'Tis the Season!

Christmas time is here! Who doesn't love it!? Are Christmas carols often to be heard here in the Zinn household? You betcha! Is our tree up and are it's lights agleam every moment we're awake- yes! Have I drunken way more hot chocolate in the past two weeks than in the rest of the year combined? Indeed I have! But although these things and many more kindle happiness in our hearts, the true joy of Christmas is in the awaiting of our amazing Savior, Jesus. There's a joy in the waiting, the expecting. It has been so fun this year, somehow it gets more fun and joyful every year, finding ways to point ourselves and others to Jesus. We have been enjoying thinking through new traditions this year. We have starting singing at least one Christ-centered Christmas carol (or hymn) each night. We have Christmas verses up. I made a cross to put at the top of our tree. I love each day looking through the Scriptures for verses that are Christmas verses but maybe not usually thought of as such.... for example, today's verse: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:1-3a

Last Christmas was really sweet being pregnant and thinking of Mary being pregnant with baby Jesus. Thinking of how amazing it was that he would humble himself and become the size of a "whatever that fruit or veggie was" of the week. This year I look at Finn and try to imagine Jesus-- rolling, smiling, crying. And yet still, he, unlike our sweet little Finn, is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being!? Unfathomable. Praise Him!

I have been enjoying this year thinking of ways that Finn and I can bless the people in our lives. Just seeing him makes so many people happy! I like to put him in his hopper seat on the counter in our kitchen and bake so that we can still see each other and spend time together, I think of it as "baking together." He's my best helper. So I've been thinking of who we can bake for... thinking that maybe at Christmas parties this year we can remind people that Jesus was a baby so little like Finn... I would love to hear other's thoughts on how to point to Christ this Christmas season! Loved reading about the Piper's Christmas traditions. Love his poems! Here, I'll post one next time for your reading pleasure. 

And, finally, the scoop on Finn! He is doing so great. The past week and a half or so he slept the majority of the nights straight through! What a blessing! He can't sleep with his arms out of the swaddle yet. But now he gets frustrated with them in the swaddle too! But as he's sleeping, in the night, his little hand will wiggle it's way up the middle and he'll find his little thumb. Suck, suck, suck he goes right through the night! 

Finn flipping over!

As I wrote in my last post, last week Finn took a monster nap and then woke up determined to roll from his back to his belly- and he did it! He was then otherwise occupied for the rest of the week with the discovery of his thumb (and oh, how he loves to suck it!), but then this morning while we were talking to Mimi (my mom) he got the urge again. Today he has sucked his thumb AND flipped over lots. Not to mention dressed like a pumpkin and taken "trick-or-treating" to our American friends in the neighborhood. Big day for our little guy! He is such a blessing from God. Tomorrow morning he has his first check-up (his 4 month) since we've been here. Curious about his weight and height! I'll keep you updated. 

So this video is from last week when he discovered he could flip over. Now when he does it he no longer cries out from the depth of his soul, it's a pretty quiet affair. But here's a video of the second time he flipped from back to belly, ever.

Tummy time!

Finn says "Agoo" (and razzes!) and has a growth spurt!

Thought I'd post some videos of Finn talking! He has been talking a lot. And, seriously, I think he had a growth spurt...today! It was so crazy. He woke up at 8 am this morning (versus the 5 am usual). Then in the middle of the day he took a 3 hour nap. He never takes those! And then, when he woke up he was DETERMINED to roll from his back to his stomach. He has NEVER done that! We have been working a little on rolling from front to back. But after he woke up from his nap, he curled up to one side... and then he was fussing so much because he was DETERMINED to roll to his side. He made it to his side! But not quite over to his belly. It was just amazing how this happened in the span of a day. And then he couldn't fit into the footsie pjs that he fit in...probably yesterday. So it's been a crazy day. I love this little guy and am so thankful to God for the amazing of adventure of being his mommy! 

A year ago today...

