The Very Latest . . .

7:05 AM Sunday, June 21st

*****Confetti is flying and we are beside ourselves with joy*****

click here for pictures

At 3:24 this morning, a little girl was born.  And out of 365 days in a calendar year, this little Ludy girl happened to choose Father’s Day on which to arrive.  She’s obviously going to be a Daddy’s girl. 

We don’t yet have a name for our princess, but I can say that it will be tough to come up with a name sweet enough to match her cuteness.  She is painfully adorable. 

She’s seven pounds, three ounces and all-around perfect.  Leslie and I haven’t gotten a stitch of sleep, so the reality of it all still hasn’t fully sunk in.  I’ve been crying tears of fatherly joy all morning. 

Leslie was a hero.  She was full of joy and marked by peace all the way to the end.  We did a home birth without drugs, and it truly was remarkable.  I’m just in awe right now. 

After we get a little sleep, we’ll make sure to post some photos so that you can take a peek. 

9:37 PM Saturday, June 20th

It’s getting real close.  This baby is maneuvering toward an exit.   Yay!  The midwife is enroute. 

Meanwhile, Leslie and I received an email from our son, Hudson, tonight.  It included four attached pictures, which are enough to melt my father’s heart. 

Here’s the email:

deearr daddy mommy,

i llove yooou!

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

click here to see the pictures of our little warrior-poet.

10:10 AM Saturday, June 20th

No baby yet.  But the excitement swirls about us.  The kiddos are still down at Nana and Pops, so we went down yesterday for a visit.  It was so wonderful to see them.  They are truly in seventh heaven.  They made us stick puppets.  Hudson is really becoming quite the little artist.  If you remember the Pixar movie “Bugs Life,” and you remember the little artistic scribbles of the miniature “Blueberry” ants - that is precisely what Hudson’s art looks like.  It’s hilarious.  So, he made a stick puppet of himself, known as the “B one.”  And then he made a stick puppet of me, known as the “Daddy one.”  It turns out that my pencil-like arms jut out from my cheek bones (I had one eye about three times larger than the other eye, and my nose was higher on my face than my eyebrows).  I gave him a great big hug and told him how impressed I was with his artistic ability.  I said, “we are going to need to send you to Art School.”  Well, that notion stuck, and the rest of the day we were hearing about Art School.  He’s thinking that maybe when he turns 5 or 6 he’ll be ready to attend - he’s serious about this. 

I’ve had quite a few people tell me that tomorrow, being Father’s Day, would be an ideal day for baby to arrive.  I agree.  But in the meantime, Leslie and I are expecting that today is the day. 

PS - It appears that Hudson has changed his mind, and he now believes that this baby is going to be a boy.  However, Harper still is standing strong believing it to be a little sister.  Mommy and Daddy are trying their hardest to be neutral in the whole gender issue.  Meanwhile, Baby Dubber is keeping his opinion to himself.

9:14 AM Friday, June 19th

Waiting is an art form.  There is a kind of waiting that is good for the soul, it builds it stronger, purges it of all trifling thoughts, purifies the expectations, makes one more like Jesus Christ, and builds a mighty faith within.  And there is another kind of waiting that deteriorates the souls, it turns one inward to self-pity, gross imaginations of impending disaster, anxiety and fear, discouragement, and ultimately despair.  Ironically, the decision lies in our court as to which one of these two kinds of waiting we will experience. 

Leslie and I are happy as larks right now, if that is any indication of which sort of waiting we are choosing.  It’s ironic, but there is something else that is happening simultaneously in our life, concurrent with this little lump of baby love being born, something that we have been waiting on for near seventeen years.  Practically speaking, Leslie and I have been actively pursuing the acquisition of a particular bible college campus for the past three years.  It just so happens that significant discussions are taking place right now and we might possibly be reaching an agreement any day for moving forward.  God willing, we are going to be launching a training school this next summer - sort of mix between a Bible College and a missionary training school (I’ll be sure to announce more about it in the next couple weeks).  However, this all hinges upon the location.  And this project has been seventeen years in the forming (in other words, there has been a lot of waiting involved).  And, do you think it is accidental that this little baby and this bible college vision could possibly share the same birthday?

Both of them have been marked by sacred waiting.  In other words, waiting that is God directed, for the express purpose of deeper consecration.  And both of them are sure to bear the hallmark of God’s amazing triumph and grace as a result. 

