My daughter loves to watch birth videos. Yes, I show her birth videos and you may think that's
strange but it happened quite naturally, if you factor in me being a
midwife. Ella does come with me when I do prenatal check ups and she is
always there beside me touching the pregnant belly and playing with my
fetoscope. She often prays for babies in the womb with me. One day I thought I'd show her a water birth video. She was so interested and at one point said, "This is awesome!" We watched them regularly then things began to back-fire. Ella started to verbalize what she was learning. In the grocery store. In a loud voice... "Babies come out woman's vagina!... Mans don't have babies, only womans! Giving birth is hard work!"
One of the best things is when I'm exercising and sweating and grunting from the Jillian Michaels-inflicted pain in my quads and Ella does for me what she observed in birth videos - wipes my forehead with a cloth, brings me water saying, "I know, Ella help you!"
Then things started getting annoying. Anytime we are in a shallow pool, she wants to act out a water birth. She'll say, "I know! Ella catch your baby out!" Sometimes she mixes up the words push and pull, which is hilarious. We have taken a break from birth videos for a while, as I got really tired of pretending to have a baby all the time and her asking me constantly to watch another birth video. Seriously! The girl was becoming obsessed!
There was one side effect for me. I watched so many natural birth videos there for a while that I became especially committed to the idea of having a home water birth, when my time comes! Not sure I could try it another way!
Some of the birth videos have older siblings at the birth and I fantasize about having Ella present when I'm in labor someday. I really, really want to have a baby someday.
I'll update you on that topic. I mentioned a few months back that we might adopt again. Well, (in my best Southern accent) that just ain't goin to happen! It's disappointing and relieving all at the same time. Disappointing because while I hope for a biological child, I also hope for more adopted children. I really love the idea of having two Filipino children but as of now, that doesn't look likely. Long story short, on paper we seemed eligible to adopted domestically from the Philippines because we've lived here for 5 years but in reality we are unable to obtain some of the requirements to prove we are residents. It took us months of research to learn that it's just not going to work. Every door we pushed on didn't open. Our research began to wane when an immigration officer, after he told me there was no way to get the document we needed, laughed at me and said, "What? You can't produce!?" I left his office crying. That was my low point.
Relieving because we don't have to go through a process that is way too complicated than it needs to be, especially for Americans for some reason, and we don't have to put ourselves at the mercy of an unpredictable court system after we receive a child, and I won't have to be grounded, not able to travel outside the country during the process. Honestly, the process we went through for the inter-country process was way simpler, not simple but simpler, and standardized. Even attempting this domestic adoption process was a massive headache. Getting information was SO difficult. Oh the relief!
So for now, we are (still) hoping and praying for a miracle pregnancy. I believe it will happen, I just don't know when. I have recently been encouraged by a few things. The timing of me hearing these things is all God, if you ask me.
We recently were with a friend during Sunday morning worship and we were encouraged to pair up and pray for each other for what we deeply desired to see/receive from the Lord. Me and Andrey paired up with our friend who was with us, a British guy volunteering in Cebu for a while. Naturally, Andrey and I shared our desire for a baby. This guy got so excited and then told us his family's story. His parents tried for 16 years to have children. At one point they had received a prophesy that they'd have a son. Soon after they were pregnant with a girl. A few years later they had a son, our friend who prayed with fervor for us to experience a similar miracle. Yes!
A week later I was at the chiropractor having an adjustment. We casually chatted about nothing on this topic when he told me that his receptionist's sister was told she could never have children but became pregnant at age 45. Apparently she just learned she is pregnant again! At age 48!
So I did a little internet research and found records of lots and lots of woman in their 40s and 50s having babies, many of them their first.
Not that I plan on waiting that long, it does help expand my understanding of what is possible. I may be 37 but I still have lots of time! I will not dwell on my age. I will dwell on what I know is possible.
It's a good thing I'm getting so fit - because after all, "giving birth is hard work!" I will be ready!
One of the best things is when I'm exercising and sweating and grunting from the Jillian Michaels-inflicted pain in my quads and Ella does for me what she observed in birth videos - wipes my forehead with a cloth, brings me water saying, "I know, Ella help you!"
