Faith's story part 3

Read part 1 and part 2 of Faith's story if you haven't done so already.

After 14 days on bed rest, I began to have contractions.  I called my husband late that night letting him know it was show time.  They gave me a shot to stop the contractions.  It worked for a little while.   However by the next morning  the contractions increased and there was no denying that our baby girl was ready to enter the world.   They quickly rushed me to the labor and delivery room. The nurses ran down the hall as they pushed my hospital bed with my husband right behind them.  It was like a scene from a movie. They didnt want to take any chances considering all the unknown factors.  I was given a shot to prevent bleeding on the baby's brain because she was going to be 10 weeks premature. The shot made me sick to my stomach.  I was dizzy, had a pounding headache and felt disoriented.  After waiting a while, the contractions slowed down again. They however decided to keep me in labor and delivery because everything was so unpredictable.

Tyrone went home to take care of some things hoping that we had bought more time. I was famished, I begged to eat something because I had not eaten from the night before when all the action began.  I was placed on a liquid diet, and let me tell you jello and flavored ice never tasted so good. Later that evening the contractions started again. Tyrone was called again, and this time we knew that it was actually going to happen.  In addition to my doctor, nurse, and husband my room was filled with staff from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) getting the incubator ready.  It was such a surreal moment. My husband and I tried to be "normal" and carry on conversations between contractions but we both knew that our current predicament was everything but normal.  In a few hours we would know if God had answered the way we desired concerning Faith.  I believe the anticipation surrounding Faith's health distracted me from the pain I was feeling with the contractions.  All along I was praying that all would be well. 

                        

The NICU doctor preparing for Faith's arrival in my delivery room.  

The contractions became more intense and closer together and after two pushes on May 14th at 10:29pm, Faith Serenity Jones made her debut into the world. Tyrone did not cut her umbilical cord like he had done for our other 5 children.  Neither of us got to hold her or see what she looked liked. She was immediately rushed to the NICU.  So after 30 weeks of uncertainty, numerous visits to different doctors, 15 days on bed rest, I had no tiny feet or sweet cheeks to kiss.  No baby to nurse.  I had given birth but no crying baby in my arms to prove it.  I felt absolutely numb and empty. No words can truly express what I was feeling.  
                        
          This remained empty after Faith's birth because she wasnt with  me.  She was in the NICU.

My husband and I sat in that room and waited for over two hours with so many unanswered questions about our baby girl.  What did she look like? Was she struggling for life? Were all the possible diagnosis true?  We tried to carry on normal conversation but we were both physically and emotionally exhausted.  I sent a text out to all those praying with us and waiting to hear news, and the only news I could share was her name. No weight or height, no pictures attached, just that she was here.  It was as if time stopped for me.  

After a very long wait, we received news that we could go down to the NICU to see baby Faith.  I was very happy to see Faith, but it was also kind of a scary sight. She was literally skin and bone, she was so small ( weighing only 2p 6 oz 15 inches long).  She had so many cords over her tiny body and a tube over her mouth for oxygen.  Her facial features weren't very noticeable because of all the equipment on her face.  But I needed someone, anyone to answer the nagging questions, was my baby ok, did she have any heart defects, was their bleeding on her brain, did she have a chromosomal abnormality?

              Happy parents meeting Faith for the first time.  It was hard not being able to hold her.

We were told that Faith had a tiny hole in her heart but it was expected to close on its own.  As the days went on, more test were done.  No bleeding on her brain, no chromosomal abnormality, no heart defect. Praise God, other than her low birth weight Faith was fine.  Faith was healed!

She however had to remain in the NICU for 1 month to grow. That proved to be another adventure.  The hospital was 30 minutes from our home and we struggled with maintaining some sense of normalcy with the other five children at home, while trying to go and see Faith.  The children always looked forward to visiting their baby sister in the NICU but we were all ready for her to come home.  It was a very tiring season but we thank God for his grace. After a month, we were given the news we had been praying for, our baby girl could come home! 

                                As Faith grew and got stronger we were able to hold her more. 

                                 

                                     




                            

 Big sister's first time holding Faith.  She was beyond thrilled.

   

                                      
           As I watched Faith grow, I wanted to remember how tiny she really was.  One of the nurses                                       suggested that I put my wedding ring on her fingers to show how tiny she was.