A year ago today my life was so different. It was the morning of my 27th birthday. I remember it so clearly...I was spending time with the Lord, thanking Him for the past year of life and consecrating to Him the next. Asking to fall more in love with Him than ever before. Asking Him to guide me. And then, so unexpectedly, a thought entered my mind and dug itself in my heart. "27 years old... isn't it about time to have a baby?" I remember praying, "Is this from you, Lord?" Dave and I had always hoped to have kids "some day" but hadn't felt like God had called us to it yet. But suddenly.... I just knew. I asked God to align Dave's heart to mine and to make it clear to me. Throughout that morning I was more and more excited and couldn't wait to talk to Dave about it. But I waited until after church and until I was really sure that this was something I was "ready" for (because is anyone really ever "ready"!?) That afternoon, I asked him what he thought about trying to start a family. After an hour or so of discussing it, we prayed and we were ready! (We tend to make decisions pretty quickly...especially if we really feel that it is of the Lord!) We knew that it could be awhile before God actually gave us a baby, but we were praying that we would be able to have the baby this summer in America if it was His will. And God was beyond generous to us, and now here I write, a year later, with the most precious 3-month-old in my lap. Praise God!!! This past year truly was amazing. I got to experience God growing Finn inside of me. I got go through the miracle of labor and delivery. I got to walk with Jesus through it all. I can't believe how much has changed in a year. This day will always have such special significance to me, not because it was the day I was born, but because it was the day, in a way, that Finn was born. What an amazing birthday present!!!! May God get all the glory...and continue to draw my heart this new year into a deeper love for the all-satisfying treasure--His Son, Jesus Christ. 

me and my little guy after a bath (his bath, but I'm the wet one!)

We love to go on walks! This carrier enables me to take Finn AND Ho Ho

So strong!

A birthday prayer...

God, thank You for such an amazing year. It was just amazing to experience You forming Finn in me. It was a blessing to have morning sickness and read a lot of books and know that Finn was healthy. It was so sweet to feel him kicking in me. It was a joy to see ultrasound pictures. It was so kind of you to turn him from upside down to actually upside-down! It was fun to have a big old belly. It was so special to spend most of the last trimester and the beginning of Finn’s life in America, celebrating with our families and friends there. It was incredible to hold him in my arms after a day of labor and think that might heart might break out of sheer joy and gratitude. Thank You for holding me, caring for me, and being the most amazing Father. Thank You for loving me, and never forsaking me. Thank You for this past year of life God. Please use this birthday gift that You gave me to bring You glory and make Your Name great in my life. Please use him to draw me closer to You and make me love You more--oh, he does! Please bring him to know You one day. Please never let him replace you as the number one treasure of my heart. Thank You for the gift of life, the gift of each day. You are Great!! Please let me fall more in love with you this next year than ever before, and walk closely with You. Thank you for today, and thank You for Your love, showed most of all at the cross when You Jesus died for me, the most undeserving sinner. You are the dearest, and I love You. Amen!

Finn after a bath

I have grown to love bath time! Up until about a week ago, bath time was followed by a not-so-fun meltdown time. But we changed the time of day to a less conducive to meltdown time of day and voila! After bath time has now become one of my favorites. He's not as talky and smiley in the video as he is sometimes, but I thought it was fun nonetheless. Please excuse my high-pitched voice...

God is great! Listening to this sermon right now...it is amazing.
"The Glory of God, the Lostness of Man, and the Gospel of Christ"
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/the-glory-of-god-the-lostness-of-man-and-the-gospel-of-christ#/watch/full

Recent pics

Since I know that you're probably checking this for an update on our little mufFinn, I am going to make your day with some recent pics! :)

Finn and I talking and looking at each other (we do this a lot :))

Smiling for daddy-- he's smiling more and more!

Finn stretching after a nap next to Ho Ho (the nap wasn't next to Ho Ho, just the stretching)

Two pictures from a 20 picture photo shoot I took trying to get one of him smiling! I think the camera makes him not smile bc as soon as it came out that smile went away! But he's still TOO cute.

Sleeping in the sling.

After a bath with his buddy/favorite toy, Mr. Elephant.

Our new game! We hold his hands and raise him up from a laying down position. And then he sits like this! His neck is getting so strong.

