Just wanted to let you know i haven’t abandoned my blog - if anyone out there is still reading…. I have apparently been given a child that is not happy unless she is literally attached to me during her every waking moment. Which makes typing a little challenging. And when she’s sleeping, I am supposed to sleep, too, (since I am awake a lot during the night when she eats) as well as shower and eat. The sleeping part is important for warding off post-partum depression, according to my doctor. So we are really trying to follow doctor’s orders - not to mention I live in a brain fog now that is caused by never sleeping for more than 2 or 3 hours at any one given time. So, sleeping, eating, showering - that’s about all my life consists of these days. Hence, if I’m on the computer, then one of those three things isn’t happening. And that’s bad.

Not that I’m complaining. Just wanted to explain. Hopefully someday soon I will rejoin the land of normalcy. I hear at six weeks things get better, so we’re halfway there! Almost.

OK - gotta go try and get a nap before she wakes….

Well, she has finally arrived! It was a long, exhausting, intense labor - 24 hours of intense. I don’t have time or energy to say much right now, other than God is so good. I was able to labor and deliver naturally - that is to say, without pain meds, which is what I had hoped for. I give all glory and thanks to God for that - He was my strength and my comfort. My hubby was an amazing partner who never left my side the whole time, and our doula Christina was invaluable - I don’t think we could have done it without her. There were many small complications that arose and the whole birth story is pretty amazing; I plan to write it down soon, and post it here. In the meantime, I just offer a few pictures of my little girl who has stolen my heart completely. She is a joy and a gift and I have been overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for entrusting such an amazing little person to us.

It’s 5:50 am. My water broke at 5:00 am. The contractions are about 8 minutes apart. Whoo hoo!

If you’re not much of a Simpsons fan, you won’t think this is quite as much fun as I did. But if you are a fan, and you haven’t yet discovered the Simpsons Movie website, you will be so glad I enlightened you. Yes, I like the Simpsons. I know some people will think it’s close to blasphemy or, at the very least, poor taste. I confess that I, too, used to feel similarly towards the little yellow people of Springfield, with their irreverent and crude ways. But that was before I watched!!! hee hee hee…. So, on the movie website, you can create yourself as a Simpson, and that is what you see above - me and my hubby as residents of Springfield and bona fide Simpsons characters. Anyone else care to join in the fun?

Well, I bet some of you thought that the reason I haven’t posted in a week is because we had a baby… Alas, no. No, it is because our internet has been out since last Monday the 25th, shortly after my last post. We have been disconnected from the world since then, but yesterday the trusty AT&T man finally arrived and restored our internet connection and our sanity. Man, we are dependent on this technology! - much more than we would like to admit, or is probably healthy. Not only do we use it for email, blogs, etc, but we also do all our banking online, get our news & weather reports online (since we don’t have a TV), etc. So we really felt isolated from the world in a way. We are also way behind on emails, so if you have emailed us and we haven’t replied, that’s why. We’re going to try and catch up soon.

I’m also glad we’re back online because we’re planning on using this website to time my contractions, if they ever start. Do you think someone could possibly stay pregnant forever?

So, no, there is no baby yet, and yes, the discomfort and pain continue, and I’m trying not to stress out. I think one thing that is making it difficult is that people are constantly calling me and asking what the status is. Between all my family, all my hubby’s family, and all our friends, it’s getting to be a bit overwhelming and discouraging, trying to field so many phone calls and telling everyone the same thing: “Nope, no baby yet. Yep, I’m fine, thanks. Nope, no updates.” I know people are calling because they care and they love me, so it makes me feel like an ungrateful little girl, but it’s really stressful for me, too. So we are probably going to stop answering our phones for awhile. I feel like it’s just something I need to do to keep my sanity right now. And we promise that we will make sure people know the updates, when there is something to know!

In case anyone’s counting, I am now 4 days past due, calculated based on a 40 week pregnancy. But here is what we learned in childbirth class: the AVERAGE (not the extreme, but the average) first pregnancy actually lasts 41 weeks and one day. Which would mean a new “due date” of July 7. But I might go longer than average, too - obviously some women do, that’s why there’s an average. So, to start asking all about inducing and “do doctors let you go that long?” and all sorts of things like that is actually premature at this point. My doctor takes a very hands-off approach and believes in allowing the natural process to unfold as God intended it to, which is one reason I chose this doctor - I love that. However, it is true that the later I go, the more inclined he will be to start discussing induction; after all, he is still a doctor, he still has to make decisions about what’s best for the baby and me, and he will probably err on the side of caution (as most doctors do these days, since people are so willing to sue their doctors left and right). All that to say, please pray that I have this baby soon. I don’t want to be induced, since the chances of having a natural childbirth are greatly decreased when you induce. I am being challenged to trust God in ways that I never have before, and I know He is good. But it’s still hard.

And if anyone here in town has a pool they would let me come float in for a few hours to relieve the back pain, I’ll kiss your feet and be forever grateful.