Birth Story of Anna Faith

Since I haven't updated the dusty ol' blog in months, I'll begin with my pregnancy! The pregnancy went very well. Morning sickness was manageable and it lasted until about 21 weeks. Once I was past that, the pregnancy flew by! I felt great up until the last couple of weeks where I felt the general fatigue and heaviness of being very pregnant! Overall, for experiencing my first pregnancy in my 40s, I felt great.

This photo was taken at 27 weeks.

About five days before the birth, I had my 39 week appointment.  At this appointment, we discussed our desired plan.  Since I dilate early, have issues with postpartum hemorrhage, and I feel strongly about having my own doctor deliver my babies, we decided to schedule an induction. For me, this means breaking my water.  The plan was for me to come in at 5:30am on Monday, April 20th. Though I loved the idea of getting as close to the due date as possible, I was a little nervous about not making it another five days, and missing my doctor.

Three days later, on Saturday, contractions began in the evening.  They didn't hurt at all, but were coming regularly.  I decided to get into the bath to see if they would slow down.  They did, so I pretty much stayed in bed and rested.

The next day, Sunday, the very same thing happened.  Except this time, the contractions were more consistent and a few were uncomfortable.  I again, got into the bath and then went to bed.  But they kept coming.  I prayed that God would allow me to make it just a few more hours so that I could get to the hospital when my doctor would be on duty.  There are a few doctors in the practice who may not be as open to some of my birth wishes. In addition to that, if I were to have an emergency situation arise, I prefer to have my own doctor make critical decisions on my behalf.  In the end, however, I knew that I would have to trust God with whatever direction the birth would go.

After several hours of debating whether or not to go to the hospital, contractions finally slowed down. We went to bed, and then got up at before dawn to arrive at the hospital at 5:30.

After we checked in, we were told I would be delayed because a string of women came in during the night with ruptured water bags, so the rooms filled up.  We decided to walk a bit to try and get things going again.  Contractions started up at about 9am. Around that same time, the staff decided to put me in a pre-op room to at least get things going until a room opened up.  I tested GBS positive, so I would need antibiotics before delivery.  They put me on the monitors, got my IV going, and started antibiotics. The contractions kept coming and they were getting more consistent and stronger.  Each time I had one, I could feel my bag of water bulging.  I was concerned that my water would break on its own before getting into a room.  Normally, I would gladly want my water to break on its own, but for this birth I had decided to have an epidural.  As with Grace's birth, and the concern of postpartum hemorrhage, I opted for the epidural so that I could avoid general anesthesia if an emergency arose.  And since I had made that decision to have an epidural, I was not the least bit interested in feeling the pains of labor AFTER my water breaks.  lol I wanted to get to my room, have the epidural, and then have my water broken!  It's funny how once that decision has been made, all my mental toughness just disappears.  Ha!

It was now nearing 11am and still no room.  At this point, a sweet friend of mine who was with us went to tell a nurse that I was no longer an "induction", that I was IN labor!  Shortly after that, a room was ready and things got moving quickly.  Within the next half hour, I was settled in my room, received my epidural, and had my water broken at 12:15.  I was already 5 centimeters dilated at that point.

Whew!  We made it!

Immediately after my water was broken, I had several good contractions.  But after a while, they started to lessen in intensity and get farther apart.  Darn epidural!  It has a way of slowing things down sometimes.  We were diligent to try different positions to get baby into a good position.  A couple hours later, I was 7 centimeters.  I was encouraged that progress had been made despite contractions slowing down.  At that point, I told the nurse that I have very fast transitions, and that all I need is one or two good contractions and I will be complete.  We had a lull in contractions, so we just waited.  And sure enough, I had one really good contraction and suddenly felt "that" pressure.  I asked my husband to get a nurse to check me.  I was complete!  Hooray!

I ended up pushing for a half hour, which is very unusual for me.  But the doctor said the baby's head still needed to turn a bit.  I remember laughing at how hard I had to work compared to previous births where pushing lasted only minutes.

Our beautiful Anna Faith was born at 3:29p, April 20, 2015.  She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

The delivery went smoothly and I had no immediate bleeding issues.  Since I have a history of postpartum hemorrhage, I have to have pitocin immediately following the birth.  This aids my uterus in contracting properly to avoid excess bleeding.  All was well for the next eight hours.

Greg and I were just settling in for the night, and suddenly the bleeding started up in earnest.  Greg went to get the nurse, and there began the well-versed rounds of uterine massage, manual sweeps for clots, injections, and more pitocin.  It was very painful.  I remember thinking how glad I was that I had had the epidural during labor, because all of this after "stuff" is like a second labor. Ouch!

The nurses were amazing!  They ended up calling the L & D nurses who are more experienced with hemorrhages, and they worked diligently to get things under control.  A short while later, I was back on track and extremely thankful for the skill and wisdom of these nurses.

Amazingly, my blood pressure never dropped, and all my blood work came back normal.  What a praise!

After a two-day stay, it was time to go home!  This photo was taken as we were waiting to be discharged.

Here is our little darling at one week old!

