The Caboose to the family train turns 13

This past week has been filled with remembering back to what I was doing during this week 13 years ago…..I was anticipating the arrival of my brand new Bosch Universal Kitchen Center (the heavy duty mixer that can EASILY knead up to 10 pounds of whole grain bread dough (6 loaves) effortlessly, and a few doctor’s appointments, celebrating the birth of our closest friends’ youngest child….also a daughter.   And of course, awaiting (not so very patiently I might add) the birth of the caboose to our family train.

In early January of 2000 I went in for my annual physical and left finding out that I was 7 weeks pregnant.   I had had no idea that I was pregnant until that time!   For the first of my pregnancies I had not had one single symptom!   I hadn’t been sick, I hadn’t been sore, I hadn’t been overly tired….nothing!   If they hadn’t done an ultrasound that day to show me the baby, I don’t think that I would have believed them (I had ALWAYS known before even the pregnancy test could test positive when I was pregnant).   We had just found out about a month earlier that our closest friends were going to be having a baby in August, and now I found out that we also were going to be having a baby that was due on August 15.    (Our friends were due August 11–if I remember correctly).   This was the first time that my friend and I had been pregnant together….we were BEYOND excited!!!!    Well, needless to say, when the nurse told me I was expecting another baby, I was shocked….SO VERY VERY VERY HAPPY, but shocked!!!!   And I could only imagine what my hubby was going to say….so what does any woman in her right mind that just found out that she is 7 weeks pregnant do?   She calls her husband at work, right? 🙂    I still remember what I said too….and his reaction 🙂   “Honey, what are you doing August 15?”   “I DON”T KNOW?????”…….    “Well, how about we have a baby?”    …… silence…..   “Have a what?”…..    Yes, honey, we have been blessed with another baby!    The conversation went on briefly from there, but the nurses were all giggling while I made this call 🙂 (one of the nurses had been a friend from elementary and Jr High…..she was so glad she got to share this moment with me, as was I :)).

SO, fast forward through a not so long and very normal pregnancy (my first by the way….hadn’t realized how much my high blood pressure and borderline high blood pressure with my 3 previous pregnancies had affected all of the other parts of the pregnancy) to August…..in early August during my pre-natal check up the OB detected a slightly irregular heartbeat in our little baby.   He said that he didn’t believe it was anything to be concerned about, but he wanted me to come in for non-stress tests 3 days a week until the baby was born to keep an eye on the babies heart and heart beat.   So, August 15 rolls around (our due date), and we had an appt that morning, so we go in, hoping to find out that baby would be coming very soon (this precious baby had done something that none of my others had ever done….she had dropped into position and while making my breathing much easier, it necessitating the need to use the restroom much more often).   Nope, no contractions, nothing going on to indicate that this baby would be arriving anytime in the next day or two.   Now here is where I became distressed….our oldest two babes were born on their due dates…..H (our 2nd born daughter, 3rd born baby) was induced  due to complications and was born at 37 weeks.   So I had never gone past that “magical date” before!   Got home and found out that my friend was in labor…..but I wasn’t!     So, our “niece” was born on August 15, 2000 (our baby’s due date)…..we were so very excited for our friends, but had to start the waiting game for our own little bundle.   Several more doctors appointments, and a very tired and worn out and HOT mommy and 7 days later we finally got the doctor to agree to induce labor …..the next day!   So, on Wednesday, August 23rd we were scheduled for induction.   Without sharing the next several hours with you, let’s just say that our little bundle of joy (which we had chosen to keep the identity of his/her gender a surprise for the birth….with our others we knew what they were before they were born) was very happy where she was at, or maybe just wanted to be born on a Thursday like her 2 previous siblings.    But at 1:02 am on Thursday August 24, my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Rachel Elizabeth into the world.  Our 3rd daughter, our 4th child, and the caboose to our family train!

That precious little babe has now officially become a teenager (and last night her siblings stayed up with her….well most of them did…..until after 1:02 am to welcome her into teenagedom and celebrate her birth time with  her….Mom and Dad were WAY asleep :)).   Our little girl is now a young lady, and beautiful inside and out!   She is now officially taller than her mommy and both of her sisters and could possibly pass her daddy up if she continues to grow :).   She has grown to be a Godly young lady, that loves the Lord with all of her heart, all of her mind, and all of her strength.   It brings so much joy to my heart to peak into her room at different times during the day and evening to see what she may be doing and find her reading her Bible.   Last year we bought her a new bible (at the church that we attended for most of her “growing up” years the kids always got a brand new “grown up” bible from the children’s pastor as they graduated from the 6th grade and was heading into the youth department…..well, we had changed churches after our 3rd child had graduated 6th grade, and our new church didn’t do this, so we bought her her “grown up” bible with her name on it….very similar to the bible’s that her older siblings had).   When I asked her a few weeks ago what she wanted for her big birthday she said she wanted a new bible…..”But you have a new bible”.   Well, our church has undergone a couple of changes this past year….the youth pastor that had been there when we came almost 3 years ago had left in May 2012 to go into fulltime missions work with his family, and one of our friends was hired in Feb 2013 as the new youth pastor, AND in October 2012 our church welcomed a new associate pastor of adult ministries.   Both of these new pastors have an influence over our girl (and she adores both of them!) and they both prefer the ESV (English Standard Version)…..so, she wants a new ESV study bible.   How on earth can you argue with that? 🙂

Anyhow, the caboose to our family train is a blessing to all that meet her.  She has a very tender heart, a warm smile and the biggest warmest hug that you could ever ask for.   She loves the Lord, she loves her family and her friends, and is INCREDIBLY loyal!   She is a great daughter, an awesome (although sometimes pesky) younger sister, a granddaughter that makes her grandparents immensely proud, and a friend that will love you through any disagreement or issue that may arise.
Happy 13th Birthday precious girl!!!!   Mommy loves you and am blessed to have you as the caboose to our family train!

 

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