worry, your Nana agrees that we shouldn’t do that to kids these days, but the whole thing makes me think that maybe you will be just like  your dad.  I would love that.

Speaking of your dad, I’m pretty sure we’re going to fight over who gets to hold you and hang out with you.  I can’t believe I get to raise you with someone who loves kids as much as I do (I wasn’t sure that was possible).  Last week we traveled to the Dominican Republic with my friends from Chicago and your dad did awesome things like convince the lady at the airport to give all the kids a joy ride on the transporter.  He also figured out how to get a slide into our pool and spent hours teaching the kids how to drive golf carts and do magic tricks.  You’re going to spend so many of your hours laughing and having crazy adventures with your dad. 

In the Dominican Republic, I also learned that you LOVE the beach.  You’ve never been more active than you were lying in the sun with me.  And Baby O, you’re not only changing how my body looks in a swimsuit, but also making me burn instead of tan.  None of the resort meals tasted that great to me, I had to sleep sitting up due to heartburn and I couldn’t even enjoy my prenatal massage.  Though pregnancy has been so aggravating at times, you’re completely worth it.  You’ve changed my life forever.  I would go through anything for you. 

And by anything, I mean a natural childbirth as well.  With your dad’s medical expertise and my child development background, we both came into this thing wanting you to start your life without any drugs in your system (which already has me pining for allergy meds every single second of this pregnancy).   We know that anything can happen and at the end of the day we just want you here any way we can get you.  We both love to be students and we found that The Bradley Method  has a very high natural childbirth rate (86%).  We’re 4 classes into our 12 week program.  I love going to class with your dad because we get to spend two hours focused on you.  The Bradley Method is also known as the Husband-Coached Childbirth, which is perfect since I feel like I can do anything with your dad by my side.  Now I know why his patients love him so much.  Except I keep telling him that the jokes in my ear when we’re doing our relaxation exercises are probably not going to go over as well when it’s no longer practice…

Your dad and I pray for you every day and we know a lot of other people are doing the same.  We thank Him for giving us one more day to know you, realizing that every day is a blessing.  We pray that you’re growing strong physically and that God is growing your heart in a way that can love Him and His people.  We pray that God will be preparing us to parent you well and that we’ll have the wisdom to love and support you in the way you need.

We already think you’re the cutest.  Here’s a recent picture of you at 20 weeks and a not so great one of us in the DR at 22 weeks.  At least you get to see how you’re growing in my belly!

Love you, sweet baby!

We have a fully stocked birthday drawer and are ready to throw a party with a day’s notice.  It’s been an incredible year of getting to throw parties for those that don’t always get them.  Starting with the most recent and working our way back, I wanted to share 3 of my favorite nights since we’ve been in our home.

Tonight’s birthday party was a big deal.  It was for one of my favorite 13 year olds.  She happened to request a One Direction Cake. I tried my best.

The pretty birthday girl is Sydney, a neighbor that Josh and I work with at Mac Lit (after school reading program).  It seemed very important to take a snowy February night and celebrate this awesome 7th grader.  Her mom called afterwards and said she wouldn’t stop talking about it.  We love that this kind of thing blesses her mom, who needs to spend her nights working late to provide for her family.  

The other party-goers were Rachel and Makayla (they live in our 3rd floor apartment) and Makayla’s dad, Gary.  As you can see, much of our partying recently has been centered around staring at this awesome baby.

Of course, no party is complete without games.  Gary and Sydney battled it out during a One Direction quiz.  I love that she took them home with her to show her friends!
Next up, I’d like to introduce you to our  buddy, Gregory.  Gregory is another little boy that we know from Mac Lit.  He turned 8 this year. 

Birthday parties at the Olson’s always involve presents.  It’s especially good to be an 8 year old boy because you’ll probably get legos!

I love that all these boys have my husband in their lives.  He pays such great attention to each one of them.

Speaking of Josh, the first birthday party was all because he befriended the man who raked our leaves.  The first thing Tyronne told Josh was that his birthday was the next week.  We immediately invited him for a party.  Tyronne was transient and wasn’t in our lives very long, but I’m so thankful we got to celebrate this man.  He said he’d never had a birthday party before. It’s hard to know if we’re always getting a straight story, but from the look of joy on his face, I think it was true.  Can you imagine anything better than getting to be a part of that?

Tyronne actually came to church with us a few times.  The day of his party, he handed out cards with his name and our address to anyone that would take them.  We’re so grateful that some of our fellow church-members took him up on the offer and came to celebrate Tyronne.  What a blessing to celebrate him and welcome him to a new year with prayer and fellowship.

Won’t you join us in throwing birthday parties for those that don’t often get celebrated?  What would the world look like if every kid and every adult got to have a birthday party this year?

