Friday, June 29, 2007

Getting from there to here

As I sit (hopefully) on the verge of ushering another little soul into the world, I can't help but think of the journey that has gotten me here.

Rob and I decided to start trying for children in the summer of 1995. I always had irregular cycles and knew that it might be a challenge, but I figured a little medicine and we'd be on our way. It took 18 months to get pregnant. Those times were not fun, to say the least. I learned all about charting and timing and other such mechanincs of babymaking. Every month, we upped the dose of hormones and every month was a failure. I can remember going in my car and screaming my head off, partly out of frustration and partly because of what the hormones were doing to me. I can also remember sitting on the floor of my shower bawling with the realization that this month was once again a failure. Finally, however, in Jan. 1997, I was pregnant. Such a thrill!! The pregnancy, however, was not the smoothest. Starting with the fact that I was having triplets. What would I ever do with three babies?? There was also the threatened miscarriage at 11 weeks, that had me bleeding off and on until 20 weeks, the amnios that left me leaking fluid for two weeks, a confirmed birth defect in one baby, bedrest, contractions, constant monitoring, Magnesium Sulfate to stop labor, all culminating in giving birth 8 weeks early to little pumpkins who spent time in the NICU (which is a horror all in it's own). The second I saw my babies, I knew I would do it again just to have them. I knew I would give my life for theirs in an instant. However, as I was discharged from the hospital without them, I couldn't help but feel jipped. This was not what I had pictured all of those months as I was trying to get pregnant.

Fast forward two years and two months and completely out of the blue, I find myself pregnant again. No drugs, no shots, just the old fashioned way. It was a bit overwhelming, frankly, at the time, given that the triplets were two and were a bit, um, well, two, and given the fact that our marriage was not in the best place at all. We had gone to a Family Life marriage weekend as truly a last ditch effort to save our marriage, and came home with a little souvenier. This pregnancy was awesome. Three of my close friends were also pregnant and due in July, 2000. Everything was so smooth and in the end, I had a wonderful 8 pound boy, delieverd spontaneously, with immediate bonding. It was perfect. I felt so blessed to be able to have experienced childbirth the way it "should" be and it wasn't long before I found myself wanting another baby.

People always ask me if this baby was planned and I find that a difficult question to answer. Rob had always been adamanatly opposed to another child, and, frankly, my cycles had gotten very wacky in my old age. I had gone all through 2004 and 2005 without a cycle on my own. FOr some reason, in 2006, things started to come back to some sort of normal, but I could never predict when I might ovulate. I could be 2 months, it could be 4. In September, I had a chemical pregnancy (positive pregnancy test, followed by a late period the day after), which I found to be devestating. Rob said we could try again, and I took him up on the offer. Of course, I had no idea if I would ovulate again. Imagine my surprise when in mid-October, I felt I was ovulating (all of that info from my infertle days paying off), and by Halloween I knew I was pregnant. I am now one of those who got pregnant on the first try!

All of this to say, even though I complain about how miserable I am, I know I am blessed. I think of women who, today even, are screaming in their cars or crying on the floor of their showers wishing to be in the place that I am in today. I feel very grateful that God has redeemed what I felt was taken from me in my first pregnancy/delivery experience. I know that I am blessed. God could have chosen any way to bring humans into the world, and for some reason, He chose to allow women the privelage of joining Him in creation. I am blessed.

Hopefully, my next post will be a birth announcement!!

Monday, June 25, 2007

38 weeks and counting....

In honor of my own personal misery, I've created another Top 10 list.

Top 10 Signs that your close to delivery:

10. You think fondly back to the early days of pregnancy when you only had to get up one or two times per night to pee.
9. The words "fingertip dialated" send you over the edge, because you know it's a euphamism for "see you next week still pregnant."
8. You begin thinking that the pain of labor will be a welcome reprieve from the pain of your sciatica.
7. You being thinking that being up all night with a newborn will be a welcome repreive from being up all night with heartburn.
6. You have to do moves that a contortionist would find amazing just to wipe your own butt.
5. You are willing to try any and every old wives tale out there to get baby to come out, including that terrible three letter word...J-O-G!
4. If one more person calls me and asks me if I've had the baby yet...I swear I'll explode.
3. You fantasize of carrying around a stun gun to tazer anyone who inadvertently pisses you off. Like the people mentioned in #4 or the worship leader at church who made me stand through 5 songs yesterday. Just as an example.
2. You are constantly smelling your underwear to see if what just leaked was urine (again!) or perhaps maybe, just maybe, please God let it be amniotic fluid.
1. You know the second you hold that precious little precious in your arms, all of this will be a distant memory and very much worth every minute of it!

