Saved by God -- through his Dog

Baby sleeps. I am in the kitchen. High pitched screams come from the corral, where the children are helping their cousin with the cattle. I wonder why the screams. Again. I look up. This sounds wrong! I see Daniel's worker come hurrying to the house. I see Jessica come running, screaming something as she comes. I grab my cell phone and hurry toward the corral, as fast as a woman two weeks after a c section is allowed to go. Thoughts tumble through my head. Who is hurt now??? A few days after baby was born Jessica cut her finger, then Timothy developed an infection on his arm, and what now?

"The cow kicked Joseph!" she screams.

O dear God, no! Why now? How bad? Even before I reach the corral, I fumble with my phone, dialing the ER number. I just had the feeling it was that bad. I call Daniel too, who had just gone out for a moment. I get there, and there he lies on the concrete inside the corral, dirty and pale, and having a hard time breathing. I call to him through the fence. He looks at me. Good. I talk to him, he responds. Very good. I tell him to stay still, try to relax and keep breathing. "Keep your eyes open". In just a matter of minutes the first emergency responder arrives. Is it just coincidence that he was visiting the neighbor who lives next door from us? I like to think not. He is a family friend and knows Joseph very well, so this is wonderful. He checks his vitals and says they are good, and is able to keep him calm. But his painful breathing and hurting ribs tell us we need to have him taken to be x-rayed. I walk close to Joseph, take his hand and tell him I am very proud of him. He is a good and tough boy, and to remember that whatever happens to him, mommy loves him very much. Within what feels like too long of a time, the ambulance arrives. At this time I go to the house, getting this instinctive feeling that I need to check on baby, who screams at the top of her little lungs so I pick her up, trying to calm her down, or letting her calm me down as well. I hold her close as I look out the window, knowing there is nothing else I can do for my boy except pray. I see him being carried on the stretcher to the ambulance. It hurts. It makes you wonder why things like this need to happen. It makes me want to appreciate him so much more all of a sudden, and realizing what if it is too late?.... Perhaps this is why moments like this happen; to make us realize how precious the short time is that we have with our children. It could be the last anytime.

Daniel accompanies him to the hospital, which is about a 20 minute drive. 

I ask a dear friend to come over and spend the time with me, as I fear it will be a long evening. She comes and is a big comfort to me. It does not take too long for us to hear good news: no broken bones, and he is coming home! I thank the Lord. He has been so good to us once again.

Now for some more details. Joseph stands close to a door in the corral, and there is one cow in that area. He does not see the cow coming on, but all of a sudden feels the head in his stomach, pushing him against the boards of the corral. The cow does not let go, but continues for a while to 'knead' him, pushing all breath from him. He tells me at this point he had thought he was just going to die right there. Then, his dog barks fiercely at the cow. Little did we know when we got that little pup for him this year, that he would play such an important part in this event. This deterred the cow, and allowed our cousin to grab through the fence and pull Joseph to safety on the other side. He worked with him to get him to breathe, as it was a struggle at first. He has some bruises on his back that he received from being forced against the corral, and he still has some pain as he moves out of bed. We are watching his appetite, and need to keep an eye on him just to make sure there are no serious internal issues.

I asked him if he had been ready to die, and he said yes, he is ready all the time. ARE WE??? O to have the faith of a little child! For now, I appreciate him a little more, and am so happy I have the chance to tell him that--again. 

(See a photo of him with his dog by the corral)

The first two weeks

 The first two weeks have gone by. Time does not stand still. I am trying to adjust amidst all the poopy diapers, night feedings, and sore nipples. That sounds terrible, but it really isn't. I am enjoying every aspect of mothering all over again! (Except for the sore nipples, that is) Here are some shots of what has transpired during those first two weeks of blissful mothering...

 For the first time, I was out of the hospital in just over 24 hours after major surgery. Once home I thought it was a bad idea because of the additional pain, but as soon as I crept into my own bed that first night at home I knew it was the best idea ever. No three days at the hospital like I was used to. I went up to our bedroom, and that is where I stayed put for 4 days. It felt wonderful to be served by some very willing servants, who really enjoyed doing errands for me. Here Jessica serves me breakfast, and below Timothy shares special snack time with mommy.