Our oldest baby girl (22) with our youngest baby girl!  :)

We are so grateful for Anna, our 11th child.  Never in a million years would I have thought we'd have eight daughters!  Our three boys handle all this "girl madness" quite well.  They are sweet brothers!  :)

I hope this birth story wasn't too scattered and poorly written.  My goal was to get it up quickly, or I probably would never get it done due to.....life!  I was going through my drafts, and seeing that I have tons of them waiting to be finished.  Maybe someday I can get back to blogging, but for now, life is bursting at the seams and I don't want to miss it!

Blessings!

Surviving the Government Furlough: Finding Additional Income

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Previous articles in the series:  Intro, Slashing the Budget, and God's Provisions


Now that we have slashed the budget, it's time to look for ways to bring in extra money to supplement what is lost during the furlough.  There are so many ways to bring in extra cash, it just requires a little creativity and willingness!  Some of these suggestions are obvious, but others may spark an idea.  I hope this serves as a valuable resource for you.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you try to find additional income

Pray

As I mentioned in my previous post, begin with prayer.  Ask God to open up opportunities to earn extra money and be ready for Him to answer.  Ask Him to provide during this time, and trust that He will.  Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Family meeting

I know I mentioned this before as well, but come together as a family and brainstorm ways everyone can help out.  Perhaps the kids can pull weeds for the neighbors, or sell ice cream or lemonade to the community.  Older kids can bake and sell their creations.  Again, including the whole family gets everyone on board and makes it a team effort.

Spread the word

If you're looking for work, let people know.  Tell your church family, your community, your family that you're looking to earn extra money to make ends meet.  You'll be amazed by what comes up simply by spreading the word. 

Our neighborhood has a wonderful email loop, so I let our neighbors know that we were looking for work.  God provided, and continues to provide for us right here in our neighborhood.  My husband and oldest son have been providing lawn care services and staining fences.  My daughter and I have been baking and selling bread.  The convenience of staying in the neighborhood has been a blessing! 

Be humble.  No job is too small

My husband is a well respected Fire Inspector.  He has a great job.  He could easily have an arrogant attitude about what jobs he will and will not do.  But thankfully, my husband is more concerned about providing for his family than he is about pride.  All these small jobs have added up to making ends meet.  If we had just sat around waiting for "something better" to come around, we would have missed out on the blessings that have come from the work God has provided, not to mention the income. 

Here are some practical ways to bring in more income

Get a second job

This is a no-brainer, but sometimes people just aren't willing to work longer hours and relax less.  But in hard financial times, it's just necessary!  If your schedule allows, look for a part-time job to supplement your income.  Here are some possibilities...

Freelance writing - writergal.com and textbroker.com are good places to start
Proofreading - freelancer.com offers proofreading jobs
Pizza delivery
Newspaper delivery
Tutoring
Cleaning houses

Become a consultant

If there is a salesperson in you, try your hand at these jobs.  These are feasible jobs for stay-at-home-moms who want to host fun parties while bringing in additional income.

Pampered Chef
Mary Kay
Silpada - sell artisan-made fine sterling silver 
Young Living Essential Oils

Reduce bill payments

If you've got credit card bills, loans, or medial bills, ask to temporarily reduce your payments just until furlough (or your situation) is over.  If you have the money, then make the full payment.  But reducing outgoing money gives you some leeway, and allows for extra income when it's really needed.

Blogging

I'm so amazed at what bloggers can make these days.  If you have a love for writing, or have a special skill or talent, blogging may be a fun way to bring in extra cash.  When we were planning my daughter's wedding, I blogged full force to bring in extra wedding money.  Since then, I've cut way back due to time and other priorities, but I still manage to bring in a little extra money from the blogging I'm able to do.

Here are some resources to help you get started:
Escalate Network-Product or company advertising....earn money per conversions.
Amazon Affiliate-Earn commission on products people buy through your Amazon links or widgets.
Google AdSense-Monetize your blog with ads
Social Spark-Write blog posts for a particular company or product and earn money

Refinance your home

Depending on your current rate, this could add income by lowering your mortgage payment.  We were able to refinance when the rates dropped, helping to reduce our payments by a couple hundred bucks. 

Sell stuff

Anything.  School curriculum, book, clothes, furniture, toys, baby items, extra vehicles, etc.  Look around and find what you don't need or want.  Sell items on Craigslist, Ebay, yard sales, FB yard sale community pages, homeschool co-ops, classifieds, anywhere!  We love to take our gently used clothing to resale shops for store credit or cash.  Try places like Kid to Kid, Uptown Cheapskate, Clothes Mentor, or Plato's Closet.  Check your local area to find out if these, or places similar, exist in your area. 

I recently learned that you can sell scrap metal.  Seriously!  You can take your old appliances and a whole host of other metal items and sell them to recycling centers.  Check your local listings for recycling centers near you.

Sell homemade breads or other goodies

If you enjoy baking bread or other goodies, ask to sell them at church, work, or a co-op group.  When we were raising money for my daughter's mission trip to Africa, our church and homeschool co-op group allowed us to sell bread.  We made a few hundred dollars.  Currently, my daughter and I are selling bread to our neighborhood.  We may offer freezer meals soon. Maybe.

