Being a momma is HARD! :) It is also incredibly rewarding though. Every day when Chloe looks up at me and smiles when I feed her or this morning when I woke her up saying, "Good morning sweetheart" and she just smiled away before opening her eyes... these are the greatest rewards going - better than any promotion or raise around. When she looks at me in desperation as if to say, "I am going to have a nervous breakdown unless you feed me", it shows me how much she is relying on us as parents to provide and care for her. Yes I am completely in love with and absolutely addicted to this little 9lb wonderful miracle of God. Alan and I were discussing it the other night and I just can't imagine how anyone could harm one of these precious children - inside the womb or out. It's simply inconceivable to me.
Yesterday Chloe was two weeks old. I am recovering ok from the c-section surgery but I will be the first to say it is NOT minor surgery - it's major and after 2 weeks I'm still trying to deal with the pain around my incision and terrible backaches. Chloe has done well. The midwife says she is growing and is a very strong baby which is good. She's had a bit of breathing difficulty but supposedly it's normal and she may be experiencing some reflux but hopefully that will pass. Tonight our sweet church is throwing Chloe a welcome party at our pastors house and we're looking forward to that. Alan worked for the first time since Chloe was born at the CVJM today. He said he really felt blessed by the Lord for doing the work and said it was as if God told him that even doing a days work by himself while everyone else was on holiday, would bring Him glory so that makes him feel good.
In the next week or so I have to focus on sending out our next newsletter for Pioneers and updating our supporters and friends on our progress here. Right now we're running into a bit of a deficit with our budget as half a dozen friends who committed to giving haven't followed through as of yet and the vocational income we hoped to earn hasn't been allowed due to health insurance costs and issues. We also had the unanticipated difficulty with our car blowing up on the autobahn and the associated expense of getting another.
Alan asks me occassionally if I'm worried about finances and in reality I'm really not. I figure if God is the one that has called us here to Germany then He will find people that will support us and be blessed by doing it. It's just a question of trusting Him, doing the work He's called us to do and prayer I think.
Well, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of keeping this blog updated now that Chloe is here and we're getting more settled. I was encouraged to include a copy of the first email I sent to her a few days ago. I saw this done on a commercial and thought it was such a good idea. I hope to write to her every chance I get so that when she's older she has a record of her life. Especially since you can attach pictures and videos to the emails. :) I won't share all of these emails on my blog but since this tells the details of her birth I thought I would include it.
Being a momma is the greatest gift I've ever received but it's not for the cowardly or weak at heart. God has to give you a special kind of love and energy to be a momma but oh it's soooo worth it! :)
Here is Chloe's first email from her momma... If you want to send Chloe an email you can write to her at chloeleerathbone@gmail.com. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you! :)
Hey sweet Chloe,
It's your mom here... just wanted you to know what a joy you are to your dad and me. We couldn't love you any more than we do. We got this idea from a commercial we saw online of a dad who wrote to his daughter via email as she was growing up. I hope to read these to you one day so you'll know just how precious you have always been to us. Here are the things we remember from your first two weeks with us...
You were scheduled for a c-section two weeks early because the doctor thought you would be too big to wait until your due date and also because at the time you were lying traverse inside me and the doctor didn't think you would turn the right way for delivery. At first you were breech for a very long time but we asked our housegroup at Victory International Church in Heidelberg to pray for you and they did and low and behold the day before your c-section you turned the right way and the doctor let us leave the hospital to go home to wait for you to come naturally.
Well two weeks passed and your original due date - May 26th passed as well and still you hadn't arrived. Your gamma and gampa from Georgia arrived on the morning of the 27th but they too had to wait like us to see what you would do. At this point we were going to the doctor every two days to check on your heartrate and make sure everything was ok. On Saturday your heartrate was a little fast so the doctor on duty told us we needed to come back on Sunday to be measured again and she also called Dr. Hanke (your doctor) who said he wanted to induce me on Monday if you hadn't come naturally by then.
Monday came and we checked into the hospital and they started the inducing procedures but still you didn't want to come out just yet so the doctor said he thought it was best to deliver you by c-section on Tuesday. At this point we agreed with him because we wanted you to be delivered the very safest way and we prepared ourselves to welcome you!
Mommy tried to have spinal anesthesia but it didn't work properly so I had to have general anesthesia which was ok but it left me very tired and groggy after the surgery -- plus I couldn't see you right away but daddy and gamma and gampa were with you to take care of you so that was ok. Your grandma Margaret from England and your auntie Christine from Wales flew down to meet you a few days after you were born and they thought you were adorable!
We left the hospital four days later with our little miracle - YOU! Mommy was still in lots of pain but I wanted the house to be nice and perfect for you when you got home. Here are some pictures of your first nursery... Your daddy put together your crib and your dresser and bed and wardrobe. He loves you sooooo much!!
It's been almost two weeks now since you were born and daddy and I are adjusting to getting up with you every night to feed and change you and to cuddle. You are so loving and sweet we could just stare at you all day long and never get bored. Daddy and I wonder what your first word will be - I thought "milk" but daddy hopes it's "love". We sure tell you we love you a lot through the day so maybe he'll be right. We also wonder what color your eyes will be. Your hair is just like your mommy's - autumn and already thick in the back. Your eyes are blue now but they are darker than your daddies. I think you'll have your moms hair and your daddies eyes but no matter what you will be loved, loved, loved.
You are our precious answer to prayer - our gift from Jesus and we will love you and protect you always...
Love,
Mommy and Daddy :)
No comments:
Post a Comment