Cherish My Daughter

"Can God do it again?" I asked myself this question over and over from the moment I realized I was pregnant with Mocha Baby.  I was painfully aware of what a blessing it was to have healthy children.  God had already given me four.  Was I pushing it to expect any more?  If I was faced with special challenges, would I be up to the task with 4 other children to care for?  I knew I'd take the job regardless, but I wondered if I'd be able to do it well. I think I fell prey to this kind of thinking because I was older than 35 when we conceived Mocha Baby, and the pressure to do more prenatal testing and be "extra" careful implied that something could go wrong for us now more than at any other time before.  I appreciated the support if a challenge developed, but I felt robbed of a peaceful pregnancy. I empowered myself by building up my support systems.  I worked at accepting help from my friends.  I hired a doula who offered pregnancy counsel...

I had the worst morning sickness during my pregnancy with this one. I couldn't keep anything down for 7.5 months. Next I suffered from the most horrendous heartburn. I didn't enjoy food again until after Mg2 was born. I felt like I was STARVING all of the time. I wanted to eat and had the same appetite you hear pregnant women have but putting food in my body started a vicious cycle. Even water was the enemy. I had to be hospitalized for fluids. I felt terrible both physically and emotionally and it showed. My face swelled up and darkened in areas. I hated my pregnancy mask. I was irrational and wondered what my baby would be like--I had an evil premonition that something bad was coming out of all of that suffering. Mg2 came early. One of my closest friends was getting married in my home town about 6 hours away. I couldn't imagine missing her wedding so I went to the doctor for advice on whether or not we should make the trip. I was 36 weeks pregnant. He examin...

Happy Birthday HMG!

You are so precious to us, and the change in your hair is proof that nappy hair is misunderstood more than anything.

She's such a blessing AND thank God for all I've learned to keep all this hair on her head!

Thanking God for my beautiful five year old! Her birthday is actually tomorrow, but I have to work for part of the day so we start celebrating today!

Age 11! We started a family tradition several years ago of celebrating our children on their birthdays by granting them the royal privilege of being in charge of the day. We crown our girls queen and our son king on each of their birthdays. We do fun things, eat their favorite foods, and share it all with our far away loved ones online through pictures. We can't believe what a big deal this has become for our children. It's a highlight of the year every time. Head Mocha Girl's birthday fell on a Sunday, our busy worship day, so we're following our tradition today.