One of my friends, who is also in the midst of furlough, is selling breakfast tacos and freezer meals to her husband's co-workers.  They have brought in quit a bit of money, thus surviving the furlough.  Get creative and don't be shy!

Offer a class

Whether you sew, bake incredible bread, or you're a talented artist, offer classes in your home.  Choose a day of the week and come up with a price (which includes supplies) and spread the word via the Web or flyers.  If you have a special skill, there are others out there willing to pay to learn it!

Mow lawns

Amazingly, this has been our biggest source of additional income during the furlough.  I simply advertised to our neighborhood, and another close by, that my husband was available for lawn care services.  We received multiple calls, three with ongoing weekly service.  My husband and son have enjoyed working together, building their relationship while helping to provide for our family. 

Child care

This is always a good source of additional income.  If you want to provide childcare long term, you may need to check into licensing laws in your state.  But if you want to offer temporary services, give a shout out to your friends and neighbors!

Trade for services

My good friend, Kim, reminded me that trading for services has helped them while her husband is looking for work.  When I was preparing for my second home birth, my wonderful midwife allowed me to do some office work for her to reduce the out-of-pocket expense of a home birth.  This is an area where you can really be creative.  If there is something you want or need, offer a service in return.  You can offer a piano teacher with small children childcare in exchange for lessons, if you have a friend who works on cars, trade house cleaning for car repairs.  Really, sky's the limit on this one.  If you have a talent or skill, offer it in exchange for something you need.

Clinical Trials

Each person will need to decide for themselves whether or not this is an option.  But I do know that you can make a lot of money by participating in clinical trials.  Just be sure they are second round trials or beyond.  Meaning, they have already done at least one round of testing so that you're not a first round guinea pig.  Just Google "clinical trials in (name of city)" to find out if there are any studies in your area.  Here is a sample of studies and money to be made in our area.

Final thoughts to keep in mind

Accept help

Sometimes it's hard to let others know about our struggles.  Trust your friends, family, and church family to help in your time of need.  Graciously accept help when it's offered.  Don't be stubborn or embarrassed.  A true community is one that reaches out and helps one another.  It's the way it's supposed to be.  Sometimes we lose sight of that in our pride and desire to do things in our own strength.

Don't incur new debt 

This bears repeating.  Opening up new credit accounts or maxing out the credit card does not count as additional income.  It's just more debt!  Sometimes it's easier to just charge for your needs rather than working a little harder to earn the money.  I understand that sometimes life just doesn't allow one to go out and earn extra money, but exhaust every other resource before resorting to adding new debt.


Has this been helpful?  If so, please consider sharing on FB, Twitter, or Google+.  What ways have you made additional income?  Please share!

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Surviving the Government Furlough: God's Provisions Already

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We're a couple of weeks into the furlough, and I am bursting at the seams to tell you how God has already been providing for our family.  My next furlough article will talk about some of these things below individually, but as I was thinking about all the ways God has provided already, it needed to be its own post!

Earnings from odd jobs we've completed (no job is too small):

• Fence staining - $200
• Yard work for neighbors - $100, plus two ongoing contracts.
• Baking and selling homemade bread - $10 (so far...more to come)

Savings:

• Grocery savings - $100 - I was able to shave off $100 this shopping trip (I shop twice a month).  If I do it again, I will meet my monthly savings goal of $200.

• Airplane ticket - $100 - I will need to fly back home after dropping my daughter off in TN for school.  A one-way ticket was pretty pricey, so I watched it for several weeks, hoping it would drop.  It did drop finally about $40.  Later that evening, I decided to go ahead and purchase the ticket at the $40 less price.  To my astonishment, it had dropped again.....by $100 from the original price.  I bought that ticket faster than a hummingbird's wings can flap!

Unexpected money:

• Additional scholarship money - $500 - I received an email letting me know that Celeste's school was able to secure $500 more in scholarship money for her.

That's a grand total of $1010 in savings, earnings, and unexpected provision in two weeks! 

Praise God, from Whom ALL blessings Flow!

How has God been providing for your family (whether furloughed or not)?  Please share!

Surviving the Government Furlough: Slashing the Budget

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Read Part 1 here.

The first step in surviving the furlough is to take a look at your budget and see where you can reduce spending.  Our budget is already fairly tight, so this will require even more sacrifice on our part.

Thankfully, the Lord prepared us a bit in advance.  We knew the furlough would eventually catch up to us, so we worked hard to pay off debt.  Currently, we have no car payments and no credit card debt.  Other than our mortgage and typical expenses (food, utilities, gas, insurance, etc.) we only have two fairly large medical bills that we are slowly paying off (portion insurance didn't cover). 

Compared to the average family, we're in pretty good shape I think.  But we're a large family living on one income, so this monthly loss will hit us hard.  In addition, our daughter is leaving for college, so we will have ongoing tuition payments to make.  I realize this will hit other families harder than ours.  Some have lost jobs completely, and some may lose their homes.  My heart aches for them, and we are continually praying for all those affected. 

Every family will face different challenges and have different priorities during the furlough.  Our priority is keeping up with our mortgage, feeding our family, keeping the lights on, and getting Celeste off to school.  Everything else is negotiable. 

