http://www.thadandjana.com/ Following Thad and Jana in their ministry with Agape Europe en-us thad_hoskins@yahoo.com 2008-11-20T13:11:14+01:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000553.html We arrived at the hospital this morning at 8AM. They hooked Jana up to the monitors, and she stayed that way for 4 hours. They are taking good care of her and are very encouraging! Obviously, Jana is very tired, since she did not sleep at all last night. While on the monitors, she was able to sleep for 30 minutes or so (granted, there were 3 contractions during that, but she fell asleep just after they ended). Not a lot, but it was nice to see her sleep. She ate not too long ago and they told her to get out and walk. So, we walked to McDonalds to get me food and send out an update. We will go back in a few minutes. Please pray for strength for Jana and progress on the delivery! Thad 553@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-20T13:11:14+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000552.html 6:20am here, and we head to the hospital in about an hour. Jana's had contractions every 10 minutes all night, so very little sleep was had. They've been pretty hard for her, so pray for strength, endurance, and ways for her to be comfortable. Pray for me to have energy and to be intuitive in knowing how to help her. Pray also for good communication with the Doctors and Midwives. Thank you for all of the notes, emails, and messages received. We know many of you are praying, which overwhelms us greatly. 552@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-20T06:17:30+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000551.html They said we should be where Jana is most comfortable to wait and see if the tablets work... which is home. We are scheduled to return at 8 AM tomorrow for an IV, if things don't progress this afternoon and evening. 551@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-19T15:49:18+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000550.html We are in Lörrach, where our hospital is. They monitored and checked Jana this morning. She is having contractions, but is not dilated. They gave her some pills to take that are supposed to help induce labor. She will take those every half hour until 2 PM, then we go back to the hospital for more monitoring. We are not exactly sure what is after that. If things do not really get under way today, we return tomorrow morning when they will give her an IV to really induce labor. I will post here and/or on Facebook when I can! Thad 550@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-19T11:59:30+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000549.html Just loved this email we received from our friend Thomas, and thought we would share this little bit of German culture/wisdom: "Gut Ding braucht Weile" = For good results (development), it needs time! 549@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-11-17T13:42:10+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000548.html Jana and I just got home. She is still pregant. Our doctor had prepared us (hence the email and a few calls) that the hospital doctor would induce labor after a checkup this weekend. When the doctor finished all the checkups, she said Jana and the baby are doing very well and urged us to wait a few more days. So, we continue to wait. Thank you for your prayers! We hope to have more news soon. Added by Jana: just to clarify, the doctor I see for the pregnancy is a different doctor than the one who will do the delivery. It was the delivery doctor who thinks we should wait because inducing could potentially take a couple of days. And, since the monitoring showed me to be having some regular contractions (in addition to the baby and me doing fine), she thinks inducing now would be too soon. They will consider inducing 10 days after the due date, which is Wednesday. 548@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-16T20:08:55+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000547.html We have an appointment at the hospital today at 3pm (GMT+1) with the delivery room. They will check on the little guy to make sure he is doing fine, talk with us about options, and potentially induce sometime today. If they induce, we won't have the opportunity (unless they send us home to wait) to update here, on Facebook, or via email until later. So please be praying for us. If we are sent home, we will update on here and on Facebook, so check back in throughout the day. Thad will use all methods of communicating (email, post here, Facebook) to let everyone know once the little guy arrives...with all the official stuff like name, size, time, etc. So again, just keep an eye out, and pray in the meantime. Thank you to everyone who has been sending us well wishes, prayer, thoughts, and love. We appreciate them all! Love and blessings to you too...Jana Added: Oh, and please pray for good communication. We have been told that the doctors and midwives speak English, but it's still an unknown. I feel comfortable communicating in German, but who knows how I will feel in the midst of it all. Pray for clarity and understanding throughout. Thanks again! 547@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-11-16T12:51:11+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000545.html Just a quick note to say that we are still waiting...patience is hard when you don't know when the when is!! Our last necessity for the baby's room arrived today...a mattress, so he officially has a place to sleep once he arrives! Maybe that's what he was waiting on...maybe today is the day?? Maybe... We'll keep you posted! 545@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-11-10T11:37:03+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000543.html We have had a lot of people ask how we are going to begin spreading the word when the little guy comes. First, I would like to say that we will try to inform as many people as possible, but time will not be on our side. We will make a few calls to family. After that, depending on when Jana goes into labor, we will notify a few people in Kandern. Next, I have an email list that I will use to send out the announcement that we are heading to hospital. If I send that out and I do not have your email address, please forgive me! I have tried making sure I have everyone, but that is not always possible. While those are going out, I will post here. Last, before we run out the door, I will change our Facebook status to say that we are driving to the hospital. In the days after the little guy comes, I will try to find an internet connection (or drive home) to send out updates on how Jana and the baby are doing, perhaps with pictures. So, it could be any moment now! Please continue to pray for us!! 543@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-11-08T12:01:37+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000542.html While standing in line at the grocery store, Thad strikes up a conversation in German with our Insurance Agent who is waiting behind us. Her 3-year-old daughter’s head goes back and forth between the two as they talk, when the daughter eventually turns to her mom and says in German “Why does he talk so funny?” 