Samantha had a birthday

Samantha turned 15.  

 I'm not even sure how that is possible.  Ok, so it happened over a month ago, but I am still catching up with life.  On her actual birthday, I took her shopping for clothes and to lunch.  Gracie went with us and we had a really nice day together, just the three of us.  That night, Nick and Cara took her to dinner and a movie for her birthday present from them.  Then, on the following Sunday, we had the rest of her birthday, which included chicken broccoli casserole, buster bar ice cream cake, and presents.

(Yes, I realize the candles say 186;  I just didn't have the right candles, so if you add 1+8+6 you get 15.)
:-)

A Few Samantha Facts

Samantha is my go-to girl.  If I want something done, she's the girl to make sure it happens.  If I go away for the day, she makes sure the laundry gets done, the kitchen gets cleaned up after meals, everybody does their chores, etc.
~
Samantha is shy around non-family members, but she loves to giggle and is pretty silly at times.

 ~
Samantha is very frugal and hardly ever spends money on herself, yet she is so generous to others.  She is forever offering to take the whole family out to pizza and has been known to donate her money to orphan adoption funds.  She also tries to sneak money in my purse when she knows I am broke.
~
Samantha LOVES little children.  She is an excellent VBS volunteer, and all "her" children love her.  She is also very good with Gracie, and Jackson thinks she is pretty awesome too.
~
Samantha is kind of the neighborhood spy.  She always knows what the neighbors are up to.
~
Life wouldn't be the same around here without Samantha.  She is truly a blessing.

Here is a picture of Gracie, 3 weeks old, taken on Samantha's birthday

Dear Gracie Girl - Your First Few Days

Dear Gracie,

As soon as you were born, they gave you right to me.  I got to hold you and feed you and get to know you for a good hour before they took you away to be weighed and measured.  Then Daddy held you.  After a while though, Daddy had to go home to get some sleep, because he was really tired.  He had been up for over 24 hours by that time.  So Daddy went home and it was just you and me.  It was quiet and we rested for what was left of the night.

Later in the morning, your Grandma and Grandpa came up to meet you.

Then Daddy brought all your siblings to meet you, except Danny (Danny was at work).

Later that night, Danny came to see you.  But sadly I didn't take a picture.  And Daddy came again too.

The next day, Thursday, Daddy came back to see us in the morning.  Cara and Colette were with him.  Then the girls left to do some shopping and Daddy stayed a bit longer, before going home to check on the other kids.  You and I spent the day just resting and spending time together.  Later in the afternoon, the girls came back and brought me a coffee toffee, my favorite coffee drink, and a bunch of cute clothes Cara had bought for you. That night, after dinner, Daddy came back and my doctor and your doctor said we could go home!  I couldn't wait to get home with you, so we could just relax in our own rocking chair and bed.  Here you are dressed and waiting to go, in the outfit Daddy and I bought the day we found out you were a girl.  (I was so excited to learn you were a girl, I made Daddy take me shopping for something pink as soon as we left the ultrasound appointment).

Here you are, just arrived home.  Look how tiny you were.

On Friday the Hoffmans came to see you for a while we just hung out at home and Cara and Colette made us all a big spaghetti dinner.

I don't remember much about that Saturday, except Daddy and Samantha went grocery shopping and you and I took a nap.

On Sunday, you went to church, 4 days old, dressed in the outfit Cara bought you.  Everybody at church gathered around you and said you were beautiful!

After church, Omi came to see you.

And those are the highlights of your first few days at home.

Dear Gracie Girl - Your birth

Dear Gracie,
My early pregnancy was uneventful.  I was a little tired, but as my usual, never got sick, praise God.  Then at about 22 weeks, I found out I had gestational diabetes.  It wasn't a huge surprise, since I had it with Jackson.  It just meant that I had to eat really healthy and the doctor made me come in almost weekly to keep an eye on us.  I had to walk every day to keep my blood sugar down, but I was pretty determined to do what was best for you, so I did everything the doctor asked me to.  He was very happy with the way my blood sugars were controlled. I also had to go to the hospital twice a week starting at 32 weeks to have non-stress tests.  That was just where they hooked me up to monitors and listened to your heartbeat, to make sure you were doing ok.  You were always fine though.

