This time last year....

Micah's first birthday is just 2 days away (can you believe it!?!), and I have been thinking a lot about how insane life was just one year ago.  This time last year....

... I ate an entire bag of potato chips and my legs swelled up like two giant sausages.  No really, I had thigh-cles!

... I spent most of my days for three months laying on the couch, with a terbutaline pump injecting medicine into one leg, getting weekly injections of progesterone in my backside, monitoring contractions twice a day,  watching every episode of Bones on Netflix, and trying to find crafty projects that I could do whilst staying off my feet.
... I had the awesome experience of witnessing the most amazing, unbelievable provision of God.

On our journey to being parents, Jared and I couldn't have ever imagined how God would order our lives.  I've blogged about Jesse's adoption before here, but I have never really told Micah's story.

We had a really tough time conceiving.  Four years of craziness - 3 different doctors, a fertility specialist, rounds and rounds of meds, tests, diagnoses of a unicornuate uterus and polycystic ovarian syndrome,  and dreams of swollen bellies and tiny, soft babies were crushed every month when only one little line showed up on each and every one of dozens of pregnancy tests.

At that time, I worked at the hospital in ACU, on the same floor as labor and delivery, and every shift I'd see Mom after Mom holding their newborns as they were wheeled into the elevator to go home.  I longed to be one of those Moms.  Then Jesse came along (through his own set of trials) and I didn't even miss not having a baby.  I decided that I would never miss the feeling of a baby twisting and turning inside my belly, counting little baby toes, nursing, sleepless nights, or the pain of labor and delivery.  I was blissfully happy with Jesse, and if he was our one-and-only, then so be it.  I was blessed beyond measure   But then one night, not long after we realized that Jesse was eventually going to be ours forever, I was tucking him into bed, and after saying prayers, he said, "Mommy you're going to have a baby."  I told him that Mommy couldn't have babies, but if he wanted one, then he should ask God for a baby.  Jesse got down on his knees and said the best prayer I've ever heard - "Dear Jesus, Baby!  Amen."

LOVE!

A couple of months later I was tired, and not feeling very well at all.  I asked Jared to pick me up a pregnancy test on his way home from work.  He jokingly asked when I was going to stop wasting my money on tests.  I lovingly told him to shut up and bring home the test.  The test was positive and we couldn't believe it!  We were pregnant!  A miracle!  But a trip the doctor proved otherwise - a blighted ovum - an empty egg sack with no baby.  We were devastated.

Just one month later, in October 2009, I was stressed out!  On top of my miscarriage, I also had a new boss, who didn't usually use a nurse in pracitice, and I was exhausted trying to guess where my life and career were going.  I put my pregnancy behind me, and dove into work and Jesse, but I was eating constantly, and my clothes starting getting tight.  I joined a gym and got up every morning at 5:00 am to work out before going to work.  Then, in late January, I was working on a wisdom tooth case under sedation, and I just started gushing.  My cycles were never predictable, but this was different.  I immediately made an appointment to see my doctor again.

 Jared and I went into the doctor's office to see what had happened.  Did I have another miscarriage?  I was beside myself.  The doctor wanted to do a urine pregnancy test, but I just couldn't pee in that stinkin' cup!  The doctor took me back to the exam room, and got the ultrasound set up.  I donned a gown, and laid down on the table, eyes closed tight, fists clenched.  I couldn't look at the screen.  Then the doctor gasped, "OH!"  My stomach lurched.  I bit my lip.  Tears flooded my eyes.  "You have a baby.  A BIG baby."  What?  And there, on that little screen, a tiny little baby bean was flipping and jumping around.  He was a perfect 12 week, 4 day-old baby!  Jared and I just started laughing and crying hysterically.  I was pregnant!

Meet Baby Bean

That night, anxiety started to cloud my overwhelming joy.  My sister had miscarried 4 times before Molly was born (her awesome story here).  Could I even carry a baby to term?  The doctors had said that I only had a 10% chance of carrying a baby to term.  How were we going to be able to afford this baby?  I didn't get maternity leave at my job, and we had been working very hard to get out of debt, but still things were tight.  And what about Jesse?  His adoption was far from being finalized.  Ugh!  I was a mess.  I started praying.  I prayed for everything we were going through...prayed for forgiveness for doubting, for not trusting that God would take us through, prayed for Jesse, the bean, Jared, prayed for my womb to accommodate a growing baby, even prayed for my lack of a maternity wardrobe.  And afterwards, I felt the most incredible peace wash over me.  I was PREGNANT, and anything that was going to come up afterwards, was going to be just as God wanted it to be be.  God burned Psalm 139 into my heart, and he was knitting Micah together in my womb.

