Little Man is not so little anymore

Sixteen, as of today, Little Man is sixteen! What an adventure it has been and continues to be. He is the one whom we never thought would be and then he came into the world and completed our family. 

Let's go back a few years . . . 

After Puppy came into the world, we believed she would be the last of our biological children. In fact, we started looking into adoption because we didn't want her to be an only child. Because of the uncertainty of additional children, we never talked with her about having another baby. She was it!

Then, in December of 2004, in the midst of a very eventful Christmas in northwestern Oklahoma (that's a story for another day), I found out I was pregnant with Little Man. We were excited beyond measure. Another baby on the way. God was showing up and proving the doctor's prediction wrong. How exciting!

God provided the pregnancy, but he made no promise it would be easy. To begin with, I was over 35 (gasp!) and labeled with "Advanced Maternal Age". That brings with it its own set of complications. As with Puppy's pregnancy, all care was by a perinatologist, Dr. Adam in the Houston Medical Center. Dr. Adam is one who does not take any chances and takes every precaution. When it looked like I might lose the pregnancy in the first trimester, she gave me medication to stop it. I remember her asking me if I wanted the medication and then telling me that we might be playing with fate. I was willing to take the medication believing if the pregnancy wasn't meant to be that God wouldn't have allowed it in the first place.

As I moved into the second trimester, I had surgery to make certain Little Man stayed tucked safely inside as well as given asthma medication to control preterm contractions. Unfortunately, my body didn't like the asthma medication that worked so beautifully when I was pregnant with Puppy. In fact, the medication had a rare affect on my body and caused my potassium level to drop - drastically. I was already on bedrest at this point. My chest felt so heavy that I was having a hard time breathing. After a call to my doctor, it was determined that I needed to get to the ER immediately.

Once at the hospital, Dr. Adam, because of a case study she had done in medical school, was able to take the necessary measures to get my potassium level back up prior to my going into cardiac arrest. Dr. Adam and the case study - coincidence? I think not! Unfortunately, it was discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around Little Man's neck and it tightened every time I had a contraction. So, in the hospital I stayed where I could be watched and closely monitored.

During this time, Puppy was passed around between staying at home with a caregiver when The Professor couldn't be home, going to my parents', and going to The Professor's dad and stepmom's. It was very hard on all of us. I was in the hospital confined to a bed, The Professor was juggling being at the hospital with me and making certain Puppy was taken care of, and Puppy was living in a uncertain world. Through it all, though, God showed up, took care of us, and there aren't any permanent scars - except for the crazy C-section scar.

Thankfully after a five-week hospital stay, Dr. Adam deemed it safe for me to return home on complete bedrest with a daily visit from a perinatal nurse and electronic monitoring. It wasn't completely smooth sailing from that point forward, but it wasn't that bad either. It was good to be home.

On Sunday, August 7, 2005, my Sunday School class threw a baby shower for Little Man. My parents came down from Oklahoma. I was able to get out of bed, dress in actual clothes, fix my hair, and put on makeup! It was a good day. I was one week from my scheduled C-section. Dr. Adam was out of the country, due back for the scheduled C. Little Man was a large baby. Dr. Adam had said that if I should go into labor in her absence, not to worry. Little Man would be fine to come a week early.

The baby shower came to an end, my parents were packing up to head back to Oklahoma, and I felt rather "odd". After a bit of time and a call to the nurse line, it was determined that I should get to the hospital. I was going into labor. Being that it was Sunday evening, Dr. Adam's partner wasn't too keen on coming to the hospital to deliver a baby. He suggested I be given medication to try to stop the labor. He was hit with a resounding "NO". Dr. Adam had already said it was safe for Little Man to come early and that is what I wanted to do.

My refusal to take the medication brought a very unhappy "Partner" to the hospital. In the wee hours of Monday morning, August 8, 2005, Little Man made his entrance into this world of ours. 

