This afternoon James received news from DMU. He is on the "Wait List". While he didn't say much, I knew that he was discouraged by the decision. What does this mean for us? We wait.
From doing online research, it sounds like in May we will find out where he is at on the list. And from that point on, we would be notified if there's an opening for him. The people that posted about their wait list experience said that they found out about their acceptance between 3 weeks to 1 1/2 months before school starts. Of course, you could be notified the week classes begin just depending on the students who choose not to attend. That's an intense time-line for a family of 5 to find a place to live, move, enroll in school for the 2 boys, and have time to breathe! But, I've told myself (and will keep reminding myself) that if DMU is God's plan for our family, then He has already gone before us and all the details are taken care of. I need to relax and rest in Him. (way easier said than done, huh?)
It seems that our life has been put on hold for the past few years and so it will continue for at least a little longer. James flies out Monday night for his Chicago interview on Tuesday. Then he has an interview at KU on October 31st. Maybe he'll get accepted into one of these schools and then our wait will be no more... we shall see!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Late Nights
For the past 2 years, I have been going to a Monday night women's Bible study. There's around 10 or so ladies who attend and it's hosted in one of their homes. It's been a wonderful time of learning, reflection, laughter and of course, some tears. We've seen each other struggle, overcome, and grow.
Last year a lady from MOPS started to come. I'll call her "C". She had recently moved to the area and so we were thrilled that she started to come. I don't remember exactly how it started, but we would talk for a long time beside our cars after the Bible study ended. We talked about kiddos, life, recipes, bargains, etc. We found we had a lot in common. And on a few occasions, when Bible study needed to be canceled for that week, "C" and I would still get together. We needed that "girl time".
Unfortunately, she needed to sit out during the current study due to a conflicting schedule. So for the past 2 weeks we have met up with each other after I was finished with that week's lesson. Last week we met up at Walmart because we both needed to pick up a few items. This week we met for coffee and then ended up at Walmart for her to get a few things. Both times we talked and talked until it was WAY late (I got home last night around 12:30am!) I may be dragging the next morning, but it's so worth it =)
Last year a lady from MOPS started to come. I'll call her "C". She had recently moved to the area and so we were thrilled that she started to come. I don't remember exactly how it started, but we would talk for a long time beside our cars after the Bible study ended. We talked about kiddos, life, recipes, bargains, etc. We found we had a lot in common. And on a few occasions, when Bible study needed to be canceled for that week, "C" and I would still get together. We needed that "girl time".
Unfortunately, she needed to sit out during the current study due to a conflicting schedule. So for the past 2 weeks we have met up with each other after I was finished with that week's lesson. Last week we met up at Walmart because we both needed to pick up a few items. This week we met for coffee and then ended up at Walmart for her to get a few things. Both times we talked and talked until it was WAY late (I got home last night around 12:30am!) I may be dragging the next morning, but it's so worth it =)
Friday, September 16, 2011
You Never Want to Hear...
"I got sent to the principle's office."
But that's what greeted me when I picked up Malachi this afternoon. My heart sank and he was already tearing up without even telling me what happened. I held my composure and got in the car and calmly asked what happened. He said that his friend "P" has a broken collarbone. A girl was trying to take "P's" arm-sling off. Malachi wanted to protect his friend so he tried to get the girl away from "P", but accidentally hit the girl's face with his elbow. He told her sorry, but was sent to the principle's office. He said that he was so scared to be in the office because he thought the principle would spank him. (those days of spanking in schools are long gone, but he didn't know that!) I knew that there was probably an explanation in his folder so when I parked the car at home I opened up to read the note. It said that he had accidentally hit the girl in the face; he felt very bad about it and was sent to the office to figure things out. But he was not in trouble. Whew! He came away with another "Green Day". You have no idea what a relief this was.
You see tonight we had planned on taking Malachi (and the family) to McDonald's for a Happy Meal and time in the PlayPlace to celebrate a month of Green Days. We wanted to reward him for an awesome job at school. All Malachi had to do was get another "Green" today. Since Malachi was already feeling horrible about what happened the last thing I wanted to do was take away this special treat. He started whimpering when he asked if he still got to go to McDonald's. Yes, Malachi, yes you do.
