I often write about my struggles or accomplishments in fitness, but lately my heart has been tugged to write about the thankfulness of the blessings I have received in my life as a parent. My husband was put on a really grueling and time consuming schedule for the last few months and it has been really hard to parent alone. Often times, feeling so overwhelemed, I have said things that I didn't mean at all and God forgive me for those shortcomings and sins. I was questioning God a lot! Where were my blessings for doing the right thing? Where were my rewards for making hard choices that changed my life? Where were my gifts for forgiving hardships in my marriage? Why can't God just help my children behave?!
I conceived my first child when I was seventeen and my then boyfriend, now husband, knew that abortion was never an option. We considered adoption for a long time, but ultimately I knew I could never live with not knowing if a family would be good to her. We kept our baby. Our pastor's wife prayed with me every Sunday after church - we prayed for a lot of aspects that were going to change in our life once Rylee came. Let me tell you, friends, God answers prayers and when He does, he does it in a mighty way. John had all but signed the papers to join to ARMY to take care of us, We found out his boot camp would begin the very week I was due to have our daughter. He postponed signing and swearing in and explained why to his recruiter and in the mean time John had received news that he was getting a job at a local oil refinery. What a blessing. My pregnancy was hard. My liver wanted to not work right, my kidneys didnt want to work right and I had hyper-emesis pretty bad. Despite all of that, Rylee was born a healthy and alert baby girl. Perfect in every way. What a blessing. John's new job made it so we didn't have to be on welfare anymore and I could stay home. What a blessing.
Our second child was an absolute horrible pregnancy. I ended up with a PICC line to give myself potassium infusions and steroid shots to ensure her lungs would be developed. The doctor knew she was going to come early. (What a blessing!) Reagan was born at 33 weeks. She was perfect! We were in the NICU for only three of the seven weeks that they anticipated. What a blessing. She didn't need to come home on a monitor or oxygen like many babies do. Reagan does not have a single ailment related to her premature birth. WHAT A BLESSING!
Ryan's entire existence is a miracle! Ryan came all on his own at 36 weeks. The hospital did not want me to deliver, but Ryan had other plans. Ryan was a blue as a blueberry when he entered the world. Myself and a lot of concerned family members would ask the nurse if it was normal and every time we were told yes. We were discharged and home. At Ryan's well check, he had lost more weight. We were told to enjoy the holiday weekend and come back for a weight check. (it was fourth of July weekend) Before the holiday weekend my daughter had to go in for a visit. A Muslim doctor who doesn't normally have residents with her noticed his odd breathing but assumed it was periodic breathing and was about to brush it off but decided to use it as a teaching moment. Upon listening, she realized Ryan was holding his breath longer than he should have been and she decided to order an pneumogram to be safe. (BLESSING! AND PROOF THAT GOD WILL USE ANYONE TO DO HIS WORK!) Ryan had his pneumogram that night. The nurse came to pick up the test gear but left the apnea monitor with the instructions to keep it in case he needed it. NOT TO KEEP IT ON HIM. As we were getting ready to leave for an over night vacation with family, another nurse called to see if the equipment had been picked up and I had just a few questions for her. In our conversation, the new nurse told me that monitor should have NEVER been taken off of him! (HELLO MIRACLE!) While at a cottage with family, Ryan's monitor kept going off but we didn't know what that meant but we did know it meant we weren't going to stay over night anymore. We didn't want it to keep everyone awake. So we left. (God has an amazing way of putting you where you need to be!) Sunday morning, John went to give our car to the youth pastor so they could use it to carpool on a mission trip. During that time he received a call straight from the home of our pediatrician and she said take Ryan to the hospital immediately! So we did and that began his eleven month journey with oxygen and an apnea monitor. It was one of the most scary times in our lives - ever. The first hospital we took him to allowed him to be off his oxygen THREE TIMES and his tiny body couldn't handle it. He needed the help breathing and consequently we ended up back in the hospital. Our pediatrician sent us to a second hospital (SUCH A BLESSING!) and the doctors there ran tests and made a plan and made sure that we were comfortable with the plan. They listened and they got Ryan off of the monitor and oxygen when it was safe for him - not when most babies don't need it anymore. I could not love Dr. Cohn more - he saved by baby's life! I wish he was still practicing so I could tell him how grateful we are to him. Ryan is now three and they told us this was the time that he would show signs of cognitive delays. We were warned that since his body was deprived of oxygen - his brain may have been affected. But we prayed for healing, and God is faithful. Ryan shows NO SIGNS of any delays. He is smart, He is witty. He is all boy! God gave me so many blessings during this time!
After Ryan was finally on the mend, my husband and I wanted to have another baby right away. We wanted them close in age. So we tried for a long time, and unlike the rest, nothing happened. I had learned I had some medical stuff that made it amazing that my babies turned out okay as it was - and I probably wouldn't be able to have anymore. We decided to be okay with that decision and sold all of our stuff. Then the following March, I learned I was pregnant with baby Reid. My pregnancy was smooth, it was full term and while he didn't always like to cooperate for non-stress tests and ultrasounds, it was rather uneventful - like it should be and unlike the previous three. Reid was perfect. God gave us a beautiful baby boy and he is the final piece to our family puzzle. He is smart and bright. He likes to talk about da-da a lot. It totally can make John's day and me a little jealous; but - I am thankful.
I have friends who have lost kids. I have friends whose babies are sick and yet I was complaining and being so angry at my kids. I have to confess, I had mean thoughts and I couldn't always keep them to myself. I am thankful for a God who forgives and gives me a new day to try harder and be better. What was I thinking to question my blessings or when was it going to be my turn to have the things I wanted? Did God not provide a good job so I could stay home and healthy kids to enjoy? Wow, my perspective was way to worldly and I needed to take a step back and reevaluate life. My house is small, but God blessed me with it at 19 years old so I could raise a family that He kept healthy. How narrow minded had I become to forget to see the big picture around me.
Life is more than your hobbies, your job or your wants. Life is more than how good your kids behave and they are more important than the grades they bring home and the chores they do or maybe do not do. I needed that reminder. God blessed me with four beautiful kids. He saved them and he protected them and I was mad at them and quite frankly, I needed an attitude adjustment. I was being ungrateful and mean. What the heck. Writing this has even been more helpful to remember all the times God has said, HELLO. I am here and you ARE so blessed and favored.
If nothing else from this read, you have been able to see a small snippet of my life and how God has totally moved in it! I just had to share my heart.
