2010

The Birth Of My Son

December 29, 2010 by Dana

For me, this week not just about the joys of Christ’s birth but also the joys of family. 10 years ago this week my life changed forever. My first-born, my son was born. It was the best day of my life (next to the later births of his sisters).

It was possibly the longest week of my life. Signs of my labor began Christmas day. The actual labor started on Dec. 26th. I can remember walking miles with my best friend in the freezing cold, still feeling quite warm myself, trying to walk my boy out and increase our labor. I remember the squeezing pain as a contraction hit and breathing through it, praying God would be good to us and would take care of my sweet baby boy.

The next day was no better and at some point I went into the hospital to be checked but was told it was not time yet. My contractions were too irregular.

On December 28, 2000, I called my doctors office and begged for an appointment with my midwife. I was told to come in right after lunch, so I did. I walked for two hours around the office while I waited for my midwife to be able to squeeze me into her busy day, all the while being monitered by nurses. Finally, she was able to take me back and check but there was no major changes, though she did “accidently” break my water while checking me. I will never forget the look on her face or the “opps!” that came out of her mouth when that happened. I was told to call who I needed, gather my things (we lived in a small town at the time) and go straight to the hospital.

I went home, called my son’s father, gathered my stuff and ate 4 bowls of spaghetti with light sauce before heading back to the hospital. It was around 4pm when I finally got there.

All seemed to be going well. I arrived and was immediately taken into the back. I was hooked to moniters. The midwife said we’d be a while waiting on this boy to arrive. My DH left to get himself something to eat but before he was out of the room good the midwife returned to tell me something was wrong.

My monitors showed that my heart rate was increasing and my baby’s was dropping. We were in too much stress. I wasn’t dilating past 1 and my boy was ready to come out. He was under excessive stress and so was I. A c-section was necessary for a safe arrival.

By this time, I could feel myself floating out of my body and I knew something was wrong. I was scared for my son and I didn’t want to lose him before I even got the chance to hold him. I immediately agreed to the c-section. It was around this time that my then-husband returned, after my Dad tracked him down, banged upon our door to wake him and got him back up to the hospital. His only disagreement was that he didn’t like my surgeon but by this point I just wanted it all over and our baby to be safe and sound.

I don’t remember much after that. It all went so fast. The pain was intense and I remember biting down on my DH’s finger, concentrating on not hurting him, to get through the contractions. It wasn’t long before I was rolled into the ER, put to sleep and in surgery. My beautiful boy was born to his sleeping Momma at 6:07 pm on December 28, 2000.

When I came out of surgery, I was in so much pain. The doctors had me hooked onto an IV/Morphine drip but I was unable to get out of my bed. My DH and my Mom greeted me with a picture of my beautiful boy, all fat and swollen from his birth with a perfectly round head. His heart-rate was a little off and his grand-father’s heart specialist had him in a incubator running tests to make sure he was strong and heathly before they brought him to me. It was the longest 6 hours of my life, at that point.

On December 29, 2000, right after midnight, the nurse brought my sweet boy to me, placed him into my arms and in this moment my life forever changed for the better. I knew what my life was meant to be, who I was meant to be – his mother. I was and forever am, the mother of Winston Lee Grant. I could not imagine a better job than this one, even on that day I could not imagine how wonderful this job was going to be.

10 years have passed since that day, that moment but I still remember it like it just happened. I can feel the weight of his sweet body as it lay in my arms. I can feel his weight as he grew into the tall boy he now is today. He made my arms full, and my heart fuller. The joys of Heaven brought to Earth through a small child. There is no better feeling than knowing you love and are loved by someone so precious and sweet.

My son has grown into a handsome, caring, hard-working young man. His heart is patient and peaceful. Some day he will be a wonderful father and husband. For now, he’s a wonderful son. His hugs bring my heart peace. His smiles bring me joy. His laughter makes my heart ring with love. He is everything I never knew I wanted and his life is the meaning of mine. Being his Mother is the best gift I have ever received, the best job I will ever have. I am forever Thankful for this child who is blessing my life. I know how God feels as a parent to each of us. Unconditional love.

My 2010 and 2011 Resolutions

December 27, 2010 by Dana

About a year ago I made my resolutions for this year. There were quite a few of them. Some I completed, or at least worked on and some I never managed to get off the ground. All were well worth the efforts.

This year I spent changing my own life, who I am and how I see things in the world. I worked on forgiving others, expanding my own mind, becoming closer to God, building my friendships into even stronger ones, and supporting others that God placed in front of me. I’m proud of the changes in my life. I still have a lot to learn but every day I’m happier with who I am.