We did talk about how he was a great friend wanting to protect the other boy. But in that circumstance, it would be best to tell the teacher or another adult about what's going on so that this accident wouldn't happen. We also talked about how he felt being sent to the office and just think how scared he would have been if he had done something deliberately. I think this incident put the fear of the principle in him! Life lessons are so hard sometimes, aren't they?
Congrats Malachi on a month of "Green Days"! Let's go celebrate!!!!
But that's what greeted me when I picked up Malachi this afternoon. My heart sank and he was already tearing up without even telling me what happened. I held my composure and got in the car and calmly asked what happened. He said that his friend "P" has a broken collarbone. A girl was trying to take "P's" arm-sling off. Malachi wanted to protect his friend so he tried to get the girl away from "P", but accidentally hit the girl's face with his elbow. He told her sorry, but was sent to the principle's office. He said that he was so scared to be in the office because he thought the principle would spank him. (those days of spanking in schools are long gone, but he didn't know that!) I knew that there was probably an explanation in his folder so when I parked the car at home I opened up to read the note. It said that he had accidentally hit the girl in the face; he felt very bad about it and was sent to the office to figure things out. But he was not in trouble. Whew! He came away with another "Green Day". You have no idea what a relief this was.
You see tonight we had planned on taking Malachi (and the family) to McDonald's for a Happy Meal and time in the PlayPlace to celebrate a month of Green Days. We wanted to reward him for an awesome job at school. All Malachi had to do was get another "Green" today. Since Malachi was already feeling horrible about what happened the last thing I wanted to do was take away this special treat. He started whimpering when he asked if he still got to go to McDonald's. Yes, Malachi, yes you do.
We did talk about how he was a great friend wanting to protect the other boy. But in that circumstance, it would be best to tell the teacher or another adult about what's going on so that this accident wouldn't happen. We also talked about how he felt being sent to the office and just think how scared he would have been if he had done something deliberately. I think this incident put the fear of the principle in him! Life lessons are so hard sometimes, aren't they?
Congrats Malachi on a month of "Green Days"! Let's go celebrate!!!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
"I Need Tell You Someting"
Samara's infamous words. Every night, without fail, she will come out of her bedroom, run up to our bed and say, "I need tell you someting". And, also without fail, she will say the following until we tell her that's enough and to go back to bed:
"We go Great Grandma, we go Great Grandma, we go Great Grandma . . . "
She says it with such sincerity and uses her sweet voice so it can only bring a little smile to your face even though she is not where she's supposed to be. This darling child certainly knows how to work the system exceptionally well!
"We go Great Grandma, we go Great Grandma, we go Great Grandma . . . "
She says it with such sincerity and uses her sweet voice so it can only bring a little smile to your face even though she is not where she's supposed to be. This darling child certainly knows how to work the system exceptionally well!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Update on 5K
Well, the race is less than 2 weeks away. I haven't been able to run as frequently as I was hoping, but unless something totally unforeseen happens, I should be able to at least finish the race. I just got back from running 3 miles in 26 minutes. It's not the greatest time (a little over 8 minutes per mile), but considering that I haven't ran in years, I'll take it!
I discovered that our town has a bike/walking trail. It's located by the railroad tracks and golf course. Looking at the scenery definitely helps to pass the time. The first run I went by myself. I never felt unsafe, but I decided that it would probably be a better idea to bring George along. He could use the exercise and I could use his protective nature...just in case. I've never ran with a dog and it can be challenging because he wants to explore everything. To keep him on track, occasionally, or more often than not, I have to yank on his leash. I just think of it as an added bonus muscle work out.
It came as quite a surprise how quickly my body got in the groove of running again. I thought that I would probably make it a tenth of a mile and then want to pass out. My first run I went a little over a half-mile and then walked a mile and then ran another half. It felt like I could have gone further, but I didn't want to push myself on the first time out.
While I'm pleased with my progress, I want to continue to increase my distance and eventually, better my time. But all good things come to those who wait...or keep at it...or whatever saying would work best ;-)
I discovered that our town has a bike/walking trail. It's located by the railroad tracks and golf course. Looking at the scenery definitely helps to pass the time. The first run I went by myself. I never felt unsafe, but I decided that it would probably be a better idea to bring George along. He could use the exercise and I could use his protective nature...just in case. I've never ran with a dog and it can be challenging because he wants to explore everything. To keep him on track, occasionally, or more often than not, I have to yank on his leash. I just think of it as an added bonus muscle work out.
