I’m turning 35 this weekend and I guess that birthdays are beginning to make me a little nostalgic these days. Then again, I have often found myself thoughtful and nostalgic this past year!
I’ve had an interesting life, very basic in many ways, but looking at it in light of all that goes on in the world these days I realize just how blessed I truly am! I lived a fairly simple, basic childhood – sure we moved around a lot, but my parents stayed together so things were pretty much always the same. I didn’t go off the deep end during my teenage years, didn’t even do much rebelling. Met the man that I wanted to marry when I was 18 – married him when I was 21 and we are still actually happily married.
I have developed a bit of a large medical history over the last 12 years though. It started getting a little complicated a couple of months before our first son was conceived when they discovered that I had a detached retina (I was 22 years old!). So I ended up having my very first surgery in my life – and 1 week later found out that I was pregnant with our first child. I spent the next 8 months worried that there would be something wrong with my baby until finally we moved back to our stomping grounds and I had to switch midwives. My first visit to my new Midwife I mentioned that I still had concerns and for the first time someone looked me in the eye and said that if any of that medication had gotten to him at all, I would not still be pregnant! Sure enough, he was born (9 DAYS LATE MIND YOU) a very healthy 10 lb baby!
Since then I have had many more medical adventures and many more children – in fact it was getting to the point when any time I had a procedure done of any kind the family would ask me continually thereafter when I would be announcing my next pregnancy! Silly people!
I remember one visit to a dentist not long after our fourth son was born – they were trying to convince me to have my wisdom teeth removed (just for fun). I actually looked squarely at the hygienist and simply said – I have had 3 surgeries, 4 children and many medical procedures in the last 8 years – to which the hygienist kind of grinned sheepishly and said “Ok then”. I do not see how electively deciding to remove my wisdom teeth which don’t bother me a lick is even a reasonable request in my current situation – I just have to laugh!
So, here I am with 6 boys – another mystery of life, but maybe I’ll go into that another time. We never expected to have 6! Four was our plan – God knew better! I never underestimated him though and I’m very thankful for that – after 4 boys people would always ask if we would try again for that girl or if we were planning on having any more and I would always respond that although we weren’t planning on having any more I’m not God.
As unexpected as it is to have that many sons – I love them! Each one has brought such joy and uniqueness into our family. Sure they can be trouble, annoying, messy (oh so messy!) and overwhelming sometimes, but they are a joy.
The twins – our surprises – are such an unbelievable joy to me! I love watching them every day and enjoy their adorable and completely unique personalities. It is amazing to me just how much personality a one year old has! Say the word peekaboo around here and the room breaks out in the sound of babies slapping their heads to play – this is just one of the many adorable things they do.
Recently finding out that the twins are identical simply proved to us once again God’s amazing sense of humor. But it also reminded us how well he knows each of us! He knew that we needed these babies and that we needed two of them – though I may still not be sure why – he knows!
To end my rambling – though I cannot imagine anyone reading this far – I simply want to say that I am very thankful for all of the gifts that I have been given.