Welcome

Welcome to my blog page: Vita--the life we lead. This is nothing too fancy, just a log of what is occurring in the life of Joseph. Sometimes there will be fun, interactive posts, and other times it will be a boring post about what I'm thinking about. In either case, enjoy. Laugh with me, write me comments, and have a blasty blast. (Also, view my "About Me" at the bottom of the page.)



Sunday, October 30, 2011

Ode to an Old Job

Well as you all know already, the amazing thing that the Lord had done since two posts ago was that He simply answered my prayer. As I was struggling with having to juggle family time with commute time to my job at Keyport, He quickly resolved my dilemma. I got a job offer and accepted a position as an engineer with the Boeing Company. My first official day at Boeing was a couple of days ago for orientation. However, my first real day on the job is tomorrow (both Halloween and my brother-in-law, Owen's, birthday. Happy Birthday, O! Love you, man!). I'm both excited and nervous. I have been anxious to start working. My commute time will drop from 3 hours roundtrip to 20 minutes. That is a miracle!

As I start my new job tomorrow as a 787 (Dreamliner) Seat Engineer, I look back at my 6 1/4 years of work at the Navy. What an experience, what a job! I somewhat feel that I can accredit my time working at the Navy to the person that I am today. I learned a lot about myself, and I learned what I'm capable of. I also made numerous relationships--friends that I can always call and chat with, hang out with on the weekends, etc. It was a pleasure working there, and I'm going to miss it immensely. If it weren't for the commute, I'm quite certain I would've ended my career there. But sadly my time there has come to an end and a new beginning is upon me.

Cheers to my fellow Keyporters! I will miss you all. Thanks for the great times.

Mike (Goich), Myself, Declan, and Derin (D-Dub)

Kevin (Kev-Bot) and Me

Bill (Billiam), Myself, Danny (Hubes), and Declan

Me, Declan, and the best boss in the world, Linz
(and you know I'm not sucking up since I can't gain anything by doing that now) :)

Here is a final shot of just HALF of the people that came out to bid me farewell. We took over the entire restaurant. That just goes to show the type of people I worked with. I miss them already!

Monday, September 19, 2011

4 Months Ago

Ethan and Declan at 4 months

It was a little over four months ago when I had the feeling of anxiety yet a wonderful peace over me. It's hard to explain, but even though I knew nothing could prepare me to raise and love two boys, I still knew I could. I had my friends and family all along throughout the pregnancy, and I knew with them, I would be able to handle it. I had a most loving wife and strong woman carrying my boys, that I knew I would be able to handle it. Most importantly, I had Jesus in my corner all along, so I knew I could handle it.

And here we are 4 months later. Despite the difficulties in the hospital, Declan and Ethan have been the perfect children. People keep saying, "I don't know how you do it." Well, in addition to all I've already mentioned, my boys are perfect angels. The funny thing is, the Lord knew how much we could handle, and to be honest, it almost feels like raising ONE child. They both do everything simultaneously anyway. They sleep together, wake up together, cry together, eat together. They are in unison, so the only difficulty for us has been the fact that there is just two of them which makes it hard when one of us needs to watch them. Strength in numbers, right? :)

The boys are strong and healthy. They are growing up too fast. They have learned to roll over, and my new favorite thing is that they have learned to play with and hold toys. They have finally figured out what their hands are for...although sometimes they think their hands are for eating. Orrpsh. Too cute.

And the best moment so far is that we got to stand in front of the church with our boys and have them dedicated to the Lord, vowing to our Savior that we will do whatever we can to raise the boys under the banner of Christ, growing them to be men of God. I can't wait for the day they make the decision for themselves to accept, obey, trust, love, and follow Jesus.

Pastor Alec of Westgate Chapel dedicates our boys

I would also like to take the time to thank everyone for their love and support regarding my last post. You all have helped me overcome a battle in a significant way. The breakthrough has been amazing. And the Lord has blessed me with a new and exciting opportunity. Some of you may know it already, but please don't say anything about it yet until I have full confirmation. Blessings!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Renewal

It's been HOW long?! I know, I know, I've been slacking on my blog page. It's just incredibly hard to find time to write. I am gone 13 hours of the day due to work and commute, then I come home and help take care of the boys until it's their bedtime, then it's time for me to get to sleep. Any spare time I have is usually swallowed up with dates with friends, get togethers with families, or errands.