It came as quite a surprise how quickly my body got in the groove of running again. I thought that I would probably make it a tenth of a mile and then want to pass out. My first run I went a little over a half-mile and then walked a mile and then ran another half. It felt like I could have gone further, but I didn't want to push myself on the first time out.
While I'm pleased with my progress, I want to continue to increase my distance and eventually, better my time. But all good things come to those who wait...or keep at it...or whatever saying would work best ;-)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Dinner Time Conversation
While discussing our first MOPS meeting of the year at dinner, I brought up the fact that after I picked Samara up from her class, she saw a new boy from her class (we'll call him "J"). She said he was her friend, her boyfriend.
James questioned her about this friend. She said, "He hugged me and kissed me. My love my "J" ". We were pretty impressed because she normally doesn't give the boys the time of day. Now don't get me wrong I am ill-prepared for when boys come a-knocking at our door, but it's funny to hear to talk about her new friend. We'll see how long this budding relationship lasts ;-)
James questioned her about this friend. She said, "He hugged me and kissed me. My love my "J" ". We were pretty impressed because she normally doesn't give the boys the time of day. Now don't get me wrong I am ill-prepared for when boys come a-knocking at our door, but it's funny to hear to talk about her new friend. We'll see how long this budding relationship lasts ;-)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
I Will Always Remember
Laying on my bed in my freshman dorm room.
A suite-mate rushed in to say 1 of the towers at the World Trade Center was on fire.
Immediately turned on the TV to see the confusion and had disbelief of my own.
Saw the 2nd airplane fly into the 2nd tower.
Sat in horror of what I just witnessed.
Cried.
Called my mom.
Shocked to see the Pentagon on fire.
Gasped when both towers collapsed.
Heartbroken to hear about the crash of Flight 93.
Attended a candlelight vigil at the university's campus.
Those memories and feelings will haunt me for the rest of my life. We all have our own version of that day. It's one of those events that people will always remember where they were, what they were doing.
The previous summer I had been right inside the lobby of the WTC. I was with a high school group of foreign exchange students touring the East Coast. It was a hot New York day so we went inside to sit down and cool off. And in 1994, a year after the first WTC bombing, I took the elevator with my family to the top floor. We have pictures of us looking down at the streets over a hundred stories below. I remember thinking then just how horrible it would be to fall from way up high. Some people, though, on 9/11/01 made that choice.
How strange it felt to bear witness to a city enduring such atrocities. A city I truly loved. Since 2001, I have been back to NYC twice. There is something about the City that I can't get enough of. The energy. The history. The uniqueness. But, I have not gone to Ground Zero. The first time back was the summer of 2002. The feelings of 9/11 were too raw and I wanted to celebrate being in the City again. While taking the subway, the sign for the "World Trade Center" was still hanging up. I remember tearing up. It just didn't seem possible that those 2 iconic towers were no more.
The second trip was to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. We were only there for a few days. It was James' first trip to the City. I would have went then, but since we were short on time, we decided against it. We did drive by, though, while on our way to the Staten Island Ferry. I saw a glimpse and it brought me back to that fateful day.
Someday, once the memorial is opened, I plan on going back and devote a day to touring it and paying my respects. I know that it will be an emotional day. It will be a painful day.
But for now, I will remember the 2,996 lives lost on that day...10 years ago today.
A suite-mate rushed in to say 1 of the towers at the World Trade Center was on fire.
Immediately turned on the TV to see the confusion and had disbelief of my own.
Saw the 2nd airplane fly into the 2nd tower.
Sat in horror of what I just witnessed.
Cried.
Called my mom.
Shocked to see the Pentagon on fire.
Gasped when both towers collapsed.
Heartbroken to hear about the crash of Flight 93.
Attended a candlelight vigil at the university's campus.
Those memories and feelings will haunt me for the rest of my life. We all have our own version of that day. It's one of those events that people will always remember where they were, what they were doing.
