Abigail's Birth Story

Well, now that Abigail is 2 weeks old, I think it's high time to acknowledge her on my blog. :-) She arrived in her own good time, and we are so happy to have her here (even when she keeps us up at night). Here's her story:

After having an uncomplicated first 2 trimesters, I was diagnosed with Polyhydramnios (high levels of amniotic fluid) in early October. Risk factors included pre-term delivery and problems with the umbilical cord preceding the baby out of the birth canal. As a result, I had to go to the hospital twice a week for tests in addition to my normal prenatal appointments during the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. This--and the idea that Abbie would probably come prior to her due date--made those last 6 weeks interminable!

On Tuesday, November 23, we invited my family to our house for Jonathan’s amazing Frito pie. My dad and Joann were in town for the Thanksgiving holiday, as was Maribeth. We had a wonderful evening, and the last guests left around 10 pm. Before we went to bed around 11:30, I asked Jonathan to pray with me that God would give us the gift of having our baby come before Maribeth left on Thanksgiving Day for her 6-month missions assignment in Kenya. We knew that if Maribeth didn’t get to meet her before then, she would probably not meet her until we came back from Indonesia on furlough.

At 12:30 am, on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, I woke up because it felt like I was leaking amniotic fluid. I wasn’t sure—couldn’t hardly believe it was really happening—but gradually concluded that my water had broken. I began having a steady pain in my lower abdomen but decided to rest until it turned into regular contractions. At 1:15, the contractions started and I told Jonathan what was going on. I started to time the contractions while getting my things together. At 1:35, I called my dad and Joann to ask them to come over to stay with Toby. Joann said they would be there in 30-40 minutes. A few minutes later (at Jonathan’s insistence), I called her back to say they’d better come ASAP. Jonathan and I could both tell that things were progressing pretty quickly, so we gathered our things and headed out the door as soon as Dad and Joann arrived.

We left for the hospital at 2:05, and I texted my siblings to say: “We’re having a baby! Heading to the hospital now.” We arrived at the hospital around 2:20. Jonathan dropped me off at the front door, and I headed up to OB Triage. He called Kristina after parking to make sure she and the other sisters had gotten my message. (They hadn’t.) I changed into a hospital gown, and the nurse checked me, saying I was 7 cm dilated. I almost despaired at that point because the pain was so intense and I wasn’t as far along as I had been when I checked in for Toby’s birth. Just shortly after that, I began feeling the urge to push….and we were still in OB Triage. The nurses told me not to push, but I couldn’t help it—the urge was too strong—so I pushed as they rushed me over to Labor & Delivery. As soon as we got into the room, someone cried out, “There’s the head!” I remember thinking, “Wait, the baby can’t come now; my sisters aren’t here yet!” Jonathan called Kristina from Labor & Delivery, learned that she & the other girls had arrived at the hospital, and told them they’d better run because the head was showing. They hurried in there, and 4 minutes later, at 3:14 a.m., Baby Abigail Marie made her grand entrance into this world. She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21¾ inches long. It was so wonderful to finally hold her and see her. I couldn’t get enough of feeling her in my arms and touching her little head.

Warming up in Mama's arms just after birth

All swaddled up and visiting with the aunties

38 weeks and counting

Do I look as big as I feel? Actually, the baby has dropped so my belly looks smaller than it did 2 weeks ago. And--oh, bliss!--now that she's dropped, her little feet aren't constantly pressing up into my ribs. I am SO much more comfortable now.

I'm now heading to appointments 3 days a week, once for the requisite prenatal, once for a non-stress test, and once for a non-stress test plus an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid levels. The fluid levels have been ranging from normal to just a bit higher than normal, and the baby has looked fantastic at every visit. It's also reassuring that the baby has dropped, since that significantly reduces the chances of the umbilical cord getting stuck between her head and the birth canal when my water breaks. So it's all good news...except that she's not here yet.

While we wait, I've been keeping plenty busy. Those 3 appointments each week definitely contribute to the busy-ness. I've baked pumpkin bread, banana craisin bread, ciabatta bread, whole-wheat bread, and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies (I think another batch of the cookies will be on the agenda soon). Some of those goodies have even made it to the freezer! I've also been crocheting baby hats. This pattern required a little modification, but I'm pretty pleased with the result. Unfortunately, I'm afraid they're gonna be too small, so I might have to do a little more work on them.