I also spent the year getting my life and my house organized. I’m loving it! An organized life is soo much better. Having things in their place is the best. Organization is something I have struggled with my entire life and having accomplished getting closer to my goal is a wonderful feeling.

For the coming year, I would like to complete my organizing efforts by decluttering, storing things better, and finshing what I’ve already started for storing inside the house. I’d like to get the kids rooms organized and sort toys into bins that can be swapped out for easier living. By the end of 2011, I hope to have our lives completely organized and done with.

I would also like to create a healthier lifestyle for us as a family. I plan to work out almost daily with my Wii Fit and also create a physical routine for the kids. I want to add more veggies and healthier foods into our diet. I also want to cut back on Pepsi for myself. I look forward to feeling better inside and out with these changes and encouraging these good habits in my children too.

This year I will be handing a lot more chores over to the kids, using Managers of Their Chores to help guide me. I feel the hard work will be good for their self-esteem and also for their unity in our family. Plus these chores will be much needed life-skills for them one day.

I would like to begin our science (Botany) by February so that during the spring we can make a garden for them to reap and sow. The kids will really enjoy that I know.

I look forward to a wonderful year filled with much needed changes in ourselves and much joy with one another this year.

Happy New Year to each of you!

Ready for Christmas! {Christmas Eve 2010}

December 24, 2010 by Dana

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I’m happy to say we are all ready for Christmas.

My Mother came to town on Monday and she has since been busy helping me decorate. We actually began the decor yesterday after 3pm and finished up at 12pm today, sleeping through the night of course! We put small trees in each of the kids rooms, plenty of stockings hanging everywhere, two trees fully covered (our main one and Emma’s candy tree on the kitchen countertop. Even the laundry and bathroom have decorations. I kept the outdoors simple by hanging wreaths without bows and a winter flag on the porches, with a red light on our front porch and a green one at the back door. A decorated Christmas wreath hangs upon the front door. Santa and Frosty greet everyone on the back porch. As every year, the drunken elf hit each of the deer leaving chaos throughout the deer antlers inside the house and baby Jesus is sweetly nestled in His manger awaiting the day of his birth to arrive. The kids are sooo excitedly thrilled at all of the Christmas decorations, though they were very sad to have Mama leave to go to their Aunts for Christmas.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day for us all. I’ll be wrapping the gifts. We go to our annual Christmas Eve dinner with Ms. Jean around 5pm, drive around after to look at Christmas lights, then back home to finish up Christmas cookies, reindeer feeding, Milk and Cookies for Santa, open our Christmas Eve gifts and to bed they go while I stay up all night finishing the present wrapping.

By Saturday we are supposed to have snow so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will at least be a little for Christmas morn. Regardless, we will be up between 6am and 7am, cracking open the packages, playing with all the fun new stuff, and filling up on yummy cookies, milk and egg nog for breakfast. Later in the day we head next door to Grami’s to open gifts there, then back home to play for the rest of the night.

The kids I can hardly wait. I love this time of year. I love spending time with my babies and seeing their sweet faces on Christmas morning.

It’s gonna be a great weekend yall!

Merry CHRISTmas to everyone!!!

Update on us {Christmas Prep 2010}

December 20, 2010 by Dana

Life has been pretty busy lately.

The kids spent a week with their Aunt and cousin at the beginning of the month for their cousin’s birthday. They had a blast and got pretty spoiled with love while they were there.

Last week my best guy friend came to stay and help me clean out house. He was a HUGE help. The usual chaos is now tame again. It was super awesome to have someone get up with the kids, vacuum, dust, straighten and do the dishes before I managed to crawl my butt out of the bed every day. My house feels so much calmer now that the chaos has diminished and I cannot wait to get what’s left completed so that it feels all the better! I have to say a HUGE HUGE thanks to my buddy for being generous enough to take a week out of his life to help me out! Thanks Bro!!

Now we are waiting for Mama to come (my Mom). She’ll be here til January loving on the babies. They are sooo excited too. Everyday they ask when she will arrive. Tomorrow night is the Big Day. Emma was up late because she knows I talk to Mama late and she needed the reassurance that Mama would be coming to see her sweet self soon. Now she’s thrilled and sound asleep ready for tomorrow to get here.

Today I finally put our tree together and layered it in lights. 1100 lights to be exact. It’s a glowing beauty. I prefer an artificial tree because it’s less mess to clean up when I put it away. I prefer colored lights to white. To me the candy like glow equals Christmas. Can’t beat it! Tomorrow I am doing some other decorating in the house and Tuesday we will decorate the tree with Mama’s help. The kids are sooo looking forward to that!

