Comforts of Home

I love the small town.

Or maybe it's the way I was raised in the small town. Either way, I was able to go back to the small town where I grew up for a quick trip last weekend and I was reminded of how much I love the simplicity of life there; or again, maybe it's just the way things were at my house.

My parents got Dish Network a couple of months ago and those of you who know my parents will be surprised. I know all of us kids were when the announcement was made. (why wasn't this done 10 years ago when I lived at home and could enjoy it more?) I'm not sure what I expected on my first visit since this technological addition, but I was very pleased and a little bit amused at what I found. Apparently, this is what happens on Friday nights: the lineup of movies playing is announced, interest is expressed in particular ones, and then an informal vote of sorts is taken before it is decided which movie will be watched. Interestingly enough, Mom, Dad, & 14-year-old Lincoln all had similar tastes and it wasn't the controversy one might expect from such a group. I laughed inside when I realized we would be watching "The Magnificent Seven" and "Shenandoah", two movies that I had never heard of before (and I'm married to movie-guru Jeff - go figure). I'm sure I have to explain that "The Magnificent Seven" is an old western that pulled together a strong group of actors (the only one I recognized was Yul Brynner) that played a group of seven men who, from what I could tell, saved a small town from a group of thieves & bandits. I actually enjoyed "Shenandoah", as it had one of my all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart, who played a widower in Virginia during the Civil War who tried in vain to keep his large family & farm uninvolved with the war. It turned out to be quite sad, but inspiring. Needless to say, I was relieved to find that my parents were using their Dish Network to watch old movies and race horses, instead of the other junk that can be found everywhere we look.

Some other reasons I enjoyed my weekend at home:
chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that my mom made
going to Dairy Queen to visit Uncle Stanton at work (OK, we got ice cream too!)
hanging out with my little brothers and watching them play with my kids
hoping that Uncle Quinton's mission call would come (it didn't)
helping my mom in the kitchen
checking out the stock market with my dad
snow, hail, sleet, and rain all on the same day
watching my dad take care of my mom (he did all the dishes while I was there)
feeling the love and comfort that is there - in the home I grew up in

I love you, Mom, Dad, Quinton, Stanton, & Lincoln! Thanks for a fun weekend!

Pirate Laundresses (addendum)

I failed to mention the most humorous part of my interchanges with Madlyn as we folded the clothes yesterday. As I was saying, "Aargh, matey" Madlyn was saying, "Aargh, lady". She misheard what I was saying and it didn't matter how often I looked at her and emphasized the 'm' at the beginning of the word, she continued to say it wrong. It was hard not to laugh at this cute little 'lady' of a pirate.

Aaargh, matey!

Madlyn was helping me fold clothes this afternoon (she is such a big helper) and she said that we were pirates folding clothes. Thus began the silly talk, "aargh, matey, hand me that shirt", etc. etc. It was wonderful to spend a few precious moments with my sweet girl as we worked together. (And she does such a great job of folding, I love it!) And to quote her, "It is fun working together."

Reminiscing

Forgive me while I reminisce a little about the past. My mind has been drawn to an event that happened just over four years ago, April 10, 2003. Actually, it all began in September 2002 when I discovered I was pregnant with our first child. Although Jeff & I had been praying for a baby, I was immediately scared. What in the world had I done? I wasn't sure that I was quite ready to accept the challenge of parenthood, but we were at the point of no return...I was going to be a mom. I had a relatively easy pregnancy, despite a few bladder and kidney infections that just wouldn't leave me alone (something I have learned to accept as a normal part of my pregnancies) and the due date, April 4, loomed closer. I had my bags for the hospital packed a good 4 weeks before then, just in case. I went grocery shopping and cleaned the house for the last time about 3 times; we just kept on eating and messing the place up. I read everything I could get my hands on about labor & delivery and how to tell if you are really in labor. April 4, a Friday, came and went and I was scheduled for an induction on Wednesday, April 9. I did not sleep the night of the 8th and woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for the call from the hospital. A phone call interrupted my shower and on the other end of the line a voice said, "Are you ready to have a baby?" My voice replied in the affirmative, although my mind was thinking, "I don't think I can do this."

