2!

I will never forget the first several weeks of my pregnancy with Norah.  Just days after finding out we were expecting a baby I experienced bleeding that rivaled the amount I had experienced during my miscarriages.  An ultrasound the next day revealed a very large SCH (subchorionic hematoma - or in other words, a blood clot in my uterus) that threatened my tiny sesame seed baby's life.  I'll never forget seeing that first ultrasound...the blood clot was at least 3x the size of my little baby's sac; it was an ominous and scary foreigner in my otherwise healthy womb.  I was prescribed bed rest, as in I was only supposed to get up to use the bathroom.  With 3 other small children to take care of, ages 4, 2 and 1, I couldn't fathom what that was going to look like.

Regular ultrasounds over the next few weeks showed our sweet babe growing, with a strong heartbeat.  I remember thinking how unfair it was that this little baby could stop developing and possibly die, despite her perfectness, because of the stupid clot that wouldn't go away.  We hunkered down, and accepted gracious offers from my parents to care for the kids, and friends to provide us with meals.  Those first few weeks seemed like an eternity to me.  It was too early to feel the baby move, so I had no regular affirmation that she was okay.  It was hard and sad.

I was so encouraged during those weeks by friends who prayed for our baby.  They prayed with such faith and confidence that God was going to take away this clot and that our little one would thrive.  I remember leaning on their prayers because I was shamefully afraid to pray with such faith and confidence.  

My doctor was always encouraging, but realistic.  The baby is doing great!  But that clot...

Then the day came.  She turned on the screen and I was confused.  What was I looking at?  Where was the clot?  As much as I hated it, it had become a familiar presence at each appointment.  An acquaintance for sure, but certainly not a friend.  She moved the wand around and I watched her face closely.  She had tears in her eyes.  She looked at me and said "it's gone."  She cried and of course I did as well.

I was so confused.  This thing was so large and everything I had read on the Internet assured me that because of its size, it would definitely be there until at least 20 weeks, if I didn't miscarry before that point.  It couldn't have just disappeared. 

But it had, and the joy I experienced that day was unlike anything I had before.  I remember just knowing that God did this.  Despite statistics and my lack-of-faith, He brought my womb from dangerous to safe in an against-the-odds amount of time.

My doctor told me to take it easy for the next few days (just for good measure), but there was really no reason to be overly cautious any more.  So I got down from the table, and slowly walked out of the office with such a burden lifted.

As the rest of my pregnancy progressed, I tended to forget about how it started.  Jumping back into life with 3 young and energetic kids will do that to a person!  As each week progressed, I became a little bit more numb to the fear and sadness I experienced at the beginning.  When Norah was born, some friends reminded me how amazing it was to see her here and healthy, after such a scary beginning...and while it was hard to believe that the life of the plump and healthy baby I now held in my arms was once so incredibly fragile, I am thankful for the reminder of God's protection over her.

It's now 2 years later.  That tiny sesame seed baby is now a super sweet and equally feisty toddler.



 Birthday buddies, now and then.

Norah is by far our most affectionate kid, and sometimes I wonder if that is because her speech has been so delayed...she doesn't talk much, but she has more hugs and kisses and snuggles than you can count each day.  Around these parts, she is known for her "drive-by" hugs.  At random times, she will stop what she is doing, run over to give you a hug or a kiss, and then go back to whatever she was up to.  Her kisses are emphatic, with the "muuuaaahhh" sound accentuated, and she likes to eat her meals while holding my or Kris' hand.  Seriously, guys, this girl is pure love.

She is adding more words to her spoken vocab regularly, and while her speech therapist is confident she'll catch up soon and be just fine in the long run, her services will continue.  She loves her Wednesday morning sessions with Mrs. M. and it's a fun change of pace for us all. 

Birthday donut!

Norah loves animals, babies, and dolls.  She loves to dance and her favorite song right now is "This old man...".  She loves fruit and yogurt and will eat her veggies when necessary. ;)  She loves her big brothers and sister, and thinks they are hilarious.   She loves to sit in your lap and read books.  she loves to be silly and make us laugh. 

Unintentional matching stripes!

Our girl didn't totally understand everything birthday related, although she did add a new word to her vocab this week - cake!





 

 

 



Happy birthday to our baby girl!  We love you oh so much, Norah Jane, and we are so thankful that God protected you from that icky blood clot way back when so that we could meet you and celebrate these special days with you!