Five months and counting!

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

Olive Brave. 

Our EVERLASTING COURAGEOUS BRINGER OF HOPE. 

(summary of the meaning of her name)

Over the last 5 months, I have learned so many things as a mom, from breastfeeding to carseats, I have learned a bunch.  But the greatest things I believe I have gained insight into is God's unconditional love for us.  God loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Having a daughter, has ingrained this truth into me and I have been able to understand his love in a deeper way.  

I love my daughter.  With a love that I can not describe.  My love for her is not based on what she does, but who she is.  Olive, at almost 6 months, does do a lot.  She sleeps, eats, smiles, rolls over, grabs things and is learning to sit up on her own.  At 4 months, she did less and at 2 months even less. But I love her because she is my daughter.  I love her when she is crying, I love her when she does not sleep, I love her when she is spitting up.  I love her.  

Through being a mom, I understand God's Father heart for me! He loves me, not based on what I do for him (go to church, read the bible, disciple others etc).  He loves me for 

WHO I AM: HIS DAUGHTER. 

More that what I can do for God, He desires to be with me! He loves it was I stop and just stare at his face.  Just like Olive loves to just stare and her daddy (picture above), God loves it when we just stare at him.  Just being with him brings him joy!  I have loved getting this deeper understanding of his love and through it I have been able to love other people better! 

Below are some favorite pictures of Olive over the last couple months! She is a blessing! 

Sleeping Beauty: First time at our church in DC, National Community Church

Big Blue Eyed and Very Very Excited:

We think she will take after Mommy, with her facial expressions! 

 Discovering her ear in Chicago.
She LOVES to grab for everything now!
Mommy and daddy's hair is one of her favorites.
Mommy is now wearing only studs to protect her ears. 

Our first hike as a family for Memorial Day weekend, 

at Teddy Roosevelt Island in DC. 

Chilling at the U.S. National Arboretum (about a mile from where we live). 

Olive, takes after her Daddy, as she LOVES the outdoors and is very observant. 

One of our few nicknames for Olive, is Houdini.  She always finds her way out of a swaddle. 

We have made the swaddles harder over time, we velcro, but she always gets success,

be it Day 2 in the hospital or 3 months later in her pack n play! Currently, we are transitioning her out of a swaddle as she is rolling back and forth and back again! 

We have a bed time routine now.  

Bath, read a book with Daddy and feed and at most nights, 

 she is sleeping by 9:00 pm and sleeps through the night. 

She is loving bath time, puts the ducks in the water and just sits and splashes. 

She loves to feel textures of everything and wants to taste everything! 

And still has the best faces! 

Fourth of July.  She is a great baby and very happy! She loves cloths on her face, attracted to light, likes the color red, falls asleep with motion (car or stroller walks) and really really wants to crawl but is not quite there yet.  When she tries it looks like she is swimming on the floor. But is very strong and sitting on her own.

Play dates: Olive loves being with people and warms up quickly to new faces! 

Lizzy is a friend, from Gallaudet, who still lives in DC and works at Gallaudet.  She lives very close so we get to have play dates often! Her daughter, Mila is a couple months older than Olive.  We love going to the park with Lizzy and Mila!

 

Jenna was in DC for a friends wedding and at to stay at our house for a night!  It was so much fun seeing her daughter Jaelyn interact with Olive and our team!  

 

And of course, our YWAM DC family loves having dates with Olive! 

Two of the Hershey children reading Olive a book! 

So adorable as Anthem reads the story through the pictures! 

Meeting Olive for the first time after Aila Zepeda, came back from outreach in Brazil. 

Jethro, is another YWAM DC baby who was on the Brazil outreach,

 with his parents Ryan and Becca Montgomery. 

 It was great getting together and having some time together. 

Housemates Fun: 

Ladies Coffee Date, Olive with her milk.  

 Reading with Claudine and pictures with Destiny! 

 

Exercises with Jonathan and bonding with Brandon and Danni.  

Brandon was visiting for a wedding but loved spending time with Olive!

