Riding Waves of Grace: Joey's Birth Story - PART I

30 weeks along in my 5th pregnancy, I was growing more uncomfortable by the day. I had joked to both Mark and my doctor that I felt 10 weeks further along than I was. We knew we were having a boy, our second with three girls sandwiched between them. I also knew he was going to be big. I was consistently measuring a couple weeks ahead, but with a husband who weighed 10 lb 15 oz at birth, this was neither a surprise nor a medical concern. Despite my discomfort, I was having a nearly textbook pregnancy.
Clearly a bad picture, but my last during normal pregnancy. Roughly 27 weeks along.

Earlier that week, my doctor had cautioned me to take it easy, no more house projects until I was at least 36 weeks along. With a history of preterm labor and our first son's preterm birth at 35 weeks  (followed by full-term girls) it was best to be cautious. I obeyed grudgingly, getting a kick out of teaching Mark how to paint walls and occasionally grabbing the paintbrush for a bit of cutting-in when no one was looking. We had moved into our forever-home five months prior and had been putting our personal touches on it ever since.

Saturday, May 2nd ended with an idyllic evening. We got a late start on our first backyard fire but the temperature was perfect, the stars brilliant, the s'mores delicious and I enjoyed a sip or two of Mark's beer. Looking up from the fire to the deck lit with twinkly lights, I imagined a Spring and Summer filled with evening fires, the kiddos running around the yard playing flashlight tag. It was bliss and I was soaking it all in.
I don't have a picture of that evening, but this is the morning equivalent of that night.
I can not express how grateful I am that we carved out time on that late evening for a family fire, because the next morning our world turned upside down.

Laying in bed Sunday morning I drifted into consciousness, opening my eyes to see the pale light of dawn filtering through the Thomas the Tank sheet that covered our window. A trickle... Surely it was nothing. A gush. My stomach dropped, my heart sank and as I reached out in alarm to shove Mark awake, a deluge. Denial screamed at me to simply go back to sleep. It was both alarming and amusing to realize how childish my mind was as it tried to process what was happening.

Continue with PART II


Comments

Reenie said…
Well that was a cliff hanger!!!! Good thing I know roughly the outcome :) Keep it coming! (I mean, as you have time, between keeping the house clean, painted, and the people alive)

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