That food tasted awful good those first few days, like it always does after a new baby. We have been so blessed to have been showered with meals and baked goods for these first two weeks; one realizes what a wonderful community we live in, and how wonderful it is to have family around...

How I enjoyed a romantic meal for two, when Daniel joined me in our bedroom! He was so ready to make me the sweet tea I so enjoyed. I tried to eat with him or with one of the kids most mealtimes, just to make everyone feel included. My baby sister was here to look after the children when Daniel was unavailable. She was also a huge help in keeping the house clean. Thank you Nancy!

Friendly room service, always appreciated.

 Guess who ended up lying in bed with me for a bit! My big helper cut her thumb and needed a few stitches so she was exempt from doing dishes for a week. thankfully she is all healed up by now...

 No words necessary here! I love this new daughter of mine, a whole lot!

 

 I have lots of fun dressing her in clothes Jessica used 9 years ago! I never could part with them, and they sure come in handy now.

 Fresh flowers were brought to me out of love. It made me feel special indeed.

Big sister has waited so long for a baby sister, and although we could never promise her one, God has answered our prayer for a little sister for her. Thank you God!

So, there you have it. I am thoroughly enjoying motherhood all over again, and am so happy God saw fit to make me a mother one more time!

Meet Victoria Hope

 Meet our new daughter, Victoria Hope, Born on May 14.

7 lbs 13 oz.

She is such a joy to have. We are blessed beyond measure.

All siblings are doting on her, delighted to finally have her here. As are her mommy and daddy!

I know many of you have been waiting to hear news of her birth and how it would turn out. Let me just say a few things but give you the details later! She was born via surgery in the hospital after about 5 hours of laboring at home which was monitored by a certified midwife. The surgery was necessary, and we are so thankful for the medical world that is ready to handle complications like ours. As I said, we are blessed beyond measure, and thankful for a healthy baby and safe birth.

Our Sunday

 We had a great Sunday! First of all we went to Rosa's for breakfast. I love that place for breakfast. They serve  Belizean,  Mexican, and American breakfast there. They have some great foods for other meals as well at great prices, so its well worth a visit...in fact, I took Joseph there yesterday for a cherry coke float and a chocolate cappuccino latte blizzard. How does that sound for Belize?

 After that we had planned to go to Cahal Pech Maya Ruins in San Ignacio, but then it rained. Blessed first rain after the dry season! So, we went back home and enjoyed some games. After lunch it had dried enough that we figured we could still go, so we did. I was hoping all that climbing would help bring on labor, but then, I wasn't feeling very mobile at all! I feel like the clumsiest lady in the world. I still had fun.

How come you can't see how fat a belly is on a photo??? I am sure I look worse than that in real life!

The children had fun; what better place to explore than all those spooky  vaults and tunnels and stairs to climb...

Our Home

 Here is the long promised post on the "new" house we moved to. It took a while because it took a while to get every room organized, then it took a while longer for this preoccupied mama to get to taking the photos... Let's start with a tour of the farm, and then we'll move inside the old farmhouse.

This is our mansion. the biggest house we've ever lived in! It was made for a family of fourteen, Daniel's, so it has plenty of room for a family of five, uh, six...

Me thinks this house will see a thorough cleaning from the outside very soon, and perhaps a fresh coat of paint within a year or two. It could surely use one. 

We managed to get one cat moved this way when we came; this is the most important one, and now she will have babies soon, which is giving my daughter quite an exciting event to look forward to. 

This would be my husband's domain. I could safely say this shed was one of the biggest reasons for us moving here. It is awesome to have him working at home more often, and the boys love it.

 A carport is such a necessary thing in Belize, especially after you have gotten used to one! It also houses our grill, and is a perfect place to have a family get together or for the kids to play in on a rainy day.

The back of the house. Notice the reservoir; it catches rain water during the rainy season so we don't have to just use water pumped from the river. A nice change from the previous place.

  I have such a great place to wash and hang my laundry from the small veranda. I do not have a dryer, but even if I did, I am way too country not to hang my laundry on washlines in the dry season.

