One Year Ago....

I've never shared a birth story before. Since today is my baby girl's first birthday, I will share her story today.

With my 3 previous pregnancies, I had contracted a lot, only to arrive at the L & D with very little progress happening. The difference this time was that I wasn't contracting as much, but I was much more uncomfortable. I chalked it up to being pregnant in the sweltering summer heat. (Last year was that terrible drought with extreme heat....ugh....) I pretty much just sat around trying to stay cool.

At my 37 week visit I was dilated to a 3. I was pretty excited since I had told myself to expect a 1, maybe a 2. At the next week's visit I was a little deflated to hear "No change." I resisted the urge to cry. I was soooo miserably uncomfortable. So a week later when I went to my check-up, I did prepare a little "just in case", but was not really letting myself get my hopes up too high. To say I was excited would be an understatement when I heard the doctor say, "You are a 5. How about you stick around and have a baby today?" **YAY!!** (No wonder I was so incredibly uncomfortable!)

So the hubby loaded the kids up and took them to their grandmother's house and then hurried back. (We have a history of quick labors!) I had my son send out a status update on my facebook from his ipod before he left the hospital and lost the wi-fi signal.

Meanwhile, I got checked into L & D and had all the usual poking and monitoring going on. I did have a few new "procedures" because this was baby #7. I found that quite interesting.

Shortly after I arrived and got checked in it was time for shift change. I was pretty excited to discover that my fellow homeschooling mama (who is a L & D nurse by night) was just arriving and would be my nurse. As she was leaving for work, her daughter said, "Hey, Mom, Mrs. C. is in labor!" (She had just seen my facebook update.)

I was a little nervous about a friend being that "up close and personal", but when it was all said and done, it was wonderful to have her there! She was a SUPER good nurse and took excellent care of me!

While Josue was still gone with the kids the doctor stopped by to check on me. He asked how long it would take Josue to get back. (He was there for the previous 3 quick, quick deliveries.) Then he broke my water to get things started.

My mom showed up and so did my husband. Things were starting to happen, but not really quickly. The nurse checked my cervix and told me I was a 6. I was slightly disappointed by that since I was starting to feel things pretty good and I didn't want them to put me on Pitocin. She left the room to call the doctor to report my progress. I decided to take a bathroom break when she left. Boy, did that really make a difference! The combination of gravity when I stood up combined with the bladder being emptied out of the way really caused things to get moving.

I urgently pleaded for my husband to get the nurse back in. She was still on the phone with the doctor. When she got there, she found that I was now a 10 and the baby was coming. (I had already told her that!)

This was the first delivery that I felt the baby was coming and there was no stopping her. I began to plead with her to not try to make me wait for the doctor. She told me to try not to push, but to also not try to hold the baby in. "If she comes on her own, let her."

The doctor did make it, but only barely. Once he was there, I pushed twice and my sweet baby girl was born.

Happy First Birthday, Esther!!! 
(My "Day-Late" Firecracker Baby!!)

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For Weary Mothers

"Mama!"

"Stop!"

"She took my toy!"

"I had that first!"

I must hear this and so many similar things at least 100 times a day, or so it seems.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13

"Weary" seems to be my middle name some days. Seven children have a way of weary-ing a mama! It is physically exhausting to care for those kiddos, as well as mentally, emotionally and even spiritually!

But the Bible exhorts us to not grow weary of doing good. And raising our children to fear and honor the Lord is a good thing!

How can we battle the weariness that seems to follow so closely at our heels?

• Spend time in the Word.  I can certainly feel the difference when I'm not reading my Bible as I should! The Bible is our sword (Eph. 6:17) and without it we leave ourselves defenseless against the work of the evil one. 
• Prayer. God tells us that when we need wisdom we can ask for it and He will generously supply it (James 1:5). He also tells us to cast our cares upon Him, because He cares. (I Peter 5:7) How refreshing to know that the Maker of heaven and earth cares about my problems!
• Fellowship with the Saints of God. I'm talking about uplifting, spiritually-helpful fellowship. It soothes the soul!
• Reminding myself that this is my ministry. It is what a mother is called to do. I don't need to have my "me" time. I just need to remember that the Lord has given me a mission to fulfill. I need to keep my eyes on the goal of raising my children for Him and keep pressing on. 

I still have small children (a lot of small children), but I also have some who are old enough for me to realize just how quickly they grow up. I see the day fast approaching when my first-born will stretch out his wings and leave my nest. I see that the little ones coming up behind him will follow soon after. 

Oh, that I may not grow weary of doing good.

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Don't blink.....

My seventh child, my baby, has reached that point in her life where she realizes she and mommy are not one person.  Which translates into a very clingy little one.  She wants me.  All.the.time.  She can be contented somewhat by her daddy or an older sibling (as long as they are holding her), but she hands down prefers her mama!  Now this is a sweet thing to a mama's heart until I have something I need (or want) to do that doesn't include holding a 6 month old.  Like cooking, sewing, blogging, or taking a nice hot relaxing bath in the evening after a long day.

This is never an easy stage. I'm not really a sit-and-hold-the-baby type person. But I'm not a first-time mother, either.  My firstborn (who really was only a baby yesterday, wasn't he???) is 14 years old.  I see that our time with him in our home is quickly getting shorter and shorter. I often wish I could turn back time for just a few minutes and hold my little boy on my hip again. So I remind myself that Esther's baby days will also be over before I realize it.  And so I hold her.

Someone once told me that in this phase of life the days seem never-ending, but the years fly by. And believe me, the older I get, the more I realize how true that is.  So if you are in the trenches of motherhood, the endless days and nights of babies and toddlers, remember that they will be over before you know it and you will look back longingly to the baby years.

And..... don't blink.....



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