Here are the things we have already implemented:

Pray

Pray for God to show you areas in which to cut back.  Some things that we think are necessities really are not.  Depending on your financial position, you may need to dig deep to cut back.  Ask God to show you what is truly needed and what is not.  Ask Him to provide extra work if that is what it will take to stay afloat.

Have a family meeting

Our kids love family meetings.  It's a great way to get all family members on the same page.  Discuss ways that everyone can pitch in to reduce spending.  Perhaps a little one can be in charge of making sure lights have not been left on.  A family meeting also lets the children know that life may look different for a while.  Less activities, less eating out, and whatever else you will need to cut back on.  Including your children will make them feel like they can make a difference, and prepare them for changes.

Get rid of cable

Contrary to what most of the world thinks, cable is not a necessity.  You may think that getting rid of it won't help, but every little bit helps.  We only have basic cable for $19 a month.  However, by the time you add the taxes and fees, and the second box rental fee, $19 has turned into $40.  We will keep Internet, but cable is going bye bye!  We do have Netflix, and plan to keep that for the time being.

If you have one of those deluxe cable plans, you could save big in this area!

Cell phones

Making changes here will depend on whether or not you have a contract.  We have a TracFone, so we only spend about $30 every 2-3 months.  We only turn on our cell phone when we're out of the house, and we don't carry on long conversations on the cell phones.  If you have an expensive plan, try to reduce the plan if possible.  Usually, companies are willing to work with you if you explain your situation.  It's worth a try...you may be able to save here.

Turn up the thermostat two or three degrees

We are already pretty conservative when it comes to the air conditioner.  We are a 78 degree family in the summer.  But due to the furlough, we've cranked it up two more degrees.  Sometimes we feel a little warm, but that's okay.  We can feel a little uncomfortable to reduce our energy bill.  But when you think about it, if it's 95-100 degrees outside (we live in south Texas), 80 degrees inside is not bad.  We're good! 

If you need to conserve energy in the winter, obviously you would want to turn down your thermostat.

Trim the grocery budget

You can really save in this area if you tend to buy a lot of convenience foods or name brand items.  Even though it takes more time, making meals from scratch will save hundreds of dollars.  Create a menu plan and grocery list and stick to it.  Seriously, the amount of pre-made, pre-packaged food I see in people's carts makes me want to take them by the hand and tell them there's a better, less expensive way.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging at all!  I buy my kids corn dogs and potato chips.  If you can afford it, have at it.  But so often, folks can't afford it, but just aren't willing to do the leg work required to save money.  If you struggle to get meals on the table, and resort to convenience foods, maybe these tips can help.

If you're a bulk food buyer, be sure you're comparing unit prices.  Sometimes, buying name brand bulk items can be more expensive than buying the generic non-bulk items.  Just because an item is sold in bulk, doesn't mean it will be cheaper.  Check unit prices always!

We spend about $1000 a month on groceries for the 11 of us.  This includes paper products, toiletries, and diapers.  I think I can reduce this by $200 a month.  We have a small emergency stockpile of food that we can pull from, and I can easily cut out some things we don't need.  In fact, I just did our shopping for this two week pay period, and I shaved $100 off the bill.  I shopped from the stockpile first and came up with some of our least expensive meals, and created a new menu.  And then I just passed on some frivolous grocery items that I usually get but don't need. 

Here are some additional grocery saving tips:
Feeding a Large Family on A Budget

Potty train the toddler

This of course will not apply to everyone, but I added it because I had been putting off potty training Amelia.  She's been ready for a while now, but I pretty much just didn't feel like doing it.  Nothing like a furlough to light a fire under me.  And voila!  She's potty trained.  That's 30 bucks a month back in our pockets.  Okay, so maybe our mortgage lender's pocket, but having a roof over our head is sort of important.  Who knew potty training could be so life-changing! ; )

Make less trips in the car

This is another area in which we can really save considering we drive two large, gas-guzzling vehicles.  We try not make frivolous trips as a rule, but now we're more cautious about where we choose to go.  Aside from my husband going to work, piano lessons, and or bi-monthly shopping trips, we're pretty much sticking around the house.  There's plenty to do around here, plus we have a neighborhood pool, so it's all good. 

The best thing you can do is figure out what you're spending on any given trip.  You may be surprised to find you're spending more than the trip is worth.  You can calculate the cost of your drive here.

Reduce payments if possible

As I mentioned above, we have two fairly large medical bills on which we make monthly payments.  My husband contacted the billing departments, told them of our situation, and they reduced our payments by half until furlough is over.  If we are able to make our regular payments, we will.  But this gives us some flexibility if we fall short.

Whatever your bills are, call the companies and tell them your situation.  In most cases they will work with you as long as you are sending something.  Just be aware of your credit card interest rates, making sure they don't increase with that smaller payment.

