The story of Leah's birth

For those of you who may be curious about Leah's labor and delivery, I thought I'd share the story.

On Monday and Tuesday, Nathan's parents were visiting with us. I think it was in the back of all of our minds that if she came early enough to see them, it would be really fun. But she was very content and showed no signs of being ready for that. After a nice visit with the in-laws, they left Tuesday afternoon.

About 5:30 that same day, we got an email from our real estate agent that really stressed me out. Closing (schedule for the next day) was being changed yet again; the bank selling "our" house to us was being ridiculous, etc. And after a pretty hard cry about the situation, I started having contractions. They say stress can bring on labor. Well, it definitely sped up the process in my case. Nathan wanted to send the real estate agent 'thank you' note. ;)

All evening Tuesday evening, I had contractions, but nothing very strong. I finally called the mid-wife and she suggested drinking extra liquids and taking a warm bath. I took her advice and went to bed. Sadly, the contractions stopped during the night. On Wednesday morning, I started having mild contractions again. They continued throughout the course of day, but got neither closer together or stronger. It was frustrating to say the least and I couldn't decide whether they were just Braxton Hicks or real contractions. Mom had come to spend the day with the kids and I and this helped keep my mind off the frustration. At dinner time, we didn't have peace about her leaving, so she stayed for dinner and watched a movie with us after the kids went down. Throughout the movie, I had contractions that seemed slightly stronger, but still not very consistent.

At 10pm, we decided to try to sleep. Mom was going to sleep on the couch bed. As soon as I laid down, I started having very strong contractions, about 10 minutes apart. I called the midwife and asked if I could come in and be checked. She said 10 minutes apart still sounded far apart, given that we lived 3 minutes from the hospital, but I could come in if I wanted to. I told Nathan I wasn't going to be able to sleep and might as well go. So we left around 11pm for the hospital. I was shaking all over.

Once we arrived at the maternity ward, the nurses took their time getting me in a room and getting prepared for a labor check. I was trying to remain calm, but was having pushing pains already and they hadn't even checked me. Finally the mid-wife arrived. I was 9cm and the baby was at minus 1 station. Things went pretty nuts in the room as she announced that. All of a sudden, there were five nurses in the room instead of one. I was getting an IV port, and the midwife was putting on her gloves. And I...was screaming!

Needless to say, Leah came pretty fast. By 12:02a.m. she had arrived. She was 7 pounds and 10.5 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. What a relief to hold her in my arms. Another precious gift from God to our family.

So far, she has been an excellent sleeper and nurser. I'm praising the Lord for that. He knows how much we can handle. We are home and beginning to adjust to life with three. Your prayers are coveted as we continue to seek to raise our children for the Lord.

You of little faith; why did you doubt?

This is the question that Jesus asked Peter when he had taken a few steps on the water, glimpsed the waves, and began to sink (Matthew 14:30, 31). How many times do I think I am trusting God, walking by faith, only to begin looking at my circumstances instead of Him. In that moment, I too begin to sink, doubting that God really knows what He's doing. Will He catch me when I start to doubt again?

We are in the process of buying our first house. A fixer-upper; a foreclosure. First, we were to close in mid-September. Then September 30th. Now mid-October. The bank sure does like to drag things out. We started looking for our home when I was 5 months pregnant. And now I am wondering if we'll be signing closing papers while I'm labor with our third child! (Due October 15) But this has been a good lesson for me. A lesson in faith. And lesson in contentment. I've had to give up the control of my life to God (I've always been a bit of a control freak!). This time in our life has been reminding me that His ways are higher than ours. And that His timing is always perfect. I have a lot to learn still. But I'm just beginning to grasp more and more that God has everything figured out, so I might as well enjoy the ride.

But in my moments of doubt, when I, like Peter scream, "Lord, save me!" it is a comfort to know that he will "immediately reach out his hand and catch me" (Matthew 14:31)

Little bits & pieces

Well, Micah is growing fast! I don't remember Hannah growing quite this fast. But maybe it's just the time that's going faster. His Baby dedication was last month. Coincidentally (or Providentially) it fell on the Sunday that Nathan's Mom was here visiting with us. The great-grandparents on the Heijermans side were also able to attend. It was a day to remember.

