6 months ago today

As R knows all to well, one of my favorite things to do is reminisce. I love looking back and chit chatting about memories; the good and the not so good. I love laughing about silly things we've done and rejoicing over the tough times and the blessings that have flowed from them. A road trip where we blasted the oldies belting out the lyrics and playing on air guitars only to look over and see a family in a van laughing at us, a rough patch in our marriage that has made us more committed and more in love than ever before, when A saw me brushing my teeth and laughed in hysterics for the first time, when my little nephew spoke for the first time after wearing a trache for the first part of his little life, I could go on and on. One of my absolute all time favorite memories took place six months ago today. Every month on the anniversary of this day R can expect at dinner that I will talk about this memory and get excited and choked up as if it was yesterday. The memory is the birth of our beautiful baby girl. It is two days that I will not soon forget and will always look back as one of the greatest joys of my life.

I've noticed that my memory of that day isn't as sharp as I would like it to be so I thought this would be the perfect place to journal that day so A can someday look back and read about her birth-day.

I had worked from home that day and wrapped up early enough for R and I to take a trip to the mall before dinner. We stopped at the goodwill to drop off a few things and as I got out of the car I had an intense back pain that forced me back into the car unable to help R unload the trunk. We drove to the mall thinking that I was just having some back pain (not uncommon for me). It didn't take long before we realized the pain would come and go pretty consistently with a longer intensity as the time went on. R was convinced it was labor but I was in complete denial and told him we should continue shopping. As he went into the department store dressing room I found myself on the floor hunched over in pain (I'm sure a sight to see for people passing by). We finally made it home, still convinced it was not labor we had dinner and sat on the couch chatting as we noted the times of the pain (yes, I was still calling it back pain and not labor). Once I acknowledged that it was probably the real thing R decided the bag that had been packed for the last month or so was not clean enough for his new baby so he left to go back to the mall to buy a duffle bag that was to his standards to put the baby's clothes in (Can you tell he works in the health field?). After hours of pain and an amazing husband coaching me through the pain we decided to call the doctor and an hour later at 1am we made our way to the hospital. My one and only moment of the stereotypical woman in labor emotions came as we registered. The woman at the desk asked me my social security number and I bursted out crying convinced in my head that she didn't think this was the real thing (What?? I know! Looney!). After I got myself together we finished registering and the fun began. Fast forward....we spent the rest of the night/morning and the following day anxiously waiting for A's arrival. I always knew that R would be an awesome coach but he was indescribable. Supporting me and encouraging me the entire way. It was a small glimpse of the type of dad he was about to become. After a long 23 1/2 hours of labor I finally heard the words I had been waiting for from R, "L look look it's a girl." They placed her on me and I wept with a joy I had never experienced. She was perfect. She lifted her head after only a few seconds and looked at me. What an enormous blessing God had given us that day. Everyday since A had brought more love and laughter to our family than I can express. I can only imagine how Mary must have felt the day she welcomed her son, Jesus, into the world. And how God so willingly gave up His Son for us, sinners, I will never know.