Don't incur new debt

It's tempting to open up new credit accounts or take on new loans as a means to survive.  Don't do it!  It may save you now, but could put you in a worse position later down the road.  Years ago, we took on a Deed for Contract home.  It sounded like a good thing at first, but we quickly learned it was nothing more than glorified renting with all the responsibilities of home ownership.  So when our house payment skyrocketed and the air conditioning until went out in the brutal heat of August while I was 7 months pregnant, we turned to accepting credit card offers to survive.  It took us YEARS to pay off all that debt.  The blessing was, however, that we have never taken on credit card debt since!

Here are more ways to reduce the budget.  Come on back soon for the next post in the series: Finding Extra Income.

How have you reduced your budget?  Please share any additional tips you may have!

Surviving the Government Furlough and How To Do It

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Last month, my husband was given his official furlough notice at work.  As you may know, approximately 800,000 government employees have been or will be affected by a 20% reduction in pay or job loss due to budget failures issues.  For the average forty-hours-a-week person, this means a four-day work week.  (Which would be really nice if one could afford that.)

 

Since my husband works a sixty hour work week, we were nervous about losing 20% of pay.  That's quite a chunk of change!  Thankfully, it was decided that even the sixty hour employees would  also be cut 8 hours a week instead of 12.  It was still a blow, but not quite as big as we had anticipated. 

 

Eight hours of pay loss is still pretty steep for our large family already living frugally on ONE income.  And the timing of this is quite interesting.  Our daughter is due to leave for college in August.  She will be attending a classical Christian school that does not mingle with the government.  No government scholarships, no grants.  Celeste was granted a small scholarship, but the majority of tuition will be our responsibility.  And early on, we made a commitment NOT to take on student loan debt.  

 

Our mission?

 

To do whatever we can to make up the $800+ per month loss AND get our daughter off to college!

 

Follow along with us as we purpose to reduce the overall (already tight) budget, find ways to bring in additional income, and faithfully trust God to provide over the next three (or so) months in my Surviving the Government Furlough series. 

 

Stay tuned for my next post in the series:  Slashing the Budget

 

Will you please consider sharing this series on Facebook (or other social media)?  Not only could it encourage others struggling to make ends meet, but more traffic around here is potential income for our family.  Also consider shopping Amazon through my Amazon widget on the right.  I make a small commission on each sale.  Thank you so much!

 

Have you or someone you know been affected by the Government Furlough?

It's a Girl!

 



 

 

Welcome Grace Makenna! She was born at 9:55pm on November 8, 2012. She weighs 7 lbs. 3 oz. and is 18 1/4 in. long. We are praising God for this gift, and thankful for her safe arrival and protection over momma during delivery!

 

 

Praise God!

We are beside ourselves with gratitude over the generosity of friends and family!  We are speechless over the amount raised for Celeste's trip.

As of this morning, the total is $3,500!!!!  In just three days!!!!  Not only does that cover the airfare, but that covers nearly the whole trip. 

I'm in awe of God's goodness!  And I'm in awe of God's people!  Thank you, friends, for your giving hearts, your love for our daughter, and your heart to minister to the orphans of Africa!  We are humbled beyond measure and will be forever thankful!

I'd like to mention our business sponsors.  Thank you to:

La Fonda at Oak Hills Restaurant

KCA Engineers

Slide Fire Solutions

Team National


If you own a business and donated, please let me know.  I'd love send friends your way!

Thank you again to all who gave.  Wow!  So, so blessed by you all!

Soli Deo Gloria!


Photo Credit

One Week...

One week...and these two shall become one.


Today, Cheyenne and Nathan get the keys to their soon-to-be-home.  A cute apartment that they will make their own.  With the help of family, they'll be moving everything in and setting up home.  Nathan will move in right away, Cheyenne will join him after they are wed in.....

One week!

One week left with our little girl-turned woman. 

One week until we will not see her come down the stairs in the morning.

One week until she will not join us at every meal around the table.

One week until Celeste will lose her life long room mate.

Just one week to savor every moment we have left with her in our home.

If I sound sad, it is because we will miss her and the dynamics of our family will change forever.

But....

In one week, our daughter will celebrate one of the happiest days of her life.

One week, we will gain a phenomenal son in law.

One week, we'll stand in awe of God's goodness in joining these two together, just as He designed.

One week until we have the privilege as parents to see our daughter begin her new life with her husband.

One week until we see our little girl-turned woman standing at the altar, with her white gown and veil, glowing and radiant, pledging herself before God to the man she loves.

Just one week....

What a privilege.  An honor.  A joy.  A blessing!

If you think of us, please pray for this final week of preparations.  Pray for our family and our transition.  But most of all, please pray for Cheyenne and Nathan...and the life they will share....beginning in just one week

Praise be to God!

A Busy Week

We have had a wonderful week of fellowship with our sweet friends.  We have enjoyed late night talks and early morning cups of coffee.  I've enjoyed runs with Dan, and talks about the faithfulness of God with Lori and Dan.  It has been such a blessing having them here and we're so privileged to have hosted them.  In a few days they'll be heading to VA to visit Dan's family...and then they head back to Costa Rica.  We will miss them dearly!