It is so fun getting to spend every day with him. I can't believe this gets to be my job! What a joy and blessing he is. Praising God with all my heart, and even more than for the gift of our son is for the gift of His own :) 

Enjoying Him and him

Hi friends!! We are having a great week here. God is so gracious! A few posts ago I wrote about our efforts in helping Finn nap. It was good, but exhausting. It's tough when it takes 45 minutes to help baby fall asleep on his own! And then he'd sleep for 30 minutes, wake up, and we'd do the same thing again. It led to a stressful few days. I found myself constantly watching the clock, stressed, and no longer enjoying my little boy. I prayed a lot and asked God for wisdom. And He has been so kind! I read something that said babies start to learn to self-soothe around 3 months. It's not that I didn't like holding him, it was just that it was impractical to literally hold him all the time. But reading that was really helpful and reassuring about not trying to rush and get ahead of the game but just enjoy my precious newborn! Our efforts however, did pay off, in that Finn will now go down for a nap in his crib and sleep for 30-45 minutes. I learned that a good baby nap is generally at least an hour and a half, so when he wakes up after I've had all that time to get stuff done, I'll go in and pick him up and put on my sling carrier. Then I can read, blog, or get whatever else done that I can do while sitting for the second half of his nap. He has been so well rested and so jolly because of it! And I am happy because I still get to hold him, but I also have time to do things. I am so thankful to the Lord!
I was also thinking that that can happen in our relationships with Him. We get so focused on our goals...what we're trying to accomplish... even if it's a good thing... and all of a sudden we find that we are disconnected from Him some how, more distant in our hearts, and just not enjoying Him anymore the way we're meant to. He is precious! It is amazing to me to think about the incredible love of God for us. I think of how my heart just feels like it's going to burst sometimes with love when I look at Finn, how I tell him at least 15 times a day that I love him just because I can't help it-- and I am struck by how much greater God's love is for His children.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
John, Jesus' friend and disciple, was struck by it too. He couldn't help exclaiming about the greatness of the love of God. Because Jesus, God's son, loved us and gave himself for us, we can become God's sons and daughters in Him through repentance and faith.

Discovered "facechat" this week. Such a blessing! "Mimi" (my mom) has been able to talk with us twice and get her dose of Finn. Also this week... week 3 of "Pancake Saturdays". We thought it would be fun to have a tradition of having pancakes on Saturday mornings (chocolate chip, of course) and having friends over to enjoy them with us. We have loved it so far! It's hard to believe we've only been here 3 weeks. Yesterday we read on baby center.com that at Finn's age you can begin to lie the baby down, hold their hands and raise them up to sitting position to practice holding their neck up. We did it and it was amazing! While we held his hands he just sat up holding his head up for the longest time! I'll have to post a pic-- we were so excited and amazed!

Every day is a gift and adventure in the Lord :)

Agoo!

Finn's talking! Okay, I guess not TALKING per say...but he is really getting more and more verbal. In my opinion, he's always been a pretty noisy baby (noisy in the positive sense...I love all his grunts, moans squeals and squeaks!) but now he is just going to town! His favorite thing to "say" is "agoo". I'm pretty sure it means, "I love you".

Finn pics

Well it's been a week so I last wrote... and so much has happened since then! Over the past two months in the States, Finn developed the, well, inability to sleep anywhere but in our arms. At night he'd sleep in his bassinet but during the day, it had to be arms! And it's important for babies to get sleep, so I held him a lot and when it was time for him to take a nap I even helped him fall asleep. So then, he learned the inability to fall asleep. This is very common with babies. In America though, though it was a little bit of a hindrance, we had grandmas who loved to hold him too :) Plus, I love to hold him close and smell him and delight in him! However, coming back to EA, it was my number one goal to buckle down and help this sweet baby learn--we were here two days and not a THING was unpacked! Once he'd wake up from a nap in my arms, I'd put him down and run around like a mad woman trying to accomplish something...but that's time I want to spend with him! So it was time to figure out a plan. Oftentimes though, teaching your baby how to sleep comes in two forms--either letting the baby cry it out or them not learning. But he's still so little and the crying it out was unbearable. But God has been so gracious to show us an in-between! It goes like this... when it's naptime, we have a naptime ritual, the same every time. I swaddle him and then hold him while I walk around the room and sing him a song. This calms him down because it's hard for babies to go from lots of light and stimulus to boom! nap! So we have that calm down time. Then I put him in his crib and sit beside him. I pat his belly or let him suck my finger (he hates pacifiers) but ONLY to the point of drowsiness, not sleep. Then I stop. A lot of times, this almost asleep baby will wake right up at that point. So then we do it again. And then again. But I really think he's learning, and he has for the past three days actually slept in his crib! However, around halfway through his nap, when the sleep cycle changes, he wakes up like clockwork! I try to get him to fall back asleep in his crib, but if he simply can't, I hold him. That has been what we've done today and yesterday and I feel a lot better about it than him simply not getting enough sleep at the cost of learning to fall asleep. God is giving me strength each day...it's like our daily bread. He gives us enough to get through each day and allows us to lean on and rely on Him. So that's been what's been doing on at home this week. It has been full blown baby sleep boot camp...I write everything down...and am really trying to help him because how much would it stink to only be able to fall asleep if someone patted you on the back while rocking you and sticking a finger in your mouth! Still a work in progress!

