Like Father and Mother, Like Daughter.

To put it in Matt's words, we have a non-conformist child. Yep, yesterday was my 36 week OB apointment and surprise surprise our daughter is breech. At my last apointment 4 weeks ago, she was in a wonderful head down position and the lady told me that if she turned, I'd know about it. A few days later I started to feel a foot in my side and our daughter decided she liked that position and stayed in it. So for 3 and a half weeks I assumed she was in a head down, foot in my side position that she had found was particularly comfortable... in actual fact it's a head up, foot in my side position that she has found is particularly comfortable.

The doctors have given us two options... the first is a scheduled C-section. I would prefer not to go that route if at all possible... The second is to try and turn the baby manually at 37 weeks. This proceedure has a 50% success rate, is quite painful and has a few "side note" complications that could arise. Some of the things that could happen are:

-the baby could turn and everything would go as planned
-the baby could not turn and I would have to have a scheduled C-section anyway
-the baby could turn and the proceedure could cause me to go into labour, in which case I'd just have the baby normaly
-the baby could not turn and I'd go into labour and have an emergency C-section
-the baby could get distressed and I'd have an emergency C-section
-the placenta could come away from the uterus wall causing danger for both myself and the baby, resulting in an emergency C-section
-the placenta could rupture or get damaged resulting in an emergency C-section

There are a few others but I wasn't paying as close attention as I needed to so I've already forgotten them.

Aparently our baby being breech is more of a complication than I would have expected. I think we've pretty much decided to give the baby turning a try... the worst thing that could happen is that I'd have a C-section, which I'd have to have any way. The doctor will try to turn her next tuesday, 2 days before Matthew's scheduled eye surgery. Dispite the offered epidural for the pain, I'm quite nervous and would appreciate any prayers offered on our behalf.

A note to both our dear mothers to whom we did the exact same thing; Sorry.

The New Place

Just over a week ago we moved into our new apartment. Hooray! It was a taxing move that took us 3 days from the start of all the packing to the handing over the keys to the old apartment. Needless to say the unpacking isn't finished yet!

A little information about our new apartment:

-Ground floor (first floor to all the American readers)
-Two bedrooms
-Two bathrooms
-Spacious kitchen
-Pantry
-Washer and dryer hookups
-Built in microwave
-Alarm system
-Gated community
-24 hour maintainance
-Access to pool and gym
-Access to laundry room
-Access to tennis courts
-Access to children's play area
-Access to car wash facility
-Our own supply of beatles that seem to be attracted to our front door
-Upside-down front window that causes leakage problems in heavy rain
-Too few parking spaces
-Noisy upstairs neighbours
-A funny smell
-Two phone books
-Delivered newspapers in blue plasic covers
-Warmth-seeking spiders (sorry Grandma...)
-Roomy bathtub incase the shower with immediate hot water doesn't cut it
-A square hole in the wall between the kitchen and the living room so I can see into whichever room I'm not in
-Reverse working light switches which drive Matthew crazy
-Windows which block out almost all outside noises
-White walls which arn't allowed to be painted
-Pretty garden areas around about that I can peer at through my windows

All in all we're very happy with it so far. We're settling in nicely, getting our home set up, deciding where different things go, etc... all of those fun 'new home' things.
I shall take pictures when we have ourselves established so you can all see!

Farewell Old Friend

Yesterday, I had my hair cut.

It was a traumatic and painful change, but I felt it was time and let Matt deside the length. He chose to cut it at my shoulder blades, so now my hair is just slightly above my shoulder blades. I cried... but Matt was very kind and comforted me in a sympathetic and loving way. I guess I didn't need that little bit of pride after all... and it was worth it, my hair still looks good, just a little (or a lot) shorter.

An Answer from Heaven

Over the past 6 months or so, the apartment complex that we are living in has gotten worse and worse. More than once we have had to call the police for noise disturbances late at night, fighting, gunshots close by, etc...

The sunday before Matt got home I was getting ready to go to sleep when I hear a couple of girls out on our porch that's shared by our neighbour. This isn't unusual as he is something of a party animal and often has loud people over with loud music playing (though he himself is lovely). As I was marking off my day on my caleder by the kitchen I hear a 'pop' from my porch and a smash outside my living room window. I then hear the girls acting like they were guilty before fleeing into my neighbour's apartment. That was enough for me, I went outside, saw that the back window of a truck car thing was laying in pieces on the floor and knocked firmly on my neighbours door. I demanded to know what was going on and after denying any knowlege of anything, my neighbour suggested some silly scenario that I knew was not true. I informed him of what I'd heard and that I was ringing the police before doing so. As I was on the phone, the girls I had heard fled the scene and drove away.
To cut the rest of the story short, the police came, my neighbour changed his story, mine stayed the same and the poor truck owner was found.