The previous summer I had been right inside the lobby of the WTC. I was with a high school group of foreign exchange students touring the East Coast. It was a hot New York day so we went inside to sit down and cool off. And in 1994, a year after the first WTC bombing, I took the elevator with my family to the top floor. We have pictures of us looking down at the streets over a hundred stories below. I remember thinking then just how horrible it would be to fall from way up high. Some people, though, on 9/11/01 made that choice.
How strange it felt to bear witness to a city enduring such atrocities. A city I truly loved. Since 2001, I have been back to NYC twice. There is something about the City that I can't get enough of. The energy. The history. The uniqueness. But, I have not gone to Ground Zero. The first time back was the summer of 2002. The feelings of 9/11 were too raw and I wanted to celebrate being in the City again. While taking the subway, the sign for the "World Trade Center" was still hanging up. I remember tearing up. It just didn't seem possible that those 2 iconic towers were no more.
The second trip was to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. We were only there for a few days. It was James' first trip to the City. I would have went then, but since we were short on time, we decided against it. We did drive by, though, while on our way to the Staten Island Ferry. I saw a glimpse and it brought me back to that fateful day.
Someday, once the memorial is opened, I plan on going back and devote a day to touring it and paying my respects. I know that it will be an emotional day. It will be a painful day.
But for now, I will remember the 2,996 lives lost on that day...10 years ago today.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Beggar
George has reached a new level of begging. He is actually quite talented. This morning he rode with us in the Expedition to drop Malachi off at school. We had to run a few errands afterward and when we were finished I decided the kiddos deserved a dough-nut from our local dough-nut shop. (Malachi has a pizza and cookie party tonight at school so I thought it was fair they had something "fun".) Since we had George with us, I went through their drive-thru. George was sitting directly behind my seat. He squeezed his head between the space from my seat and the window. This way the lady at the shop would be sure to see him. He put on his pitiful looking face; he must know a sucker for dogs when he sees one. The lady gave George a free glazed dough-nut. Maybe I should practice my pitiful-looking face and see if I can score some free stuff!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Samara's Birth Story
Yesterday was Samara's 3rd birthday. We had a wonderful time with family (pics and a blog post about the party will be coming in a few days). Since I started the blog after my kiddos were born, I wanted to take a step back in time to tell their story. Malachi's and Isaiah's stories will be on their next birthday.
It was the end of January 2008. On a Sunday afternoon, I told James that my "annual" exam was coming up in a few months and I wanted to discuss with my OB/GYN about having a tubal ligation. We had the 2 boys and I felt that our "biological" family was complete. James and I had visited Russia in 2004. While there, we visited an orphanage and we had always thought that we would like to have 2 kids of our own and then adopt from there. So in our minds, it made sense to start looking into that option.
The following Sunday afternoon it hit me. I was late if you know what I mean. There must be a mistake. I rushed to Walmart. I didn't want to waste money on a twin-pack pregnancy test because I was sure that it would be negative. So I bought the single test and came home. Almost immediately the 2 lines appeared. No, that can't be! So I ran out the door and went to Dillon's. This time spending the extra money for a double-pack. Came back home. Confirmed 2 more times that I was indeed prego. I was in absolute shock. I remember spending the rest of the afternoon on the couch crying. Malachi came up and in his little toddler voice asked me what was wrong. You see, at that time, Malachi had just turned 2 and Isaiah had just turned 1. By the time of the 3rd baby's birth, we would have 3 kiddos under the age of 3! That thought was so overwhelming.
Because I was on birth control at the time, the doctor wanted a sonogram right away to see how far along I was measuring. So within a few days of finding out the news, I was able to see the 4-chamber heart beating on the machine. No matter how I felt before the sonogram, I couldn't help but feel love and excitement afterward. With this pregnancy, I felt great. I was tired, but no nausea/sickness.
I was hopeful that this would be our little girl. It had to be. I had dodged the bullet twice to avoid using the boy name James loved. Solomon. I just couldn't bring myself to call our son that. While pregnant with Isaiah, I struck a deal with James that if we had another boy, then that one would be "Solomon". I did that because I was already thinking I was finished with being pregnant. Oh stupid me!