I left my camera in America (thankfully, it's on the way!) so I don't have any pics yet to post, but I do have these amazing pictures that were taken by my super talented (and wonderful) friend Kristin Moore when Finn was maybe about...5 weeks old? Enjoy!

Color:

http://kristinmoorephoto.smugmug.com/Family/Finn-David-Zinn 

BW:

http://kristinmoorephoto.smugmug.com/Family/Finn-David-Zinn-BW

We're here

It's amazing to think about what God has done in our lives. As I type this, I'm cradling the most precious baby in my left arm (I'm getting better at one-handed typing!) Our dog is sitting next to me on the couch, joyfully chewing her bone. When we got into EA last night I was marveling at what God has done in two years. I remember like it was yesterday arriving here two years ago-- barely knew a soul, couldn't understand a thing, didn't have a place to live-- we had arrived in a foreign country. But when we got in yesterday, it wasn't like that. Our dear friend came and met us at the airport and it was a joyful reunion. She even had her cousin's husband come with her because he has a car and she didn't want us to have to take a taxi. She has become family. We got here and introduced Finn to our apartment, and I can't stop rejoicing that he's here with us. Our family has grown and I just LOVE our new addition! It's already getting hard to remember what things were like without him. When we got here last night there were signs on the wall welcoming us and a note with breakfast for today on the table. What a blessing! Friends have already stopped by an it was so good to see them. The water man came and brought us water. The dog park came and brought us Ho Ho! My point is, I am so thankful for God's kindness to us these past two years. This place isn't foreign anymore, it's home.

Well, I know that if you're reading this it's very likely that you're looking for info about Finn...

speaking of Finn, that was as far as I got on that post! Because then he woke up! ;) More to come...

Our little watermelon

Hey all! Our little watermelon is growing...and not so little...and kicking...and we can't wait to meet him! With the arrival of spring and warm weather has come watermelon, and oh, has it been timely! I have found an insatiable desire to eat watermelon and it has been delicious. In other news, we can't believe that we are heading back to the States in a little over 2 weeks! We are super excited to see our family and friends. We will get to attend my little brother's graduation from college and cheer from the bleachers because he is an all-star student! Hope he won't mind if I make a sign that says "Yay Doug you are the BEST!" or something along those lines. Though we are so excited to visit for the summer, it's crazy thinking about leaving EA, too. We have been here for almost two years now and it has become our home. We have friends we'll be sad to say good-bye to, a dog that we'll miss, an apartment that will have a sub-letter (what a blessing!), etc. We are so thankful for the time we've had here so far and all that God has done in our lives. Can't believe that when we come back, we'll be three!
The past week or so we've been busy figuring out what we need to do before we leave and doing it. I went and checked out HoHo's kennel, which is great. What a blessing knowing she'll be in good hands while we're gone! Went to Ikea to return a couple of things and pick up the last few things for Bun's room...it's pretty much ready for a baby! Hope he likes green, because his mom sure does! ;) Have been going through our stuff and getting RID of stuff... it's amazing how it accumulates. Out with the old, in with the new (baby)! It seems like the perfect time to be organizing and preparing- before we go the States for the summer and before we come back with our hands FULL!
Have been praying a lot for Bun Bun and even more for myself....that I would be a mom who is passionately in love with Jesus and can point him to the gospel over and over, his whole life. I am already so in need of God's grace and know that I will only realize my need more with the arrival of a baby. What a blessing from God! Beyond a prepared room, what we need are prepared hearts ready to lean on Him. Thank you for praying for us!
We are now in our third trimester and in the middle of week 30. Though we are so excited, I am also trying to really enjoy this time knowing that it's our last time of not having a baby/child for...ever. So we're enjoying the convenience with which we do most everything, the plentiful time that's on our hands, etc. Every season is sweet, because it's spent with Him!
Recently celebrating the resurrection was such a sweet reminder of our living Savior. Have really been enjoying and savoring and trying to remember that a lot, that's He's alive RIGHT NOW. I love spring. So much new life, so much watermelon, so much Jesus!