                                            

                                                              All of this for one tiny baby


So here we are, a little bit over a year later and we have celebrated Faith's 1st birthday.  She is tiny in stature but she is thriving and healthy.  For this we are thankful, our God is indeed faithful!

Faith on her first birthday!

Faith posing by her birthday backdrop created by Naomi!  I suppose I should have cropped this so as not to give her secret away.

Faith's Story Part 2

If you havent done so already, you may want to read part 1 of Faith's story.    

All five children had a dentist appointment.  The plan was for me to take them to the dentist and then go and pick Tyrone up from work and head to Costco (the highlight of my day). It was a very long dentist visit and as I was sitting in the waiting room for the last child to finish her cleaning, I knew something was wrong.  Right there in the dentist office my amniotic sac broke and began to leak, how about that for an adventure?  I remained calm, left the dentist office with all five children in tow.  I went to pick Tyrone up from work and as he was entering the van, he could hear me speaking on the phone with my doctor.  She instructed me to go to the hospital right away so that I could be examined.  Believe it or not, I was trying to see if we could make the trip to Costco before going to the hospital. My very wise husband decided against it.  

Tyrone let me out at the hospital so I could go and get examined and he went to park the van.  By the time he made it in with all five kids, I had been examined.  I kindly asked the nurse to tell him what she had just shared with me.  She looked at my husband and informed him that my water did break and I had to be admitted to the hospital and would remain UNTIL I DELIVERED THE BABY.  I really wish I had a camera at that moment to capture the look on both of our faces.  WHAT?!!!  NO!!!!!  We have five children.  I have things to do. I have end of the year papers to sign and special programs to attend at the kids school. I have things at home to prepare before the baby arrives.  I STILL HAVE TO GO TO COSTCO!  

There was no negotiating, I had to remain in the hospital on bed rest.  They were concerned about infections and they wanted the baby to stay in as long as possible considering I was only 28 weeks gestation.  So the papers were signed, 

and there I was just like that on on bed rest.  They gave me steroid shots to help the baby's lungs develop quickly, the shot was more effective 48 hours after it was given.  So another layer was added to the wait and see game. Not only did the baby remain in my womb for that initial 48 hours but she remained for a total of 15 days.  This was a huge blessings because every extra day was beneficial. 

Here is a picture of the board in my hospital room.  Check out what it says under Today's Goal.  

The nurses in the hospital were absolutely amazing and did their best to make me feel comfortable.   We received so much support,help, prayer, meals and words of encouragement from various individuals.  We were certainly grateful for the help.  Tyrone was doing double duty, his job and mine. However I must confess that it was extremely difficult for me to not be the one doing it all, after all I am THE wife and mother. Perhaps there was some pride mixed in there...who am I kidding? Yes! It was pride. I had no choice but to relinquish control because we desperately needed help.  

Yes, that's me doing Naomi's hair as she munches away at the hospital treats.  Believe it or not, doing her hair gave me some sense of normalcy.

People kept on asking me if I was bored and the answer was always no. I really missed being at home with my husband and children, that was the most difficult part.  It was definitely a challenge being still.  But the Lord really used this time to minister to me in some profound ways and he also opened the door for me to minister to some of the individuals that came to my room.  And for those that know me, I am rarely at a loss for words. This personality trait came in handy while on bed rest. I had lots of conversation with the nurses and different visitors.

For the 15 days that I was on bed rest, there was not a day that went by that I did not think about my baby's health. What would be the outcome? As I was in that hospital room, I would lay hands on my womb and decree that the baby was well. But there were moments where fear crept in and whispered, "what if?" God told me to trust him and what I had learned is that putting my trust in God didn't always mean the story would play out the way it was scripted in my mind.  A greater level of trust required me to believe that no matter how the story ended, it was all going to be for my good.

So after 15 long days, on May 14, 2013 Our baby girl began to show signs that she was ready to enter the world. Stay tuned for part three to read what happened next.

  

Faith's Story Part 1

    Three days ago I celebrated my 36th birthday.  It was a blessing and I was left with a heart of gratitude as I thought about this time last year.  On April 29th, 2013 (the day after my 35th birthday) our world was turned upside down.  I was 28 weeks pregnant with our 6th child.  The pregnancy up to that point had been quite eventful.