Toby also helps to keep me busy, although he also does GREAT at entertaining himself. He can spend 30-40 minutes at a time doing this:

He's so much fun these days! He definitely has two words (finally): "ma-ma" and "paa-paa" (rhymes with "baa baa" and means "pacifier"). He still doesn't seem to understand how useful words can be, so he's taking his time with talking. We are constantly amazed by how much he understands though. The other day he brought Jonathan a book to read. Jonathan didn't feel like reading that story so he started to make up his own story, but Toby caught on right away that it wasn't the right story and he would have none of it! He protested quite violently until Jonathan started reading it correctly.

We took him to the park a few weeks ago. He LOVES the outdoors.

This picture reminds me of my brother for some reason. 

Time for me to go whip up some chocolate chip pumpkin cookies with the little man. He gets such a kick out of "helping" me bake.

Contact lens fiasco

Jonathan and I both got contacts within the last few months in preparation for moving overseas. Mine seemed fine for a while, but the right one started to irritate my eye now and then. I also noticed a black spot on my vision at times. That was kinda scary, so I scheduled a follow-up appointment. The doctor said the contact was sliding around and not fitting well, which irritated my eye and allowed me to see the little black dot on the contact sometimes. So she modified the prescription a bit and ordered me a new one.

We went in to get the new one this afternoon. I took my old contact lens out, put contact solution on the new one to moisten it, and went to put the new one in my eye. Suddenly, the new contact was nowhere to be found. My vision was still blurry in that eye, and I couldn't find the contact anywhere. I figured it must have slid off my finger because it was wet and slippery. We looked everywhere, but it did not turn up! I felt like such a fool; I haven't lost a contact for 20 years! So I put the old contact back in, and the office assistant put in an order for another contact.

When I got home, the new contact seemed to be sliding around worse than usual so I went to take it out and clean it off. Would you believe that out popped not one, but two, contacts?! Apparently, the prescription on the new lens was so terrible that I couldn't even tell the contact had gone in. I was so disgusted! Now I get to go back up there tomorrow to try the new lens on for the doctor and let her see how awful the prescription is, then I get to wait for them to order a new one, and only then can I go back up and (hopefully!) take home a good-fitting contact lens with the correct prescription. What a mess!

Loving life

I'm going through a season right now of really enjoying my little boy. I've had my share of times when those loving feelings were not so near the surface, so I am basking in the joy I feel these days. I'm sure some of my feelings stem from the knowledge that things will change for our little family in a few short months--we may be overseas by then and we will have another little one to delight in and spend time with. This new baby is certainly a welcome addition to our lives, but I want to cherish this time I have to focus on Toby.

He is such a fun little guy, always moving and learning and surprising us. His sign language vocabulary is steadily increasing; he just recently added giraffe, please, music, telephone, and star to his repertoire. He knows that CD's and CD players combine to make music, and he usually heads straight for the CD player after his naps, pointing to it and making his little "request" noise to ask for music. He will also bring me random CD's to play.

His favorite toys right now are his matchbox cars, Papa's chess set, keys, his shoes, books, and an empty milk jug. He loves to look at books and be read to, heading straight for the bookshelf first thing in the morning as if desperate to break his overnight fast from books. (Wonder where he got that?) He's recently started shaking his head "no," but he doesn't really understand what it means. He's a good little helper, willingly taking things to the trash, putting various things away (he usually knows where they belong), and helping to pick up his toys.


What a cheesy smile!

Making the sign for "telephone"

Browsing through books

It is so fun to watch him develop new skills. I really like the little person he is. Just call me a proud mama if you like....

Lentil Soup with Cumin

I made this soup a few days ago, and it was so yummy! We skipped the sour cream and added some cooked rice to the soup to make it a complete protein. I thought it was pretty filling. If you try it out, let me know what you think.

Lentil Soup with Cumin (serves 8)

1 large carrot, peeled
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion
1 potato, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 t. ground cumin
2 t. salt
1 c. lentils
8 c. water or chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream (optional)

Chop carrot, celery, onion, and potato into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold everything. Add the cut vegetables, garlic, cumin, and salt. Cook 5 minutes. Add the lentils and water or stock. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 hour. If desired, season with additional salt and pepper, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

This recipe comes from this amazing cookbook.

