Me and Brocky (his little nickname) on his 3rd birthday - he is so cute!
"I'm Three!!!!"
I attended OCHEC (the homeschool conference) that spring, 3 years ago, even though I was about to
give birth. I knew I would probably be overdue, so why not go?! I was HUGE, but enjoyed walking/waddling around to all the different tables, looking at curriculum. I bumped into my friend, literally, with my big stomach and she wondered why I was there in my condition! I told her, "Why not? Labour is probably days away anyway." At that point, she stopped and dropped everything and said, "I'm going to pray for you right now." Sure enough, she did just that, praying that the Lord would bless me by allowing me to have that baby sooner than later. I thanked her thinking, "Yeah, right, it'll still be a few more days, perhaps weeks!" But, if you can believe it, within the hour, I was sitting in a seminar when suddenly I felt a twinge. "Hmmm...I thought to myself, "Could that be what I think it is???" Unbelievably, within a few minutes, another twinge, then another. Nothing painful, just the beginning of what had to be labour. I told RM, "Don't get excited, but I think I'm in labour!" We found my friend who had prayed and I told her the exciting news! I couldn't believe how powerful her prayers were! We decided to cut out of the conference an hour later and more contractions came confirming my thoughts of labour. That never means that a baby is hours away....usually is it still days away, but I was still getting excited!
We quickly picked up the kids who were staying at a friend's house. I told them what was going on and it began to feel like this baby really was on its way.
When little B was about to be born, we were oddly fortunate to be carrying the two homes! It was almost as if I had had my husband build me my own birthing center with a birthing tub and a suite for sleeping (i.e., the master bedroom!). Of course there were 3 other bedrooms if guests wanted to join us as well as a whole kitchen and lots of places for parking, not to mention a view of a vineyard! Plus, the house was built with a high-end executive in mind, so the entire house was loaded with upgrades from beautiful lighting to granite countertops everywhere including all the bathrooms... you name it, this house had it. My only regret was that we couldn't pick this house up and move it to the farm!
I had really hoped to try a water birth with the last baby, but the giant 6" x 3" tub (with air jets!) hadn't been finished in time, so alas, poor little Jonas was born in a basement where we were staying with friends! We still call him our basement baby. I had hoped to have at least one more baby so that I could try out this beautiful tub (did I mention the chandelier over the tub? So pretty!). Then, sure enough, #8 was on the way, so I started to plan my first water birth! I was so excited!
Labour wasn't very eventful. With the last two babies, I was amazingly very close to my due date. All the other babies, I had been waaay over, so this was exciting to think that I didn't have to wait! But, ever since baby 6, it seemed my body wouldn't let labour progress as fast as I thought it should (3 days is a little long, don't you think?), so I kept telling the midwives, will you break my water or do something to speed things along this time, please????? They agreed to try to do all they could.
Labour had clearly started so my parents came over so that we could literally drive the 5 minutes away to our "birthing center"/other house and off we went to labour in style! It was awesome and peaceful..... at least until some time in the middle of the night. We were woken up by the sound of a helicopter literally flying around in the backyard of our house! Ok, slight exaggeration, flying around behind our backyard, in the vineyard! It was the craziest thing and it went on for hours!!!!! The helicopter had a search light on and it literally would fly from one end of the vineyard to another. We were sure that it was a police helicopter looking for some escaped criminal! I couldn't believe it! How was I supposed to give birth, listen to helicopters, get some sleep.... all at the same time?! It was impossible.
Then, RM had to go downstairs, through the garage, to see if he could get a better idea from outside. He forgot the garage door locked automatically. There he was in his, uh, underclothes, and now locked out! I didn't know this, until I heard him banging and.calling my name! How was I supposed to labour peacefully with such bizarre circumstances? Our night was quickly turning to morning and I was not getting any needed sleep for the big day ahead of us.... not good.
In the morning, I figured I had done well enough to call the midwife and get her to come check me so that she could break my water. She came over around 11 am or so. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, we had hired a birthing photographer (actually she was doing it for free as she needed clients and experience - I was so grateful to accommodate!). This has got to be the best thing I ever did and I wish I had done that with the other babies. Her name was Renate and she showed up just before the midwife and started snapping pictures of me almost immediately as well as video of me walking around in my pregnant state. So amazing to look back on.
After checking me, she decided I had progressed enough to break my water - I was so grateful! Then, RM went back to get the oldest girls as they were determined to see this birth. I was happy to have them. The rest of the afternoon, we waited and prayed that I would go into harder labour so that I wouldn't have to go to the hospital. We had to wait for a couple of hours before anything happened. I remember one of my first hard contractions, just stopping, breathing and closing my eyes. Poor Renate, who hadn't been at many births yet, started to cry! I think she thought I was dying of agony and could hardly stand it! So sweet!
By mid-afternoon, I was walking around the house still and praying for contractions, hard ones. They started to come some time after 4. I stopped walking! We moved into the glamour bathroom and started the tub. It was awesome! I stepped in and just felt lifted off the ground immediately as the air jets were mini-streams of pressure just enough to massage without blowing you away. I loved it! Until transition hit. Then I hated water. But I also hated land. It wouldn't have mattered, I just wanted that baby out!
It seemed the baby must have been near, but I started crying out to the Lord, "Why isn't the baby coming????" "Please, bring this baby!" It was hurting a lot and it didn't seem to be doing anything! My poor girls were in the bathroom watching from a distance, holding hands and I'm sure they were praying, too, as it was getting a little intense. Cold cloths were being put on my head and I thought I was going to burn up I was getting so hot. Then, all of a sudden, the contraction I longed for came and the baby moved, finally down, heading in the right direction!
Everyone crowded around the tub, the midwives started getting ready to catch a swimming baby... out he came into the water and was immediately put on my chest... a boy! I had no idea I was having another boy - so great, a brother for Jonas. Our 5th boy! I have to write his name, too, as it has so much meaning- Brock (after the General who led his army bravely to victory in the War of 1812 and died in the process) and Paton (after John Paton, the missionary to the cannibals who changed a whole civilization to Christ at great sacrifice).
The girls cried. I was relieved and RM was proud. I didn't stay long in the tub as suddenly I was cold and so was the baby. We got out and moved to the bed and there we stayed for another two nights in our custom built birthing center! Soon after the house sold. I didn't mention to anyone that we had had a baby in their new house! That's our little secret.
Now, little Brock, is big and is as much a character as Jonas and then some. He came out different than all the others in physical features. He's got the darkest hair of the bunch, nice tanned skin (everyone else is blonde and fair-skinned!). His eyelashes are to die for and has got to be the cutest little guy in the world!
I'm so grateful to have had two babies in my 40s! They are both miracle babies I'm sure as I know it isn't common and they were both born healthy. Both pregnancies were problem-free and I felt great the whole time, so I count my blessings.
May little Brock live up to his name as we long for him to be a world-changing sacrificial leader who changes a civilization for Christ!
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