The Post You've All Been Waiting For

Sorry for the delay in telling you, but Michael Harrison Parker is here! I had visions of blogging perfection with the birth story and pictures and everything, but it's already been a week and it just hasn't happened. I'll work on it and make it worth your wait. Promise.

Here are the basic details...

I went in for a non-stress test on Thursday morning thinking I'd be at the hospital for an hour, tops. They kept me there instead because I had symptoms of severe pre-eclampsia. I should not have watched that one episode of Downton Abbey last season. You know what I'm talking about. Poor Lady Sybil. Anyway...

Michael Harrison Parker was finally born on Friday, November 8th, at 4:32 p.m. He weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. Yeah, I had a c-section.

He was taken to the NICU originally for blood sugar issues and then was kept there for feeding issues. He's still there now, and he will stay until at least Monday. It is very sad to be apart from him now, but I know he is in the best hands possible. God is so faithful! I can't wait to share about how He has shown Himself mighty in Mikey's life so far. 

More details to come...

Pregnancy: Morning and Evening

As per usual, over a week has passed between the taking and the posting of these photos. I'm not sure why that has been my blogging pattern. Anyway, Nathan asks to take pictures of my belly a few times a week, usually when I'm stuck in a chair, in the bed, or on the floor. Two out of three times he asks I cry. It seems in the picture below he just happened to catch me in a decent mood.

This was probably taken after a night of good sleep. The night we had a time change (two nights ago at the time of this writing) I only got one hour. Now, since we moved back an hour, does that mean I pulled an all-nighter? It was horrible. I was cursing that extra hour while I'm sure everyone else was relishing it - or at least the thought of it.

This picture and the one below were taken the evening of the morning of the first picture (make sense?). I'm very grumpy and have swollen ankles and calves.

Nathan is excited that there is another willing foot massage therapist in the house. Thanks, Daddy.

And, on a completely unrelated note, Nathan wanted me to take his picture the other day at our favorite Mexican restaurant. He's eating a chimichanga (a fried burrito smothered in sauce) to celebrate his recent weight loss. He has lost weight recently (the pre-shower push ups? the nightly sauna sessions? eating less?), so more power to him!

Happy Belated Halloween

As I've said before, my favorite part about Halloween is not dressing up or passing out candy. In fact, I didn't do either this year. No, my favorite part is the next day when I spend about 5 hours "liking" photos of everyone's kids on Facebook. I love seeing little kids dressed up. I just love it.

I have been really bad about taking pictures lately, so I tried getting these off of my sister's Instagram account. They looked normal on the iPad, I promise, but on here it just looks like I did a really bad editing job.

First off, a little pre-Halloween fun. My sister dressed up as June, and June dressed up as my sister. Hilarious. June's bracelets, Starbucks, purse, hair, sunglasses, everything is SO my sister. Perfection.

We had a little fun at the park with the Josie Bear, the dog, one day. I did not make it very long before needing a nap.

And here are my nieces, Winnie and June, on Halloween. SO PRECIOUS!

One of the best parts of being in Bakersfield for a while is hanging out with these two. Winnie (Minnie Mouse) has been obsessed with Michelle Tanner from Full House these days, insisting on wearing her hair in two pigtails - NO BOWS - and saying things like, "You got it, dude." June (Ariel) has been talking a lot about our baby recently. If I decline a certain food, she says, "Is that because Baby Mikey isn't allowed?" When I'm chopping something with a large knife, she tells me to put it down because it's dangerous for the baby. And, the other day she asked me how Baby Mikey got into my tummy in the first place. I deferred that one to my sister, laughing to myself thinking that giving her an IVF answer would have been so much simpler if that's the way God would have chosen to do it. 

Happy November, everyone. It's going to be a memorable month!

More Entertaining Comments

Some additional size-related comments from strangers (in addition to labor horror stories that people see fit to tell me at a very vulnerable time in my life)...

"DANG, GIRL!!!" This one was from a man in the hospital waiting room, yelled at the top of his lungs. I don't think he was "all there."

"I think I see a foot sticking out!" Again, in the same waiting room, and she was looking at my insulin pump under my shirt. I didn't bother to correct her.

"Holy cow!" Thanks, teen-aged dude.

"Her's gots a baby in her tummy." From a toddler at Target. It was quite sweet.

"No smuggling watermelons!" Uh, okay.

And still the ubiquitous, "Twins?" from a lady at the grocery store.

I told Nathan about the twins thing again and he said, "Next time that happens I'll just tell them you're three months along with quadruplets."

"No... 'cause then they'll ask all kinds of inappropriate questions like if they're 'natural' or through IVF or something."

