Evelyn is 1 Month Old!

I can not believe that our precious baby has been with us for over a month already. She has certainly been a great blessing to us. We can't imagine our life without her!



Evelyn Rose Adcock, You are a beautiful and sweet baby and your Momma and Daddy adore you! We are so excited to see what the future will bring. We love you Evie!

Evie's Birth Story

I knew Evelyn was going to be a February baby. She was originally due on January 29th (my mom's birthday), but throughout the pregnancy the baby always measured either right on time or a week late. So I wasn't concerned when my due date came and went. I actually did experience some of what I thought were contractions on the due date but they may have just been a figment of my imagination, and if not they were just extremely light. On Monday, the 31st, I had an appointment with my midwife and I was checked for dilation of the cervix. I was 1 cm dilated and had a really soft cervix. Things were moving in the right direction and we were getting excited. We had a few things around the house to get finished, so I wasn't impatient. Putting the crib together, packing a bag for labor, and getting a few sewing projects done were on the list. At the appointment on Monday we set another appointment for Thursday, the 3rd, to have a NST scan done. We did discuss that I could begin a few natural induction techniques and that if I didn't have a baby in my arms by Thursday, we could step those up. I headed home to wait for baby to arrive.

On Monday night and Tuesday morning, the winter storm of the decade decided to arrive instead of the baby. The roads iced over, temperatures dropped dramatically and cabin fever set in! For about 3 days the temperature never got above 25 degrees, which meant the ice on the roads wasn't melting and pregnant Laura was stuck at home. This was not ideal. Justin and I tried to take our minds off the fact that our baby was not here yet or even on her way, by watching movies, going to the mall to walk around, or just sitting around the fire. All those projects that I mentioned before, they got accomplished on Day 2 of the snow-in. Thursday came and since there was still no baby, we headed up to the birth center to have the NST scan done. Baby's heart sounded great and she passed with flying colors. I was re-checked and had dilated another ½ inch. My midwife gave me some herbal supplement that could help labor get started. We made another appointment for the next Monday to have another NST scan done. She told me that I didn't need to worry but if I hadn't gone into labor by 41 weeks 5 days, that they would transfer my care to an OB. This was not our desire, so we made it our goal to have this baby before the “deadline”. I did my best not to stress out, but when you feel like you are racing against the clock every day, it gets a little nerve racking.

On Friday, we got yet another hit of winter weather, this time in the form of 6 inches of snow. By Saturday the temps had started to warm up a bit. Thank goodness! I needed to get out! We went to an auction and lunch with some friends and then headed to church that night. The talk at church was of the Super Bowl the next day and the question was whether I'd make it to the party or not. I was hoping not! I had been having some small contractions for most of the day so I was optimistic that a baby not a football game was in our future.

On Saturday night around bed time, the contractions got more intense. I started experiencing some back labor and I really wasn't feeling the contractions in my abdomen at all. They were about 10-20 minutes apart throughout the night. On Sunday morning we got up and I decided to call the midwife and let her know that contractions were coming consistently. She told me to stay active, eat something, drink fluids and call her back by noon to give her a status update. Justin and I went to Target to walk around and just get out of the house for a few minutes. I had a few contractions in the store but nothing major. We got back to the apartment and I decided to cook us a pot of soup. If baby wasn't going to show up today then at least we'd have something to keep us warm! I was still having extreme back labor and the contractions were anywhere from 6-8 minutes apart at times and 10-12 minutes apart at times. It was a bit discouraging to not know where exactly we were in the process of labor. I thought the back labor was horrible but the contractions themselves were really not that awful. Our midwife called to check and told me to call back when they were about 5 minutes apart and had been that way for an hour. After I got lunch ready, I sat down on the couch for a few minutes and dozed off a bit. I was exhausted from being up all night. Once I did this, the contractions again spread way out. This was disappointing to us because we felt that we had been making progress. We got up and took a walk around our apartment complex. Walking helped things get going again. When we got back I decided to get in the shower and the warm water pressure was heavenly on my back! I took about a 50 minute shower and ended up having 11 contractions during it. It was time to head to the birth center!

We got there around 5 and our midwife checked my dilation. I was at 4 cm, 100% effaced, and the baby was at the zero station. Pretty good news but I knew I still had a way to go. The midwife admitted me and the we headed upstairs to get to business. I found that exercise ball was comfortable to rotate on and then we the contraction got worse, I'd lean on the bed while Justin put pressure on my back. I also labored on all fours and walking up and down the stairs for a while. We knew we wanted to get in the birth tub at some point but not too early because it could slow things down. After a couple of hours of laboring, I felt closer so I had the midwife recheck me and I was at 7 cm. Great progress for just a few hours! It was also in the safe zone to get into the tub. The warm water was awesome for the back labor, but I still needed Justin to squeeze my hips together during the contraction. At some point in the tub, I felt the urge to push and wanted to be checked before I began pushing. The midwife was out of the room at this point and only the nurse was there. She told me to just go with what my body told me, but I was still uncomfortable pushing until I was checked so I just kept laboring.