It is very overwhelming. On the outside you see the same Joe. Smiling, joking, laughing, and playing. On the inside I feel the weight and pressure of the world on my shoulders--that at any moment I could just break down and cry for hours (I even squeezed a few out yesterday). I have to manage my work life and my family life. I have to take care of bills, take care of the yard, take care of our home, figure out how to save money, take care of my sons; I also have to work hard at work in attempts to get promoted, giving it my 100% at all times for the sake of my family. It wears me out beyond anything I ever imagined.

In the midst of it all, I have really struggled finding time for the Lord. And because of it, I feel a thirsty soul wanting and needing to be quenched. I do not feel the same as I did back in 2004 when I had a personal revival. I have felt a steady decline in my spirit, and I am having trouble getting back on track. I do not even know how or where to begin. It's hard. It's really hard.

But through all the struggles and trials, the Lord reminds me how good and faithful he is when I look at my boys. They give me great joy and strength, and the Lord reminds me through them to never give up. They remind me to endure through the difficult times, and that the Lord rewards those who are faithful and just. So even now in my time of the valley, I realize there is hope.

Just take a look at these guys. How can anyone NOT be happy when they see them? Note: since my last post, the boys have been sleeping through the entire night by week 7-8. Praise God! In addition, they are a few days away from turning 4 months old!! How can this be?! :)






Prayer request: please pray for me during my struggles and times in life where I feel I've reached the bottom and cannot see the way out. Pray that I would find time and MAKE time for Jesus who has always made time for me. Pray for a renewal of spirit, mind, body, and soul.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

My 1st Father's Day

How cute was my first Father's Day? Well...pictures are worth a thousand words.


(yes, Declan is trying to eat Ethan's arm. Might be because Ethan was punching him earlier)



(yes, Declan = "Copy" and Ethan = "Paste")






Thursday, May 26, 2011

Twelve Days, Twelve Nights...

...that's how long I was in the hospital, sleeping next to Katie on a chair that folded down into a bed, waiting for the day the doctor would tell us that our boys can finally come home.

Let me back up. For the first three days of our hospital stay, Declan and Ethan looked healthy and fine. Each time the doctor came in, we were told they are doing okay. However, by night 3, the nurses told us that they simply were not eating enough. This led to their loss of weight (most babies lose up to 10% of their birth weight before gaining it all back, but our boys lost more than that. Ethan was 6 lb. 4 oz. at birth but dropped to about 5 lb. 7 oz. Declan dropped from 6 lb. 2 oz. to about 5 lb. 8 oz.). It also came with some minor jaundice, heart murmurs for Ethan, and respiratory desaturations for Declan. Eventually they were taken from our room into the special care nursery (SCN) across the hall, placed into incubators, and after another night of poor eating were given an NG (Nasogastric) tube so that they could put food directly into their stomachs.

So we waited...and waited...and waited. After about a week in the hospital, we were going mad. It felt like we were prisoners, locked from the outside world in a small room with only our beds, a bathroom, and TV. Each day we were told it would only be a few more days, but the boys would show promise, and then suddenly decline. So we waited some more.

In the span of those 12 straight days/nights in the hospital, Katie came home only once for a brief nap. I came home a few times towards the end for sanity purposes. But finally, after 12 days, I decided I needed to go back to work (working from home) in order to save some vacation time for when the boys actually do come home. Day 13, 14, 15, and 16 went by quickly for me since I was home most of the day. However, Katie, being the strong mother and trooper that she is, continued to stay at the hospital--only leaving twice for Enosh's (my nephew's) first birthday party and Kristian's (my brother-in-law's) 19th birthday party.

Katie may remember it as the 16-17 days in the hospital (we’re assuming they can come home today or tomorrow). I will always remember it as the 12 days. And in the midst of those 12 days, I produced a ton of complaints, frustrations, sadness, and disappointments. The room is cramping me, the bed is hurting my back, there's no ESPN despite having all the other cable channels, hospital food is gross, the nurses keep telling us different things, why did we take the babies out so soon when Katie was still feeling fine in her pregnancy, why didn't anyone tell us they were not getting enough food, why haven’t certain friends visited us, why won’t the boys eat, people/nurses keep entering our room right when we’re about to fall asleep, are we not praying correctly, and of course…I JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!

