I Love You Daddy!

When Juliet was born Father's Day was right around the corner. I wanted to make something special for Jon. Something that he could keep through the years, but also something that demonstrated the gravity and responsibility of being a Father. Roaming through a newspaper one day I found this poem.

DADDY WILL YOU

by:Betty Boyd

Well here I am, your little girl, ll cute and cuddly and full of life. I don't know how

 I'm supposed to act, and what I am to believe. God gave us each other, so there must be

 things He wants us to learn together.

As I grow into a lady, I want you to be proud of me even though you won't be pleased

 with some of the things I'll do.

So Daddy , will you...

~ Hold me when I'm afraid and need to feel your security, and also for no reason other

 than you just want to?

~ Listen to me when I'm just being silly, needing to talk things out, and then guide

me with truths?

~ Encourage me with hope when I get depressed and down

on myself and life?

~ Teach me what is right and what is wrong, and when needed, the whys that

will make it easier to make my decisions with wisdom?

~ Tell me how me think so I can better understand their viewpoints, so I can

easier set boundaries where needed, to make relationships respectable and richer?

~ Help me discover my gifts, talents and treasure in me, and encourage me to

dream about walking in them  with God with confidence and humility?

~ Bless me with approval, and acceptance of me, and the much needed life

giving fruit of the Spirit, as well as blessing me with your correction?

~ So as you hold me ~ comfort me ~ listen to me ~ encourage me ~ teach me ~

tell me ~ help me ~ and bless me, you will be showing me who God is, and then

 I will be able to trust and love Him, and will want to follow Him and a life in

 obedience and surrender.

 

And finally daddy, when I grow up and am ready to marry, I will already know who

 I am looking for, because I saw him first in you. 

 

 

 

I took a picture frame that I had purchase at a garage sale which had two mat board. On one I wrote this poem ( and also attached the newspaper cutout on the back for easier reading). On the other board I painted Miss Juliet's foot and pressed it to the board. He loved it!

 

 

LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

 

 



To be or not to be....that is the question.

There's always hard decisions to be made in motherhood. For example, this morning Miss Juliet was struggling to take her nap. As soon as she went down I realized her nails need to be cut. For all you mothers out there, you know the best time to cut your kids nails is when they are sleeping, but there is always the chance of stirring them from their slumber. Mmm...tough choice.

 Cut the kids nails with the potential issue of awaking the screaming beast from her slumber.

OR, opt out on the trim and let her sleep with the reality she may wake up looking like Scarface.

I chose option A and thank goodness she is still snoozing away!

Motherhood is sacrificial. During pregnancy your youth is sucked from your bones into your child's. During labor your disfigured. In the process of child rearing you pour your energy, resources and time into your child. If there is one thing that becomes self evident it is ones own selfish nature. I've  mopped myself off the floor several times in self pity. What about my career? I want a no-stop road trip again! Can I get just an HOUR of my OWN time? I want a shower! Will there every be silence again? I'd like to wear clothes without taking into consideration are they easy open! I want to spend time with adults at parties instead of nursing in the back room! On and On. BUT, even in these moments I'll hear her soft rustling, awakening from her nap and I'm all too happy to hold and feed her. She is near and dear to me, but motherhood does not come without it's challenges.

Birth Plan VS. Birth Story

THE PLAN:

Everyone remembers the scene in "Lion King" after the birth of Simba when Rafiki raises the small lion above his head for the whole animal kingdom to see while the song "Circle of Life" triumphantly plays in the background. For those who haven't, it's a beautiful scene. This is how I imagined the birth of my first child...minus the monkey.

While I was pregnant I played with a lot of ideas: midwife, water birth, home birth, hospital birth, to do an epidural, not to do an epidural.  I also received LOTS and LOTS of advice from friends, family, and complete strangers. The last is my favorite. And who are you?

I watched this film "The Business of Being Born" with my best friend. It was great! But, after the bleak choices of midwifes I opted for a hospital birth. As far as drugs were concerned I decided to play it by ear. After all, this was my first rodeo. I would try to go natural and if I started screaming for drugs, sure, stab me in the spine...please :)

THE BIRTH:

Sunday (just over a week overdue):
On Sunday night around 10:30 pm I started to have contractions. Yeah! My husband and I were stoked. "We're going to have a kid tonight!" thought the first time naive parents. Bahahhahah!

Monday &Tuesday:
Thirty six hours later with contractions 5-7 minutes apart we decided go to the hospital. We were admitted and hopeful.
"You're half a centimeter dilated" the nurse said.
What! That's a pretty vast journey from ten. Dejected we went home with a stress test scheduled the following day with our OBGYN.

Wednesday:
"So, how long have you been having contractions?" our OB said scanning through my file.
"Sunday night" I said slightly annoyed. I'm huge. I'm hurting. I'm exhausted.
"What?" he said surprised "Well, were going to have that baby today".

After meeting him at the hospital he broke my water. Eeekkk! There was traces of meconium. Up went some contraption that flushes fresh liquid into my uterus AND we waited. I was given pitocin and up went some other contraption to measure contractions AND we waited. Oh yes, I did get an epidural :) AND a catheter :( Finally, late evening I had dilated to ten centimeters. It was time to start pushing! So we pushed and pushed and pushed. At one point baby's heart rate dropped to 70. We pushed until...

Thursday:
And still no baby.
"It's been three hours. I think we need to opt for a c-section. We could also try the vacuum".
"Can we try the vacuum" I said.
We tried and still no baby (my husband likes to add this was one of the gruesomest things he's ever seen).

Preparations for the c-section took all but 5 minutes. I was then whisked out of the room and down the hall past family and friend. I couldn't help but cry when I saw my dad. He looked worn and worried. The operation commenced and I started to feel sick. Jon, my husband, thrust a bag under my head just as I began throwing up.

She was born at 5:16am on Thursday morning. She was quickly rushed to the NICU. She was low on oxygen and had to be pumped because of the meconium. All I saw was the top of her tiny foot as they wheeled her out asking my husband to go with them.

An hour later I was reunited with Jon. We cried when we saw each other overwhelmed with emotion. Soon after little Juliet Love was brought in and I saw and held her for the first time. Like all mothers say, it was totally worth it!