About 15 minutes later the midwife came back and she checked me and I was 10 cm dilated and ready to push. Now came the hard part, at least for me! Pushing was some of the most exhausting work I've ever done. We started pushing around 11 on the 6th and it was quite a process. I began pushing in a squatting position in tub. While pushing in the squatting position, my water finally broke. The baby wasn't moving down very fast in the squat so we switched to me leaning back with Justin sitting behind me and the midwife and nurse in front of me bracing my legs. I did make some progress but I was getting so tired so after a while the midwife suggested we get out of the tub to try and move the baby down faster. Once out of the tub I pushed for 3 contractions in a squat while holding onto the bed post. This position was effective but I still needed to try something different. We got into the bed and I had Justin on one side holding one leg, the nurse on the other holding the other leg and my midwife in front of me checking the progress of the baby. It took about 5 more pushes and we got the baby's head almost out. The pain and pressure I felt at this point was the absolute worst of the day. Up until now I had pretty much labored in silence barely making a noise and all of it had seemed really bearable. Not anymore! I was yelling loudly and I just wanted to be done. Justin was amazing in supporting me, telling me that yes I could finish this and that he was so proud of me. That gave me the strength to push through and with one more contraction her head came through. After that the body slid out with just a small push and my baby was in my arms! It was time to find out whether I had been carrying a boy or a girl these last 41 weeks. I took a peek and announced to Justin, “It's a girl!” She was so alert and aware and just looked at Justin and I as we looked at her. We were and are completely in love!

We let the cord pulse until it stopped and by then my mother-in-law had come upstairs to join us. She was able to cut the cord, a job Justin didn't want! I delivered the placenta without even pushing and the midwife told me I only had a small skin tear that wouldn't require a stitch. We spent some time bonding with our new baby girl and giving her a name, Evelyn Rose. After a while, the nurse and midwife came over to weigh, measure, and check her out. Evelyn Rose, born at 12:47am on February 7, 2011, weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is a perfectly healthy baby and we are so blessed by God!

Meet Miss Evelyn Rose Adcock!

It's a girl! Our beautiful little lady was born on February 7, 2011 at 12:47am. Evie weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is absolutely perfect and we are so in love! God has blessed our little family!

Born To Live!

"The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy; I come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

This verse gives us 3 promises from Jesus.

1. The promise of incarnation. Jesus says, "I come..." He became a human to save us. This principle is the foundation of Christianity. Jesus was a person, a complete human. He has a soul and emotions. How amazing that our Savior became flesh and blood just to redeem us! These are some verses to remind us how Jesus became a man for us.

• "For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:17
• "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
• "Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" Matthew 26:38
• "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled." John 11:33
• "Jesus wept." John 11:35

2. The Promise of Salvation Jesus came to give us redemption. "I came that they may have life..."

• "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22
• "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:9
• "...who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." 2 Timothy 1:9
• "Salvation is found in one one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

3. The Promise of Celebration "I came that they may have life and have it to the full." This promise isn't dependent upon our circumstances. We have life to the full with Jesus always, no matter what is happening. We have joy and hope and laughter and life abundantly in Jesus. Are you allowing your situation to define you? Or do you find your identity in Christ? Despite our pains and struggles we sometimes face, Jesus wants us to live a full and abundant life both here on Earth and eternally in Heaven.

This sermon is from Pastor Mark Rylander and was preached on July 31, 2010 at Prestonwood Baptist Church.

Our Biggest Adventure Yet!

Introducing...

Baby Adcock!

We are so excited to share our news and can't wait until January to meet this beautiful little person! Please be praying for our family as we prepare for our most thrilling adventure yet!

But If Not...

At Prestonwood, we are continuing our summer series "Life Messages". The guest speakers are asked what is the one message you would preach if you had time to only preach one more lesson. Justin and I were both inspired by the simplicity and truth of Dr. Robert Sloan's message. He posed the following question: Can we be faithful to the Lord in an environment that isn't conducive? It seems like an easy answer, but when you are in the depths of a trial, the answer might not come so quickly. These guys in the book of Daniel knew a little bit about being in hot situation...

• "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:13-18

If you read further in this chapter, God did rescue these men from the blazing furnace, but He won't always choose to do so. Sometimes we will be in the pit of flames and not be given an easy way out. Some believe that if you ask God in the right way, He must heal us. That isn't always true and that isn't what has been promised to us. The only healing and saving that Jesus has promised is being with Him for eternity in Heaven. God has infinite wisdom that we simply don't have. We won't always know why something happens, but He does. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that fact. First, they had faith in God that He could rescue them if He chose. But the actual statement that was of the most importance in this passage was the words, "But even if he does not...." These three men were going to be faithful and continue to stand strong against Nebuchadnezzar even if God chose not to rescue them from that fiery furnace.

Dr. Sloan then told the congregation about the Battle of Dunkirk. This amazing battle occurred during WWII on the beaches of Dunkirk in France. The German army had completely flanked the Allied forces on 3 sides, with the water at their backs. These soldiers were stranded, no where to run and completely out of options. One of the generals sent a telegram to the British leaders and on it were three words. "But if not..." These three words taken from the book of Daniel were the same words that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to Nebuchadnezzar long ago. The general was making a statement that yes, they needed help, but if help doesn't come, then they will stand and fight. In what Winston Churchill called a "miracle of deliverance", Hitler for some strange, unknown reason decided not to attack for 3 days and the Allied forces were rescued by a navy of 700 merchant marine boats, fishing boats, and personal boats along some of the ships of the British Navy.

What will we do when push comes to shove? Will we serve the Lord when the circumstances are not so fair? The pressure of the world is mounting and it would be easy to just give in. Can you be counted on to stand up for the Lord no matter the cost?

3 Years!

I want to wish my fabulous husband and best friend a very happy anniversary! It's been 3 years since we said "I do." and I love him more everyday! We have made it our priority to firmly fix our marriage in our Christian faith and it has made all the difference. Another thing I love about our relationship is how we laugh together. I hope we never outgrow finding humor in our surroundings and in each other. We do our best to make everyday joyful, even when it isn't always easy. And finally, we strive to make everyday an adventure. I pray we continue to view life as an exciting experience and hopefully we'll never be bored!