Aside from enjoying company, we've also had other things going on along with normal, crazy life, which is usually busy enough.  Here are a few snippets of what we've been up to and why I haven't blogged in a week.  :)

Wedding:  We've had a couple of wedding related appointments.  Saturday, all the bridesmaids went to Cheyenne's dress fitting.  It. fit. perfectly!  No alterations needed!  Woohoo!  The only thing we need to do is the bustling.  She looked incredibly beautiful!  After the fitting, we all went out for lunch at Panera.  Yum! 

Then, on Sunday afternoon, we met with my wonderful friend, Hollie, who is graciously making the wedding cake.  We had a "cake meeting" to discuss all the details and finalize a cake design.  I know Hollie will do an incredible job and I can't wait to see the final masterpiece. :)  If you get a chance, head on over to Hollie's Food for Missions blog and check it out!

All the other details are coming along.  We have the invitations in hand.  Cheyenne made return address labels and put them on, as well as stuffed the envelopes.  All we have to do is address them.  We have the wedding dress, of course.  Now we just have to protect it form the elements of the Sabo household.  lol  Sunday after church, we picked up Celeste's Maid of Honor dress and my niece's bridesmaid dress.  We reserved most of the linens, and will only add more as RSVP's trickle in.  We have the venue reserved.  We have most of the centerpieces purchased for assembling.  Most of the groomsmen have been measured for their tuxes.  We have a few friends who have offered to sponsor desserts for the wedding, or other things.  Isn't that awesome?  Whew....I think that's it so far.  Things are progressing so I am feeling less overwhelmed with wedding details. 

House Hunting:  No...not for us, but for my other best friend, Stacey.  They Cambrons are moving back to Texas from Colorado Springs and I have had the honor of looking at homes for my sweet friend.  As she has found homes online, I've gone to look at them in person to report back to her the details.  It's been fun...and I can't wait to have the Cambrons back in Texas!  YAY!

Painting:  I finally painted a room in our home.  I started with the master bedroom.  It looks FABULOUS!  I have never been so pleased with a color before.  It's called Weeping Willow.  It's a muted, sage-y, very earthy green.  It's peaceful and tranquil and I just LOVE it!  My older girls moved all the furniture and took off the hardware and got everything prepped and ready.  Then, Dan, the girls, and I painted.  We did it all in the two hour rest time that all the little ones were down.  It was perfect!  Team work got the job done FAST!  I've still got to get up a few pictures on the wall and then I'll post pictures.

Church:  Since Greg is a deacon, we've had a few deacon related responsibilities that have kept us busy too.  Our church just had our annual family retreat and then we celebrated Pastor Appreciation Month to honor our wonderful pastor.  It's a privilege to serve along side my husband, helping him with various tasks while he serves his church family.

Chicken Pox:  We exposed our four youngest kids to the Chicken Pox yesterday evening.  We're hoping within the next couple of weeks that we'll see spots.  We've chosen not to give our children the vaccine, so it's very important that they get the Chicken Pox as children to gain lifetime immunity.  So here's praying....   Oh, and if you live in San Antonio and need to expose your children, contact me and I'll let you know if we're successful!  :)

I think that about covers our week.  It's been busy, but wonderful!  Hope you all have a great rest of the week...and check back for more posts.  I have about four that are nearly ready for posting. :)

We Almost Lost Her - Part 2

(Read Part 1 here)

What Happened?

My husband is a phenomenal father.  He loves his children and takes an active roll in everything we do with them.  He's also a phenomenal husband.  He takes very good care of me...and this includes giving me breaks as I need them.  One of those ways is taking the kids to the pool.  It's fun for them, and gives mom a break.

He takes the kids swimming every other night after dinner as the norm.  I stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet.  I usually keep the baby home with me, but she had gone once before and really enjoyed the water, so Greg took her again.  Cheyenne had decided to stay home.  I was a little nervous about Greg having so many little ones with baby Amelia going, but Celeste, our 16 year old, was going too...and she helps to keep an eye on everyone. 

I tend to be one of those nervous moms.  And with nine children, I worry about keeping them all safe.  Every time Greg takes them to the pool, I say the same thing to him... "Do a headcount before backing up, and keep an eye on all of our babies."  He usually just smiles, understanding that it just makes me feel better to say this even though I know he will do those things.  Then, I pray.  Every. Single. Time.  I pray for the children's safety, knowing full well that accidents happen everyday.  I also pray for any other children who may be swimming that day too!  It just breaks my heart when I hear of parents losing a child.

While at the pool Tuesday night, Greg had the little ones in the shallow end near the steps like usual.  He was in the pool with them and had the baby in his arms.  He watched them all play.  The older kids were in the pool farther down having fun.  Genevieve (3) and Jonathan (2) kept playing with a hose that led into the pool right at the steps.  Greg had to get after them a couple of times because they wouldn't leave it alone.

Again, Jonathan went back to the hose, so Greg turned around to get Jonathan away from it.  Genevieve had still been on the steps in the pool.  By the time Greg turned around...Genevieve was gone.  Thinking she had gotten out and run off to another area of the pool, he scanned the premises trying to spot her.  When he couldn't find her, he looked down into the pool.  But, between the ripples from the kids splashing and the glare of the sun reflecting on the water, he couldn't see anything.  Suddenly, he caught a faint shadow of pink at the bottom. 