Needless to say, when I informed Matthew about it (after he had come home) he was not happy. He professed that we were moving (which we had already looked into doing) and went directly to the office. We found out that to move into one of the two bedroom townhouses here it would cost us $300... to break our lease completely and be able to move away from the complex it would cost us in the region of $1110 just to break the lease.
Shelly the manager, due to the circumstances, offered to waiver the transfer fee of $300 to move into a townhouse... We looked at the one on offer and though I was not impressed, I would have gone for it just because of the money it would cost otherwise and the added space it afforded compared to what we have now so that we could fit our baby in comfortably. Matt however refused to even consider it and politely told them that moving from one part of the complex to another would not solve the problem because we just don't feel safe here.

So we shopped around for another apartment complex and found a really nice one whose rent for a two bedroom apartment was only $12 more than the townhouses here, with a considerable increase in quality of apartment, space, storage, facilities, etc... We decided that the benefits outweighed the money aspect and we signed up for the apartment that was going to become available on the ground floor. Matt tried to go through the military to get orders so we could break the lease without fees, but there was no way that they could help.

The only options we had were dishonourable methods to break the contract or to pay the money. This caused me great stress for a good day or so and I prayed mightily to my Heavenly Father before giving the burdon to Him and accepting that whatever was to happen, would happen and that we would deal with it as best we were able.

Just days later when Matt went to the officce to talk to one of the staff members, Shelly, the manager informed him that she was not charging us the fees as our case had special circumstances in which the police were involved and a full investigation was under way. Can you believe it?! Shelly is a great manager for the company because she gets them money... she doesn't do things like this. That being said... she obviously does when moved upon by Heavenly Father through the spirit!

My prayers (and those of Matt) were answered so directly and immediately that I am still in a state of near-shock. Not that I didn't believe Heavenly Father was capable of miracles of such magnitude or import, but usually my miracles are small ones that come through less obvious means. This was such a big miracle to me that I just wasn't expecting...
Oh how my Heavely Father loves me and looks after my family!! It seems that as soon as I recieve one miracle, another one is already being put into play, just waiting for the oportunity to manifest itself!

So, on the 16th of September we shall be moving into our new apartment, without paying an extortionate amount of money! Hooray!!

By Popular Demand...

...a new post!

Hello blog readers!! It has been a good long while since anything was posted on this blog. Shame on me, I know. But! I will be better... so here is a very brief visit to the past year that has elapsed in silence.

On the 17th of September 2007 I, Ruth Stowers (Wiles at the time), flew to Arizona in the grand old US of A. On the 22nd of September we were sealed together for all time and eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple. What an amazing experience and such a wonderful blessing, to be sealed to the man I love... forever. Never to be separated! Hooray for Temples!
Since then we have been living in North Carolina near to Fort Bragg... it's been an interesting year! For starters, we became pregnant! Oh yes! A little girl will soon be joining our family... only 11 weeks away! She is due to be born on the 28th of October (2008) and we are very very excited!
Matt has been away for 5 months in classes with only a few weekends and weeks home... but on the 8th of August, he got back from his final class in Phase II of his training. Which means that he will be able to stay home for a good long while! It is such a relief to me, knowing that he will be there for the birth of our baby. Not only that but it's so wonderful having him home!!! No one can truely understand what it's like to have their husband away for such a long time without contact unless they have experienced it themselves. I know that I certainly didn't understand it! But now he's back and life is just that much better.

Yesterday, the 10th of August was my 21st birthday. Heavenly Father was so kind to give me the best birthday present that I could ever receive (having my husband home). It really was the best birthday that I have ever had. I had my husband, my baby, my chocolate button birthday cake, I got to spend time with our dear friend April and her family, I got to speak to my Mum and Dad for a few minutes, I got to speak to Matt's Mom and family for a few minutes, I got lots of presents for myself and the baby from the baby shower the night before and then a few presents actually on my birthday from people who couldn't make it... it really was the best birthday ever.
Now life is going to continue as normal, Matt is starting his schooling in Korean, I am continuing to get bigger and bigger, yet the great love and happiness that I have been feeling for the past few days is still lingering on... Could a woman be any happier?! I am surrounded by everything that really matters and I know that the joy I feel is a gift from God. A great big hug of a gift with a "happy birthday" note attached with a ribbon.

So there is the year that I missed and I will try to keep our blog updated so that everyone can share in our experiences. Until next time!