With the boys, we waited until birth to find out what we were having. This time around, though, I desperately needed to know because I didn't want months of debating over a boy's name. When it was time to find out what we were having, it wasn't quite as much fun as waiting. But I was thankful that I could no longer dread a boy's name. I loved watching our little girl be active inside my belly. All the measurements came back normal, and we noticed she had some big feet (just like her daddy!)
My parents threw us a baby shower and my aunt hosted it at her house. Instead of just ladies being invited, it was for families/spouses to come, too. It was a great day filled with everyone creating designs/sayings on burp clothes, eating, opening up wonderful PINK gifts, and swimming. Perfect way to celebrate our little Samara.
As you will find out when I blog about the boys' births, my body handles pregnancy a little differently than a lot of other women. Around Week 27/28, I started having Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions. By around Week 32, I had already dropped. I was getting nervous that she may come early. At my Week 34 OB appt, I was having such intense BH contractions, I wanted to be checked. My doc complied and I was 50% effaced and dilated to a 1. Given the fact that the boys came early, he went ahead and did my Group B Strep test and I made my appt for my 36 week check.
I never made it to that appt, though. It was Labor Day weekend and I was seriously uncomfortable. She was sitting so low and I was waddling like none other. I returned to work that Tuesday, Sept 2nd. I was having horrible contractions; I thought they were just BH, but given the fact I had to have Pitocin with the boys, I didn't quite know what to expect with just natural contractions. I was having trouble walking long distances at work, but I wasn't about to get checked out at the hospital until my water broke.
The next morning, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd, I got up at 6:30am like any other day. While getting ready for work, I had to stop what I was doing every few minutes, bend over and breathe through a contraction. Because of this, I was running late to work. I left a message with the manager to let him know I was having some strong contractions, but I would be there soon. I got in my car and was on my way out of town when I realized that I wasn't sure if I could drive the 45 minutes there. I turned around and made it home. I barely was able to walk upstairs. I took some Tylenol (which I never take) because I knew that if I went to the hospital, that would be the first thing they would ask. James was getting the boys ready for daycare and I laid down on the bed. I told him I was pretty sure that we needed to get to the hospital. At that point, I didn't want to get out of bed so he dropped the boys off while I stayed at home. I called my mom to tell her I was pretty sure I was in active labor. She immediately started the process of preparing to come down.
James got home around 8:00am. It took me a few minutes to make it to the truck. He was going to run in and grab his laptop because he thought it would take awhile before Samara's birth. I knew differently. I had already had the mood change where I no longer was really talking. I started to feel the urge to push. The hospital that I supposed to deliver at was in Wichita. My maternal instincts knew better. I told James that we needed to go to our local hospital.
At 8:15am, James pulled up to the front door and asked if I needed a wheelchair. Uh, yes, this mama was no longer able to really walk. He wheeled me in and went to park the truck. I remember the front foyer was packed because of course there had to be a book fair that day and James parked me right in the middle of it! Here I was trying not to push and breathe through the contractions and trying to blend into the crowd. A darling, elderly volunteer came over to me to see if I could wait a few minutes for Registration to get all of my information. I couldn't speak so I looked at her and tried to nod. Fortunately, a lady in a business suit took one look at me and rushed me into the ER so I could get checked out. She must have known the look of a desperate woman!
The nurses in the ER seemed to keep asking me the same questions. How far along are you? When did the contractions start? How many children do you have? How long did you labor with them? I finally got to the point where I stopped answering. I couldn't talk anymore. They had called up for an OB nurse to get me. But first, I had to stop by Registration. The lady at the desk quickly realized that I needed to get out of there FAST. She kept paging for the nurse to come. I'm sure it only took a few minutes, but it felt like forever.
When the OB nurse finally came, her breath about made me throw up. Coffee breath while in active labor just didn't settle well with me. She wheeled me into a "labor" room, gave me a gown to put on and a cup to pee in. I don't know how I made it into the bathroom to change and I attempted to open the cup, but I was scared that if I went pee then there was a good chance that Samara may come out in the toilet. I made it to the bed and the nurse came in to ask me the same questions the ER nurses did. James was answering them, but I interrupted to say that I felt the urge to push. The nurse said to just wait to push until they had me hooked up to the monitor, an IV in, and some vitals on me. All of a sudden, I said, "I feel a head down there!". The nurse immediately asked if she could check me. By all means, YES! And then she yelled, "I need a doctor in here right now!!!!" A doctor rushed in and they said that Samara was right there. Uh, yeah, I already knew that!