Brittany (below) just joined our staff team here at YWAM DC and the Lighthouse! She did her DTS in Kona Hawaii and took two ASL classes in HS.  She has been helping with Olive for an hour a day so Mommy can have time to write blogs and emails! Olive loves her calm presence! 

And Alissa came to help interpret for teachers for YWAM DC! We were so blessed to have her here with us for a week!  Mommy and Olive got some quality time with her! 

 

Family: 

We also had the opportunity to visit NYC to visit Uncle Grant and Aunt Sarah and cousin Talia! 

Got got to see Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Rachel and cousins Kaelyn and Micah 

at the farm in PA for Grandma's birthday.  

 We first went on a hike! 

Then had a birthday dinner for Grandma and got to see Uncle David and Aunt Amy!

We love Olive! So proud of her and happy to call her "daughter". 

Baby Dedication: God, Olive is YOURS.

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

"God, I choose to give Olive to you.  She is yours. 

I choose to be thankful for the time that you decide to allow us to steward her here on earth.  

I will be thankful for a week, 5 months, 2 years or 50 years, you choose to keep her on earth.  

I trust you with her life."

This was the prayer, I said, on my knees the first night we arrived home from the hospital, with Olive.  After hours of checking if Olive was breathing every 5 mins, and no sleep at all.  I woke up Dan, my husband and shared I could not sleep.  Sleepily, he encouraged me to trust God and get the sleep I desperately needed. And went back to bed.  

This is when the Holy Spirit put a gentle finger on my heart and God asked me to give Olive to him.  For Him to keep and protect for as long as she lives.  It was another moment of trust and surrender.  It only took me a few seconds to get out of bed, on my knees and say the prayer. After my 5 sentence prayer, I got back in bed and slept like a rock, well, until Olive woke up again hungry. :) I have been sleeping well every since.  

That day was just about 5 months ago.  This past Father's Day, Sunday June 21st, was when we publicly dedicated her to the Lord, but the night we arrived home was her first dedication. 

Pastor Joel, dedicated her sharing the testimony of her name, Olive Brave (previous blog) with our church. It was a powerful time of sharing God is "the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not" Romans 4:17 and Olive is a testimony of that! 

God really brought faith into the room! 

Below is the prayer of dedication that Pastor Joel prayed! 

(There is an interpreter on stage, but hard to see so the prayer is written out below). 

Father we give you praise. We give you thanks today and we glorify the name of Jesus,

 because you have blessed us. We thank you for this family. 

We pray right now for Dan. Thank you for the vision you have given for his family and his ministry. We pray your blessing over all those things, God. That you could continue to make him a visionary for his house. Pray you would give him courage. Father, let him led out of courage in his home. 

Lord, we pray for Carole today as a mom. Thank you for the testimony she has already shared about how you have transformed her through this experience. Lord give her the grace necessary. Lord, give her the moments and the wisdom to know when to disciple and when to offer mercy. Father, we pray that you would be with Carole. And Lord that you would bless them as parents. 

And now Father we pray over this little beauty. We thank you for Olive. We pray that just like she has already done, she has flourished where there was nothingness. We pray that her life would be a living testimony of you calling into existence what did not exist before.

Lord like her parents prayed that she would be a giver of hope to the world around her. That expectations would arise in the room, when she walks into the room, not because of her but because of the spirit of God within her. And Lord right now I pray that she would bring boldness into the world and that fear would be set aside and replaced by a love and a boldness that comes through her attitude, through her words, through her countenance and through her presence. 

So, we bless her right now and as a church community with our outreached arms, we pour your blessings into little Olive. We bless her in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and everyone said amen. AMEN! Amen!

Since that Sunday, I have met many people that were there and were blessed and encouraged to met Olive.  I have been able to share more details of my testimony of overcoming, through Olive's birth. As well as listen to their stories and pray for together. 

 

We celebrated after the service, with a lunch afterwards at a near by restaurant with friends. I was able to share the full testimony of Olive and her name!  As well as just have some great fellowship!  It was a great day of celebrating of Olive Brave! 

Dan's parents, Rick and Patty, were able to drive down from PA and see DC the Saturday before!