Then things started getting annoying. Anytime we are in a shallow pool, she wants to act out a water birth. She'll say, "I know! Ella catch your baby out!" Sometimes she mixes up the words push and pull, which is hilarious. We have taken a break from birth videos for a while, as I got really tired of pretending to have a baby all the time and her asking me constantly to watch another birth video. Seriously! The girl was becoming obsessed!
There was one side effect for me. I watched so many natural birth videos there for a while that I became especially committed to the idea of having a home water birth, when my time comes! Not sure I could try it another way!
Some of the birth videos have older siblings at the birth and I fantasize about having Ella present when I'm in labor someday. I really, really want to have a baby someday.
I'll update you on that topic. I mentioned a few months back that we might adopt again. Well, (in my best Southern accent) that just ain't goin to happen! It's disappointing and relieving all at the same time. Disappointing because while I hope for a biological child, I also hope for more adopted children. I really love the idea of having two Filipino children but as of now, that doesn't look likely. Long story short, on paper we seemed eligible to adopted domestically from the Philippines because we've lived here for 5 years but in reality we are unable to obtain some of the requirements to prove we are residents. It took us months of research to learn that it's just not going to work. Every door we pushed on didn't open. Our research began to wane when an immigration officer, after he told me there was no way to get the document we needed, laughed at me and said, "What? You can't produce!?" I left his office crying. That was my low point.
Relieving because we don't have to go through a process that is way too complicated than it needs to be, especially for Americans for some reason, and we don't have to put ourselves at the mercy of an unpredictable court system after we receive a child, and I won't have to be grounded, not able to travel outside the country during the process. Honestly, the process we went through for the inter-country process was way simpler, not simple but simpler, and standardized. Even attempting this domestic adoption process was a massive headache. Getting information was SO difficult. Oh the relief!
So for now, we are (still) hoping and praying for a miracle pregnancy. I believe it will happen, I just don't know when. I have recently been encouraged by a few things. The timing of me hearing these things is all God, if you ask me.
We recently were with a friend during Sunday morning worship and we were encouraged to pair up and pray for each other for what we deeply desired to see/receive from the Lord. Me and Andrey paired up with our friend who was with us, a British guy volunteering in Cebu for a while. Naturally, Andrey and I shared our desire for a baby. This guy got so excited and then told us his family's story. His parents tried for 16 years to have children. At one point they had received a prophesy that they'd have a son. Soon after they were pregnant with a girl. A few years later they had a son, our friend who prayed with fervor for us to experience a similar miracle. Yes!
A week later I was at the chiropractor having an adjustment. We casually chatted about nothing on this topic when he told me that his receptionist's sister was told she could never have children but became pregnant at age 45. Apparently she just learned she is pregnant again! At age 48!
So I did a little internet research and found records of lots and lots of woman in their 40s and 50s having babies, many of them their first.
Not that I plan on waiting that long, it does help expand my understanding of what is possible. I may be 37 but I still have lots of time! I will not dwell on my age. I will dwell on what I know is possible.
It's a good thing I'm getting so fit - because after all, "giving birth is hard work!" I will be ready!
3 comments:
Freda, too, went through a stage of acting out the birth scene. I found it delightful. She was at Sam's birth and loved every minute of it. May you be blessed with pregnancy and more children!
sorry about the adoption door closing for now, love. :( Can you do the same process you did with Ella, again?
I laughed pretty hard at the incessant birth reenactments, and the embarrassing public birth talk! Kids are awesome. Riley once announced in the grocery store, "SOMEBODY FARTED," and he was in my wake. So it was obviously me. And there were suddenly approximately twenty people in the aisle we were in so LOTS of people knew I just farted.
It's not birth but it's still funny and embarrassing! lol.
love and baby prayers, as always...
The thought of Ella pretending to be your midwife, assisting you in "your childbirth" and calling out "pull, pull!!" just cracks me up!!! Thanks for this post and the update on the adoption. Disappointed BUT knowing that God is in control. HE orchestrated Ella's adoption and we will not be disappointed in how He brings another child into your family. I get so excited with the thoughts of your next child!!! More grandbabies!!! Yeah!!
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