Because all of the "delivery" rooms were dirty, there was a whole team rushing around to prep the "labor" room for the arrival. At 8:59am (45 minutes after arriving at the hospital), and 2 pushes later, Samara Jayne came into this world. She was tiny (1 day shy of being 36 weeks). She weighed 5.11lb and was 18 1/2 inches long. The nurse tried to gather as much prenatal history on me while starting my IV and getting my vitals (after the birth!). Samara checked out wonderfully. I remember looking at her in the warmer and noticing on her left foot, her 4th toe was crooked. The strange things you remember. She was amazing, beautiful, darling, and most importantly, healthy.
With the craziness of the birth, I had forgotten to have James call my parents to tell them to come to our town's hospital and not Wichita. He hurriedly called them and initially got their answering machine. My parents were actually backing out of their garage when my mom heard the phone ring. She rushed inside to hear the great news. (At that time, they didn't have a cell phone so it would have been impossible to get a hold of them any other way!) I called work to let the manager know that I wouldn't be making it in.
We spent the rest of the day holding our beloved daughter. All wrapped up in pink. Cute as a button. Apparently, we were the talk of the hospital. I repeatedly apologized to the nurses and staff for creating such a busy morning for them. More than one of them said that I was made to have babies. Um, no thanks, I'm done =)
Within an hour after the birth, I was walking around, got my PJ's on from home, and felt much better than having a little person sitting on my cervix. Because of her fast delivery and small size, I had zero complications afterward and truly felt back to being myself...well...minus the pregnancy weight!
My parents and sister made it down around lunch time and "oohed" and "aahed" over her. James brought me lunch from our favorite, local coffee shop. In the evening, he brought the boys up to meet their sissy. Malachi wanted to hold her and kiss her. Isaiah wanted to climb on the bed, the chairs, etc. Not really interested in this new playmate.
After James went home with them for the night, Samara and I had a great night of watching HGTV together, cuddling, and me kissing her sweet cheeks. What a blessing she already was!
The following morning James' "Doctor Friend" came by and said that she was one of the prettiest white babies he's ever seen. Yeah, we make some pretty babies! Late that morning, we were discharged and began our crazy adventure as a family...
"Samara" is of Hebrew and Arabic origin and means Guardian or Protected by God.
It was the end of January 2008. On a Sunday afternoon, I told James that my "annual" exam was coming up in a few months and I wanted to discuss with my OB/GYN about having a tubal ligation. We had the 2 boys and I felt that our "biological" family was complete. James and I had visited Russia in 2004. While there, we visited an orphanage and we had always thought that we would like to have 2 kids of our own and then adopt from there. So in our minds, it made sense to start looking into that option.
The following Sunday afternoon it hit me. I was late if you know what I mean. There must be a mistake. I rushed to Walmart. I didn't want to waste money on a twin-pack pregnancy test because I was sure that it would be negative. So I bought the single test and came home. Almost immediately the 2 lines appeared. No, that can't be! So I ran out the door and went to Dillon's. This time spending the extra money for a double-pack. Came back home. Confirmed 2 more times that I was indeed prego. I was in absolute shock. I remember spending the rest of the afternoon on the couch crying. Malachi came up and in his little toddler voice asked me what was wrong. You see, at that time, Malachi had just turned 2 and Isaiah had just turned 1. By the time of the 3rd baby's birth, we would have 3 kiddos under the age of 3! That thought was so overwhelming.
Because I was on birth control at the time, the doctor wanted a sonogram right away to see how far along I was measuring. So within a few days of finding out the news, I was able to see the 4-chamber heart beating on the machine. No matter how I felt before the sonogram, I couldn't help but feel love and excitement afterward. With this pregnancy, I felt great. I was tired, but no nausea/sickness.
I was hopeful that this would be our little girl. It had to be. I had dodged the bullet twice to avoid using the boy name James loved. Solomon. I just couldn't bring myself to call our son that. While pregnant with Isaiah, I struck a deal with James that if we had another boy, then that one would be "Solomon". I did that because I was already thinking I was finished with being pregnant. Oh stupid me!