He was the cuddliest of babies and wanted nothing more than to be held. Puppy wanted to know when we could send him back. (Remember, we hadn't talked much about babies. All she knew is that her mommy had spent nine months in bed, had gotten really fat, and now she was holding this BOY all the time. LOL)

Time has marched on. Little Man is now SIXTEEN! Puppy has accepted that he's not going anywhere and they have a pretty good friendship. Life would not be complete without him. I am so thankful that God chose me to be his mom!

This boy of mine brings great JOY to my heart.

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

A New Chapter for Puppy

    In looking back at my previous posts, it appears that I have become the once-a-year blogger. Oh my! Never my intention but I guess that life got in the way or something like that. The past year came and went with so much drama and complete boredom all rolled into one. It was the most eventful uneventful year that many of us have ever experienced.

    I always find the beginning of a new year exciting for one reason only - Puppy's birthday! Today, January 11, 2021, my Puppy is 19! For the last several days my mind has been racing with memories of the birth of my second-born little girl. The rainbow baby, the one who came after a great loss.  My miracle girl, the one who wasn't suppose to be. I can't help but smile as I think of how God worked in such a great and mighty way to bring her into this world.

    You see, I was told there wouldn't be babies, ever! Then, I got pregnant with Maggi Kaye, our first born. Sadly she was born prematurely and only lived for 46 hours. Again, I was told that there would be no babies. Believing that God is more powerful than doctors, The Professor and I continued to have faith that we would have a baby as we cancelled the surgery the doctor wanted me to have.

    It is that faith that led me to the church altar back in 2001. Following the example set by Hannah in I Samuel, I asked God for a baby. It wasn't that many weeks later that we found out I was pregnant with Puppy. The doctors were wrong. I was having a baby! Overjoyed is an understatement.

    The pregnancy was not without complications. I had surgery during the first trimester to keep Puppy safely tucked inside. I was on bedrest for the entirety of the pregnancy. I had numerous emergency trips to the hospital. At 22.5 weeks (the same point in the pregnancy when her sister was born), I had to have what is called a Mag Wash and preparations were made for a pre-term delivery. Again, God showed His power and prevented delivery. I was able to return home for the remainder of the pregnancy. I was monitored electronically from home, and The Professor was trained in giving me shots of medication. 

    We made it until Christmas and then into the new year. On January 11, 2002, I went into labor and just before midnight, Puppy was born via caesarean. For all those months we prayed for her to stay safely tucked inside then she was reluctant to come out and had to be surgically removed. She has been doing things her way ever since!

    I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.                                                                                                                                                       I Samuel 1:27

Now, here we are - Puppy's 19th birthday and the year of new beginnings. Over the course of 2020, we celebrated Puppy's high school graduation and her acceptance into the Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to Covid 19 shutting down the life to which we were accustomed, Puppy stayed at home last Fall and attended classes online.

    In less than two weeks, we will fly to a city to which we have never been to move our daughter into a dorm room on the campus of a university that we have never seen in person. Two weeks from today, The Professor and I will be flying home and leaving Puppy in Pittsburgh. Trust . . . we have to trust. Over the last year, through all the uncertainties of what the future holds, God has time and time again shown us that we need to trust Him alone.

    As we make preparations to fly halfway across the country to move our Puppy into the dorm for her first on-campus semester of college, God is allowing us to see His hand at work. He opened the door for her to get a room in the dorm after being told that it would not be possible for her to get a dorm room. He provided another student to take her place in the house where she had secured a room. He has blessed her with a wonderful group of friends who are looking forward to her arrival in Pittsburgh. Even though her class load this past semester was incredibly difficult, she finished strong and has a good study group in place.

    As Puppy is stepping into this new chapter of her life, we are resting in the trust that God is going before her and preparing the way. Pittsburgh is not new to Him. So, today, as we celebrate the life of our girl, we are thankful not only for the blessing of her life and the gift that she is to our family, but we are also thankful for the way in which God is working in her life. We are excited to see how He uses her for His glory as she moves forward on the path He has prepared for her.

    There is JOY in watching Puppy move into the next chapter of her story.