]]> http://theuncommongood.com/2013/02/26/loving-our-neighbors-birthday-style/feed/ 2 IMG_7216 aprileolson One Direction Birthday Cake Birthday girl with presents Staring at babies Smiling Baby Birthday Games The birthday party crew Birthday noise Birthday presents Josh and the boys IMG_1555 IMG_7005 IMG_1548 IMG_6995 http://theuncommongood.com/2013/01/07/pictures-pictures-were-making-progress-on-this-old-detroit-home/ http://theuncommongood.com/2013/01/07/pictures-pictures-were-making-progress-on-this-old-detroit-home/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:22:25 +0000 April http://theuncommongood.com/?p=2512 Continue reading →]]>
We’ve been living in our Detroit home for a little over two months now and I’m going to great lengths to get some pictures to all y’all who have been patiently asking for that amount of time.  It’s no easy task to blog these days- there’s construction happening right now and I don’t want Baby O around all that- you would have laughed to see me standing on the edge of the couch while trying to hang a protective curtain over our office door.

Speaking of Baby O, we met our midwife this morning and had an ultrasound.  He or she is quite the kicker and bouncer.  It was quite exhilarating to see our baby loving life in the womb (of course Josh and I would have a bouncing baby) and displaying a strong heartbeat. We continue to pray every day for this little one and are so thankful for your prayers as well.

But back to the house.  We haven’t gotten quite as much done on the house as we had originally planned (I can no longer put in 12-hour painting days), but things are coming along nicely.  Particularly, our downstairs has been party-ready for about 5 weeks now and we have enjoyed a lot of entertaining.  Just after Christmas, we were able to host a Christmas party for the Detroit West Day Camp Team.  One of my former staff members and friends, Aleesa, came to help us get ready for the party and I sent her around with my camera to capture the space for you.  It’s all a work in progress, but we love everything about this old house.

Here’s a quick tour of our downstairs space:

We re-painted our living room and Josh re-finished the floors himself (he’s amazing).  Already, we’ve hung those frames around the window and that gorgeous staircase is being stripped and re-finished as I type.  I still need to strip the paint off of those original french doors and hang some artwork, but this space is almost finished.  We love it.

See that gorgeous Secretary in the corner?  Can you believe that we haven’t bought one piece of decor since moving in?  My parents and some family friends have been so generous with their antiques.  It really makes our 1920′s home feel like it’s seen generations of parties.

We have two sitting areas in our Living Room!  This is the play area- we have a bunch of toys that were gifted to us as well, so bring your kids on over!

Speaking of toys, Baby O had a stocking, too!  It was an amazing first Christmas as a married couple.  God has been so good to us.

This house has so many cool features- like built-ins to the right of the fireplace.  We already have a large collection of Children’s books on display!

Speaking of cool features, check out our trapezoid door that leads to a huge closet under the stairs!  I’m so excited to get those stairs done and paint the front hallway.

As soon as the rose wallpaper goes away, we’ll have the most awesome half bath in all of Detroit. This is just to the right of our front door.

Remember how we were a week from closing on another house in Detroit and it fell through?  (Click here to read that story and see BEFORE PICTURES of our current house). Well, it didn’t have a window by the sink and it pretty much had no backyard.  I was sad about that, but knew I wouldn’t get everything on a wish list.  Can you believe I get to look out of these huge windows onto our big backyard that was once glorious enough to be on the Indian Village Home and Garden Tour?  I mean, really, this house is more than we ever dreamed.

I also never knew I wanted a baking corner.  Those of you that know me are laughing because  I’m still learning my way around the cooking thing.  An awesome kitchen to work in does make the learning more enjoyable.

There were no appliances in our home to begin with, and due to custom measurements, we couldn’t find anything off of Craig’s List that would fit.   So, we got new appliances on super sale from Sears- including a double oven which I’ve already used all the time as we fill our house with people.

All of this gifted furniture holds special memories for me.  This is my Grandma’s kitchen table.  I love putting kids around it or sharing a meal with my love and thinking about how happy it would make her that it’s in our home now.

Our dining room is yet to be painted, but it’s one of my favorite spots.  We hosted Christmas Eve brunch for family and comfortably fit 13 around the table.  Check out the woodwork and those french doors that open to a screened-in porch.  Please note that the porch has screens but no roof.  That’s pretty much how we roll around here.  We have many features that need the love and life of a family to bring it back to the glory days.  We’re up to the task, I think…

All of this dining room furniture was sitting in my parent’s first house (where I was brought home from the hospital), so I love the idea of carrying this furniture through another generation of family parties.  You might even recognize this buffet as the backdrop at our wedding!  We’re use what we have kind of people!

We’re still working hard on the space, but as you can see, we’re ready to have you over!  Come see us in Detroit!

Will you accept this blog post in place of a Christmas card? I promise to make it good.

