He Amazes Me!

With all the prayers through this pregnancy I really shouldn't be surprised that the Lord answered all our prayers perfectly, but I really am in awe of how He brought it all together. I'll admit that there were times that I started to worry and times that I got impatient, but in spite of that God still took care of it all over and above what we ever imagined.

First of all there was the question of having someone to stay with the other kids. My mother in law volunteered and it was wonderful that she had the freedom to have an open ended stay with us. I don't think that she figured on staying as long as a week and a half, but we're so thankful that she did! There were rough times and tired eyes, but we thank the Lord for this first answer to prayer.

Next was the dilemma of the doctors in Kindersley saying that we would need to go to Saskatoon. Once again the Lord came through. I wasn't sure how I would know exactly the right time and was concerned with all the cold and wind we were having. There were lots of ups and downs as I had close to 2 weeks of off and on contractions and also the tendonitis issues with my knee. I wasn't completely sure that I was doing the right thing when we got in the car on the 15th of January to make the trip to the hospital. It was super windy and Scott was tired. It wasn't a lot of blood I'd seen and was second guessing myself. I prayed that the Lord would send the contractions at least as close as 5 minutes apart and harder to help confirm that we were indeed supposed to be going to the hospital. He did just that:). We arrived and there was a question about whether I was planning to go the city. I told the nurse that I'd like to get checked first. The nurse that took me in remembered helping with Kiersten's delivery, which was super fast and there wasn't any more question of going to the city. They checked and I was between 5 and 6. About an hour later I was closer to 8. The dr. came in about 1:30, checked to see where I was at and asked if I wanted the water broken. We said yes and it went quite fast from there. I think it was 15 minutes, 3 contractions, one LONG push and we were looking at our newest blessing-Samuel Ironside Holloway! Everyone was amazed at the size of the baby that made it's exit from my body:). They all wanted to see how much this guy weighed! He weighed in at 9lbs 10 ozs! He was 21 inches long and had hands and feet that surpassed the size of Garrison's when he was born. We used to call Garrison "Big Paws" because his hands were so big.

All of those who helped with the delivery were amazing and God answered another prayer when I heard the Dr. say that I wouldn't need stitches. This is the first one I've not torn badly enough to need them with. It has really made a huge difference in how I felt after delivery too. There weren't any bathroom issues and we were allowed to come home shortly after supper on the same day Samuel was born! We slept really well that night and the two little girls were super happy that I came home and brought the baby too! They had come to visit the hospital shortly after breakfast and there were some tears from the little ones because they wanted mommy and baby to come home with them.

So far the transition from 5-6 hasn't been too rough. My father in law came to reclaim his wife on Friday:). They both went home shortly before lunch and Scott headed into town to do some errands while I laid down with the little ones. We had a normal "somewhat noisy" evening as a family tonight. There was Pillow stuffed under shirts "sumo wrestling", which Kiersten and Addie thoroughly enjoyed being a part of:). Who wouldn't enjoy getting to bang their pillow stuffed bellies against their siblings til one of them fell down:))). Quite funny actually. Samuel slept through it all, which is probably the wonderful side effect of being used to hearing them when he was inside my belly.

Samuel is adored by all the kids and is enjoying all the loving kisses of any who pass by. Addie still points at my belly and says baby sometimes, but then runs to my door and points at it saying baby too. She adjusted much better than I thought she would to his presence and to my holding him. I try to read to the other kids while he's nursing and include them in the joy of holding a newborn throughout the day. There will probably be more adjustments ahead, but so far it's quite wonderful. We look forward to enjoying his "babyhood" as much as possible and pray that the Lord has something special for him as he grows up. We pray that Samuel grows up to love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, strength and mind. We pray that he is willing to do whatever the Lord asks of him and look forward to seeing how the Lord will use this little life to make an impact on those around us.

Heading to bed now with a heart full of thanksgiving for the many undeserved blessings that the Lord has given us. Looking forward to the days ahead and praying for many of my friends that are close to their due dates. Praying that they have many answers to prayers and as little pain in delivery as possible. Focusing on the truth that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"-Phil 4:13.