Toby in all his cuteness

I think it's about time to post some pictures of Tobias again. He really is terribly cute.

Here he is, emptying the bottom shelves of our pantry. He seems to think it's his job to do this at least once a day.

Toby's first ride on a carousel, compliments of Auntie Kristina.

Here we are in front of the flamingos on Toby's birthday. We celebrated with a trip to the zoo.

Toby's really walking now. He can take 10-12 steps at a time before he plops down on his well-padded bottom. He's SO proud of himself and often gets so excited about walking that he loses his balance. :-)

Toby's first experience with swings--don't you just love the look on his face? Makes me laugh every time I see this picture. (He didn't have this expression on his face the whole time he was swinging though.)

Looking at the ducks at Tingley Beach with Papa. Toby wanted nothing more than to jump into the pond and chase/touch the ducks. He actually got quite upset when I didn't let him do it.

Grandpa Nevin & Grandma Joann gave him this tractor for Christmas. We got it out for him the other morning, and he knew just what to do with it.

This is the latest "silly-Toby-face." Such a funny boy we have.

We just love our little guy. He's really starting to communicate, and he understands a LOT of what we say. I'm currently teaching him to hold still for me when I'm changing his diaper or getting him dressed. He does very well except when he's tired. We give each other a high-five afterward for a job well done. :-)

The Selfishness of Fear

I was reading Mark 5 the other day, and a small detail in the story of the demon-possessed man caught my attention. Here's a quick summary of the story:

• Demon-possessed man lives in tombs and practices self-mutilation
• Jesus sends demons out of man and into herd of pigs
• Pigs drown
• Villagers hear about drowned pigs and see formerly demon-possessed man "clothed and in his full senses"
• Villagers are afraid and beg Jesus to leave the area.

What's up with these villagers? They had a living, breathing, tormented man living near their village, probably striking terror into their hearts and preventing them from moving freely around the area. This guy is healed and restored to his senses, and they don't express gratitude for their increased safety, much less happiness that he's been given his life back. No, they are afraid. They don't want any more of this funny business going on in their area. No, thanks.

Their fear stopped them from rejoicing about the miracle in front of them. Their fear prevented Jesus from doing more miracles in their village. Their fear was selfish.

Ouch.

That gives me a whole new perspective on fear. My fear doesn't only hurt me; it has the power to hurt those around me. My fear can essentially usher Jesus right out of the situation. Thought-provoking....

Toby's 1st birthday

We had a little party with our nearby family to celebrate Toby's first birthday. He got lots of attention and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

We had yummy food...

Including birthday cake.

 

Toby thoroughly enjoyed his own personal cupcake.

He wasn't too sure about digging into it with his fingers at first but thought it was kinda fun after he got started.

Here he is in all his cake-smeared glory.

He enjoyed his gifts too, especially the decorations on this one.

Auntie Kristina with her favorite niece and nephew

 

 It was a fun party, but the Papa and Mama needed a day to recuperate afterward. I had no idea parties could be so tiring...and this one wasn't even that big or complicated! Oh, well, a baby only turns one once.

Spring is in my kitchen!

Aren't they beautiful?

Looking toward the horizon

This may be my favorite time of day. The dishes are done, baby's morning messes cleaned up, husband off to work, baby napping, coffee brewed, task list still forgotten--this is my time. I check facebook, read my email, skim over blogs, and prepare myself for the day.

I've recently developed an overwhelming interest in reading blogs. In my obsession, I've stumbled across a few bloggers who draw me away from the surface, everyday cares that dominate my thoughts and into the deep waters of thoughts about life, spirituality, and eternity. This is one such entry.

Confession time: I'm lazy. I like to stay on the surface, thinking about the here and now, the practical things I can check off my list today. Working toward long-term goals is hard, requiring consistent effort with no immediate results. But staying on the surface ultimately makes me feel empty, purposeless. And writing, reflecting, draws me into those deep waters. So here I am with my brand-new blog, purposing to stop, to think, to look toward the horizon, to live with eternity in mind.