Thus began the craziest pregnancy, bathed in peace that passes all understanding, smothered in provision that could only come from God.  Without mention of need or asking, two days after God granted me such peace, two of my friends dropped off boxes of maternity clothes.  God was showing us He was in control of the whole situation.  We had nothing to worry about.

I had an absolutely awesome next couple of months.  On March 19th we found out that the Bean was going to be a boy.

It's a boy!!!

The day of my baby shower.

I was tired, but I felt great.  I did all of the cliched pregnancy things - posted pregnancy pictures on facebook, let complete strangers rub my belly, relished every movement that sweet little baby made...  But just 2 weeks after my baby shower, on April 24th, I started feeling like Micah was kicking in the same spot every 5 minutes.  A round of monitoring at the doctor's office showed that I was actually having contractions.  I was just 24 weeks along, 60% effaced, and dilated 2 cm.  I went to the hospital, where they tried to give me medication to stop the contractions, but nothing helped, and I was brought by ambulance to the closest level 3 NICU, 2 hours away from home.

Jesse visiting me at MUSC

I spent two weeks at MUSC Hospital, where I met with specialist after specialist.  They were able to stop the contractions, and ordered me on bed rest with medication and monitoring.  I met with a NICU doctor who explained to be the problems my baby would have at 25 weeks, if he were to be born then.  I was glad Jared was 2 hours away with Jesse for that conversation.  It was tough to listen to, but I still had peace that God knew what He was doing.  But again, God was gracious and provided friends to visit me in the hospital, and make meals for Jesse and Jared while I was gone.  He even ordered the days perfectly so that my friend from HHI would be in Charleston the same day I was being discharged so that I had a ride home- just one day before Jesse's 4th birthday.  I was on bed rest, with medication and monitoring, but I was home.

And any time I started to feel anxious about the pregnancy, God provided a tangible reminder that he cares for us and our miracle baby.  Jared's family helped us a ton getting our finances in order.  Our church made dinner for us every night for nearly 3 months.  Different families from our church took Jesse every day for play dates so that I could just rest.  (Jesse had a great time going to the movies, beach, pool, friends' houses, and kid's museum!)  And the craziest thing, the one thing that tickles me more than anything else, is the watermelon plant.  I craved watermelon so badly during my pregnancy, but at five + bucks a pop (and I could devour some watermelon!) I felt so guilty spending any extra money on myself, since we were down to one paycheck.  So, God provided a watermelon plant in my backyard.  I never planted watermelons; I never even bought watermelon seeds, and there it was, in my flower bed.  And that little sucker produced some of the most delicious watermelons I've ever had... just enough for the end of my pregnancy, and then the plant died.

So, for three months straight, I was hooked to a terbutaline pump in my thigh, and I monitored contractions twice a day using a satellite fetal monitor.  Then, weekly, a nurse would come and and give me progesterone injections and monitor me further.  It was a weird time in my life.  I hate sitting still, and my couch had a permanent indentation in it from my big belly.  Then, the doctors stopped my pump at the end of my 35th week.  I started contracting immediately.  By dinner, my contractions were 5 minutes apart, and Jared took me to the hospital.

Before the heavy contractions

I labored all night, contractions getting increasingly more intense, and by 6:00 am, my water hadn't broken yet even though I was 6 cm, 80% effaced.  So, the doctor broke my water, and I begged for the epidural that I previously didn't want.  And, after pushing for 2 hours, Micah Owen Plew saw this side of heaven.  Isn't he gorgeous?!

Sweetest baby ever!

He was pretty perfect as far as we were concerned, although, he did have his share of problems.  He couldn't maintain a healthy oxygen level for the first 24 hours, and spent a good part of his first day under an oxygen hood.  He also had failed his hearing test, had torticollis, and a club foot.... but all we went through before the pregnancy proved to us that God was in control, and we were blessed.

Family picture from my sweet friend, Jordan @ Landon Jacob Photography

And now, a year later, I can honestly say, it was all worth it.  Micah Bean is an awesome little guy, and we are still blessed beyond measure to have him in our family!  Happy (almost) 1st birthday, Micah!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

One of my goals this year is to be very intentional about celebrating holidays, especially since last year I missed a lot being exhausted/pregnant/bed-rested.  I have a lot of catching up to do with Jesse.  Last year we didn't even send out cheap little paper valentines to Jesse's school friends.  So, this year I wanted to do something fun with Jesse...and here is our Valentine's Day project.

