First Family Photos

Family time! At Mom's prompting we decided it was time to get some family shots taken while Liberty is still 'newborn'. So here we are- the Jayakar Oguri Family.

American Bike

Jayakar decided this motorcycle is a bit bigger than what he had in India- nearly 10 times the engine power- and much larger than anything he’d ever want to try and handle himself! But he enjoyed riding on it with my uncle when we visited Waverly for Memorial Day.

More Construction

The rafters are all in place, the walls are sheeted…things are moving rapidly!

Mother and Daughter

Finally- we were able to get some photos of me with my little girl! She’s sixteen days old here, eating well, back up to her birth-weight, beginning to develop her personality, and smiling often.

Construction

Here’s a view of the house addition from down below- so the guys are on the upstairs floor, and you can see the rough openings that will be my windows!
Then they sawed boards for the stairs…

and cut boards for the upstairs wall…

and set the first rafter…and the last rafter.

Liberty at Two Weeks

Memorial Day

Memorial Day has always been special for our family. Every year we go to Waverly for the ceremonies there because it is the most special day of the year to my Grandpa Juhl, and we want to honor him by remembering it with him. He is a survivor of the Normandy beach landing, and received many injuries during the War- he still carries quite a bit of shrapnel in his body. I am very proud of my Grandpa’s war service, and it was wonderful to get to take my husband and daughter to the service this year. Of course, it was Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa’s first chance to meet the newest member of our family!

Smile for Grandma

Liberty gave us her first smile when she was ten days old! So we wanted to capture one in a picture...and Grandma has the best success in this area.

House Addition

This is a final view of the concrete walls and outer wood walls of the basement portion of the house addition. After this, we put the upstairs floor on.

More Than a Week

Liberty is nearly nine days old- incredible!- and doing very well. She is a calm, content baby who rarely cries- her one demand is human contact. She has no colic or other infant issues, and we are truly blessed with a 'good baby'.

Proud Papa

When Mommy's not available, Jayakar has found that he has the quieting touch- so long as he's bouncing Liberty on the exercise ball!

My First Prayer

Happy Grandma

Liberty is a very calm baby, and when awake she is SOOO alert. She thinks about everything! Grandma is always happy to lend a hand when Mom needs help :)

Birth

For years I have determined to have a natural pregnancy and at-home birth. They are, after all, natural events that the female body was designed for, and not an illness or cause for worry. My main reason was to leave God in control of ALL things concerning the little life that would come into this world as a result. God blessed me with a husband who was willing to do the same.

During the pregnancy, we never went to a hospital or saw a doctor. Our checkups were done with a friend of mine who has training in childbirth, and were kept to non-invasive procedures.

When the time came for the delivery, we were at home. I praise God for my earlier convictions, as my labor was anything but easy. Seventy-two hours of contractions, ending in four hours of excruciating back-labor taxed me far beyond my own ability. But Jesus is Lord of ALL, and when I was weak, He was strong. He became my support, and enabled me to bring Liberty into the world with no medications, interventions, or artificial inducements of any kind. My labor ran its natural course- the way God intended it to happen- and a healthy, content baby girl was the result.

During this time I was also privileged to be surrounded by a wonderful birth team: my husband, mom, dad, and two friends. They were all wonderful support, offering prayer, encouragement, and physical support in truly incredible ways.

God is so able to do His will in things. We just have to trust in Him. I am so grateful for the testimony the birth of my daughter can be to God’s ability to see us through things when we determine to do them in His way.

Our Baby- Liberty Juhl Oguri

Our daughter, Liberty Juhl Oguri, was born at 4:59 pm on Wed, May 14, 2008 after a 72 hour labor (yes, you read that right), starting at 5:00 pm on Sun. Liberty weighs 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and is 20.5 in long. She looks like her daddy! Though difficult, it was a very successful home birth, and both mother and daughter are doing well, and enjoying spending time together during a short period of needed bed-rest.

Liberty means 'Freedom under control'. Her name is especially fitting in this day in age, when we have such rampant so-called 'freedom' to do anything we wish without restraint. The name Liberty will be a life-long reminder that true freedom can come only by exercising freedom within the confines of God's control. We long for our daughter to experience the true freedom of living her life under the control of the Lord Jesus.

Right on Time

Our little one is on the way- this photo was taken at the start of my labor! So far, things are mild and slow, and nothing is progressing very much. But I'm feeling good, and all is well with the baby, so there's nothing wrong with a long labor! Our 'textbook' baby appears ready to arrive right on the due date. The next post should be of our precious new arrival!!