I’m Thankful

 

I am way behind on this…but I have been thinking about it a lot. There are so many things that I am thankful for. I was going to start with my DH, but he just made me mad…

So I will start with my first born.

My Big Girl has been such a blessing. I remember the day she was born. It was a cold November morning and DH had left to travel 5hrs away to help my cousin move back to our city. I was babysitting her 6 month old baby girl.

My mom had called and asked if I wanted to come over for dinner since I was by myself. I never give up a free meal. So I hop into the big ol’ boat of a car and drove to mom’s house. We only lived one block up and one block over…very convenient.

I should state that I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks. I was on medication to prevent going into real labor. Anyway…

I step out of the car and grab the baby and turn to walk up the little sidewalk. All of a sudden I feel this warm sensation flooding down my legs. So I hold the baby straight out in front of me and look down. I had on these really ugly green stretch pants and they were soaked.

Just then, my mom opens the door and asks me what was I doing. I probably looked a little freaky holding a baby straight out with my legs spread apart in the middle of her drive way. I remember my voice being very quivery saying, “Either I just peed my pants or my water broke.”

She tells me to get in the house. I don’t even remember what I did with the baby…I remember my mom giving me clean pair of panties and sweat pants (sea foam green) and sitting in the rocking chair. My dad was going nuts. He was screaming to get me  to the hospital. It was rather comical.

I was trying to get someone to get a hold of DH. We didn’t have cell phones then. I remember making phone calls to relatives of my cousin’s husband who lived in the area they were moving from.

The contractions got worse and my doctor said it was time, so, my mom drove me to the hospital. I remember them hooking me up to the monitor and then everyone and my brother coming in to see me. My in-laws were there WITH A VIDEO CAMERA! my brother, sister, my grandma and grandpa.

The contractions were HARD but not that close together. I remember falling asleep in the middle of them. I remember a lab tech coming into take a blood sample and putting that strap around my arm DURING a contraction. I told him through clenched teeth that he better get it off me or I was coming over the rail after him. My brother told him he better hurry because I would…LOL.

I remember them checking the process while EVERYONE was IN THE ROOM! Nothing like having all your lady parts exposed for all to see. Then during one check the nurse says “Uh, oh!” THAT is NOT anything that I wanted to hear. I asked her “WHAT?” and she says “That’s not the head, that’s the butt.”

So the next thing I know, they are wheeling me out the door…bumping every corner along the way and telling me that I have to have an emergency c-section, along with them telling me to not push. Well I was ALREADY at that point. I remember crying and telling them to knock me out so I couldn’t push.

The next thing I remember is waking up to them showing me a Polaroid picture of a tiny baby with a tiny tube in her nose and little electrical patches on her chest. She was only 5lbs, 4.1oz and 19 inches long. She was a little thing.

Now she is all grown up. She graduated high school and is attending college and just became engaged. She is living on her own and paying her own way.

I am proud of her. While she doesn’t everything the way I would do it, or want her to do it, she does it her way and stands by her decisions. She knows what she wants and she fights for it regardless of what others think. She has conviction and I am proud of her.

I am also proud that she works for everything she has. It is frustrating seeing young adults these days feel like they are entitled to everything and expect someone else to pay for it. She has always worked hard and pays her way.

The most important thing…she has a faith in Jesus. My prayer is that she continues to grow in her faith.

Love you Big Girl!