Isaiah's Birth Story

Describing the most emotional, intense, and special events of one's life is a daunting task.  Hence, I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of writing Isaiah's birth story. I want to get it "just right," to capture every detail so that I will never forget, and to convey to Isaiah how loved he was from the very start.  I'm not quite sure how to do all of those things with mere words, nor do I know the best way to start, so I guess I will just start writing from my heart and let the story unfold as it wills...

The days prior to my delivery felt emotionally charged with anticipation.  I was in my 38th week, the week most of our other boys were born.  Would it happen this week, or would God's sense of humor shine and have me go overdue this time around?  Each morning I would wonder, "is this the big day?"  Even my children could sense this, and the three older boys took wagers to see which one of them would be closest to guessing Isaiah's actual birth date (Dominic turned out to be the proud "1 Dollar Winner" by guessing April 28th--just 2 days off!).  Therefore, after waiting for 9 months to meet my constant companion in the womb, it seemed a little surreal when labor actually began...

It began at midnight on April 26th, with a full moon shining in the sky (hmmm, I wonder if that had anything to do with it?).  Like almost every night for the past few months, I woke up needing to pee, accompanied by a light Braxton Hicks contraction (those two things tend to go hand-in-hand with me).  I figured the contraction would go away once I went to the bathroom and came back to bed, which was normally the case.  This time, however, I got back into bed and another contraction started immediately, then another 3 minutes later, then another 3 minutes later again.  I laid there in disbelief, and honestly, a little bit of grief because I vividly recalled how tiring it was to labor all night long with the births of Michael and Dominic.   I woke up Paul and desperately tried everything I could think of to stop the contractions---I drank some water, I took a warm shower, I prayed without ceasing.  Nothing worked, so we began it get ready to head to the hospital.  Paul called our friends Mike and Margaret to come over, and we were out the door by 1:30am.  I asked Paul to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while we drove to help me relax and focus on uniting my suffering with Christ's.  It was amazing how comparing my suffering with Christ's helped my pain feel more bearable and transformed it into something almost beautiful. 

When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse checked me and found that I was dilated to 5cm already.  Indeed, this was the real deal.  I wanted to immediately sit in the nice, warm jacuzzi, knowing that it would help me to relax and tolerate the pain better, but unfortunately I had to wait for the nurse to put in an IV and for the lab to come up and draw blood to check my platelet count (all of which seemed to take eternity).  Eventually, all of that was done and the nurse checked me one more time before I headed for the tub.  I was at 7cm dilation.  For the next hour I soaked and focused on offering up each contraction for a specific intention.  For example, one intention that was very present on my heart was the conversion of abortion-minded mothers and Planned Parenthood employees, because it just so happened to be Friday, which is the day abortions are performed in my town.  I also brought a list of prayer intentions so that I wouldn't forget to pray for the people and requests closest to my heart, because I knew I would probably get too distracted by my pain to think of all of them during labor. It was Paul's job to read the next intention on the list as another contraction was about to begin.  Paul was a constant, calming presence---the best doula I could ask for!  Within an hour, I was already feeling the urge to push, so the nurse asked me to come out of the jacuzzi to check my progression.  I almost cried for joy when she said I was at a 10!!!  I was so proud of myself for making it to a 10 without an epidural this time, and so happy that God gave me the grace to suffer with His Son, to console His heart, and hopefully to help those who were on my prayer intention list.  What I didn't realize was that my suffering, consoling, and helping others through "offering it up" was not yet finished.  I still needed to push. Time to pick up my cross again...and this time it seemed a lot heavier. 

