It’s A Girl!

I would like to introduce you to Lauren Analeigh Goertzen. She was born at 2:20 am weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces.

Oh, and she wasn’t born in the hospital! That full story to come when I’m at a computer. But Mom and baby are doing great.

Baby Update #4

As expected, first day of inductions and still no baby.

Sarah went in for her second induction at 5 p.m. They gave her double the dose, which unfortunately just doubled the intensity of the pain. She was a very tough girl and hung in there during the many contractions (one every 2 minutes lasting for approximately 90 seconds), however at 10 p.m. we went back to the hospital only to learn she was not in active labor (only the artificial labor that the induction produces). So they gave Sarah some great drugs and she is now sound asleep ready to start this again tomorrow.

We return to the hospital for round three of inductions at 7:30 a.m.

Thankfully this time around, as opposed with Nolan, Sarah is better able to cope with the pain. It obviously still hurts like crazy, but she is being brave and tough and I am very proud of her.
Nolan has been a great little guy hanging out with his “Gram” (as he calls her). However we think he knows something is up. We are sure, though, he will be excited to meet his new baby.

Until tomorrow — hopefully everyone has a great sleep.

Baby Update #3

Nothing really too new to update. We are currently sitting in the hospital while Sarah is being induced for the first time. She is connected to the non stress test machine which is showing that baby’s heart rate is good and healthy. If this round does not take, then we will be back this afternoon at 4 to try again.

The real reason I wanted to post this update was to trial and make sure I can post to here from my BlackBerry so that when baby arrives, I can inform everyone as quickly as possible.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. May they continue.

Baby Update #2

FINALLY! We have a date and a time.

This Thursday, April 30 at 7 a.m., Sarah is going in to be induced.

After meeting with a number of specialists over the last couple days, this is what we have learned:

1. Sarah began week 38 on Monday, but she is measuring at 42 weeks
2. Doctor figures the baby to be about 8 pounds right now
3. The insulin levels Sarah has been taking have actually been too much, so she is gradually dialing those back
4. Her blood-sugar levels have been quite decent
5. The c-section doctor is strongly recommending she deliver naturally (though a c-section is still possible)

After all of that, the doctors have set-up her up to begin inductions this Thursday. Now we do not expect a baby on Thursday (much to the dismay of Uncle Kent who predicted April 30!) based on last time with Nolan who took 5-days to arrive from the first induction. But who really knows – that’s the biggest lesson I am learning: with baby #2, you can never predict based on baby #1.

I will be getting up bright and early tomorrow [Wednesday] and driving to be with Sarah and Nolan. I can not WAIT to see them again. This bachelor life is definitely not for me!

We will keep you posted.

it’s me, it’s me, it’s me

For quite some time, I have been wanting to do a self-portrait. Since I have been home alone now for a week, I finally got bored enough to work on the picture. 

This is my “man-cave”. It has my guitar/amp/pedals, pedal-building area, computer, couches, and bookcase (behind the camera). 

So enjoy the fruits of my boredom. 

Baby update #1

This next round of updates has officially begun!

However, I would like to update you with more information than we currently have. After last night, Sarah and I feel like we have just as many, if not more, questions than answers.
Last evening Sarah met with our doctor in the lower mainland (same doctor who delivered Nolan). He examined her and the baby. Right now, the baby is measuring big, and Sarah and baby are doing good. There certainly is no urgency in the doctor (due date is May 11), but he does have Sarah meeting with two other doctors for consultation and having the first non-stress test for the baby on Friday. The doctor seemed to indicate that the possibility of doing a C-section seems more likely this time around than last time with Nolan.

We were hoping to have more details after last evening’s appointment – like dates and times so that I could know when I could start my holidays and not have to use them up waiting around for the doctors to decide what to do. It has been real difficult being 8-hours apart, but we simply trust that this is in God’s hands and timing, and that it will all work out for good in the end (Romans 8:28).

Stay tuned, because hopefully more information is soon to come.

Mojo Rising

It’s hard to believe that before this year started, I had never built a guitar pedal in my life. It is now nearly the end of April and I have completed my third pedal!

Like Hendrix, this pedal is a classic. It’s an imitation of a Fuzz Face (made famous by none other than Mr. Hendrix). The circuity is much simpler than some of the pedals today, and so because of that, I attempted my first “perfboard” build. Essentially, there is no fancy printed circuit board. I connect everything in the back with wires and solder.

I am REALLY enjoying this pedal (I know – I say that after every pedal I build – but it’s true).

And I am proud to say that Sarah thinks this is the best looking pedal I have built to date (thanks my favouritest girl!!).

Without further ado, here are some pictures:

Would you like some Tupperware?

One day while sitting around the table talking with her friends, my wonderful wife discovered that there is no Tupperware representative in the Trail area. Being the woman-of-action that she is, she told her friends, “I’ll do it!”.

And so she has.

Sarah is one of the newest Tupperware representatives. She has already made many contacts and sold a number of orders.

I am posting this to inform you that if you are in the Trail area and are looking for Tupperware or to put on a party, then be sure to talk to my lovely wife.
If you are not in the Trail area, fret not, because Sarah has her own website. If you order Tupperware through her website, then she gets credit for the sale!

So please, check out Sarah’s Tupperware Site!

when it rains…

Alright, I confess, I have not been as diligent with my blog as I should be. I have many moments that go by through the day that I think, “Wow – I really should blog about that.” But then, I don’t.

However, now I am about to inudate you with three posts! I thought about merging these topics all into one post, but decided against it.

This first post is to update you that within the month, Goertzen baby #2 will be soon joining us. I am dropping Sarah and Nolan off in Vancouver this weekend so that our doctor there can monitor Sarah and the new baby. I will return to Trail to continue working. Once the doctor decides on a day to start inducing, then I will hop back in the truck and drive back to be with Sarah.
Like last time, I will be sure to update on here, as well through Facebook (crazy to think Facebook was barely on the map when Nolan was born 2 years ago!). Once baby is born, I will do my best to announce it through here and Facebook, as well as post pictures as soon as I can.

Thanks for all of our family and friends that have been thinking and praying for us. Keep it up over these next few weeks – God knows we need it!

Rockbox

This new hobby of mine is definitely a joy. Not only do I get to use my hands and build something, I then get to use it with my art of guitar playing! I foresee building pedals for a long time!

Anyways, here is my latest build: it’s two pedals in one small box. There is a distortion on the right side, and then a boost on the left side (just makes it louder, but not more distorted). The pedal is modeled after an over-driven British-made amplifier, hence the Union Jack design.

So far, this pedal is AWESOME!! I’m really enjoying it.

Next up to build, a Fuzz Face pedal.