God is always precious to us, but these past couple weeks there has been a triple portion of His preciousness realized in our hearts and minds.  The term that best describes this stretch is, “holy expectation.”  Our God is doing a wonderful work that all the earth may know that the Almighty Jehovah is faithful and true. 

PS - Leslie had intense contractions throughout yesterday but nothing consistent.  So we just went about our day, soaking it up as yet another bonus day of blessing.  Who knows what today may bring.  June 19th may very well be the perfect day to have a baby.  Annie’s birthday is June 27th, but she feels guilty anytime she starts praying toward that end.  June 21st, of course, is the day with the most sunlight - I’m sure I could come up with all sorts of symbolic things in that.  We’ll see!  Meanwhile, the mystery and impending surprise is part of the great fun!

8:40 AM Thursday, June 18th

Annie took the three Ludy kiddos down to Nana and Pops last night in preparation for . . . well, we’ll see.  Baby’s arrival time is imminent, we can just feel it on the wind.  Leslie has been a figure of dignity and strength throughout this wait.  I’m just marveling at her peace and joy in the midst of baby contractions. 

Last night, since the kids were away, we reverted to one of our long standing traditions of yesteryear, which was taking a long romantic walk at dusk.  It was a beautiful night in every way.  We had some dear friends (Dan and Sandi) sneak into our house, while we were out at dinner, and file my favorite food away in our fridge (NOTE: my love language comment earlier in this blog [see below] has definitely been reaping benefits). 

A single copy of our newest book, Wrestling Prayer (which is not yet released in stores), arrived in the mail yesterday.  So we sat down for a little reading time in our cozy Manhattan loungers and were thoroughly inspired.  This book is pure thunder for the soul.  It’s precisely what our limpid modern church needs.  I’ll keep you posted on when it will be officially available for sale.  There is nothing quite like labor and delivery mixed with the message of “travailing in prayer for the victory!” 

Let the world know that there is a couple in Windsor, Colorado, USA that are intimately walking in the triumph of our God!  And if anyone asks, you can tell them that their last name is, “Ludy,” which supposedly means “nerd” in Japanese - but I strongly believe that there is some other language on this great big globe in which the word “Ludy” means something akin to, “an overcoming, unbending, immovable and supremely happy one.”  Because that is precisely how Leslie and I feel. 

PS - Annie emailed Leslie and I a few photos this morning of the kiddos at Nana and Pop’s place.  I only posted three of them, but if you want to take a peek, click here.  I’m sure we’ll be adding many more photos to this album when baby pops out. 

7:10 AM Wednesday, June 17th

I was telling Leslie last night that this whole “Baby staying in her tummy” thing is quite nice.  I mean, think about it.  We have all the excitement of a soon-to-arrive baby, and yet none of the diaper changes, endless feedings, and sleepless nights.  Not a bad deal.  When I said it, her face sort of twisted into one of those wry, “you have no idea what it’s like to carry 30-some odd pounds right on top of your bladder” sort of looks.  Don’t worry everyone, I’m still laboring to be sensitive to my beloved, but there is part of me that wants to just keep this waiting period going forever.  Oh, I still want Baby to arrive, of course, it’s just that this bonus time spent with Leslie and the kids has been heaven on earth.  So, if Leslie could handle another week or two like this, I would gladly say, “Meconium*-filled-baby diapers can wait.” 

*Meconium is one of those things that no one ever teaches you about growing up.  It’s like a parenting secret that every veteran parent, who has already endured the meconium stage at least once, snickers about as unwitting first-time parents encounter the “dreaded tar” for the very first time.  You can thank me some day for giving you advanced warning.

6:06 AM Tuesday, June 16th

Nope. Nothing. Nada. Diddly-squat.  In regards to baby activity those would be the operable words.  However, in regards to spiritual activity, the words would be abundance, outpouring, beauty, magnificence, and awe.  This is no accident that the baby is taking longer to come.  For Leslie and I this has been a week of deep encounter with Majesty.  Due to the fact that we thought we were going to be in full-time “new baby” mode right now, we removed everything from our schedule.  So this delay has created this amazing stretch of slower paced spiritually luxurious living.  Every day has been loaded with rich discussions on the Kingdom, poignant challenges from the Spirit of God, fiery prayer times, and jubilant worship.  In other words, “nope, nothing, nada, and diddly-squat” are not bad words at all when they are discovered in the context of God’s plan and purposes. 