 

First, we made some yummy chocolate pops using Wilton Valentine Mega Candy Kit Pack.  So easy and so yummy!  Jesse loved pouring the chocolate into the molds.

Then, we had a Valentine's photo shoot with my cuties.

 My sister, Robin, made me this adorable heart pendant banner for Christmas this year.  Isn't she amazing?!

 I cannot get enough of these kids!

Add one energetic 4 year-old to....

Jared's awesome Photoshopping skills.... 

and a chocolate lolly, and you've got one sweet Valentine's Day card for Jesse's class!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!!

A pig roast

Last weekend, 32 adults and 5 kids from BFG huddled together in my little house to enjoy all things "Super Bowl."    But, after having so many people here, Jared informed me that he will never invite so many again, and we both agreed that we can comfortably fit 10 tops!  There was a lot of super yummy food, though, and I got to meet a lot of great people from Jared's work.  But the highlight of the night, was the roast pig!  Jared, Ryan, and Jonathan did a great job cooking the little oinker, and I was only slightly put- off by the hooves, snout, and eyeballs (BLECK!)  (((WARNING!  Gross pig photos ahead.....)))

Here is the coffin (er...box) it was delivered in.

This is what a 32-pound pig looks like

Ryan and Jared putting the piggy on the grill.

He's all smiles now.

 Cooked to perfection.

Ryan carving the pig.

And Avery enjoying a pig hoof.  

I hope you had a happy Super Bowl weekend, too!

MADE

It has been a looooooooong time since I have made anything.  In fact, I think the last time I had the opportunity to sit down and finish a project, I was on bed rest...almost 6 months ago.  I don't know how all of these new moms have time to make things, and blog about them,  and take care of their newborns.  Maybe they don't also have full-time jobs.  Maybe they have nannies.  Maybe they are super women....or aliens....I just don't know.  But for me, necessity bred some creativity a couple of months ago when Micah needed a warm, winter hat and I couldn't find one anywhere.  (Sometimes I feel like living in Hilton Head is like living in a third-world country when it comes to finding things for kids.... especially winter clothes.  There are very few resources here for little ones living in this retirement community.)  So, I searched the internet and found this pattern for free via Soule Mama.  If you can knit, pearl, and sew a seam, you can make this adorable hat.  The way this shapes itself is so cool!  I used some inexpensive poly-blend worsted-weight yarn that someone gave me, and knit this up in a couple of evenings.  This little hat is warm, soft, and oh-so-cute on my little man's crooked head.  He is a cute little (drooling) model isn't he?

The story of Jesse

I love everything about Fall - visiting the pumpkin patch, the changing leaves, carving pumpkins, crispness in the air (which translates to 70+ degrees in sunny SC - HA!), pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween, pumpkin pies, fall festivals, and did I mention pumpkins?  But, the thing I love most about this time of year, is that it marks the anniversary of Jared and I first becoming parents.  And, in celebration of Jesse's 2-year anniversary of living with us, here is his story:

We tried for 3 years to conceive a child on our own.  I went through a number of medical interventions, but  nothing worked.  We were devastated, knowing that God intended us to be parents, but didn't understand why He was withholding a child from us.  We prayed ((ALOT!)), and looked into all of our options, finally settling on adopting through the foster care system.  It took us just 2 days to complete our paperwork, but over a year to get the call.  In that year, we found a sibling group of 3 that we wanted to adopt and 2 private adoptions of infants fall through.  It was the craziest roller coaster ride of emotions...but then...

On October 7th, 2008, we got a call from DSS stating that they had a little boy for us to foster.  His name was Jesse, and he was a 2 1/2 year old little boy who would more likely than not be up for adoption.  We had wait 3 excruciatingly long days to go to Charleston to learn more about him, but after reviewing his history, we decided that he would be a good fit for our family.  It's there, in that little DSS office, that we first saw pictures of our son.  (Pictures do not do him justice!)

That weekend, we visited him at his foster mom's house.  He was so tiny for his age, and was a bit wary of these weird people mooning over him.

