After a cup of coffee...or two

• Dec. 4, 2006
The girl has a big heart

Posted in Kids

Our church is participating in Operation Christmas Child, where you fill a shoebox with items for a needy child. I thought this would be a great way to introduce Chloe to serving others, so we decided to make a box for a little girl and headed out to Target.

I explained to her that some kids don't have any mommies or daddies to buy them Christmas presents, so we were going to buy the presents for the little girl. Chloe picked out so many things that I knew she loved for herself, but never once asked to have them. (She doesn't know it, but she's getting a lot of them in her Christmas stocking, since she was so good and didn't ask for anything!)

When we were all done, Chloe said how she was going to give the little girl all the presents and that she had lots of extra pillows so the little girl could share Chloe's room with her.

And then she said that since the little girl doesn't have any brothers or sisters, Chloe and Luke and Audrey could be hers.

And then she said that Isaac and I could be her mommy and daddy.

And then she asked when we were going to get her.

I tell you, it actually hurt my heart to explain to Chloe that we couldn't get her, we could only mail the shoebox. She kept asking, "But what if she never has a mommy or daddy? Can't we be her family?"

Isaac and I have always thought that we would adopt a child someday, and it looks like God may be preparing the hearts of our children for that!

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• Dec. 2, 2006
Introducing Audrey

Posted in Kids

Audrey Nicole arrived 11-24 at 6:32 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. This is her at one week old. She is just the sweetest, most mellow baby, which is good since she has her big brother and sister loving on her all the time, and two-year-old boys aren't the gentlest of huggers :)

My labor this time was sooo different from the other two. Chloe was induced 7 days late, and the entire process took about 6 hours. I think the actual labor was about 4.5 hours. Luke came 9 days late and only took 4 hours. I went from 3cm to pushing so fast that the doctor didn't make it and Isaac thought he'd have to catch the baby!

This time I woke up on Thanksgiving (a week and a half before my due date) having irregular but strong contractions and some light bleeding, so I knew I'd go into labor soon, and we expected it to be fast when it happened. I cooked all day and didn't nap or anything, expecting to go into labor any minute. But my contractions didn't get regular until midnight! And then they were still 10 minutes apart. At 5am on Black Friday I called a friend to drop the kids off because the contractions were 5 minutes apart. At 8am they were still 5 minutes apart, and I was dilated to 3cm! I had expected to be almost done by then. At 10am they had lengthened to 8 minutes and I was still only about 3cm, and I took a shot of Stadol to help me get some sleep (a mild narcotic and the only alternative to epidurals at thsi hospital. It wears off in about an hour, and makes you feel kind of light-headed). I had been up and contracting irregularly for over 24 hours at that point. Finally at about 2 the doctor broke my water. I was up to 5cm. At 4 I was dilated 6 cm. I had one contraction that hurt my lower back so badly that I considered asking for an epidural, but I felt pressure at the next contraction, and when the doctor checked, it was time to push! Just 3 pushes and she was out. I love the feeling of the shoulders coming out, it is such a relief and rush.

Even though it was the complete opposite of what we expected, this was the labor I enjoyed the most, since I felt the most in control and also the most like a team with Isaac. I actually really enjoyed the time with him. He read jokes to me, rubbed my back and feet, and put pressure on some pressure points during the more painful contractions. I felt so loved by him as he served me all day.

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• Nov. 16, 2006
Conversations with Chloe- Birthday Edition

Posted in Kids

Since my birthday is in a few days, and we just celebrated Luke and Chloe's birthdays, Chloe is big into surprises...

C: Mommy, I helped Daddy wrap your birthday present! I put the tape on!

Me: That's great! Thanks for helping him.

C: But I can't tell you what it is, because it's a surprise!

Me: Oh, that's ok, I don't want to ruin the surprise.

C: Ok. But I think it's a bracelet! But I won't tell you!

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• Nov. 7, 2006
Before and After

Posted in Kids