I tried to regain my focus and offer up each contraction and pushing repetition for one of my special intentions again, but it was much more difficult.  Being out of the peaceful waters of the jacuzzi made the contractions feel much more painful.  Some of my peace apparently disappeared down the drain of the jacuzzi.  So instead of making peaceful prayer requests during the remaining contractions, all I could do was make short cries of love in my heart:  "Jesus, I love you!"  or "For You, Jesus!" or "Please help me, Jesus!"  After an hour of pushing during each contraction, baby Isaiah still was not in my arms and I began to worry, overheat, and feel beyond tired.  Paul and my sweet nurse Kaleigh kept fanning me, placing a cold wash rag on my head, and encouraging me with praise-filled words, but I wasn't feeling very praiseworthy anymore.  Dr. Hay was the OB on call that night (I was sad my female OB, Dr. Huntley, would not be there to deliver...just one more thing for me to offer up, I guess), and he suggested that breaking my bag of waters might help.  I desperately wanted to hold Isaiah by this point, so I agreed.  The pain became even more intense after that, and I worried that I wouldn't be strong enough to push Isaiah out because I was so exhausted.  After another half an hour of pushing, I begged the Blessed Virgin Mary to help me, and the moment I made that plea from one suffering mother to another, Isaiah's head finally pushed through!  I will never forget how Mary interceded for me at that moment.  Tears of thankfulness stream down as I type this...

The other tremendously beautiful moment that I want to remember is how Dr. Hay told my husband to "roll up his sleeves" just a few minutes before Isaiah was born and handed Paul a pair of rubber gloves.  No other conversation took place between the two of them.  Dr. Hay did not ask Paul if he wanted to help deliver Isaiah or cut the cord or just be a bystander.  Dr. Hay, as a dad himself, knew that Paul would treasure the memory of delivering his own son into the world, so he didn't give Paul any other option.  How beautiful to watch my husband be the first one to hold baby Isaiah and to give him his first independent "breath" as he cut the cord and then handed Isaiah to my waiting arms.  I wish I had a picture of Paul's moment of pure daddy pride, but thankfully I believe the image is forever imprinted on my heart.

After Paul placed Isaiah in my arms, all I could do was marvel and stare and thank God.  Isaiah was so alert and content.  He looked like a perfect combination of all his brothers and his daddy, but with my reddish, peach-fuzz hair.  I loved the feel of his soft baby skin against mine, and I was so thankful for the hospital's policy of letting me nurse and hold him to my heart's content.  Content it was indeed.  I remember being surprised at how quickly my body went from feeling the most pain it has ever known to perfect peace and contentment.  I had fallen in love again, and I guess love has a way of healing all pain.

Isaiah's official moment of birth was 5:40am---slightly less than six hours from my first contraction at home.  Six of the hardest and holiest hours of my life.  The entire experience was painful but perfect.  I really believe God gave me the desire to have a natural childbirth this time to teach me the fruitfulness of suffering.  Pain can have purpose if we give it to Jesus.  I am so grateful God gave gave me the grace needed to accomplish His will of a natural childbirth for Isaiah, but I honesty don't look forward to going through that kind of pain again anytime soon--if ever--even though it was SO worth it! :) 

And just in case my words don't tell the story well enough, here are some pictures worth a thousand more words...

Mother's 1st embrace...Love at 1st sight

Maria with Dr. Hay and kind nurse Kaleigh

Mommy and Isaiah--together at last!

Paul with his 5th born son--one very blessed daddy

Joseph meets his new brother

Michael meets his new brother

Dominic meets his new brother

Boy oh boy, look at all those boys!

The happy new parents ready to take Isaiah home from the hospital

Isaiah Jesse--one day old
Isaiah means "God is my Salvation"
Jesse means "Gift"
During labor I prayed many times that he and his brothers would receive the gift of God's salvation.
In the end, that's all that really matters.

 

Welcome to the World!!!

With great joy and gratitude we announce the arrival of our newest miracle:

Isaiah Jesse

April 26, 2013 at 5:40am

7 pounds 15.5 ounces

20 inches

Still waiting...still thankful

 

 

Still waiting to start "real" labor...  I am progressing though!  At this week's appointment I was 90% effaced, 2 cm dilated, and the baby's head was at -1 station.  My doctor said I am "on the verge," but, of course, I know that really means it could be today OR two weeks from now before I hold our newest miracle.  In the meantime, I'm just trying to focus on giving thanks and not worrying.  So here is my very belated "Thankful Thursday" list that I have been adding to for many weeks but kept forgetting to post:

 