(Oh!  That bowl haircut!  ha ha ha!!)  And then, just a few days later, on October 20th, Jesse's social worker, Laura, dropped him off at our house.  We were prepared for the worst - crying, sobbing, a lot of "you're not my mommy" moments - but Jesse just walked into our house (and our hearts) saying, "This is my Mommy.  This is my Daddy.  This is my house.  These are my dogs...."  He was right where he was supposed to be!  Here's a first family picture:

I remember those first days with Jesse being filled with awe that he fit so well into our family.  We waited so long for him, yet it seemed like he was with us forever.  God knew exactly what he was doing when he brought this little guy into our lives, and we are so thankful for him!!!

Now, 2 years later, we are anxiously anticipating finalizing our adoption on November 12th - yet another reason to celebrate Fall!  (((God is so good!!)))

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

On April 3rd, my Mom, Mother-in-law, and best girl friend, Lizzy, threw Micah and me the most beautiful baby shower.  The theme was a jungle tea party (jungle for Micah, and tea for Mommy!), and it was simply lovely!  My Mom made the fruit salad, gathered and wrapped a number of fun prizes for the games, and made the gift bags filled with a homemade goodies - tea holder, Baby Micah Blueberry Lemon Marmalade, and a photo album for each guest.  My Mother-in-law hauled all of her beautiful tea wares from Indiana to South Carolina, and made a huge assortment of baked goods, sandwiches, cheese balls, and tea.  Lizzy put together and orchestrated the games, and hosted the party in her lovely home.  And the whole party was a perfect!  I'm only sorry I didn't get more pictures of the event.

The lovely tea settings

Gifts for the guests

Tiny baby hats

Little lion bath towels

I wanted to do something special for these three awesome ladies - for making my shower so special and making me feel so loved.  Little did we know that I would go into labor just 22 days later, with two months of bed rest to follow...  So, buying presents was out of the question, and crafting was limited due to amount of time I was allowed (or not allowed and took anyway....ahem....) out of bed.  I did a lot of embroidery during my time on bed rest, including these three pieces:

  

For Lizzy, I embroidered this little bird in grayscale from a picture of an embroidered bird I found online and matted it in an embroidery frame, using fabric and rickrack, inspired by this little guy.  

My Mom just redid her bedroom in browns and yellows, with touches of cranberry, so I whipped up this little cutie from this pattern for her, and framed it in a frame that looks like old barn wood.

And for my Mother-in-law, I made a little brown and gold bird from the first pattern, edged in yellow rose reproduction fabric, and framed in the same old barn wood frame.

So, ladies, thank you, thank you, thank you, for making Micah's shower such a special day (a couple of months late)!!!

He's here!!!

I have been off the radar for a couple of weeks now because I have been very busy giving birth to, and then falling in love with our new little baby boy - Micah Owen Plew!  He was born on July 15th after 26 hours of labor at 6lbs, 6 oz, and 19 3/4 inches long.  And what a blessing he is!  I am still in shock that we have a baby, and all of the medical interventions and bed rest were well worth the result.  He made it to 37 weeks and one day (almost full term) because of the sweet prayers, meals, childcare for Jesse, and encouragement of our family, friends, and church family!  We are so blessed!!!  And now I will leave you with a couple of photos from Micah's first few hours of life on the outside....

Just a few moments old.

Spiderman visits Micah at the Hospital.

All bundled up.

Jesse loves his new baby brother.

Our first family shot on the way home from the hospital.

Sweet baby boy.

Lydia

My younger sister, Megan, is working on a project I want to share with you here.  Megan's best friend from college, Jen, had her beautiful baby girl, Lydia,  go to live with Jesus a couple of months ago.  I can't imagine how devastating it would be to lose a child, even though you have faith that your baby is now in the arms of our loving God.  Her whole story can be found here on Jen's blog.  Bring tissues.  Lots of them.  It's an incredible journey of faith, hope, and loss.

Jen and her husband, Micah, are in the midst of grieving, but have still set up a memorial scholarship fund in Lydia's name at the Christian school where they met as students, and taught as adults.  Megan really wanted to support her friends and honor the memory of Lydia, and blogs about her contribution here on her blog.  She is making the most beautiful purple felted flower pins with 8 petals, and 8 seeds to represent the 8 months, 8 days that Lydia graced us with her presence on earth.  Every penny of every sale goes towards the scholarship.  Please check it out!  (I've also added a link on my page if you'd like to directly link to Megan's blog.)  And please pray for Jen and Micah as they continue to mourn the loss of their little girl!  Sometimes God does things that I just don't understand.