Hannah Faith

Finally, she's here, we're home and life is settling back into a routine! Hannah Faith arrived after a difficult and scary labor. Her arrival has tested and built our faith in so many different ways. I have never felt so lucky in all my life. My babies are perfect, and life is good!
It took my husband and I over a year to get pregnant. Just as I gave up, we were blessed to find out we had a baby on the way! Then, through the first trimester, I was on bed rest and constantly warned by my OB to take it easy for miscarriage was likely. After that were the twice weekly NSTs that lasted until the end of pregnancy. It was a long road. But we made it. September 20th we went to RACH to be induced. I was 1 cm dilated, so they gave me meds to get things going. After 13 hours at 1 cm, my body just basically erupted! I went from 1 to 10 in 2 hours and 36 minutes, and have never been in so much pain in all my life! Never! Towards the end, I developed a fever and just felt horribly. Finally, a nurse came in because our baby's heart rate was dropping substantially during each contraction. Once we commenced with delivery, the OB discovered her heart rate was dropping because the cord was wrapped around her neck, and was in a perfect knot further up! Thankfully, baby Hannah arrived and was healthy! So many scares, but such a blessing!

Waiting

Recently, many changes have come our way. Our baby girl is due September 23rd, but it has been predicted that she will arrive early (if we even make it to our induction date)...each day I wait. So many days I feel like she will be here any day now, and other days I am so lost in thought and the other daily challenges that I feel like we have the full two and a half weeks left! I know that's not the case, but life clouds our minds and keeps us unfocused (or overly focused).
Being finished with my degree program, but not pursuing employment or any other professional endeavors is so difficult for me. I feel lost. I've come to realize I have a passion for learning, and passion to continue my education, and to provide education to others. Thus, I have changed my degree focus from Social Work to Special Education. I found a graduate degree offered through Texas Tech in Special Education with a focus on Autism, which is perfect for me! Thus, I am studying to take my GRE so I can apply and hopefully get accepted. I am also STILL waiting on all of the audits to be completed for my undergraduate degree to be sent out...it's a long and arduous process obviously, but should not be much longer!
After over a year, we are finally making some headway with Caleb. It took us over a year to get him diagnosed fully, find a provider, and develop both an IEP and care plan for him. Now if only we could get the schools to work with us, and have a little extra patience to plan and make the bi-weekly trips to his therapist (which is quite a haul) and change our lives to fit his needs. It's not easy. It's trying, it's frustrating, and it's even nerve-wrecking. But it is for my son, and that means I will do anything...I am just optimistic that things will improve. Because as we go farther along into the school year and his adolescence, his symptoms are exacerbating.
And Army life is just as trying as ever...with appointment as the new UMO, TDY orders are tangible and many new changes are coming up. I am thankful he will be here for Hannah's arrival, but fear he is going to miss a great deal of her first years...I suppose that is what we signed up for, as I understand he must serve our nation, protect our country, and defend the freedoms of others as well...but it's not always an easy reality to swallow.