8:18 AM Monday, June 15th

Hudson was inspired by seeing yesterday’s video project come together (see below) and so this morning he decided that he wanted to make his own movie for baby.  Hudson’s been waking up a bit earlier than I prefer as of late which is causing him to inject himself into my early morning prayer and study time.  When he barges into my study, I always ask him if he wants to pray with Daddy.  He pauses and contemplates such an extraordinary thing and then sheepishly says something like, “I think I’ll do art.”  I think he’s still a bit intimidated by the concept of wrestling in prayer with Daddy (after all, he’s heard me pray, and it can be rather intense at times).  Well, anyway, this morning I put prayer and study on hold and decided to help him produce his very first movie.  I don’t have it edited yet, but if I do happen to find the time to get to it in these next few days of “baby waiting,” I’ll make sure to post it here.  And, no, Leslie didn’t have her baby in the night.  In fact, she slept well with hardly even a thought that baby might be coming at any moment.  We are loving the wait. 

NOTE: for those of you that experienced technical difficulties with the video last night, I think it’s working now.  Sorry about that.

10:51 PM Sunday, June 14th

Baby is taking his/her own sweet time, but life is grand for the Ludy family.  God has certainly marked this extra time of waiting with such a rich and bountiful sense of His presence.  For those of you that don’t like watching other people’s family videos, you may wish to skip the following production, however, for those of you that want to see how cute our precious little ones are as they anticipate the arrival of number four - this video is just for you. 

7:46 AM Sunday, June 14th

Hudson is working on art this morning, cutting out paper flowers and making up a bouquet for his still pregnant Momma.  It’s absolutely adorable, and sure to bring a warm glow to Leslie’s heart.  Hudson is a gift-giver.  Yesterday morning he made approximately 20 greeting cards for Mommy, Harper, and Baby Dubber while they were still sleeping and he and I were navigating the early morning hours together.  And, get this, he even made a greeting card for himself.  He came into my office and said, “Daddy, could you write, ‘I love you Hudson, your Momma really loves you,’ on it?”  If you want to speak Hudson’s love language it’s pretty obvious what it is. 

Well, yesterday was simply amazing.  No baby yet, but there have been blessings abundant in the meanwhile.  Leslie and I spent the afternoon on a date.  We found this romantic cafe and had one of those talks that we will certainly refer back to ten years from now with fondness.  Annie watched the kiddos and attempted to put the final touches to the next online issue of setapartgirl.com.  Meanwhile, Bex (Baby Dubber’s birth mom - or as we like to say, “Tummy Mommy”) stopped by and spent the evening with us.  Cindy Poe stopped by with a yummy gourmet carrot cake (that’s my love language, by the way).  It was one of those magical nights, as we sat on the porch and basked in the beauties of a life spent with God.  We did get angrily tweeted at by a momma bird that chose to build its nest right where we sit and talk every night, but outside of that it was perfectly serene.   

12:42 PM Saturday, June 13th

We are living it up, knowing that our mobility will be seriously impaired when the fourth bundle of joy arrives.  We biked over to Cafe Victoria’s this morning for breakfast, played at the park, and now Leslie and I are actually sneaking out on a date.  Ah, the joys of a child arriving a little later than expected. 

7:29 AM  Saturday, June 13th

Well, today is Leslie’s official due date.  To be honest, we didn’t actually think we would arrive at today without a newborn in tow.  If we were a betting couple, we would have laid money on Monday, June 8th.  I’m not sure why - it just sort of seemed like a perfect “baby” day.  And yet, here we are nearly a week later, still waiting. 

But the waiting has been anything but hard.  In fact, it’s been exquisite.  This entire week has been hallowed and marked by a very fragrant and tender presence of God.  So, even though Leslie is feeling very pregnant and very ready - she’s also doing very well and is aglow with anticipation. 

Hudson and Harper are also aglow.  However, I’m not sure if their enthusiasm is centered purely on the soon-to-arrive bundle of baby love.  You see, when all the baby excitement begins, they know that Nana and Pops are coming to carry them away into the Land of Little Kid Fun.  The thought of a few days at Nana and Pop’s place breeds serious squeals of delight in the Ludy home. 

I’ll be periodically providing baby updates here in this blog over the next few days.  For all of you “curious baby-lovers,” I can’t guarantee instant information as this all unfolds, however, I can assure you that I will do my best to keep the information coming. 

It’s so much fun being a father!