Jumping off from last night’s thankful post, I also want to say that right now I am praying for other parents. Or parents-to-be.

Brynne and Bo are waiting the birth of their first child. They are serving in Solvakia, so I am interested in the differences that I sure their story will tell. (Brynne is also my little sister’s SIL.) Last update, Brynne was at 41 weeks.

I had a dream about Brynne and Bo last night. They had a boy and named him Jack.

Jeannette and Chris will be taking Ellis to the hospital today to have his cochlear implant turned on. I really admire Jeannette and her desire to have her son be bilingual and embrace his deafness. When I saw her in June I saw what a great mom she is and a neat kid that Ellis is.

Ellis was also in my dream last night. He is such a happy boy!

Fuller and Grandpa Fred

Originally uploaded by CrumleyFamily.

Today my dad left for Afghanistan. He has a long trip ahead of him and then will be gone for 4 -6 months.

My dad loves what he does- he loves ministering to the men and women serving our country. And his passion for God and his passion for his job give me a peace about his mission in Afghanistan.

We will miss him terribly, but technology is a wonderful thing. We didn’t have email or the internet when Daddy was away for the Gulf War. This time around it is so different. Daddy mentioned that he loved seeing the new pictures of Fuller everyday, so it gives me inspiration to keep putting them up.

Please pray for my dad, I know he will appreciate it.

Last evening Fuller and I spent a few hours with my friend Esther. When we arrived she had plenty of visitors, but we hung out until they went home so that Esther and I could get some good girl chat in before today.

Today is the day Baby Benjamin will be born. If you can remember, today at noon, send up prayers for Esther and Benjamin because noon is when the c-section is scheduled. Everybody says Ben looks great- he will probably weigh more than Luke did and Luke was born at 36 weeks.

Es and I had a good time last evening, catching up from the holidays and talking about the days ahead. She mentioned probably having to set her alarm again to wake up every two to three hours to feed the baby (preemies usually just want to sleep) and that she will be getting some help from family this week, but they will have to leave soon. She had a meal from Chili’s waiting for her to consume at 3:30 this morning, since 4 am was the cut off for her to have food.

I’m excited and nervous for my friend today and I probably won’t see her for a few days (she and I discussed this), so I am praying fervently that all will be ok and Ben’s first hours will be with his mom, not the NICU.

If you remember I asked prayers for my friend Esther, who is in the hospital and now 32 weeks pregnant. On Tuesday she was told she had no amniotic fluid. This morning I got an email from her husband, Greg:

You may have gotten your Christmas Miracle. Today when they did the ultrasound they found 9cm of fluid. 9cm over night!! The Drs have no clue what is going on or why. Esther may get to come home on Christmas Eve.

Please, please pray hard and with urgency for Esther and baby Benjamin. I know if it was me I would want to be home for Christmas. And I know she misses Luke. And her dog had 4 puppies on Friday! I would really want to see that.

But most importantly we all want a healthy Esther and a healthy Benjamin. So please pray for those things and the decisions the doctors will be making in the next few hours/ days.

I haven’t been able to get to a computer until now, but just an update on my friend Esther. Due to the lack of amniotic fluid, she will have to stay in the hospital until she delivers Benjamin, hopefully in about 4 weeks. She feels fine, the baby is developing just fine, but the lack of fluid makes her high risk.

She has family coming in and around to help with Luke, but I know it is a bummer to have to be in the hospital over Christmas. So please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

This is Damon’s sister, Vicki, and her husband, Bob.

This morning they will leave their children with Damon’s parents and head from Lake Martin, Alabama (near Montgomery) to go see the extent, if any, of the damage to their home in Madisonville, LA.

This article, from Nola.com, has given us the best idea of what they will face when they return. They will take a generator with them, on loan from Damon’s dad.

Please pray for their saftey as they travel.

Please pray that they will be able to find gas when they need it. Damon’s cousin, Angie, lives in Jackson, Mississippi and they have been without power for a few days. She decided to go to Lake Martin to be with her mother, and Angie has been having problems finding gas.

Please pray that they will keep their spirits up and remember that God is the one in control and taking care of them.

Please pray that they will be able to communicate with others- their friends who also evacuated and their loved ones waiting for news.