My baby boy turns 2 today. So many memories are going through my mind as I think about the last couple of years. It has changed me. Having baby #5 was completely my submission to God's will for our family. I was happy and feeling stretched as thin as I possibly thought I could be with 4 children, and yet here I am stronger and more filled with faith in my Father's will for me. I can't imagine our life without the experience of my pregnancy and Andrew's early birth, it has been one of the most profound experiences of my life.
You see my body did not like pregnancy the 5th time around and I developed pre-eclampsia. In spite of best efforts he came 8 weeks early and weighed in at 3 lb 14 oz. I only got to give him a quick kiss before he was whisked off to the NICU where he was ventilated so he didn't have to work so hard to breathe. I didn't get to see him for 24 hours after that due to some medication I had to be on. I remember my husband wheeling me into the NICU and I was looking around for my baby, I thought I would recognize him. I didn't. Dave wheeled me up to his isolette and the tears started to fall, he was so much smaller than I expected and he was hooked up to so many lines and wires and he was so tiny and helpless.
Then I realized I couldn't do much for him, I couldn't hold him, I could barely touch him due to his immature nervous system. Preemie babies are a whole different ballgame than full term babies. He started to cry, the tiniest little cry you have ever heard, I leaned down to him and started to sing. His tiny head turned to me and he calmed right down. He knew me.
The picture above is the first time I was able to hold this little one, he was 3 days old, it was one of the happiest days of my life. It was only for 10 minutes and I had tears the whole time I was holding him. He was so little, his thigh was as big around as my thumb, his head was the size of a medium orange. It's hard for me to even remember how tiny he was. He ended up being in the hospital for 6 weeks, it was so hard. I was torn wherever I was. If I was home I wanted to be with my baby boy at the hospital, when I was at the hospital I was thinking about my 4 kids at home, hoping they were doing okay without me.
But look at him now! He reminds me everyday that miracles happen. He is the cutest, happiest, smartest, funniest little munchkin ever! Happy Birthday to my miracle boy, thank you for changing my life!
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing. He's a cutie! I'm interested to know why God gives one family 5 children when they were happy with 4...while another family struggles to have even one. When I first got married, I never thought I would only have two children. About five years into marriage I was hoping to have at least one! It's one of those questions my dad calls "coffin questions". We won't know the answers until after we die and maybe then we won't even need the answers anymore. Love you, Cheryl!
It's inspirational to me how you dealt with those challenges. He sure is a cutie. :)
Danielle I have coffin questions too and the fertility issue is one of them. It seems that righteous families should be able to have as many children as their hearts desire. I do believe our trials are tailor made for us and for me one way I needed to learn to accept God's will for me was to stretch and have another baby even though it was so difficult and not easy by any stretch of the imagination.
What a journey! I can't believe it has been 2 years. I can't imagine the difficulty of those weeks he spent in the hospital.
He is so adorable.
Happy Birthday Drew!!!! We love you Mr. Two!
Cheryl, you are so amazing and such a strong woman and mother. I'm so grateful that it all worked out.
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