We finished up the Christmas shopping yesterday too. I had a few last minute items I ordered. I’m hoping everything comes in on time. Next year I hope to have everything done much earlier than this year.

The rest of the week will be a busy one, filled with family, baking, decorating, present wrapping and gifting. It goes quickly by and can be extremely tiring but is so very worth it. Three days after Christmas brings the JOY of my baby boy’s 10th birthday. I can hardly believe he’s almost 10. It seems like just yesterday that I delivered him so close to the day we celebrate Jesus’ own birth.

I’m praying everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas weekend. I pray God blesses each of you and you have all the joy your heart wishes for this Christmas season.

Until next time…

Black Friday 2010

November 26, 2010 by Dana

I am online at 4am on Black Friday. I was so excited to do my Christmas shopping online that I could not sleep. I know my kiddos are going to enjoy their surprises this year and I know I’m going to enjoy mine also! I’m not big on Black Friday shopping. I refuse to go out into the crowds waiting in front of the stores. There is nothing out there that I want bad enough to even attempt that. However, I did do my shopping online this year and I was able to get some pretty awesome things. I’m really happy with that.

I have a few free codes on photos that I am using this year to create gifts, so when I couldn’t sleep I decided to upload pictures onto those sites. Let me just say, I was not thinking well when I made that choice. Two hours later and I’m still waiting for the pictures to finish uploading so I can create my gifts.

Oh, before I forget, Happy Thanksgiving Yall! I hope that everyone had a better day than I did. I was sick in my bed all day with a sinus cold. I was supposed to get a meal but instead all I got was ham, out of all the holiday goodness. My fault for not going I guess, or perhaps it’s just this weird family. Personally, I think it’s the later. But tomorrow I will make up for their lacking and create my own Thanksgiving meal for me and my little babes. Oh, how sweet it is gonna be (for someone just throwing it together with no real plans). It’ll be a great memory, I promise ya that!

It will just be me and the kids for most of the day. We will have some great food to eat (I hope). I can hardly wait. Until next time… Happy Black Friday to all!

Finding God in Children’s Disobedience

November 23, 2010 by Dana

Recently, my dear friend made a blog post about depression on her blog. In it, she spoke of how God looks at depression in us. All the things she posted she backed up with biblical reference. One of her mentions really struck me as truth in my own life. She mentioned that God changes children’s attitudes when you are depressed, and even when you’re not, in order to bring us to our knees. This is so very true in my life.

My beautiful daughter, Emmalee, who I mentioned last night in my post about sickness, is possibly my strongest, and my hardest child to raise. She wants things her way and will do everything to make that possible. She doesn’t throw fits, she doesn’t whine and cry but instead she will just do what she wants regardless of consequence or respect of my wishes. She is a messy but inspirational child. She is a loving but needy child. A perfect balance of good, and not-so-good all in one. And her little sister is not far off from her either, attitude-wise. Both of them are a true test for me in parenting, faith and life.

I have been looking for ways to deal with them, to learn how to live with their strong spirits and raise them as God wishes, teaching them to use their unique qualities to work for the Lord, instead of themselves. It never really dawned on me that part of their attitude is from the Lord, in order to change my own ways of life and my own attitude. God wants to bring me to my knees.

Why would I think that, you may be asking? Why would I think that God wants to bring me to my knees by causing me strife with these two beautiful children, or how could I even think that? Well, God wants all of us to be closer to him. He wants us to get down on our knees and call out to him, begging him to help us so that we are fully dependant upon him for guidance, love, and help. God is meant to be our encourager, our best friend, our Father and our confidant. It is the way of the world to turn us away from these things with him, the way of Satan to pull us apart from our Loving Father in Heaven. By bringing us to our knees, God is bringing us Home to Him, home where we belong. He is forcing us to pay attention, to listen to His Divine guidance, to share in His love and to share His love with our children and others.

Disobedience in children is all a part of God’s bigger plan to bring joy to our lives and our lives closer to him. This whole concept has completely changed my view in life when it comes to my children’s attitudes. It has helped me in my journey to be a better parent. This concept has challenged me, has shown me the truth behind what God wants from me. The crazy part is that it was there the WHOLE time, but I was just too stubborn to listen. Well, I am listening now and I am thankful for the sweet lady who God led to write this blog post on depression, for it has truly changed my own life and those of my children for the better.

“Don’t make God yell, listen the first time.”
– A friend from my past.