• my sweet husband who was willing to take some pictures of my big belly before it gets deflated (didn't he do a great job!?)
• my calming, encouraging, amazing OBGYN (I hope and pray she will be on-call when I go into labor, but if she is not that I will be at peace with that too)
• the Sacrament of Confession, like opening a window into my soul to let in the light of grace and the fresh air of hope
• precious love notes from Paul on the coffeemaker in the morning
• our new, humble and holy Pope to guide the church towards Christ
• watching my boys love each other through giggling, wrestling, and teasing one another (how on earth did we manage to have 4 boys who adore each other and seldom fight!?)
• the Holy Spirit filling my mind with a much-needed verse:  "My soul finds joy in God my Savior," reminding me that God is all I need to find joy
• the gift of "Dinners Done Right" meals from my husband
• Nathanael's new found love of puzzles
• Michael's helpful heart with Nathanael--always offering to read to him, give him a bath, play with him, and tuck him in for bedtime
• boys who love going to the dentist (and none of them having cavities this time!)
• praying Hail Mary's and the Litany of Saints with the boys on the way to school each morning, and the way Nathanael pipes up at the end with his own prayer to "St. Natey!"
• the sweet way Nathanael sings "Jesus Loves Me" and "Hail Mary Gentle Woman" every night in his bed
• Dominic's beaming face when he gets "happy grams" from his teacher
• prayer warriors who lovingly stand on the sidewalk of Planned Parenthood every week
• Joseph's team winning 2nd place in the Roman Catholic Challenge competition; it humbles me to see how much he loves his Catholic faith and how confident he is to share it
• Michael's "toothpick incident" (long story that involved the ER) which turned out alright (PTL!)
• watching Joseph's and Michael's confidence and skill on the baseball field; plus, seeing the love of the game written all over their faces
• vanilla spice lattes (for me) and donuts (for the kids) on Sundays after church

 

 

Nesting Results

Sorry to disappoint those of you who thought my next post would be a baby announcement...  The little guy still isn't quite ready to meet the world, which is giving me more time to NEST!

And boy have I been nesting!!!  It is both a blessing and a curse, for it has been extremely productive, yet absolutely exhausting.  These past few weeks have been a flurry of cleaning, organizing, giving bags and bags to Good Will, washing baby clothes, and trying to finish up half-completed projects before baby and sleep deprivation arrive.  One of the big projects on my nesting list was finishing up the blue jean quilt that I started for Michael many, many months ago.  It has been such a fun and therapeutic project for me, but last week I was overtaken with the urgent feeling that...

it...must...get...finished...right...now...period. 

I had this irrational fear that if I didn't finish it before the baby came, then it wouldn't get finished until Michael graduated from high school. 

So, that's what I did---I finished it.  Now the baby can come whenever he's ready.  :)

Michael was thrilled with the blanket's baseball theme.  I was thrilled to finish it and to use up a huge pile of the boys' holey jeans and old uniform pants in the process.  My ultimate goal is to make a blanket for each boy before they graduate, but right now I am content with being 1/5 done! :) It was special for me to pray for Michael as I worked on his quilt, praying for his virtue to increase as he grows and for God's protection to always cover him just as this quilt will cover him with warmth and his mother's love.

Here are some photos I took over the past few months while working on Michael's special quilt:

I love you, Michael, and I hope this blanket will always remind you of that.  May it cover you with the warmth of my love for many, many years!

38 Weeks: Almost Go Time

38 weeks seems like a huge milestone for me.  This is the week that I have delivered 3 out of 4 of our children (all except Michael who came even earlier at 37).  Part of me wonders if this will be the week we will get to meet our newest son.  At my appointment last week I was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated, so things are slowly starting to progress, which is a good sign.  However, another part of me hopes that this little guy will wait until he is full term because then he will be fully developed (and I will get to have a couple more weeks of relatively good sleep!)  Paul's mom arrives this week on Wednesday, so I pray this little guy waits at least until then to make his grand entrance.