"Then I'll tell them that we don't know who the father is, but that you're my wife and that I've chosen to stick by you even still."

"Great."

This is not our baby, obviously, but I thought he was cute!

AND WHO STOPPED PRAYING FOR MY SLEEP?!?!?!?! I gave you a good report in a post last week, but then my quasi-peaceful nights went bye-bye. After almost a week without solid shut-eye, I am going cuckoo again. Yesterday morning my mom and Nathan were asking me a simple question about transportation to a doctor's appointment, and I just couldn't answer. The words were in my mind but didn't come out of my mouth quickly enough. I ended up bursting into tears instead.

I told a friend in an e-mail that my behavior lately reminds me of my childhood dog, Bebe, when she was about to have puppies. She whimpered a lot and paced around the house and spent a lot of time in dark closets. I don't actually spend time in dark closets, but I don't feel like going out of the house AT ALL and have been feeling quite anxious. Every night I worry that I'll go into labor right after lying down and won't be rested and ready mentally or physically to get the dang baby out. 

Normal, yes? 

To all you mamas out there, I'm sorry you've probably experienced the same. To all you ladies who long to be mamas, I'm sorry you haven't experienced the same. Being pregnant has been a lot harder than I thought it would be, for sure, but I am grateful. When I'm tired, itchy, annoyed, uncomfortable, stretched out, panicked, grumpy, etc., Nathan says, "This is what we prayed for!" So true.

It's the final countdown. Cue Gob's music from Arrested Development.

A New Birthday Dance

We continued to celebrate my dad's birthday, on his actual birthday this time, last Thursday. I think he was really hoping the baby would come that day so they could share a name AND a birthday (with Philip's birthday too, whose middle name is Harrison), but alas... no dice.

That's a lot of candles on that red velvet cake!

Blowing them all out...

Trying on his new birthday sweater

And of course, lots of dancing

I love June and Dad's similar poses. I'm not sure what's happening here.

Uncle Nathan getting some dance lessons from the girls...

And this is why my parents are already the coolest grandparents around.

Whipped Cream, Early Birthdays, and Selfies

Last weekend we celebrated my dad's birthday a little early at Aunt Deanie and Uncle Bob's house with the family. We had some of my favorite foods including chicken fried steak and chocolate pie. I'm still dreaming about it.

Papa asked for his pie with lots of whipped cream. I think the plate is mostly whipped cream. I love this picture of him and June.

June took the rest of these pictures because I was laid up on the couch trying to get my cankles under control.

June's little selfie cracks me up. I have the best family.

Happy birthday, Daddy. I love you.

My Man, SCC

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have loved Steven Curtis Chapman since 4th grade. My Aunt Deanie introduced his music to me when our family lived with her the summer of '91, when I decided that the song "I Will Be Here" would be played at my wedding (it was). We whistled in the kitchen to "You Know Better" and I fell asleep every night to my Walkman playing "His Strength is Perfect." 

I've seen him a total of 14 times in concert now, and his is the first concert I remember attending (Sandi Patti at 2 weeks old was actually my first concert). I was on my dad's shoulders at some county fair, and Steven still had a mullet. My Uncle Ed banged on his trailer door at another county fair concert (he was working security) and insisted he come out to meet me my freshman year of high school. My mom says SCC commented about how I had my homework with me (I guess it was a school night), but I don't remember that. I saw him in the front row at DC/LA in '95. I think my friend Jordan had something to do with that one, if memory serves. I saw him at Women of Faith with Mary Lou just after he lost his daughter, Maria. These are just a few of the good shows and memories with Steven Curtis Chapman.

I had a wall of fandom dedicated to him in my Taylor University dorm room. In fact, my roomie, Melissa, and I used to write notes to each other on a white board using lots of SCC song titles. I wish I had written some of them down. They were genius. :)

So many of his songs have been the soundtrack of my life, especially ones on the albums Real Life Conversations, For the Sake of the Call, The Great Adventure, Heaven in the Real World, Signs of Life, and Speechless (my late 80s and 90s streak). Most recently, his album Beauty Will Rise (2009) has meant a lot to me.

Anyway, my 14th concert was no disappointment, and I got to see him with some of my favorite people, my parents and Nathan.

We had a little dinner at Jake's Tex Mex first. Awesome.

Yummy food is a necessity before singing one's guts out at a concert.

We got to see him and Laura Story and Jason Gray at the beautiful Fox Theater in Bakersfield. Thanks for coming to see me in my own hometown, Steven. You've still got it.

If you're not a Steven fan yet, you can start with this song, "The Great Adventure." You're welcome.