Needless to say, this last month has knocked the wind out of us on several levels. It’s amazing that for nine months, all of our study and preparation went into getting ready for the labor process, but nobody told us what to do once we drove away from the hospital. For the first few weeks everything was guessing, then second-guessing, always wondering if he is supposed to be crying or if we’re just doing something wrong, or if we’re just mean parents. All around, Noah has been an incredible baby, but it’s taken a while to figure what to expect and what is considered ‘normal’. I presume that ‘normal’ is different for every baby, but it still freaked us out for a few weeks. Things have now started to settle into a rhythm. Noah is sleeping somewhat regularly and he’s looking better every day (except for the weird middle-age hair loss he is experiencing). It’s hard to get over how freaking adorable the kid is.

Megan has adjusted incredibly well to this overnight life change, though I’ve had to talk her out of certain emotions she was feeling in the first few weeks . Besides the obvious lack of sleep, I am back to my usual schedule at home and with the church. Megan and I had our first date a month after Noah was born. As soon as we sat down at our favorite sushi restaurant, we looked across the table at each other, sighed, and then responded “geez”.

I’m looking forward to this Autumn season. Fall already may be my favorite season. I love to breathe in the tension and change in the air. It’s a time for soul searching and the shedding of old things. It’s a time for questions. Lots of questions.

And now it is a time of life, joy, and first experiences.

First Bath At Home from Luke Humbrecht on Vimeo.

Noah’s First Video from Luke Humbrecht on Vimeo.

Noah Michael Humbrecht

Time & Date: September 6th at 1:23 a.m.
Weight: 8 lbs.
Height: 21 in.

I hope to give you more specific details about today’s transpiring events. Truly amazing.

But it’s 3:43, and I’m beat.

So, we’ll upload more details and photos tomorrow.

Glory to God.

So, we’re still here at the hospital with no baby yet. Good news is – everything’s fine. Baby’s heart is strong and he seems to be active. There is no bad news, but the birth hasn’t progress as fast as we thought it would. There are no complications, it’s just that this is always a possibility when you’re induced.

Since Megan didn’t progress much last night, the doctor decided to wait until morning to do anything else. Megan had mild contractions throughout the night, but nothing painful until around 5 a.m.. At around 8 a.m. the doctor came in and broke her water. Things have progressed well since then but still slow. Could be the end of today before we have a child, but everyone’s in good spirits right now.

Technically, she still hasn’t hit the hard labor. Hard to believe after being here a day. But most woman first come to the hospital in the state that Megan’s at now.

So, do not fret. Keep praying, and we hope to have better news for you later.

Luke & Megan & _ _ _ _ (maybe)

Thanks for encouraging us with prayers and comments during our first childbirth experience. A lot of people have been calling, texting, facebooking, twittering, etc. trying to figure out what’s happening. I’ll give you the run down….

We came in to the hospital this morning at 7:45 a.m. because Megan was scheduled to be induced. Without going into much detail, the doctors think the baby’s size has grown a little large for Megan’s frame, so we felt comfortable with inducing her.

After monitoring Megan for a while this morning, the nurses wanted Megan try a few different methods to further her towards labor naturally before moving to Pitocin. We saw some progress this morning and early afternoon, so the doctor waited until about 6 p.m. to start the actual inducing. Contractions have started and are getting stronger, which is a good thing. She is not yet in hard labor and it probably won’t be until early morning that she gets there.

So basically, we’ve spent most of the day walking around, sitting on Pilates balls, resting in the jacuzzi, watching movies, praying, making fun of things, and waiting for stuff to happen. Not sure how long this will take, but we’re glad that she has made progress throughout the day. The nurses and doctor have been great to be around, and Melissa (Megan’s sister) just brought me some Chipotle which needless to say evoked pleasant emotions.

Thanks for all of your prayers, and we hope to have good news for you by the time you wake up. Stay tuned.

Luke & Megan

It seems to me that the Kingdom of God is much like an unfinished song. It’s here, but not yet. You can hear parts of it, but often not the fullness of it. There’s something that keeps us chasing after it believing that around the next corner we will find the melody we’ve been searching for. But until then, we’re stuck in the tension – wondering what it’s going to take to give the song the movement, the rhythm, or the hook needed to call it finished.

In case you’re familiar with my band Ellary. We’re playing twice this week, both at times that people can actually attend. It’s a good break from our regular Sunday AM gigs. Here’s the info, invite some friends and come out to worship with us.

What: A night of worship // Ambient You w/ Ellary
Date: Wed, Aug 5th
Location: Chapel Hill Nazarene
Steet: 10 Chapel Hill Drive
City: Brighton Co
Time: 7pm
Event on Facebook

What: Ellary @ Heaven Fest
Date: Saturday, Aug 8th, 2009
Location: Northern Hills
Stage: Indie Stage
City: Brighton Co
Time: 7pm
More info on HeavenFest

This last week we started a new series called “Motion” at Vinelife. The big idea of the series comes from the question of how do we continue to move forward when it seems like everything else is moving backwards? As Jason, Walt, and I talked and prayed we really felt a sense of God wanting to help us rise above some of the peripheral circumstances that could easily discourage and hold us back.

I was reminded this week of how often we pray prayers like: “God, increase my faith.” and “God I want to depend on You alone” and “Lord, help me to trust You.”

I subscribe to the idea that when we pray for faith, God doesn’t just give us faith, but He also gives us the opportunity to exercise faith. Why would we pray for something we can’t use? With that perspective, the simple prayers above all the sudden become dangerous ones.

As I look around, from what I can tell, it looks like we’ve got what we prayed for. We find ourselves in circumstances that require faith, hope, trust, and peace. Jobs have been lost. Relationships have been tried. Sickness still lingers. The easy thing to do would be to miss the opportunities and simply try to pray ourselves back out of these scenarios.

Luke 3:16
John answered them all, saying, I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are also tested in the fire of God. If I’m honest, I like one more than the other. But our challenge is to embrace ALL of Him because we need all of Him.