He walked a few steps toward her and reached down to pull her up, with baby Amelia still in his other arm.  To him, it didn't seem that long from the time he saw her on the steps to when he turned around looking for her, so he thought he would pull her up and she would just cough up some water and cry.

When he lifted her up, she was blue and lifeless.  She was not breathing.  Greg thrust her up to the side of the pool and quickly got out.  He set the baby down and yelled for the other kids, who at this point were oblivious to what had happened, to get out of the pool.  He told Celeste to call 911 and began rescue breathing.  Turns out, our cell was dead and the pool phone was not working.  No one else was around to make the call.

Celeste hurried back, picked up babyAmelia, and gathered the other children.  Providentially, a young woman walked into the pool area, saw what was happening and dialed 911.  The kids stood in utter shock watching Daddy resuscitate their sister.   

Greg had done about four rounds of rescue breathing and back blows before he saw signs of life.  He gave a final breath and she began coughing and vomiting water.  The young woman stayed on the phone with 911 relaying information. 

Once Genevieve came to, a gentleman from across the street ran over to assist Greg.  The man is an MTI at Lackland and was also a paramedic.  The man continued to help Genevieve expel water while Greg made the dreaded phone call home.

The ambulance was the first on the scene and the paramedics quickly took over.  Then the fire trucks and police vehicles arrived.  By this time, people had gathered outside their homes, and several had run over to assist.   Genevieve was loaded into the ambulance ready to be transported. 

Cheyenne, who had chosen to run over to the pool, beat me there.  She helped gather the kids into the Suburban while Celeste was busy talking with police officers.  My daughter said a sweet woman had come over to the car to offer comforting words to the children.  How precious that woman was to do that. 

At this point, Greg was about to head to the hospital in the ambulance until I flagged it down.  Greg jumped out of the ambulance and went back to the kids to help the older girls get them home.  Once he got them home, he got himself and the baby out of their wet clothes, and headed for the hospital.

Prayer

God answered my prayer that day.  I prayed for protection over my children, and He watched over and protected all of them, including Genevieve.  For those of you who don't know my husband, he is a fire fighter.  He's actually an inspector now, but was on the truck for 16 years.  He was trained to save lives.  And by God's amazing grace, he saved his own daughter's life.  I marvel at the possibility that Greg's whole career, and all of his training was meant for this very day!  We will never know, but what an incredible thought. 

Please pray for my husband.  He does not see himself as the hero who saved his daughter.  He sees himself as the dad who didn't prevent this from happening.  As a Christian, Greg believes and trusts in the sovereignty of God, and understands that this was no surprise to God.  But, as a father, and a human being, he's left with the guilt of it happening on his watch.  He's the one haunted by the image of his baby girl's lifeless body stuck in his head.  It will just take time for him to recover from this.  So please pray for healing and peace.  Pray also for my children, who were traumatized as well. 

God has used His people to minister to our hearts and meet basic needs.  We had hundreds of people praying for Genevieve.  Friends helped by coming to the hospital to offer support.  Friends came to our home with food and snacks for the kids.  And friends drove back and forth to the hospital bringing us food and things we needed from home.  There were also phone calls, emails, prayers, love, and the kind of support that demonstrate the hands and feet of Jesus! 

Our little Genevieve has made a full recovery.  She remembers some of what happened.  When I asked her how she got under the water, she said, "I sinked!"

We got home from the hospital last night.  She was so excited to see everyone and all the kids were very anxious to see her!  They had been so worried, that none of them could sleep the night before.  When it was time for bed last night, they all wanted to be near her.  So, Greg laid blankets on the girls' room floor and let them all sleep together.  It was a sweet time for our family.

We're a bit more rested today, but still exhausted overall.  For now, we're just clinging close to our family...and to our Heavenly Father, the author and perfector of our faith!

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

James 1:2-4

We Almost Lost Her

"Hello?" I answered.

Greg quickly replied, "Genevieve's breathing.  She went under.  They're transporting her." 

"GREGORY!!", I yelled.  "Don't let them leave without me!" 


At that moment, one of my biggest fears was unfolding.  One of my children has nearly drowned.

I hung up the phone and ran out the door.  My oldest daughter, Cheyenne, followed.  As soon as we stepped outside, the eerie sounds of the emergency vehicles cut me to the core knowing they were coming for my daughter!

Our community pool is in the next subdivision.  The two subdivisions are joined by three miles of walking trails.  I was desperate to get over to the other side before the ambulance left.

Cheyenne and I jumped into the van to get there quickly.  It wouldn't start.

"Father, please help me get there!"  I prayed.

There was no time to waste.  I jumped out of the van and ran across the street to ask my neighbor, Rosemary, to drive me to the pool.  Before I reached her door, Cheyenne yelled to me that she was taking the trails, and took off running.  For a split second, I thought about doing the same, but didn't think I'd make it in time.

Rosemary and her husband Gary rushed me over to the pool.  It took about five minutes from the time I pounded on their door.  Just as we rounded the corner to the pool, I saw the ambulance pull out of the parking lot.  Frantically, I asked Gary to stop so that I could flag down the ambulance.  I couldn't bear the thought of missing it and not being with my baby immediately!