A friend told me recently that our story was one of the best she knows. I’m so thankful that God’s given Josh and me a story that is crazy and awesome enough to make others notice what God’s been up to. More than anything, we want our lives to bring glory to our Creator. He has done so much for us.

And even if He hadn’t, even if God had not allowed us to fall deeply in love, get married on a 75 degree and sunny day in a perfect setting, go on a dream honeymoon, join an incredible Detroit church with instant friends, buy a huge historic house three doors from the church at a miraculous price, find great enjoyment in Nurse Anesthetist School and work at the hospital (Josh), jump right into work with a local literacy program and kids ministry at our church (April), fill our home with our neighbors and kids, and grow in love for each other and the Lord, even if all of that had not happened, we would still be telling you that God is so good.

We feel like it’s almost too much to tell you that God has gifted us with a baby. We’re expecting Baby Olson in July and we couldn’t be more thrilled or grateful!

Please pray with us as this baby grows. We recognize that pregnancy is not a sure thing and we’re thankful for each day we have with this little one. Giving him or her to the Lord daily is a practice we cling to as we’re about to raise kids in Detroit.

This year, we’ve been humbled as we’ve recognized how much our family and friends are praying for us. God has answered in ways far beyond our dreams. We love praying for you and waiting in expectation, too.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

May you know God’s incredible Love this Christmas,

Josh & April

1. We’ve been living in our house for 2 weeks and 4 days, but we’ve only had heat for the last 5 days.   Our heating crew dropped the brand new 600 lb. boiler down the stairs and left us cold and waiting for parts to come from hurricane-ravaged New York.  We’re still waiting for the parts, but they finally did a work-around and got us some temporary heat.  In the meantime, we found out that the guy that raked our lawn is living without heat and electricity for the duration as he is squatting in a house a few blocks north of us.  24% of Detroit’s homes are vacant, and many of those that are homeless choose to stay in these homes (including the home next to us, which we decided to secure with new locks).  Our new friend came to church with us last Sunday and asked everyone to pray that he can get out of that house.  It’s cold here.  Please pray for him, too.

2. It’s our new friend’s (the lawn-raker) birthday on Saturday.  It’s pretty much the first thing he’ll tell you when you meet him.  He’ll even show you the date on his ID so that you know he’s legit. We’re having a birthday party for him on Sunday night and you’re all invited. One of the things we agreed upon long before we got married is that we would be a family that celebrates well.  We especially believe in celebrating those that aren’t often celebrated.

3. Speaking of celebrating, last Saturday our church’s new sports league celebrated the end of the first kids soccer season.  Josh and I went to help and cheer on the kids in our neighborhood.  I’ve never seen someone so excited to get a metal in all my life.  Not even the Olympic champions display such joy. I wish you could have heard my buddy shouting, “Yes!!!”

4.  I love being a part of the work happening with kids in our neighborhood.  My friend Erin (check out her blog) and I have just taken over as the leaders of the Mack Ave Community Church kids ministry.  We love planning together and thinking about the long-term vision for the kids that are already attending our church and those that will be drawn in.  It’s probably the role I’m most excited about right now.

5. I’m also so excited about a grant we just got to create a summer-long program for kids in our neighborhood!!!  It will help promote literacy, include weekly field trips to expose kids to professions and places in Detroit, and of course, integrate faith and fun.  God is at work, my friends.

6.  I love being married.  Josh is the most awesome person I’ve ever met and I still can’t quite grasp what an incredible gift God gave me.  He’s incredible at loving me and encouraging my spirit.  He asks the best questions and remembers things I never knew I told him.  He’s my extroverted match and wants to throw more parties than I do (I would probably throw more if I didn’t have to cook- still working on enjoying that).  Life with Josh is always an adventure as he stops to help every broken-down car, to feed the homeless, or to invite our lawn-raker in for a birthday celebration.  He discerns Truth more than anyone I’ve met.  I can’t believe I get to live with him forever.

8.  This is the month that Josh and I met each other last year.  It’s also the month that I started meeting with people in Detroit about possible job opportunities (even before I met Josh).  What an incredible year. God was at work all along preparing us to meet each other, marry each other and  minister together in Detroit.  I’ve noticed that once people get married, they really try to promote marriage to their single friends.  But I remain cautious.  Wait for the Lord to act.  Pray and wait longer.  I promise, it will be worth it.

9. I have more thoughts, of course, but I need to go because I just updated my Wunderlist app and I have 72 items on my to-do list for the house.  Tonight’s a big night around here as we get to put our furniture in the living room .  We’ve been waiting for our hardwood floors to cure (yep, my awesome husband re-did them) and finally we can put couches in front of our fireplace!  

10.  There’s a long list to complete, but we’re trying to keep our space guest-friendly.  Now that we have heat, you can come stay in our guest room with a private bath.  We also have a 700 sq foot 3rd floor apartment that I’m painting this week.  Know anyone that wants to move to the D and live in the Olson’s party pad?