I am so happy to have come this far with NO BEDREST and no major issues.  My platelet count is still low, but not dangerously low.  My number is at 118,000, and apparently if I go below 100,000 I will not have the option of getting an epidural because my body needs enough platelets to clot properly, otherwise bleeding could occur in my spinal column and the surrounding nerves, which would be bad.   So I guess the hospital will check my levels when I go into labor to see if they have dropped too low for me to even consider having an epidural.  My hope it to be able to delivery naturally with no drugs or epidural anyway, but it still would be nice to have the option---just in case---which is usually the case! :) 

As you can see in this photo, I am starting to feel HUGE.  The boys (and Paul) love to make me laugh because they think it's hilarious to watch my Santa Clause belly shake up and down :)  My belly is so big right now that my belly button is 2 inches off center, and new stretch marks seem to appear every day.  No more bikinis in my future--ha--as if I would ever be seen in one anyway!  :)  I am trying to treasure this time of being pregnant, because I wonder if I will get to experience it again.  Five children sounds complete to me right now, but perhaps God has a better plan.  I will try to remain open to His will and embrace each moment, each day, each child that I am given.  I am eager to introduce this precious child to the world soon...perhaps that will be my next post!

Belated Birthday Boy

 

Oh my, we have another double-digit son in our house!  Our sweet Michael turned 10 on April 3rd, and we finally celebrated his big day this past weekend with a "Football Theme" party.  He invited all of his friends from school (and their dads) to play a game of football, followed by pizza, presents, cake, ice cream, and then a Nerf war in our house.  Talk about too much testosterone in one place...I was the only female and felt very outnumbered!  :)  That night I took a l-o-n-g bubble bath to recover from the event!  But I am thrilled that Michael had such a fun time with his friends doing what he loves best---sports.  I am also happy that the weather cooperated and that the weekend snowstorm waited to strike until after Michael's party was over.  The morning after his party we awoke to a snow-covered town with huge snowflakes falling all day long!  This is what the local folks call "Springtime in the Rockies."

Michael wanted to spend most of his birthday money this year on sports items, which was not too surprising :)  His favorite MLB team is the Detroit Tigers, so he bought a Detroit Tigers cap, a Detroit Tigers t-shirt with Cabrera's name on the back, a Detroit Tigers watch, a Detroit Tigers backpack, and also a fancy baseball net for practicing his throwing and catching skills.  Michael's little league baseball season begins this week, with his first game tonight, so he is a very happy boy right now :)  Michael is definitely the biggest sport's lover in our household. He likes baseball and football the best, but in reality he is so athletic that he is good at every sport and just loves playing anything that involves speed and competition and a ball. He is even content playing by himself in the backyard by throwing a baseball up in the air and then sacrificing his body to make diving catches over and over again. In the winter, he does this in our living room (and drives his mother crazy)! He just always wants to be moving and throwing and catching...it's in his blood, I guess. Sports are "his thing," and it has been neat as a parent to watch how it has helped him to grow in confidence as he has developed into such a great athlete. My prayer for him is that he will always use his athletic talents to glorify God and never allow sports to become "too" important.  I once heard the phrase that "Christian athelets are called to play for an audience of one--Jesus Christ."  I hope all my boys will follow that beautiful rule.



Michael's cool football cake (not-home-made, but ordered from a bakery with love)

Michael with his buddies and his brothers

An action photo of the football game.  I think the dads had just as much fun as the kids!

A couple of Michael's favorite presents---go Detroit Tigers!

Michael about to blow out the last candle.  He is probably making a birthday with to become a MLB player someday! :)

Easter Recipes

I made a couple of Easter recipes that I am posting so that I won't forget them, but perhaps some of you will enjoy them as well:


The first one is the Bird Nest Cookies that I mentioned and pictured in my last post.  I used the recipe right on the M&Ms bag and only changed one thing:  I added peanut butter to the indentations to prevent the M&Ms from falling off.  Enjoy!

Easter Bird Nest Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened--NOT melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups M&M’s® Brand Speckled Milk Chocolate Eggs
• (I added peanut butter to the indentations)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread coconut on non-greased cookie sheet. Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until it turns light golden, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Remove coconut from cookie sheet and set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 350°F. In large bowl, add butter and sugar and whip until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.
4. In medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Blend into creamed mixture.
5. Form dough into 1-1/4-inch balls. Roll heavily into toasted coconut.
6. Place coconut cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make indentation with thumb in center of each cookie. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove cookies and cool completely. Spread a little bit of peanut butter into each indentation, and then fill with M&M’s® Brand Speckled Milk Chocolate Eggs.

 

After the Easter celebrations were all over, I found my fridge full of dyed hard-boiled eggs, so I wanted to make an Egg Salad Sandwich recipe.  I found a simple one in my Betty Crocker cookbook, and then I added a few favorite ingredients of my own to make it extra delicious.