We checked in at 7:30 and got hooked up to the pitocin drip a couple of hours later (I think someone forgot about us). Jeff & I watched TV, chatted with some visitors, slept, and even worked on a test for Jeff's math class for HOURS while nothing much seemed to be happening. At approximately 8:30 at night, Dr. Layton stopped by to break my bag of waters. Immediately, the tiny contractions I had been having began to hurt. I was told that if I thought I wanted an epidural, I should probably get it now, as the anesthesiologist was right down the hall and who knew if I would be able to get one after he left for the night. I opted for the drugs. I knew that I would probably be laboring all night (I was only dilated to a 3 at this point) and I thought that it would be in our best interest if I could rest.

Rest alluded me that night. From 7-11 pm I had a silly nurse who kept saying that the monitor was reading my contractions upside down (not quite sure how that happens) and she kept trying to fix it. She was very friendly and fun though and we were amused. At 11, a new nurse came in, fixed whatever the problem was (I still don't think there really was a problem) and we began the long night together. Soon though, it became apparent that the baby was not handling the stress of the contractions too well. The doctor was in and out checking monitors until he came in once and stopped the pitocin and replaced it with a drug to stop contractions. The baby's heart rate had dropped dramatically and it wasn't looking good. I signed all the papers for a C-section and watched in amazement as the doctor and nurse argued about whether or not we should proceed in that direction. The nurse was ready to pull me into the operating room, while Dr. Layton thought we could still have the baby naturally. I was scared to death of a C-section and trusted the doc's opinion. Within a few minutes, the heart rate stabilized and I was placed on pitocin again. A short time later, the doctor came rushing in again to find that I had jumped from a dilation of 4 cm to 8 cm. 20 minutes later, at 3:00 am, I was ready to push. The nurse told me that we would probably have a baby at 4:30 and inside of me, I knew she was wrong. I was going to work so hard and have that baby a lot sooner than that. It turns out she was right. After an hour and a half of the most exhausting work I have ever done, Madlyn Hope entered this world at 4:34 am, weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz., and screaming her head off.

As I looked at the wriggling, crying baby that was placed on my chest, I was overwhelmed. I wasn't quite sure what to think. This baby was crying and I was the one everyone expected to comfort her. I was terrified, yet so excited and grateful at the same time. I had prayed for this beautiful baby and here she was, lying in my arms.

What an adventure the last 4 years have been with my beautiful baby girl. My now 4-year-old daughter sits on my lap as I type this and when I'm done, we will spend the day coloring and painting, playing pretend, reading books, and laughing together. As I looked at my baby girl that early morning in the hospital, nobody could have prepared me for the difficult challenges that lay ahead for us. I wouldn't have dreamed that we would struggle with major sleep issues for at least a year, and that it would still be a challenge today. Nobody could have told me how strong-willed she would be and that I would have to constantly remind myself that "I am the mom. I have to make the rules." But I also could have never been prepared for the huge amounts of joy she has brought to our lives. Madlyn is a tender-hearted, loving child, full of energy and zest for life. Anyone that has heard her laugh knows that it is the most contagious laugh in the world. She sings, dances, tells us stories, and entertains us all day long...and if we let her, into the night. Madlyn takes care of her little brothers and is always concerned about their happiness; if she gets something, she makes sure that Cole has the same privilege. She is our little sweetheart.

Long gone is the screaming baby who just didn't like being trapped in that tiny body; in her place is a bright and beautiful little girl, one who looks so cute riding her bike with her helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads on. One who doesn't like me to pick her clothes or do her hair, but always manages to look cute. A little girl who loves to learn about Jesus and wants to do what is right. It truly is my greatest pleasure to be by her side as she grows up. I love being her mom.