A Much Needed Update

Ok, I have been horrible about keeping this blog. There's something about having four kids and a husband and a life that keeps one, well, busy! Ha! So, without further ado, I give you...an update :) I make no apologies for the "realness" you will read in this post. 


Little Bubs was born on September 30 at 5:17am. He was 8lbs. exactly and was 20.5 inches long with brown hair and blue eyes. I am guessing the eyes wont stay blue as every other child as well as their daddy and I all have brown eyes. Anyway, I was able to have a natural birth with no intervention for the first time ever and it was awesome! PAINFUL. I'm not even gonna lie. But awesome and worth it :) For those of you who enjoy the (not too graphic) details, this is for you. If not, skip ahead by all means! 

The Birth Story: 

I am pleased to tell you it went exactly as I prayed it would! It was fast and unmedicated and resulted in a precious gift! At about 1am Friday morning I took a bath because I couldn't sleep and I had been having terrible hemorrhoid (sorry, but it's true) issues for the past couple month so baths were very helpful for relieving pain. I must have been contracting all day and not noticed now that I think about it. My back had ben achy but it wasn't any more than usual. I was back in bed around 1:45am and just couldn't sleep so I started browsing the internet. At 2:20 or so I began to have contractions about 7 minutes apart. I was not concerned because I had been having braxton hicks and I figured since they were so far apart they would stop and I would go to sleep. After a few contractions, around 2:57am I felt a small gush and when I stood up I confirmed that my water had definitely broken. Travis sprung to life and I was really calm, thinking I had a while to go and so I was packing some last minute items and assuring him that there was no reason to hurry. I know, I know, this is my fourth baby so I should have expected it to go faster but I didn't think that part of my prayer would be answered (oh me of little faith!) haha! Still, T kinda rushed me along and it was a good thing! We got to the hospital around 4am and by then the contractions had gone from 7, to 4, to 2 mins apart in less than 45 minutes. The nurse asked if I had to use the restroom and I said yes. When I came out I told her that I couldn't get anything to come out but I felt pressure and needed to push a little. She said, "THAT'S not what I expected to hear! Come lay down and let's see what's going on!" I remember them asking me if I wanted an epidural and I said, "If I am only dilated to like a 2 or 3 and it's already hurting this much, then, um, YEAH." So they checked me and the nurse said to me, "You are at an 8, almost 9! You are ready to have this baby!" So I was wheeled into a delivery room and the doctor was called and I pushed my sweet baby boy into the world at 5:17 am after 32 minutes. I do remember asking for an epidural and then, at one point, a C-section HAHA! But I had assured Travis that when I started asking for pain medication that I was close to delivering the baby so just to be encouraging and assure me I can do it. It was painful but so worth it! I felt like a mighty mommy warrior after I had him :) I remember when they finally pulled him out the relief and the joy I felt. I am so glad I was able to go all natural although I recognize some may think I am a lunatic. I may be :P And yes, I'd go that route again. I loved being able to get up immediately and not have an IV and all that jazz. I also feel like my recovery was easier and quicker than the other three. I am so very thankful for our sweet baby boy! The End. Now all those who get the heebie jeebies when anyone says words like, "dilated," "gush," or "natural childbirth," you can breathe easy!

More updating: 

I am officially the wife of a US Navy Chaplain! A big congrats to my Lieutenant JG  - I am SO proud of him! We have been in this process of seeking and praying for God's will as T pursued this new ministry and I have to admit that I thought him a little crazy when he brought up Military ministry. Me. A military wife. Ummmm.... Yes. I. She who wrote a journal entry stating that she could never, I mean EVER be a military wife! And God chuckled yet again at my attempt to determine what I was or was not capable of. This has been quite a road we've walked down. At first I wondered if this was just an "easy fix" because it would be a good way for T to provide for our family. As we've pursued this we have also been working on developing a closer relationship to each other and the Lord. We have been healing from pain caused by communication issues and things that can be neglected in the business of family and ministry. Let me tell you guys - Satan prowls like a roaring lion. He devours. He does. Just when you think things are good to go and you can coast a little. There he is. And he thrives on seeing godly marriages suffer and break apart. I've watched it happen over and over again to many friends. If you are having marriage issues - even tiny ones - seek help, cry out to the Lord, and get it taken care of. Those tiny things all add up and can create a mountain before you know it. Chisel away at the small things to prevent a mountain from forming. Ok? Now, I will step off of my soapbox...but it's not the last you've seen of me on this topic :)


Many of our loved ones have expressed concern about going this route in our lives and have questioned if it is God's will. I mentioned my own skepticism above. Yes, this will be difficult. Yes, there will be times of separation, starting with T leaving in January for ODS (Officer Develpment School). Yes, we know there will be stress and hard times, but, let me tell you - oh how we have prayed! Together and separately, we have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed some more. My heart's cry was that if this was not the right thing that God would shut the door so tight that we couldn't walk through it no matter how hard we tried. Well, friends, God continued to throw doors wide open. As T and I have had heart-to-heart conversations about this journey, I have come to complete peace that this is indeed God's plan for our family. I believe with all my heart that this is a calling placed on T's heart. He has always enjoyed volunteer chaplain ministry in the past but never imagined he could be in the military because of the reconstructive knee surgery he had several years ago. Looking back and recalling some conversations and things that T said, I believe God was working on him for several months before we left the youth ministry. My heart was already being gently tugged away and I was wondering why. It wasn't easy. Especially with a husband so very convinced that we would be in Arkansas for several more years. But God, in His sovereignty, has VERY graciously given us the opportunity to serve the armed forces and we cannot begin to express our gratitude to Him. I can also tell you that the past six months have provided much healing and problem solving in our marriage. I feel like I have my best friend back and T feels the same. We both feel that we are in a better place than we have ever been before. To clarify, we were never on the brink of divorce. That option never was an option or a thought for us. We simply needed to take time to communicate in a healthy way to get to know each other again. Our identities had become whittled down to being minister and ministers wife, mommy, and daddy, provider and homemaker, but friends, we are so much more than our roles - we are children of THE living God. We are coheirs with Christ and we are LOVED. We are called to live life abundantly and we so often settle for much much less. Remembering who we are in Christ helps to put everything else into perspective. When you lose that perspective, things fall apart. I am thankful that when things fall apart they CAN be put together again, contrary to the story of Humpty Dumpty :) 


Anyway, I am proud of my Chaplain and am looking forward to supporting him as we begin this new journey. After ODS and Chaplain school we will be heading to serve the Marines in Twentynine Palms, CA and we are very excited! My dad lives about an hour and a half from where we will be and I have other family members about 2.5 hours away. Super happy that I will be close to some family when T and I have times apart. I don't think that was a coincidence ;)


Thanks for enduring this long post! Much love to all of you and God bless!