I reached for the door, but couldn't get it open.  In a panic, I fumbled for the lock as I saw the ambulance driving toward us.  I yelled to Gary to stop the ambulance, fearing I would not get the door open in time.  Just as the ambulance was passing, I got the door open and took off running, yelling and waving my arms in the air, trying to get the driver's attention. 

I remember the picture in my head of people gathered outside their homes, watching all of this unfold.  They must have been heart-stricken watching this mother desperately try to flag down the ambulance that carried her baby.

As I was running alongside the ambulance yelling and waving,  I hit the side of the vehicle with my fists, finally getting the driver's attention.  He stopped and waved me to the back. 

I made it.  Praise God I made it!  I climbed in and my husband jumped out and said he'd meet me at the hospital. 

"Bring the baby", I said in a frenzy.  And off we went, full speed with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

The ambulance ride was surreal.  I was so relieved to be with Genevieve, yet in disbelief that we were in the midst of this near tragedy.  Genevieve looked pale.  She was quiet and unresponsive.  But she was alive.  Thanks to her daddy, she was alive.  I leaned down to her ear and just prayed.  I told her I loved her, and I sang to her some of her favorite nursery rhymes.

The paramedics tried twice to get an IV in her, but were unsuccessful.  However, the poking and prodding got Genevieve crying, which was a good thing.  Crying meant breath.  It meant responsiveness.  It meant life!

By the time we arrived at the hospital, she was stable.  Her O2 sats were low and she was "grunty", but she was doing well considering. 

As we settled into the emergency room, our sweet nurse friend, Stephanie, walked in.  She was on duty at that hospital.  She had heard the news through our pastor's wife and came to check on us.  What a comfort that God provided us.  One of our most precious friends...on duty...and by our side.  She even stayed with baby Amelia so Greg and I both could go with Genevieve for the CT scan and X-ray.  By the time we got back from the tests, our pastor was there, as well as several other friends who came to comfort us and pray for us.  Word spread quickly through our church e-loop, my home school e-loop, and Facebook.  The power of networking at its finest.  People all over were praying for our daughter and asking how they could help us.

God answered our prayers, all of the tests came back normal.  Praise God!  Genevieve would need to stay overnight for observation....but that was it.  Our baby was fine.  God had spared her life. 

Part 2 - What Happened? 

Four Months

Four Months

We've held this precious girl in our arms for four months already!  With each child, the time seems to pass more quickly than I can take in.  Nonetheless, we've cherished every moment with Amelia. 

She's as sweet as can be with her big smile and her vocal nature.  She's a talker! 

She's strong.  Loves to stand and can even sit up almost by herself.  She loves to roll over and she loves the timeless magic of ELEVATION!  She's happiest in the arms of whomever is standing up or walking around.  But we know it's simply because she wants to take everything in.

We love her.  We're thankful for her.  And we pray she doesn't grow up too quickly, though experience has taught us otherwise.  :)

Blessings!

Amelia June

She's Here

We are rejoicing over the birth of our baby girl, Amelia June. She arrived safely on Friday, March 11 at 2:22am. She weighed in at 8 lbs (though we don't think she's that big) and was 20 inches long.

It's hard to believe she's finally here after many months of waiting and wondering whether she was a boy or girl. Labor was long, and difficult near the end, but she was worth every minute of it.

We are humbled by God's goodness, His protection, and His many blessings in our lives. Welcome to our family, my sweet Amelia! We love you!

(Will post more pics soon)

Jonathan 12 Weeks

12 Weeks

I'm supposed to be posting vacation pictures. There are so many to sort through, it will take a while to get them organized. So, in the meantime, here are some recent pics of Jonathan. All photos taken by Celeste.







Okay, so this isn't Jonathan, but I just had to throw this one in. I think it's so cute!

I'm not sure what Genevieve is unhappy about.....maybe the bandana?

Jonathan Six Weeks

Six Weeks

Four Weeks

Four Weeks

Two Weeks

Two Weeks

It's a Boy!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Jonathan Charles arrived June 3, 2009 at 4:16pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are so happy to welcome our third son to our family.

What a handsome little guy!

It's time to go home!

Welcome home, sweet Jonathan. You are such a gift and we love you!

Just Haven't Felt Like It

Just Haven't Felt Like..........

.......blogging lately. You know when you don't feel good, you don't feel like doing a whole lot. I haven't forgotten about my blog......in fact, I'm always thinking of things to post, but as you can see I'm a slacker.

I hesitate to say that I think I may be starting to feel better. I still feel icky most of the time, but it seems like I'm having more good moments. If my last seven pregnancies are any indication of when I will feel better, well, we're looking at another five to nine weeks. Let's just hope this one is different!

Don't give up on me......I'll be back soon!

Happy Eight Months Genevieve!


We LOVE her gummy smile.........

And her big blue eyes...........

She loves to dig in the toy box....

Already a little mischievous.........

Genevieve is so sweet, we could just eat her up! She's crawling, clapping, walking along furniture, says Mama, and makes a knocking sound with her tongue.

Happy eight months, baby girl!