With the boys, we waited until birth to find out what we were having. This time around, though, I desperately needed to know because I didn't want months of debating over a boy's name. When it was time to find out what we were having, it wasn't quite as much fun as waiting. But I was thankful that I could no longer dread a boy's name. I loved watching our little girl be active inside my belly. All the measurements came back normal, and we noticed she had some big feet (just like her daddy!)
My parents threw us a baby shower and my aunt hosted it at her house. Instead of just ladies being invited, it was for families/spouses to come, too. It was a great day filled with everyone creating designs/sayings on burp clothes, eating, opening up wonderful PINK gifts, and swimming. Perfect way to celebrate our little Samara.
As you will find out when I blog about the boys' births, my body handles pregnancy a little differently than a lot of other women. Around Week 27/28, I started having Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions. By around Week 32, I had already dropped. I was getting nervous that she may come early. At my Week 34 OB appt, I was having such intense BH contractions, I wanted to be checked. My doc complied and I was 50% effaced and dilated to a 1. Given the fact that the boys came early, he went ahead and did my Group B Strep test and I made my appt for my 36 week check.
I never made it to that appt, though. It was Labor Day weekend and I was seriously uncomfortable. She was sitting so low and I was waddling like none other. I returned to work that Tuesday, Sept 2nd. I was having horrible contractions; I thought they were just BH, but given the fact I had to have Pitocin with the boys, I didn't quite know what to expect with just natural contractions. I was having trouble walking long distances at work, but I wasn't about to get checked out at the hospital until my water broke.
The next morning, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd, I got up at 6:30am like any other day. While getting ready for work, I had to stop what I was doing every few minutes, bend over and breathe through a contraction. Because of this, I was running late to work. I left a message with the manager to let him know I was having some strong contractions, but I would be there soon. I got in my car and was on my way out of town when I realized that I wasn't sure if I could drive the 45 minutes there. I turned around and made it home. I barely was able to walk upstairs. I took some Tylenol (which I never take) because I knew that if I went to the hospital, that would be the first thing they would ask. James was getting the boys ready for daycare and I laid down on the bed. I told him I was pretty sure that we needed to get to the hospital. At that point, I didn't want to get out of bed so he dropped the boys off while I stayed at home. I called my mom to tell her I was pretty sure I was in active labor. She immediately started the process of preparing to come down.
James got home around 8:00am. It took me a few minutes to make it to the truck. He was going to run in and grab his laptop because he thought it would take awhile before Samara's birth. I knew differently. I had already had the mood change where I no longer was really talking. I started to feel the urge to push. The hospital that I supposed to deliver at was in Wichita. My maternal instincts knew better. I told James that we needed to go to our local hospital.
At 8:15am, James pulled up to the front door and asked if I needed a wheelchair. Uh, yes, this mama was no longer able to really walk. He wheeled me in and went to park the truck. I remember the front foyer was packed because of course there had to be a book fair that day and James parked me right in the middle of it! Here I was trying not to push and breathe through the contractions and trying to blend into the crowd. A darling, elderly volunteer came over to me to see if I could wait a few minutes for Registration to get all of my information. I couldn't speak so I looked at her and tried to nod. Fortunately, a lady in a business suit took one look at me and rushed me into the ER so I could get checked out. She must have known the look of a desperate woman!
The nurses in the ER seemed to keep asking me the same questions. How far along are you? When did the contractions start? How many children do you have? How long did you labor with them? I finally got to the point where I stopped answering. I couldn't talk anymore. They had called up for an OB nurse to get me. But first, I had to stop by Registration. The lady at the desk quickly realized that I needed to get out of there FAST. She kept paging for the nurse to come. I'm sure it only took a few minutes, but it felt like forever.
When the OB nurse finally came, her breath about made me throw up. Coffee breath while in active labor just didn't settle well with me. She wheeled me into a "labor" room, gave me a gown to put on and a cup to pee in. I don't know how I made it into the bathroom to change and I attempted to open the cup, but I was scared that if I went pee then there was a good chance that Samara may come out in the toilet. I made it to the bed and the nurse came in to ask me the same questions the ER nurses did. James was answering them, but I interrupted to say that I felt the urge to push. The nurse said to just wait to push until they had me hooked up to the monitor, an IV in, and some vitals on me. All of a sudden, I said, "I feel a head down there!". The nurse immediately asked if she could check me. By all means, YES! And then she yelled, "I need a doctor in here right now!!!!" A doctor rushed in and they said that Samara was right there. Uh, yeah, I already knew that!
