My baby turns 11 today! How is that possible?? I don’t feel old enough to have my youngest child be that old! And to put a different perspective on it- my youngest brother was 11 when my twins were born! Crazy how time flies. I had so many people tell me that when I was a young mom deep in the trenches of babies and toddlers, but I don’t think I really believed them?
Anyway, I’ve been spending the morning reflecting on the day Lindy came into our lives and what my expectations were for that day and for my life in general. Looking back, I can see a little glimpse now of what God had planned…
So, to give you a background-
I’m a planner and I always had a plan for my life. I was going to get married in my early 20’s and have my first baby by 25, pop out a few more over the next few years and have this lovely large family of blond, blue-eyed children. Basically, I wanted to recreate the family my siblings and I had! I come from a fairly large family (there were 5 of us kids) and everybody in the family (aunts and uncles) also has lots of kids, minimum 3. I had 20+ cousins on both sides of my family!
Enter real life-
I got married at the ripe old age of 21 (I thought I was so old and mature!) and had the twins at 22 after a horrible pregnancy full of many medical issues. Reece (my autistic son) had some physical challenges (low muscle tone), but after a year of physical therapy, he seemed fine. So, when the twins were on the verge of 3 years old, we decided it was time for another. I got pregnant right away and spent the next 8 months in virtual pregnancy hell. I had worse complications than I had with the twins (complications with hyperemesis gravidarum) and I was more than happy to see that pregnancy come to an end! So, on March 23 after 18 hours of pitocin induced labor and an emergency c-section, Lindy Sue came into the world! And I tell ya, I should never question God or try to give Him orders because He knows what He is doing! He gave us the exactly perfect child. She was my saving grace!
You see, during my last trimester, Reece was showing signs of autism and over the weekend that I was in the hospital having Lindy, he completely flipped. I came home to a blank-eyed boy who wouldn’t sleep, ran around stimming all day and who quit playing with his twin. It was crazy and heart-breaking and depressing and horrible. But, I had a little beautiful baby who rarely cried, was always happy, was completely easy going and who was my bright spot in a suddenly dark and confusing world.
Lindy grew up to be have strawberry blond hair (a total surprise inherited from her great-great-aunt!) and bright blue eyes. She is her sister’s best friend and my baby girl. She’s shy around others, but a total ham at home, full of one-liners, just like her dad. She’s not what I had pictured all those years ago when I was telling God how things were going to be! Nope, God taught me another lesson (He’s all too good at that!) and blessed me with kids that I needed, not the kids that I wanted.
So, on this day, March 23, 2017, I’m giving thanks to Him for the past 11 years with my littlest baby!
What are blessings has God given you that were completely unexpected? Does your family look like you pictured it would?
- Running a Half Marathon- My Thoughts and Training Plan - December 28, 2020
- Growing Tomatoes- Tips and Tricks - April 14, 2020
- How to Plant Tomatoes to Get Maximum Yields - April 11, 2020