However, it is so good to have a Creator and Savior who knows exactly how we feel and hears every cry. Although in the midst of the struggle, I simply forgot that God ALWAYS has our best in mind, He never gave up on me. Because the truth of the matter is that in the middle of the turmoil, all we often see is the bad. But in reality, this entire experience has been nothing but good! The room was the biggest room on the floor, we were able to stay in that room the entire time despite being discharged by day 4, hospital food was free for the first 4 days, the nurses gave us a lot of advice and taught us so much, they took of care of Katie and the boys endlessly without a complaint, at least we had TV (and a DVD and an iPod docking station and books to read), at least the chair folded into a bed, more complications could have arose if the babies were not taken out when they were, the feeding tube is working and helping, we have so much family and friends who love us, at LEAST two family members each day would show up (and others would frequently check-in via email or phone), friends gathered to provide us meals for three straight weeks, Katie and I got to rest during the nights while the nurses took care of the boys, and now the boys get to come home as strong and healthy as can be.

Funny, isn’t it, how we often don’t see the light until we’ve climbed out of the valley. I’m thankful that we have a God who cares about every little detail in our lives and who loves us so much that He has the BEST possible course set before us. I’m thankful for those 12 days and nights in the hospital because I learned so much about the boys. We learned their competitive natures (Declan, although smaller at birth, has now become heavier than Ethan; Ethan passed the carseat test before Declan), we learned how to give them baths, we got to see them laugh and smile so much (and each time it melted my heart), we learned how to check their temperatures and how to change diapers and how to swaddle. We got to soak up every minute with them, never taking a single minute for granted because after feeding time, we had to return to our room without them. We had enough time at the hospital to figure out how to get them on the same schedule as well as reduce our feeding times by half. I got to experience, for the first time, someone (Ethan) throwing up on me (it’s really not as bad as I thought). And, oh man, just getting to hold them and rock them to sleep has become my new favorite thing on earth.

Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity and experience you have blessed us with during those 12 days and more. Thank you for removing the devil’s lies and making us see it the way You do. Thank you for the major support from family, friends, and nurses alike. Thank you for the valleys and mountains, in which we will rejoice always.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Father's Love

I never knew I could fall in love with something so quickly. I love Katie more than anything in this world, but it certainly didn't happen instantly. We had several dates, many talks (both serious and laid-back), and a lot of time to figure each other out. It was on a missions trip to India where I got to see Katie's full heart, her love Christ and her love for children, and her positive and strong attitude until I finally said, "I'm in love with this woman!"

However, it took just a split second for me to fall in love with my boys. Without saying a word, I was hooked (and Katie would agree). From the first look and first cries, I knew that these boys would be something I'd love for the rest of my life. And the amazing part of it all is how much I love this family more and more each day. Each time my heart gets to its full capacity of love, I feel like I could explode. But something wonderful happens after that--I love some more. How can this be if I've already reached full capacity? It's because my family *enlarges* my heart and it continues to be filled with more love each day. I can't imagine how I will feel by my 3rd anniversary with Katie or the boys' 1st birthday. Just thinking about in the future puts a smile to my face.

Declan James


Ethan Emery

Declan and Ethan already show their mother's strength. They are fighters. They have lost a lot of weight since birth (more so than average), have had low blood sugar counts at some point, have had heart murmurs at some point, have had to deal with a lot of noise from visitors, had to learn how to breastfeed, had to learn how to finger feed and syringe feed, had to overcome low temperatures, had to endure a draft in the room for four nights, and more. Yet they keep fighting. Ethan has spent so much time fighting, that he may need to stay an extra night just to build his strength back up and get more calories in them. But already I have gotten that sense of fatherly pride--that "Atta boy" which my dad would (and still does) give me.