Because all of the "delivery" rooms were dirty, there was a whole team rushing around to prep the "labor" room for the arrival. At 8:59am (45 minutes after arriving at the hospital), and 2 pushes later, Samara Jayne came into this world. She was tiny (1 day shy of being 36 weeks). She weighed 5.11lb and was 18 1/2 inches long. The nurse tried to gather as much prenatal history on me while starting my IV and getting my vitals (after the birth!). Samara checked out wonderfully. I remember looking at her in the warmer and noticing on her left foot, her 4th toe was crooked. The strange things you remember. She was amazing, beautiful, darling, and most importantly, healthy.
With the craziness of the birth, I had forgotten to have James call my parents to tell them to come to our town's hospital and not Wichita. He hurriedly called them and initially got their answering machine. My parents were actually backing out of their garage when my mom heard the phone ring. She rushed inside to hear the great news. (At that time, they didn't have a cell phone so it would have been impossible to get a hold of them any other way!) I called work to let the manager know that I wouldn't be making it in.
We spent the rest of the day holding our beloved daughter. All wrapped up in pink. Cute as a button. Apparently, we were the talk of the hospital. I repeatedly apologized to the nurses and staff for creating such a busy morning for them. More than one of them said that I was made to have babies. Um, no thanks, I'm done =)
Within an hour after the birth, I was walking around, got my PJ's on from home, and felt much better than having a little person sitting on my cervix. Because of her fast delivery and small size, I had zero complications afterward and truly felt back to being myself...well...minus the pregnancy weight!
My parents and sister made it down around lunch time and "oohed" and "aahed" over her. James brought me lunch from our favorite, local coffee shop. In the evening, he brought the boys up to meet their sissy. Malachi wanted to hold her and kiss her. Isaiah wanted to climb on the bed, the chairs, etc. Not really interested in this new playmate.
After James went home with them for the night, Samara and I had a great night of watching HGTV together, cuddling, and me kissing her sweet cheeks. What a blessing she already was!
The following morning James' "Doctor Friend" came by and said that she was one of the prettiest white babies he's ever seen. Yeah, we make some pretty babies! Late that morning, we were discharged and began our crazy adventure as a family...
"Samara" is of Hebrew and Arabic origin and means Guardian or Protected by God.
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| A few hours after birth |
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| Getting ready to leave in her preemie clothes Grammie and Papa gave her |
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| Samara at home |
Friday, September 2, 2011
History Made
Yesterday made history. The Summer of 2011 has gone down in the books as reaching 100+ degrees more than any other summer. It seems like forever since we've had a day where the temps were bearable. During the winter, I remember dreaming of being warm and yearning for summer's heat. Well, I wasn't dreaming of a furnace, but that's what we ended up with! I am hopeful that we will soon be enjoying a long fall with lots of crisp mornings and comfortable afternoons. Aww, yes, that sounds just right.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Random Creative Ideas
Here are some interesting ideas I have come across and really like:
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| Christmas Wreath from an Upcycled Spray Painted Frame |
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| Spells "Autumn" with Different Black Frames |
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| Bottom of a Table. Perfect for a Toddler Bed! |
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| Spray Painted Mason Jars |
It's Been A Year
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of me being a "SAHM" (stay at home mom for those not up-to-date on the lingo ;-) ) We've survived! It was very bittersweet to leave a job I loved, co-workers I adored, give up half of our income, and embark on this journey. But I have no regrets. My relationship with each child has really blossomed and I can say I've never been closer to them than I am now. To be sure I've had days that I questioned my sanity regarding this choice (just yesterday was one of those days where it felt like the kiddos and George were in time-out more than they weren't.)
I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity before they boys started school. I will continue to cherish the time I have with them. For these precious young ages pass by far too quickly...
I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity before they boys started school. I will continue to cherish the time I have with them. For these precious young ages pass by far too quickly...
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