Christmas 2010

19 years ago on April 28, I was babysitting 3 little boys, Levi and  Chase  who were 2 1/2, Brandon, 3 1/2, my niece Kirsten who was 1 and I had Eric 3 1/2!  Wow!  Needless to say, my hands were full.  I was 32 weeks pregnant and my back started hurting.  It was a Monday, and the Friday before I had been in the hospital with “pre-term” labor and sent home to take pills every 4 hours to stop it.  This wasn’t new to me because I had to do the same with Eric, but this time the pills didn’t work.  I called the doctor and they told me to come to the ER and be checked.  So, I waited for Randy to come home from work, called my cousin to come and stay with the kids and off we went.  We were hungry, so we went through the McDonald’s drive thru.  Once I got there and into a room, the nurse came in to check me and her eyes about popped out of her head.  Within 30 minutes I was on a helicopter on my way to Ohio State Hospital.  I was dilated 4 cm and 85% effaced!  WOW!  So I prayed.  I pulled out my pocket Bible and plunked it open to Psalm 8:2 (never read it before) and it said – Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, thou hast ordained praise (strength) that thou might still the enemy and the avenger.   – I said – God – give it to me straight!  I heard this still small voice say this “Brent Matthew has enough praise on his lips even now to combat anything the enemy throws his way”.  At that moment, the peace of God covered me and I was set to go.

After a very long night, (contractions didn’t stop, doctors told me ALL the Horrible things that could happen if my child was born at this stage and after projectile vomiting of McDonald’s french fries in a freezing cold room) they had given me all the medication allowed.  I said – let me have this baby, he will be fine.  And 2 hours later, Brent Matthew was born, 18 1/4″ long, 4 pounds and 15.75 ounces and he was “every whit whole”.  (a month earlier, as I went for prayer at church for my aunt – a lady in the church began to pray for my baby.  She looked me in the eye and said “this baby will be every whit whole, do you understand me?  Every whit whole!)

Brent only needed to learn how to suck a bottle because his sucking reflexes had not come in yet.  What a blessing and what a miracle.  As we sat by his crib in NICU, all I could think about was that the little babies in there were fighting for their lives because their mother’s wanted them and across town somewhere, little babies were being killed because their mothers did not. 

The following weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, I was able to bring Brent home and by the time he went for his first check up, he was 7 pounds!  The doctor said – “I do not consider him premature!”.  Of course he didn’t.

Neither did I.

Sunday after church and lunch out, we packed our boys and their things into Brent’s car for them to head back to school.  They had just turned the corner when we spotted Brent’s dorm keys.  It was raining and Randy ran them outside.  All was quiet and we were sad.  I do not understand when I hear parents say that they cannot wait for their children to leave home!  Although, we are enjoying the quietness and CLEANNESS of our home, we still miss our boys.  We are proud of them and we are excited at their future.  And yes, we do want them to leave in order to become who they are.  But there will always be a part of me that misses tucking them in at night, praying over them and the times when they came crashing into our bed in the mornings.  Motherhood is for life, but moving from everyday “hands on” mothering to phone calls and visits isn’t easy.  I treasure the phone calls and especially our one on one times.  I am so thankful to have great relationships with both my boys.  Only 2 and 1/2 weeks more and I will see them again, for a short time anyway!  :)