Ethan's Birthday

My Ethan turned 7 yesterday.

I'll let alot of you who know me...who know what has happened for 7/8 years...to stop and take that one in.

So I remember Ethan being born. I remember going through the tension of the birth and the tension of everything and remember holding him and thinking: I don't even know where I'm going to live in a month.

It feels like not much has changed in 7 years. Still trying to figure out where my address will be in September and living on the razor's edge.

Then again, so much has changed...so much it hurts. A lot of joy and pain. A lot of living.

Ethan is the gentlest of spirits with profound gifts. He's got big eyes that get bigger as he tells a story. He sings - oh my, he can sing - and every day, he goes and noodles on the piano, finding thirds and playing with a strange moving left hand against notes with his right.

But Ethan's greatest gift was given to him. He has a heart for Christ that is really different from any of his brothers or sisters, different from any kid I've met. He talks about Jesus all the time.

We're throwing the baseball and I keep telling him to stop flinching at the ball. And stop waiting for it. Step towards it and catch it. "Like Jesus, right dad?," Ethan offers from his "Little Visits With God" head, "we have to reach out to him and not be afraid?"

Yes Ethan. We have to.

March 22

March 22 looms...so we're putting out an APB for all of you all to join us for Zoe's birthday. And if Barb in Melbourne can't make it, I'll do my best to blog it for you.

All we're asking is an RSVP. We're setting up a Facebook event...

AE at 77

A discussion with AE about the islands, his tribe's last name, and sharp knives.

Mobile post sent by gregwork using Utterli. Replies. mp3

Zoe At 11

11 Months. 11 Months and now she's sucking down a bottle and growing. And...smiling.

Aidan Turns 4

Aidan turned four and had a whole bunch of fun with family. Uncle Josh, teeny weenies, a Madagascar cake. I think you'll agree.

Things I Forgot To Share With You Part III

Elise, Kid 5, turned 7 on the 7th. Her golden birthday. We had a really fun time by going to what has kind of become a Batiansila family birthday haunt - the Mineshaft. It's good pizza and a pretty good deal so kids can shove tokens into machines and then get tickets and then trade them for fake teeth, little plastic rings, stuff like that. Believe me, a good time.

Elise has a penchant for sometimes being completely silent - mute almost. You can ask her a question and she'll kinda stare at you without much to say. This is largely because she suffers from the older sibling syndrome - where your older sib will act as your agent. Ask a younger kid his/her name, and the older kid will leap on scene: "Her name is Elise!," answering any question you got for her. "She doesn't like melted cheese!" "She's just tired!"

But when Elise gets wound up, she's as loopy a kid as there is. Loud, even. And she dances and can't stop turning cartwheels. This is what I see when I see her playing with her two younger brothers, this giddy, effervescent kid.

Elise was born just a few weeks after 9/11. I remember being so scared then, scared of what was to come. Scared for the life she'd have. Her presence in my life and in the life of her family - particularly her little brothers - has been about joy, and a smile with big eyes. And cartwheels.

Things I Forgot To Share With You Part II: Renee's Golden Birthday X 2

I think it goes gold for the Golden Birthday, Glass for the 2x Golden Birthday, and then some kind of nuclear isotope for the 3x.

Renee's at glass.

Renee's the kind of person who is proof positive that when you find yourself and find the person you were made for, you've found a pretty blessed life. She's raising a tribe of strong, gifted boys in Wausau, Wisconsin and growing old with her lifepartner , Jim. Ok, they're married, but they are life partners, right?

Happy Glass Birthday, Renee. As C.S. Lewis said, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. "

Things I Forgot To Share With You Part I: Charis Turns 30

Charis turned 30 on the 21st of October. She's the youngest of my family, which means...my family is kind of old. How did we get so old?

Not like Charis is. She's had the great advantage of watching all of her older siblings screw up and stumble, learn what she can, know what to avoid or sidestep, and end up with a pretty cool life.

Charis has two kids - Kalla and Payton - and a loving husband, Bryan. They are living anyone's dream life just outside Milwaukee and are in the process of building their house.

I stumbled across the 30 mark in my life, but Charis is showing how a faithful life lived wisely is a life of blessing and peace.

Zoe At 6 Months

Zoe turned 6 months today. When the doctors broke their news to us 183 days ago, we were sure we wouldn't have 6 days. Or 6 weeks. We are truly blessed to have 6 months.

We sang happy birthday to her and had a candle on some brownies that Teia made. The boys wore hats (Aidan ripped Ethan's off and stepped on it).

Here's my sin - through it, I've somehow shifted from grateful thanks to "Now what?" (anger)

Dr. Frommelt, renowned pediatric cardiologist, might have called today. we don't know because it was after Jen had called begging for news. Whoever it was didn't leave a message.

Maybe everything's great and she has no news. (denial) I just have an inkling that there is news, and I wish that I could somehow trade some of my wasted heartbeats to Zoe. (bargaining)

Thank you everyone for all your wonderful prayers and wishes. This is a day filled with so much pride and emotion for all of us. We're truly humbled by what we've been given.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS

What do you get for a girl who has...almost everything?