21 weeks!

Hi friends! Well, if you haven't heard... Bun Bun is a BOY!!! We are having a baby boy and we are so thankful to God! We have been having a blast lately thinking through name ideas... Dave made a great point last night that was really encouraging to both of us, that while a name is important, what's most important is the person behind the name. We want to be praying for our little boy. We have spent tons of time already preparing, thinking of names, learning about baby stuff, etc. But most importantly of all is to be praying and worshiping Christ, letting God turn us into the parents that He wants us to be. What hope there is in that!! There are so many mistakes we're going to make...but I am filled with hope that ultimately our Father is the best parent ever. Praise Him!
We are in week 21 now--time is flying by. Sometimes I don't know how I can wait 19ish more weeks, but I know it's for the best...we need all the prep time we can get! :) We are excited to head to the States in May and can't believe how BIG my belly is going to be by then. I am already growing it feels like daily. Thankful for preggo hand-me-downs and how they have been spicing up my style a little. It's fun because you inherit things that maybe you normally wouldn't by yourself but add a different flair to your usual wardrobe. So right now I'm in a combo of wearing the same outfit every day and then suddenly adding a new article of clothing that really looks nothing like the rest of my clothing. It's great! It's still pretty cold here, but once it gets warmer, I'll be able to start wearing lots of fun hand-me-downs AND show off my belly! Still adjusting to that... ;) Here in EA, pregnant women often wear clothing that helps protect against radiation. Yesterday our tutor gave us a gift-- a radiation gown! It is sweet and pink and I feel like a real genuine EAsian preggo. That was so thoughtful of her...we are so blessed to have been thoughtful, generous, loving people in our lives!! So thankful for them and the reflection of our amazingly thoughtful, generous and loving Abba they are!

Happy Birthday, happy hubby!

Today is Dave's 27th birthday! We have had a fun day celebrating him and the gift he is, and it has been especially special because his friends Dave and Webb are here from the States to celebrate it with us. We kicked off the morning with some banana bread, Dave's fav, and fruit salad and scrambled eggs. Then we chatted and opened a few presents (a kungfu movie cause Dave's "starting to get into those" and some big posters with lots of pics on them (for example, of lots of wild animals) and then the word for them (we've realized some gaps in our language learning). Next we had some time for singing and worshiping and played then Monopoly Deal. The guys went and played ping pong and got beat down by a 69 year old man, which they loved...no they really did.... and then our friend James came over (complete with cake!) and now they are playing Risk. Risk...such a guy's game. I'm sure there are some girls that like it, but it just feels like such a dude thing to have those four guys camped out over a world map with little soldiers playing Risk. The sounds of their laughter makes my heart glad. I am so thankful for Dave! He is the best husband and friend ever, besides Jesus!

It is extra amazing and surreal this year to celebrate his birthday because next year on his birthday we'll have a little baby. We had a doctors appointment recently and the doctor said things are looking good....we got to hear the heartbeat again, which is always such a joy and blessing. Next appointment: find out if he/she is a he or a she! We are PUMPED! I can't believe that we are at week 16. Time has been flying by. I know there's still a long way to go, but each week is such a blast learning about what God is doing as He forms our little Bun. This week: our baby's about the size of an avocado. It could be any day that I might feel the baby move now... but I am trying not to expect anything (for example, it will happen at week 17, etc) and just enjoy each passing stage. I find that I am still pretty tired even though out of the first trimester, but a lot less nauseous. And I'm not sure if I'm "glowing" yet...but I am grateful, so grateful!

Gratefully announcing...

We're pregnant! (or, "I have" as they can say here). We are so thankful for this gift! We are right now at week 14; the baby is due July 14th. We are planning on having the baby in the States and are so excited to share in it with our family and all of you! The first trimester went well; I (Morgan) experienced a good deal of nausea but that was a gift too (because EVERYTHING is for my good! :)) and now I'm feeling a lot better. Can't believe we are already in the SECOND TRIMESTER!! We have read that this week our baby is about the size of a lemon (we've also read the size of a fist). Here's a link in case you're interested in reading about the development this week:
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-14-weeks_1103.bc?intcmp=timeline
We'll keep you posted, thanks for celebrating with us!