 

Easter Egg Salad Sandwiches

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. mayo
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 1/4 cup Craisens (dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 can tuna, drained (you could also use up left-over ham, cut up into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I added more)
• salt and pepper to season to your liking
 

 

 

E-A-S-T-E-R

Easter 2013

E--Eucharistic celebration
A--Awed by Jesus' love as the Paschal Lamb
S--Sharing a meal with treasured friends
T--Treats, treats, and more treats
E--Eggcellent egg hunt
R--Reflecting on the Resurrection

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION: 
On Easter morning we celebrated a gorgeous Mass at the Cathedral as a family.  The word "eucharist" means "thanksgiving," and while I was at Mass I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving for so many things:  the gift of receiving Christ's Body and Blood at Mass, my servant-hearted husband who was willing to go to Mass early with the big boys to save Nathanael and I a seat so that we didn't have to sit for 2 hours, my handsome boys who fill me with more joy than I ever thought possible, my Catholic faith which sustains me and draws me nearer to Jesus every year, friends who encourage me, this growing baby inside me that we will soon get to meet, good health, a good-paying job for Paul, etc, etc, etc.

AWED BY JESUS' LOVE AS THE PASCHAL LAMB: 
This simple lamb cake that I make every year (a tradition started by my Grandma Elizabeth) is such a profound reminder of the true meaning of Easter.  Jesus loved us so much that he became the sacrificial unblemished lamb, dying for our sins, and giving us the gift of eternal life in heaven.  Truly our God is an awesome God!

SHARING A MEAL WITH TREASURED FRIENDS: 
Sometimes holidays are very hard for me emotionally because we have no family nearby, but thankfully God has blessed us with the most faith-filled, encouraging friends to fill our holidays with joy.  Our friends Glen and Lisa joined us with their FIVE little girls (we already have their marriages arranged with our FIVE boys---unless, of course, some of our boys become priests!)  :)  Our friends Derek and Jennifer came with their son Alex and their daughter Sarah.  And Paul's office buddy Clifford came as a bachelor to watch the joyful chaos of all our kids :)  It was a fantastic meal with beautiful fellowship.

TREATS, TREATS, AND MORE TREATS:
The boys awoke Easter morning to find their Easter baskets filled with goodies, plus we made our traditional Resurrection Rolls while we decorated eggs and snacked on Bird Nest Cookies throughout the weekend.  The boys also collected more treats during the outdoor egg hunt, so they certainly had enough sugar in one weekend to make up for the last 40 days of Lent!

EGGCELLENT EGG HUNT:

We continued our tradition of going to a  nearby lake to have an egg hunt with friends after our big meal.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous--a toasty 59 degrees--and it felt so nice to get fresh air after such a long winter indoors.  I had to smile as I watched the different way that the boys played compared to the girls.  The boys had a blast throwing rocks at logs in the lake and trying to sink the logs because they were pretend Japanese battleships.  Whereas, the little girls were daintily scooping up the frothy bubbles that were floating by the shore and marveling at how pretty they were in their hands.  Boys and girls are certainly wired differently, and what a beautiful thing that is! :)

REFLECTING ON THE RESURRECTION:

Lent for me this year was a desert experience, but I believe God intended it thus so for the good of my soul.  I found myself failing at my Lenten resolutions, I found myself feeling desolate many times, and I found myself falling under the weight of my small cross.  But I found that my 40 days of struggling in the wilderness truly made me cling to God's mercy like never before and look forward with great longing to the promise of Easter joy ahead.  Christ's Resurrection on Easter reminded me that I have every reason to be filled with joy and hope, for if God can raise Jesus from the dead, He can certainly resurrect my sinful heart, He can resurrect my emotions, He can resurrect my marriage, He can resurrect my children from their vices, He can resurrect my weaknesses to help me become a more loving wife and a more joyful mother to these five beautiful boys He has given me.   Lent reminded me of my desperate need for a Redeemer...Easter assured me that I have indeed been redeemed and that my Redeemer lives and is with me every day!!!   What a gift, what a joy, what a loving God we have!

A BLESSED EASTER TO EACH OF YOU!!!