I got an email today that said 95% of all babies arrive between 38 and 40 weeks, so here's hoping. But, don't call or email to ask me...you might just get tazered!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Incessant Bragging Part 2

I needed to post more pictures.



When Trisha wasn't Alice, she played many different parts, one was a flower. Oh, I can't forget to mention that she also won a $100 savings bond for coming in first place in our township's coloring contest for her grade level.




More Ryan playing baseball. Look at the skill with which he rounds third base. I think he gets his running skills from me!



Jaden ready to take a shot in wheelchair basketball. He plays once per month and loves it. Hence the desire to be the first Harlem Globetrotter in a wheelchair when he grows up.

Incessant Bragging

I haven't done much incessant bragging about my children lately, and since it is promised in the description of my blog, I thought I was due:



I already posted Jonathan in the talent show for Life Is a Highway, but he was also in a Suessical number that his entire third grade class did. It was adorable.



Jaden did some fancy basketball dribbling moves in the talent show. He did an act all by himself, and it was really good!




Jonathan with his soccer team on the day of the tournament. He wasn't on the best of teams, but he was one of the better players. I know the glasses look a little silly, but they sure help improved his play!



Trisha as Alice in Alice through the Looking Glass. She shared the lead with another girl. I am sure that I do not have to tell you who was better, by far, at the part. Trisha even looks like Alice for goodness sakes!



Ryan baseball shot. He loves, loves, loves baseball. And, for his first time playing the sport, I am so very impressed with how well he plays.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

Not only is this a most excellent line from one of my favorite movies (Can you guess which movie?), it is also the theme I, personally, am giving to a baby shower that was thrown for me this past weekend. Not only did my wonderful friends not put baby in a corner, they celebrated her in a big way!! It was truly very humbling to have all of these people come to this shower and were so generous in their giving. Considering that not one of the people who came are related to me, and therefore, might feel obligates to come. I was quite humbled. I know that Hilary got a lot of flack for her "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" book, but I do know that it is good for kids to know that there are other eyes watching them when their parents eyes are not. And, I have to say I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing village of families!



These were the wonderful hostesses. Have you ever seen such fabulous women in your life? Just hanging around their fabulousness makes me look good!




George Bush was kind enough to make it to my shower as well...even sporting some pink.




I got such wonderful stuff. As-Of-Yet-Unnamed-Baby-Girl-Klan is set up quite well. As Trisha said, "We've been overrun with cuteness!!".




Speaking of Trish...here we are. I can't really express enough how much I loathe pictures of me at this point. I had read in an article that if you turn to the side and put your leg up, it makes you look slimmer...well, I think I'm pretty much beyond help at this point, especially with the 90 degree weather that day blowing my legs and ankles up like balloons!

Overall a great time, and like I said I am so thankful for my wonderful friends!

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Jonathan hamming it up

Here's Jonathan at the Talent Show...He's the one on the right.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Hooray! It's June!

The doctor who delivered Ryan said that the last few weeks of pregnancy are God's way of preparing you for childbirth, because you'll go through anything, including labor, just to get the darn thing out of you! Over the few years that my children have been in school, I have used the same analogy. The last few weeks of school with field trips, field days, talent shows, presentations, etc, etc, etc, are God's way of preparing you for summer vacation, because you'll go through anything, including having your children with you all day, everyday, just for the insanity to stop.

The question is, however; what is God trying to teach someone when these two occurances collide? And, when it is 90 degrees out? I'm not sure. In fact, I think that the collision of these three forces creates a very great evil. But, at least it's June, and with the exception of the heat, it will all be over soon!