Grandpa, Grandson, and Great-Grandson

Grandma Heijermans

These days, we have two finger-sucking children in our home. Hannah is actually an adamant thumb-sucker. And Micah is only 4 months and he already prefers his fingers to a pacifier. I included this shot for some of you who may know Nathan. He sucked these two fingers when he was little and Micah reminded me so much of Nate's baby pics when I saw this pose. I just had to snap a picture.

And here he is, sucking the fingers that I chose as a kid.

It's Summer time in MD. Which means hot. We like to stay cool as much as possible. (Not that the heat seems to bother the kids. They don't seem to notice at all.) We've had a few fun family outings lately. We've gone mini golfing, to the beach, and done lots of bike-riding.

Hannah playing mini-golf

Micah playing mini-golf.
(This is what he rides in for bike rides too.)

A Hole in the Sand

Digging Daddy into the Hole

Someday I'm gonna miss...

• Listening to the sound of a baby cooing on my shoulder at 4am.
• My 6am wake-up call/cry
• The happy smiles of children just waiting for me to say "Good morning!"
• The crunch of Cheerios under my feet when I walk across the dining room floor.
  
• Finding little dirty fingerprints all over our sliding glass door.
• Putting on three sets of jackets and shoes.
• Pushing the cart through the grocery store to the sound of Hannah singing "The ABC Song" (with the words changed to "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy...")
• Jamming to Veggie Tales while driving in the car.
• Folding ALL the tiny clothes and socks.
• Washing ten shirts of mine a week due to spit up and blow-outs.
  
• Having a reason to take an afternoon nap.
• Getting cozy under a blanket to read a book with my little girl.
• Playing peek-a-boo with my baby boy.
• Trying to cook supper with chaos all around me.
• Blowing bubbles, coloring a picture, or feeding doll babies, for the hundredth time.
• Kissing boo-boos and drying tears.
• Combing out long curls after bath time.
• Tucking my dear little ones into bed.
  

I'm a Mom. And although there are days that I wish I wasn't... days I wish for quiet and calm...the truth is, I wouldn't trade this for the world. And I know someday, I'm gonna miss all this...and more.

My First Afghan

Last week, I completed my first Granny Square Afghan!

I made it for some sweet friends at church who just got married.

It was a lot of work, but totally worth it to see the end result.

Happy Birthday Hannah

Well, Hannah turned two a couple weeks ago. Here are a few
of the best pictures. Hope you enjoy. It was a fun party.

Hannah got to go with Daddy & Grandpa to get balloons
before the party. When she came back, everything was decorated.

Eating at her new little table and chair set--
her present from Mommy & Daddy

Party guests included Hannah & Neriah;
We were sad that Judah and Elijah were sick
and not able to make it.

"The Little Engine that Could" Train Cake!

She took her time blowing out the candles.

Digging in

Miss Debbie helped the girls not get too messy.

Grandpa did the official reading of
"The Little Engine that Could"

Playing with some of her new toys

Four months behind

Well, life gets busy and blogging seems like the last thing on my "to do" list. But I wanted to catch up a little bit. In the past four months, we have:

1. Gone on vacation to North Carolina.
2. Moved into a new condo, after much painting and cleaning.
3. Got an ultrasound of our 2nd child. (This time we'll will be surprised about the gender.)
4. Went to a costume party for Halloween.
5. Had our 3rd wedding anniversary.
6. Visited Nathan's parents in Luxembourg.
7. Celebrated Thanksgiving at home with Nathan's grandparents.
8. Celebrated Christmas at my parent's house with my sister and her husband.
9. Rang in the New Year with friends.
10. And had a birthday party for Hannah(today)as she turns two!

As I look back on all of that, it's no wonder I feel tired. I guess part of that comes with being pregnant. In the next 2 months, life may slow down slightly. But in March, a new baby will arrive. That will add to the tiredness and the busyness, but of course we look forward to the joy it will bring too. Here are a few pictures of the past four months. Enjoy!

At the beach in N.C.


Our New Living Room


Our New Kitchen--What an improvement!


Hannah dressed up as a ladybug


Anniversary celebration


Nathan's parents and Hannah after breakfast at a cafe


Thanksgiving with Grandmom & Grandpop


Looking for a Christmas tree


Chopping it down!


Decorating it


Stayed tuned for birthday photos coming soon!