542@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-11-03T20:19:54+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000541.html Yikes, the countdown has really begun...One more week until our due date!!! 541@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-11-02T12:00:58+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000540.html Details To view letter in PDF format, click here - This is highly recommended if you want to see some great pictures of a very pregnant Jana!! 540@http://www.thadandjana.com/ newsletter 2008-10-28T21:30:14+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000539.html 539@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-09-22T17:48:12+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000538.html Just a quick note to say "Thank you for praying". My latest blood tests came back and the glucose test was fine, so I'm A-okay. The little guy (which she emphatically confirmed today as a boy) is doing well. Right on target for size and estimated weight. He's trying to make himself known to all around me. Today, I was in the middle of a conversation with a lady in our office, when he kicked my right side reallllly hard. I apparently made a rather painful face as a result. Is there a boy's name out there that means "constantly kicking" or "constantly moving"? We may need to consider it for an option. ;) 538@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-08-28T15:56:23+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000537.html 537@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-08-26T09:42:37+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000536.html Good News...last week, my Hemoglobin levels rose...woohoo! Today, Dr. T called to give me the results from my Ferritin test. Apparently, I have stored up enough iron that I can stop taking the supplements! I was not expecting that!! So, Dr. T said that she will continue keeping an eye on it, and if it goes low again, I will go back on the supplements just as this past time. "Bad" News...my glucose screening came back a little high, so I have to go in for the 'real' test tomorrow. Not looking forward to it!! I can't eat anything before, and I have to sit at the Doctor's office for 2 hours, and have my blood taken 3 times!! Bummer. More news later, once the results from tomorrow come back. 536@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-08-19T10:48:25+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000535.html “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien 535@http://www.thadandjana.com/ Quote of the Moment 2008-08-11T14:47:27+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000534.html 534@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-08-10T11:50:46+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000533.html I just thought you could take a moment with me and celebrate the occurence of a moment of 8s! If you did not notice, at this moment it is the 8th second of the 8th minute of the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of 2000. Enjoy the day! 533@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-08-08T08:08:08+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000532.html A Praying for Europe (Western, Eastern, and Russia) website was recently launched by our Global Media Outreach team. It is concise and easy to navigate, with individual country pages allowing you to ‘record’ that you have prayed for a particular country. If interested, you can also sign up to receive an E-Newsletter. Please join us in praying for the countries throughout Europe: http://prayeurope.com 532@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-08-07T10:23:11+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000531.html After writing our latest letter, a medical concern came to light that we were not able to ‘squeeze’ into the prayer requests. Without going into minute medical details, basically Jana’s hemoglobin levels dropped to an alarming low (due to her blood disorder, Thalassemia Minor, they tend to be naturally low). A praise that surrounds this concern is that she now has three doctors (including a blood specialist) keeping an eye on her. 531@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-08-05T11:43:33+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000530.html 530@http://www.thadandjana.com/ prayer 2008-08-05T11:38:14+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000529.html Cultural check: When recently having dinner with friends, we had a startling realization of living cross-culturally. Sitting on a terrace in Germany, hosted by our Finnish friends, eating a delicious imported Scottish Salmon prepared with some spices from India...Fins really know their fish, savoring a dessert of ice cream topped with an Estonian liqueur (not Jana’s of course!), and to top it all off — they played country music especially for us! 529@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-08-04T16:24:36+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000528.html Planning To view letter in PDF format, click here 528@http://www.thadandjana.com/ newsletter 2008-08-04T16:15:41+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000527.html 527@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-07-18T10:42:57+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000525.html "There are two kinds of travelers. There is the kind who goes to see what there is to see and sees it, and the kind who has an image in his head and goes out to accomplish it. The first visitor has an easier time, but I think the second visitor sees more." ~ Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik 525@http://www.thadandjana.com/ Quote of the Moment 2008-07-16T15:14:02+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000524.html So, the German language is not typically known for shortening a word or saying or sentence. But, there is one German word which I think should be universally adopted. That word is Stau. Picture this, your sitting on a freeway full of backed-up cars. No one is moving. Now, when you think to yourself about the situation, in English, well at least in American English, the phrase that comes to mind is "traffic jam". Does "traffic jam" really convey the emotion of the situation? I mean, to me, it sounds so light, effervescent almost sweet. And when your in a "traffic jam", sometimes it's one of those where you just want to shake a fist (at no one in particular) and let it all out in one, strong word. Sometimes, you're just dejected, and saying something like "traffic jam" just seems too happy. Sometimes, you're okay with the traffic, but it's just a matter of wanting to be efficient when calling someone to say you are late. So, here's the solution: We should all start using Stau!! Now if you're wondering how to pronounce this little golden nugget of a word, then let me help. Shh-t-ow (that's "ow" as in "owl"). Say it out-loud, just once, and you will see what I mean. It now has a permanent fix in my brain, and even when speaking English, I just say Stau, and it conveys just what I want quite efficiently! 524@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-06-26T15:44:40+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000523.html 523@http://www.thadandjana.com/ thad's thoughts 2008-06-24T02:29:38+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000522.html Melon. Honey Melon. Watermelon. Cantaloupe. I start eating them, but I can't stop!! 522@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-06-17T08:01:35+01:00 http://www.thadandjana.com/archives/000521.html So I’m in my ballet class and struggling a bit with maintaining the right posture. My instructor pats my tummy and says to keep trying but to be careful. I laughingly try to say that I can’t use my stomach muscles so well...unfortunately, this is what came out of my mouth: “Ich kann nicht so gut machen mit mein baum”. She chuckled a little, which seems to be normal for me. Now I know that sentence wasn’t grammatically correct, but it’s hard to dance and speak in another language. I move along laughing at my poor German, when it hits me. “Baum” isn’t the word for stomach, “Bauch” is!!! So basically, what I said to her was: I can not use my tree so well. 521@http://www.thadandjana.com/ jana's jargon 2008-06-16T11:43:07+01:00