 The front yard. Its kind of hard to see in this photo, but there is a swing under one of the rain trees. It is a lovely place to just sit and relax, and especially when the moon is out at night.

 

 A little flower bed I love puttering around in when I feel like it. Just removing and adding what suits my taste, and weeding and watering it. If I weren't this pregnant I would feel like planting flowers a whole lot more around this place, since it has lots of potential for plants. It will come, but first comes baby...

 The veranda off to the east of the house. This is where my table and chairs has found a home, and it also is a very relaxing place to enjoy a cool breeze when there is one.  Nowadays I prefer the AC room though, as it is starting to go up into the 90s. Whew! 95 F and high humidity makes an almost 8 months pregnant woman very willing to hang out in a cool room.

 My spools have also found a lovely spot to offer us some special moments, or when I need a break from gardening.

The garden is getting ready for a season of sweet corn. A garden I have to have if possible, no matter how pregnant I am.

 This is a look out from the second story, and you can see the huge orchard plus the outhouse on the right. You can tell that the trees and grass are starting to turn browner, which is a sure sign we have hit the dry season.

OK, that was the outside; now let's go inside, shall we?

 My kitchen and dining area. I really do like it a lot. Very spacious and lots of windows. See Joseph juicing some grapefruits in the left corner? We probably have more grapefruits on the trees than we could eat in a lifetime.We are freezing some juice and drinking lots of it.

 The living room. I am seriously considering replacing the age old curtains; let's see how much I will need to find to do to fill my time with in the next few weeks.

 Jessica' bedroom. Purple, of all things! She likes it, so what does it matter. And you don't need to tell me that a blue and pink blanket does not belong in a purple room...I already know that, but am not going to make a new blanket only for that reason.

 This is the upstairs middle open area. My wallhanging has found its place here.

The computer desk also sits in this area.

 The boys at play in their room. This one works out real well. Now all the toys are in this room, and that is where they are required to stay. It is very roomy, so lots of space to build their farms and log cabins and lego structures. Having such a huge farm really works wonders in keeping the house more tidy as well, as they spend lots of time outside.

 Our bedroom. Can you guess the theme is eagles? :) 

 We even have a guest room! Something we have not exactly had the privilege of having before. It is small, but big enough. We are getting ready to have my youngest sister from Winnipeg come visit us and help out once baby gets here. Looking forward to it!

That was a quick tour of this old farm and house. There would have been more, but this will have to do for today. I am very contented and happy to be living here, even though some people have said they feel sorry for me having to put up with such an old house. Once you have seen a lot worse, this is a wonderful place! I think it has been very well maintained, and with a little bit of careful decorating can turn into quite a lovely and comfy home. 

Come and visit sometime!

Pregnancy Update at 7 months

 I know some of you have been waiting to see me pregnant again, so here I am! At 7 months. I finally got to getting some photos taken by my daughter. My sister sent me this little peach dress from Taiwan. It is such a cool and comfy dress for the hot days.

 Things have been going well, or as can be expected, I guess. I am trying to keep sugar and white flour down, and exercise up, and it seems to be paying off.

 As for the birth, many of you know of my desire to birth this one natural, as has been the desire for all three so far, but never happened yet. This time I have a wonderful midwife, and we are considering what options we have. We are just happily looking forward to this birth and trusting in the Lord to open the way for us He wants us to take. I don't want any selfish desires on my part, but only what's best for baby and myself, and for the family. We will know in about 2 months how things turn out; you will be sure to hear from me then!

From the mouth of a three year old

Those three year olds are always entertaining, aren't they? Here he was sweeping the puddle when I asked him what he was doing. He was just "sweeping it so it wouldn't be so full"!

Here are some more sentences for kicks..:

"When will I be bigger than Daddy?"

"Is my mouth bigger than a dinosaurs' mouth?"

When told he was a Banman, (from his mommy's side), yet only wanting to be something his daddy is, he wants to know, "Is Daddy a Banman too?" 

 "No, he's not." 

"Well, then I'm not a Banman either".