Already we have seen their personalities. We have seen their different facial features. We have had them grab our fingers and noses. We have had them stare into our eyes for 30 minutes at times. It is so precious it melts my heart. I love their cries, their yawns, their silly faces, their look when sucking a pacifier. I love my boys already, and they haven't said a real word to me, we haven't gone out anywhere, nor have we even left this hospital room yet.

How can I love something so much without having any words exchanged between us? Well all the mothers and fathers before me know...and I finally do, too.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

The Perfect "Son" Set

Greg from work told me a joke once: What do you call a pair of twin boys? Answer: A "son" set. I loved that. And yesterday morning at 9:42am, I saw the perfect "son" set.

Katie and I headed to Swedish/Edmonds Hospital around 7:30am. We got Katie all prepped and ready to go as both our parents were standing by. In addition were our siblings and cousins. A semi-small crowd considering the size of our families, but only because it was during work hours. We knew the onslaught was coming. :)

At around 9:10am, Katie was in the operating room as Kris and I stayed outside the doors waiting for the anesthesiologist (Dr. Miller) to numb Katie. When she was all set, Kris and I entered the room (along with my mom the nurse, who was already in the room--my mom works on the delivery room floor). The moment had come. We greeted Dr. Catherine Rogers, our primary delivery doctor who has been amazing for the past 9 months. In addition was the doctor's assistant, Dr. Dickey. Also in the room was our nurse for the day, Amber, along with a nurse passing out the equipment. And finally, our new pediatrician Dr. Joe Skariah was also in the room.

Dr. Rogers started the incision, and we were ready to go. Katie was a trooper the whole way. All smiles and excitement. Finally, at 9:41am, Baby A entered the world. Katie and I were in complete tears as my mom took pictures and Kris videotaped. They took him away and prepared for Baby B. Baby B came at 9:42am. Again, all tears! Both babies were crying in harmony. They did all the diagnostics, and both babies were wonderful. Baby A was 6 lb. 2 oz. and 20" long. Baby B was 6 lb. 4 oz. and 19" long. Everyone was amazed how well Katie carried 12 1/2 pounds in her womb and never once was put on bed rest. In fact, she was cleaning the house the night before. What an amazing woman I married!

I then got to hold my children for the first time. I first held Declan as he was all dressed and ready. :) Then the nurse handed me Ethan as well as I got to hold both babies at once. I brought them over to Katie as we just soaked up the miracles that Jesus brought us. Then the new grandmothers got to hold them and enjoy (my mom's 3rd and 4th grandchildren, and Kris' 1st and 2nd).

After Katie was all stitched up, they wheeled her down the hall to our room, but not before we ran into our wonderful family who was full of excitement, joy, tears, and happiness. As we got to our room, we talked with the doctor and nurses. In the background was hanging a big sign that Kris had made and that we hung up earlier in the day which simply said: "Hanchinamunchkins". In addition, the night before, Kris and Katie made party favors and got "champagne" (sparkling cider) glass for all the nurses and family there. I know, they would! :) A perfect touch. We called our moms back in with the nurses/doctors as Katie tried to breastfeed for the first time. And it was then that we FINALLY announced the names to everyone's pleasure.

And the moment came finally when we let our family and friends in and announced the names. We gave the name for Baby A (the first baby out), Declan James Hanchinamani. Declan means full of goodness. James is a follower of Christ. Our Bible verse for him is James 3:17-18. We gave the name for Baby B, Ethan Emery Hanchinamani. Ethan means strong and firm. Emery means brave and powerful. Emery is also a family name (Kris' maiden name, Grandpa Marion's middle name, and my brother-in-law, Kristian's, middle name). The name Ethan appears in the Bible 8 times. He authored Psalm 89. Psalm 89: 1-2 happens to be our verse for him.

A few things I will never forget as being a father for the first time:
1. Seeing both my boys for the very first time
2. HEARING both my boys for the very first time
3. Ethan grabbing and holding onto my finger
4. Both boys crying and then instantly stopping when they heard my voice
5. Changing Declan's diaper for the first time
6. Swaddling both for the first time

I will also never forget how strong and wonderful my wife was. Katie is full of strength. Her love for our children is fun to watch. As they try and learn to breastfeed, it's amazing to see that bond. Something I will never forget either.