At 5 months, Zoe's got a family full of people who love her, adoring fans around the world, the doting affection of a MLB pitcher, and a God who has kept her in His palm of His hand this whole time.

We are still...always...so proud.

Birthdays : Two Christiansen Lads

I'm that kind of an uncle. I totally overlooked the birthdays of two of my nephews, Brennick and Temish Christiansen (Deirdre's kin). Both of these guys are growing like weeds and will someday - we pray - have all the coolness of their mom, except male-like.

Temish just turned 9 yesterday and Brennick turned 16 last week. Pray for these great kids as they continue to walk and grow in Him.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan turns 5 today.
For those of you who know Jen and I or have known us for a while...I'll repeat.
Ethan turns 5 today.

Ethan is a classic example of this verse, "20You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing."

Born in troubled times, when there were lots of questions for everyone, came this kid with a big heart who loves passionately, who loves the Lord.

I'll get you all some pictures when the party's through...

Happy Birthday, Payton!

Payton is Zoe's cousin, Charis's kid. Payton is 1 year old today. Count your blessings.

Kellen Turns 15

Kellen turned 15 on Saturday. I'll get you all some pictures. He lit a fire and had some friends over. We set them all up with some kickin' goodie bags, which included everything from Pop Rocks to Gangsta tats. We got him some sandals and an mp3 player.

S'mores, stars, a big fire...that's a fun way to spend your birthday.

10 Weeks

Jen tried playing with Zoe a little yesterday, which elicited some crabbiness and a few big smiles.

Where are we going? Where is this 10 week old developmentally? What can she see? What is she thinking? Trisomy 18 babies are prone to hearing and vision problems. We're going to revise the hospital's grave diagnosis of no hearing. Zoe can hear. Ethan cut his knee hurting today and was wailing the wail of the four year old with a skin wound. Zoe woke up.

There are stories of Trisomy18 babies making it past the sixth month. There aren't similar stories about babies with tetralogy of fallot - Zoe's heart condition - making it very long. The cardiologist had told us before Zoe's birth that in studies done on 3rd World countries of children who had tetralogy of fallot, none had survived past the 2nd or third year.

Ever since we ordered the oxygen machine, it has sat in the corner, mostly unused. Zoe hates it. It might have been aversion therapy for her, because as long as its been here, her breathing has been better.

Miracle baby? What is a miracle? Today's miracle was that in the above story, where Ethan was wailing, Zoe was in a bouncy seat. That's right, Jen got to put her down for a few minutes. Maybe Zoe is getting old enough to allow her mom a few minutes of movement without holding her? Maybe.

At ten weeks, we can turn our eyes and thoughts to tonight's meal and Kellen's birthday. A lawnmower grinds a welcome sound and smell into the morning air. Puffy clouds flit across the sky and boats rocket and float outside my back window. Elise is pushing Ethan in a doll baby stroller. He has a tube in his mouth that he says is to help him breathing. I guess our homelife isn't all that normal. But it never was.

Jen Turns 30

Jen's 30 today. Zoe gave her a present with a wailing cry for formula at 4 am. Zoe eats 2 ounces at then loses interest, which keeps her hungry a good part of the day.

We're going to take a trip down to Chicago, not pay someone (sorry someone) and go see Wicked. If you know Jen, she spends a good part of her time singing Broadway showtunes or directing people on how to do it. Seems like the thing to do.

Bad Older Brothering

Yesterday was my little sister Tari's birthday. Tari is almost exactly 18 months younger than me, which meant we fought and played with each other every day. Tari used to irritate me by telling people she was only a year younger than me. I'm not sure why this got me, but it did and it would provoke a fight. Nowadays, Tari being one year younger than me means SHE'S OLD. How you like them apples, Tari?

My favorite Tari thoughts:

Tari would hang picture frames in her locker with the store picture still in them. People would ask who the cute baby was, and she'd say she didn't know.

Tari kissed pretty much all my friends. To this day, she blames me. (She is now married to a best friend of one of my friends)

Tari would eat yellow mustard, but only when hidden under something. She couldn't bear to look at it.

Anytime you have a sibling that close in years to you, you pretty much share the same era and memories and highschool friends. Tari and I have seen our share together. Happy Birthday Totsie.

Brothers of Elephants Forget

Happy Birthday Deirdre. Late.

Batiansila News Service regrets to inform you all they forgot about Deirdre's birthday. And it was a biggie. She turned 50 years old. That's very old. She is well-preserved and really in the top physical, mental and spiritual shape of her life.

Happy Birthday, Heidi!

Heidi is the second oldest Batiansila kid. She's a wonderful mom of two boys, a loving wife and a great Christian witness. The Batiansila News Service is unsure of Heidi's age, but it's pretty old. Maybe 50.

Selah Turns 9

Selah turned 9 today and Greg and Jen celebrated by taking the family to The Mine Shaft. It's a pretty well known spot with good pizza and a huge game room. Kellen beat his dad at football throwing, tickets were traded for fake Dracula teeth. Temish came along to celebrate.