Here I am 28 weeks pregnant on my 35th birthday.  4/28/13

    I had a preliminary screening done for possible abnormalities when I was in my second trimester.  The results of the screening indicated that the baby was at high risk for spina bifida and down syndrome.  I had a follow up appointment with a level 2 ultrasound.  While the ultrasound ruled out spina bifida there were still great concerns that the baby had some sort of chromosomal abnormality. There were three findings that were of concern to the doctor.


1. My placenta looked unhealthy, it was very thick. This was of concern because the baby's growth could be hindered and it presented a greater possibility of having a premature or stillborn baby.  From that point on they began to closely monitor the baby's growth which meant more visits to the doctor.

2. The umbilical cord contained only two blood vessels, instead of the normal three. I learned that babies with single umbilical artery have an increased risk for birth defects, including heart, central nervous system and urinary-tract defects and chromosomal abnormalities.

3.  The  baby's heart was in the middle of her chest as opposed to the left.  The doctor was also concerned that there were holes in the baby's heart.  So in addition to my frequent trips to monitor the baby's growth, I also had  to see a pediatric cardiologist.

     When I left the doctors office after hearing the news, I went to the bathroom and cried...sobbed. I felt that I had already met my quota for suffering while going through with Isaiah (baby #5).  Wasn't having your newborn baby stay in the neonatal intensive care unit and undergoing three major surgeries enough?  I cannot go through this again was my response to God. It was too painful. He allowed me to cry and vent and then he gently asked me if I truly believed he was in control.   In that moment by his grace, I made the choice to trust God and receive the peace He was offering. Tyrone and I chose to stand in faith and had others praying with us for total healing of our baby girl.  Walking by faith, was a choice I had to make everyday.

    On April 29th, 2013 at 28 weeks gestation, I was in for yet another surprise. Click here for part two of Faith's story.

Reminded

  I'm amazed at how God can create strength  during a season of difficulty.  I was at the hospital last night visiting Faith (baby # 6) and I had an opportunity to connect with another mom whose son was also in nicu.  We swapped our stories and the stress associated with having a newborn in the nicu. We were both physically exhausted but God allowed her to see something in me beyond my physical exhaustion.  She mentioned that it was evident that I had peace.  Here I was physically and emotionally exhausted from running back and forth to the hospital while still trying to maintain some sense of normalcy for the other five children at home, but God allowed this women to see beyond that.  She saw something that I couldn't fabricate.  He allowed her to see that He was the one carrying me and that His grace is sufficient .  As I encouraged this distraught mom, I in turn began to be reminded of what I knew to be true, God is faithful!  I told her of my past experience in the nicu with baby number 5, I told her the lessons I learned, I told her this was working for my good and there was a purpose in all of this.   I spoke to her from a sincere place, not from what I heard or read but what I had experienced during my previous seasons of difficulty. I experienced God in a powerful way which birth a greater level of confidence. A confidence that radiates peace even when my body is weary.  At the end of the conversation a prayer was said, tears were shed, and hugs were exchanged.  I walked away with a renewed strength for the journey because I was reminded.

Difficulty is a thread that has been woven into my life but it has brought such a sweet return.  Going through doesn't feel good, it hurts and yes I have had moments of crying, feeling overwhelmed and being very emotional.  I want my baby home with me and not in the hospital . But I cannot deny the beauty on the other side of suffering, and this time around, I am catching glimpses of beauty before the trial even ends. It seems like a contradiction, beauty for ashes?  Very true, it's my reality.

Can I Tell You Something?

I have settled into my NEW NORMAL!  The last few months have been quite an adventure and we are beginning to slow down FOR NOW...  We were blessed to move into a bigger home to accommodate our large family.  God moved in a supernatural way and opened a door that we could not open on our own. This blog is to encourage you to stand in faith and to believe God for the impossible.  This is not just about a bigger house but it is to put spotlight on a God that still honors faith and moves mountains.  Put on your cyber listening ears and allow me to TESTIFY!!!!!

When my husband and I first moved into our previous home 8 years ago, it was so big.  It was just the two of us and a baby on the way.  That was in 2003.  But 2005 came and we welcomed our 2nd child, then wouldnt you know it baby number 3 came in 2007.  We had developed a pattern of having a baby on odd years and the trend continued.  Baby number 4 came in 2009 and blessing number five came 2011.  If you were exhausted reading that imagine what it was like for us. Needless to say, we outgrew our humble abode and desperately needed more space.