Six days before your due date, on a Friday, the doctor said that it would be safe for you to be born, and to help things along, he did a membrane strip.  Then he told me to go and walk, walk, walk and call him if I had a lot of contractions.  I had a couple of hours to kill before my scheduled non-stress test, so I got myself some lunch (2 McDoubles minus the buns--always minus the buns), and then went to Walmart and walked around the store forever.  At one point I went out to the garden department and walked up and down all through the outside plants.  But this psychotic bird was dive-bombing me in the head and I got mad and swung my purse at it and yelled at it to stop, and then some people stared at the crazy pregnant lady, so I decided that was enough of the garden department!  I went and had my non-stress test and went home.  It was Friday night pizza night and we had our pizza as usual and during the evening I was having contractions.  I thought maybe you would come that night.  I ended up having contractions for several hours and I was just waiting for them to get just a bit closer together before waking Daddy to go to the hospital.  Then I got tired and started dozing and decided I would just go to bed and if they were the real thing, they would wake me up.  So I went off to bed and in the morning, those contractions were gone.  So the doctor told me to walk a whole bunch all weekend and to call him if I got more contractions.  Not much happened on Saturday and by Sunday I was just exhausted and didn't feel well, and so I sent the family off to church, but I stayed home to rest--no more walking, thank you very much.   Monday was uneventful, and Tuesday morning I went back to the doctor.  He did another membrane strip and told me again the same thing.  Walk, walk, walk, and call him if any contractions.  If I did get contractions, then he would break my water and then that would really get things going.  Sooooooooo, once again I had time to kill before my non-stress test, and once again I went to Walmart (not many air conditioned places to walk in Jackson), but I didn't stay there long.  I just felt silly walking around the store.  I did pick up some toilet paper and a couple of other things for home.  Then I just went and parked at the hospital and walked around on the sidewalks till time to go in.  When I went upstairs, they weren't ready for me so asked me to wait in the waiting room.  Instead I paced back and forth in the hallway by the waiting room.  I was having a few contractions at that point, but not enough to worry about.  The nurse came and got me and we did the non-stress test, and you were fine, but my blood pressure was a bit high.  They decided to wait a bit and take it again.  It was still high.  So they called the doctor to let him know, but didn't think it was high enough to worry about.  I kept thinking I would be going home soon.  Finally a nurse came in and told me that I would be staying because of my blood pressure. They would give me antibiotics in an IV, because I had tested positive for Strep B.  It's just a precaution they do if the mommy tests positive for Group B Strep.  And then the doctor would come in at 10 pm and break my water.
This was it!
I called Daddy, who had already gone home from work, and told him to get down to the hospital.  I remember thinking that now the kids wouldn't have their toilet paper or the groceries I was planning on picking up on the way home.

I got my IV, Daddy came, and we waited.  While we waited, I started having contractions about 5 minutes apart.  Then the doctor came, broke the water, and things really got moving.  The contractions got harder, and my nurse decided to call the doctor back.  Poor guy didn't get much sleep that night.  I think he kinda felt that she had called him too early, but if she had waited to call him later, he might not have made it.   Cause things went fast from there.  Daddy was by my side the whole time.  The nurse showed him this pressure point in my hand and he pushed on it for every contraction and it really seemed to help.  The doctor told me I could have this thing called an intrathecal, which is an injection of pain relief in the spine.  It was kind of a waste, since by the time the anesthesiologist got there (he took forever--well it seemed like forever at the time, I think it was about 30 minutes) and did it, I only got relief from one contraction (at least that last contraction was pain free!), then it was time to push you out, which took one push.  And then you were here!

Gracie Ruth,
born at 2:20 am, July 6th,
18 3/4 inches long,
6 pounds 11 ounces.

Daddy and I were so happy to meet you.
You were so beautiful.   Tiny and perfect.

 

To be continued...

Dear Gracie Girl -- The Beginnings

Dear Gracie,
I have never been able to keep baby books.  Don't know why. I just never write in them. But I really want you to know your story, how much you are loved and wanted.  So I thought it would be nice to address some special posts, just to you, here on the blog.  Someday I hope you will read them and know you are God's precious gift to us, and that God has a specific plan for your life.

The beginning of your story starts many years ago, when I was a young mom.  We had Danny and Cara, and at first we thought that those two kids were enough.  Popular wisdom is that 2 kids is the perfect number, preferably a boy and a girl, which we had.  We certainly didn't set out to have 8 babies.  But slowly God was changing our hearts in many ways and we had Nick.   Then, after Nick was born, I really began studying what God has to say about babies and children.  And I learned that the Bible says children are blessings and gifts from God.  God says in His word: 

 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127: 3-5

  Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

Psalm 128: 1-6

And I came to believe that if God says children are rewards, blessings, and gifts, then why wouldn't I want more blessings, if God sent them?  Why shouldn't God decide when and if He would give those gifts?   

Well, to make a really long story short, as the years went by God added Samantha, Joey, Rebecca, and eventually Jackson.  Each of them was a cherished gift from God and each has taught me new lessons to be learned.  Patience, perseverance, faith, trust, unconditional love--these are some of the lessons that God is teaching me through my children (and I'm a slow learner, but God keeps working with me).  After Jackson, I didn't know if God would send any more.  I prayed for you for a long time, Gracie.   I was happy to let God be in control, but I told Him that if it was His will, then I would be thrilled to get to be a mother again.  Your mother.  And one day, we found out you were on the way.  Daddy and I kept our special secret for quite a while.  I would think of you, my sweet hidden treasure, and smile.

Finally, on Christmas morning, we told your brothers and sisters that you were on the way.  They were very excited.  Your sisters, especially, were jumping with joy. 
To be continued...

Dusting off the old blog....Part 2

January 2012 

My sweetie had a birthday.

March 2012

Cara had a birthday.  The grandparents came up to help celebrate. 

 

April 2012

Becca turned 11.

 May 2012

Cara got her first "real" job at the grocery store deli, although she had worked plenty of cleaning jobs.  This didn't last long, cause she a new job at Push, Inc. in June, making circuit boards.

On June 6th, Gracie Ruth was born!  

More to come....

Think I'll dust off the old blog....Part One

Wow, that was a really long bloggy vacation.  So much has happened.  I think I'll just hit a few of the high points.  :-)

Fall 2011:

We had some fun times with the H family.

 

 

 

 

 Nick turned 16.

  

December 2011:

We tried out a new Christmas tree farm and decorated our tree.

 

 

 Christmas was extra special this year, as we shared the news with the kids that they were getting a new brother or sister, a precious gift from God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I think that's enough pictures for one post, so I will make this a part 1 and do a part 2 very soon.