Holiday Delivery

This is just a selfish post, because I can't stop myself. BOTH of my children were born on "holidays" so neither of those days can pass; even when their "birthday" no longer falls on them, without a "did you know my son was born..." comment. So here it goes. Bug made his entry on Martin Luther King Day. A year ago today, our little T arrived weighing 4lbs, 7oz and a whopping 18.5 inches, T was whisked away to spend some time with the lovely nurses of the NICU, but came home with us just 6 days later (weighing only 3 lbs, 11oz), but full of life!



That day will not only be forever ingrained because it was Father's Day, but because of all the...intermediaries that acted on the Lord's behalf to deliver our healthy son to us. Just after arriving in Houston, I went to see an OB, I kept thinking -- this guy just isn't right for me (imagine JR Ewing), but I was already so far along that I pushed thoughts of switching out of my mind. Unsetteled about complications that were being brushed off, I finally made the switch and on Wednesday, June 13, I had the first appt. of the day with my new OB. Of course, it wasn't that easy, the Dr. was detained in emergency surgery at the hospital -- I told the nurse after an hour of waiting that we should just go home, but she begged me (and Bug) to stay until the Dr could see me. Another hour plus later, the Dr. confirmed what I had been feeling all along, that something wasn't right. A quick sono diagnosed T as "small for gestational age" - at 35 weeks, T was measuring below 31 weeks. We made arrangements to meet the next Monday for more testing, but of course, the next Monday never came. By Sunday morning we had called our dear friends to watch Bug and by 12 or so that afternoon, we had T. Something so silly as changing the dr, that I'd postponed for fear of looking stupid, turned out to be so important. The Lord watches out and over us. When Paul asked the neonatologist how or why this would happen, he told Paul that sometimes it's God's way of saving a life - the baby's condition deteriorates the longer they go in the pregnancy without important nutrients etc, but by arriving early, he can be cared for. It's true and I know it. There's great peace in having something like this happen. It's such an overwhelming outpouring of God's love for me that it cannot be denied, even in my darkest of hours.

On that Father's Day, our special friends cancelled a well planned trip and sent their Dad to the airport to pick up my mom. They put together a crib and brought a happy Bug back to us all on their Father's Day. Long after T is grown -- this story of their love for us will be told as a tribute to Christ loving people everywhere.

At the 1 year mark, T has 7 teeth (5 of which arrived just a month ago). Some hair. He sort of sleeps through the night (waking up about the same time every night to insist on moving from his crib to our bed). He walks -- and is getting better every day. He has a joyful spirit with a hearty tinge of downright stubborness! We love him dearly even though he thought the cake was not impressive. Bottom line, I'm just thankful. Every Father's Day will feel like this and remind me that the real meaning of life is Families Forever!