But there was just one little problem.  The finances were telling us that we COULDNT afford to move.  When we first moved in our home, it required a lot of TLC, so we took out a loan to do some home improvement.  After we were done doing what we needed to do to make the home livable, we had incurred a large amount of debt. We were not required to pay back the loan until we moved out of the house and there was no interest.  We did not anticipate having so many children so quickly and assumed that we would be in the house for quite a while.  God however had another plan.  My husband was the only one with an income. I have been a stay at home mom for the last 8 years, so we didnt just happen to have an extra $28,000 hanging out in our savings to pay this debt so we could move.  But we couldnt deny that we needed more space.  We petitioned the Lord and had other like minded believers standing in faith with us. To make a very long story short the debt was FORGIVEN IN FULL!  God seems to major in forgiveness of debt doesn't He, remember the cross scenario?  We received news that our $28,000 debt was forgiven in full the day that our fifth child came out of his first of three major surgeries.  The news was a great source of encouragement for us during this season of great uncertainty.  We were were SUPER EXCITED!  But we still did not have any extra money to move forward!

We continued to stand in faith and not focus on our bank account.  We went looking at homes that we knew we couldnt afford, all the while praying for yet another miracle.  The house hunting process was a very long one and we had many moments of feeling discouraged but pressed forward in faith.  There were many believers standing and believing with us.  In the process of looking for a home, a dear sister at our church told us something that we initially did not have the faith for.  She told us that she was believing the Lord to give us a house that was no less than 4000 sq ft and that our new mortgage would be the same or less than what we had been paying for our 1100 sq ft home.  WHAT? That was just crazy. We did the smile and nod script when she first shared this impossible desire with us.  But with time, we began to believe the Lord for just that.

To add to the frustration of the house hunting process, no one seemed to be interested in our home that was now on the market.  By divine intervention we had some teachers from our children's school LITERALLY show up at our front door expressing interest in renting our home. We had previously dismissed the idea of renting because we did not want to deal with having people in our home that we did not know.  BUT the Lord stepped in and sent these tenants to our front door.  They were very serious about renting the property, so much so that they were willing to give us security deposit months in advance.  It was also an added bonus that they were not total strangers to us. We agreed to rent them the property but expressing to them that we still had not found a home to purchase.

Right when we hit the point of fatigue, my husband came across a home on the internet in an area that we had not even thought about.  The home was only 5 years old and had recently gone into foreclosure. When my husband saw it on the internet, it had been on the market for a few days.  I must admit that when he first showed me the home online, I was not impressed and thought that it looked too good to be true.  I assumed that there had to be a catch and they were lying about the measurements of the home considering the listing price.  He  called our Realtor and had her schedule an  appointment.  RELUCTANTLY i went.  I had my "I told you so" speech all ready for after we viewed the house and realized that it was a scam.  But wouldnt you know it, God blew our minds!  The home was beautiful, perfect for our family.  We made an offer that was lower than the already reasonable listing price.  We were told that  the bank would not entertain our price because the asking price was already so low.  We figured God had brought us this far so why not!  The bank did budge and fast forward to a few months later, I am now sitting in that same house on my computer typing my TESTIMONY!

Yes thats right, the home is now ours.  Not only is it a beautiful home but it is 4103 sq ft and oh yeah our mortgage payment is $25 dollars cheaper than what we were paying for our 1100 sq ft home. GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Now God is not our genie who just gives us whatever we want whenever we want it.  This was a process and it served a purpose. During our season of waiting God taught us

1. To give out of our lack,even when it just doesnt make sense
2. God's timing is certainly not ours but dont give up if it doesnt come when you desperately want it to or expect it.
3. To Serve Him faithfully even when we dont have what we WANT.
4. Continually surrender and relinquish control even in areas that is downright uncomfortable (e.g. having all these babies when we just didnt see how on ONE income?)
5.  Continue to walk in faith and not be concerned about appearing negligent and foolish in the eyes of others.
6. When the blessing comes, it may not be in the package you expect it but its just what you need
7.  Look to Him and not man to be our provider
8.  We dont have to try to defend why we serve Jesus, He always silences the naysayers in a LOUD WAY
9.  Praise Him in LITTLE and in PLENTY cause He is the same good  God regardless of the season
10. Serve God and not the blessing!

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.