And without further adieu, pictures of our first day can be seen on my Facebook page in the album entitled "Declan and Ethan - Day 1." Enjoy.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Countdown...


Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially within 2 1/2 weeks away of being parents. Ahhh!! I can't believe it. It felt like yesterday I was just blogging about how our babies were a miracle. And now, they are both around the 5 lb mark, and we're hoping and praying that they will stay in just a little longer to grow as much as possible without stirring any complications.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, for the many MANY gifts that we've received (not just material gifts but gifts of service as well). We love you all! This will most likely be my last post until delivery time.

Peace.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Dear Boys

Dear Boys,

It's your pops. I have to tell you, it definitely sounds strange to be called that, but at the same time so so exciting! I can't tell you how happy I am to get to see you soon, to hold you both in my arms at the same time, to see you smiling at me and me at you. I can't wait for the first time you grasp my pinky; it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about that much joy!

The doctor says you are both doing very well. One of you is 4 1/2 pounds and the other 4 pounds. You have an amazing mother who has been so strong to carry you both for this long and STILL she moves around and helps around the house. I can't wait to see HER face when she holds you for the first time.

Now I'm told one of you pushed the other out of the way to take his place first in line. We need to correct this behavior. Ha-ha! But for the moment it's precious to know that you both are interacting. And I cannot wait to see more interactions between you two.

I have been having dreams about you, and soon enough it will be a reality. You have a long line of family members who are ready to fall in love with you. From great grandparents, to grandparents, to aunts and uncles, to cousins, and more. You are going to be SO loved, and you will grow to be honorable men--men of God.

I love you both!

Dad

Friday, March 18, 2011

My Mama

A very happy birthday goes to my wonderful friend who also happens to be my mother. This post comes a few days late just because of how busy life has been. But I did not want to go without posting this.

On her birthday (March 15th), my mom had to work. She works the night shift at Swedish/Edmonds hospital on the maternity floor. It just so happens that Katie has been asked by her doctor to go to the hospital twice a week to monitor both babies' heartbeats since we're in the 30th week (I know, I can't believe how fast that came). So Katie and I went to the hospital around 7pm when my mom just gets to work. My mom was the nurse who got to monitor the babies' heartbeats for us. It was cool to see mom in action.

In addition, all her nurse friends threw her a surprise party. Disclaimer: I think her friends all thought she was turning the big 6-0 because a day or so prior, that's what my mom had told them...but she's not quite there yet. Oops. Anyway, below are some pics from her little work party. :) Happy Birthday, mama! I love you!!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Nursery

CHANGING TABLE


CLOSET
(relax, she WANTED to do it)


CRIBS


New Ceiling Light
(thanks, Tim Turc, for hardwiring and installing)
New Smoke Alarm


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Before & After

With several home upgrades happening, I felt it was necessary to post some before and after shots of the house and of my life. Some of these shots were done a while back, some very recently. Enjoy! And a very happy birthday to my little Sophie who turns two today!

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BEFORE

AFTER

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BEFORE
(note the chandelier)

AFTER

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BEFORE

AFTER
(note the cute handles Katie picked out; thanks to Sid for helping me sand this bad boy down)

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BEFORE
(UGH! I can't believe I forgot a "before" shot. Imagine our laundry room with a huge shelving area behind the door. I removed that so that the door can open more so that Katie will have more room when she comes home with the babies)

AFTER

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BEFORE

AFTER
(with evil look)

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BEFORE

AFTER

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BEFORE
(as in 'before' watching "Food, Inc." Yup...gross!)

AFTER
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BEFORE

AFTER
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BEFORE
(again, I missed the 'before' picture, but by the headboard, you can tell this was a guest room)

AFTER
(my new office with white, wood blinds to come and centered lighting)

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BEFORE
(middle guestroom)

AFTER
(I know, right?!)

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BEFORE
(my old office that Katie, Dave, Kelsey, and Chira helped make for me while I was away)

AFTER
(now the nursery -- with cribs, new closet, new lighting, new blinds, and more to come)

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BEFORE

AFTER
(Baby A's 3-D Ultrasound Picture [with umbilical cord in his face and right arm up])