Griffin Dale (the entry that took two months to write)

I've been wanting to write about Griffin's birth story for WEEKS now. I have found a free hour to record the happenings of July 2012.

Griffin Dale Demarest was born on July 7, 2012. It was a Saturday. My sister Liz and her family were staying at our house for the weekend. I was really looking forward to having a free day to spend with her and our husbands and kids. I was 34 weeks pregnant. Doctor appointments were showing that there was reason to take things easily, and don't push it. Well, no one had said bed rest yet, so I decided I would continue to get our house ready for the "For Sale" sign. And I was still going to venture to the city with Liz and the families. Our plan was to go to Sam's Club and lunch, send everyone home for naps while the two of us went to Hobby Lobby. Pumped!

I got up from the kitchen table to start cleaning up the breakfast Andy had helped me prepare. During our preparations I told Andy that I felt great! If the Smith family reunion were that very day, I would go and have a good time. An hour later I was standing in the kitchen after my water broke, six weeks early. I was not scared. I wasn't worried. I gave an apologetic look to Liz, and told Luke we needed to go to the hospital. We hurriedly packed some things (forgetting our camera), and drove to the hospital. Andy came to our rescue an hour later by driving our camera to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 10 am. We sat and chatted and watched "The Walking Dead" marathon--a very boy thing to watch. Around 2 pm my doctor came, removed the stitch, checked the baby's position, and decided we would schedule a c-section for Sunday morning at 8. Griffin was breech. I wasn't having contractions yet, but I knew once I did, it would not be long at all before he was born. I hoped that our c-section would move up to Saturday night, and I wouldn't have to experience labor pains. From 5-7 the contractions started and got stronger, and my doctor decided to start things up at 8pm. Griffin was born at 8:20 pm. I thought the c-section was horrible. I felt so nauseous. When Griffin was born he was crying loudly. Luke watched them clean him up, and then whisk him away to the NICU. We got to see him again around midnight. I was too tired to see him long, so we went to our room, slept, and spent the next two days recovering and seeing Griffin as often as we could.

Griffin is a miracle; every baby is. He was planned and prepared by God, and this is why I was never worried or scared. On July 7, after my water broke, I thought, "OK. He'll be here six weeks early, he'll be in the NICU for a little bit, but he will come home with me some time soon after. He will be ok. We are far enough along. My heart can rest assured in God's care because I have not been in control of one little thing through Griffin's whole life. It has been God's timing and God's way." I'm so thankful I spent that day in the arms of God's peace.

 

I think Griffin was born at just the right time. Nobody wants to have a preemie baby, or a baby that needs to be in the NICU, but I still think God's hand was in Griffin's early arrival.

• A c-section requires lots of rest and relaxation to recover well. Since Griffin was in the NICU, and I was with him all day, most days, for two weeks, I was able to sit in a really big chair and do practically nothing. That was great for my recovery.


• Griffin was born in early July instead of the middle of August. Luke's BUSY time at work is the middle of August. It would have been so ridiculous if Griffin was born when he was due. Luke would have been able to take very little time off.

• I knew that I was going to need lots of help with the kids when Griffin was born, and immediately after he was born. My sister and mom were here the weekend he was born. Luke was able to be home with our girls for the next two weeks--the two weeks that Luke's mom (our usual babysitter) was not able to help out with childcare. Then when Luke had to go back to work, Grandma Jo and Grammie were available whenever I needed them. My mom did come visit us for about four days at the beginning of August and was a huge help.

Because I know God's timing was absolutely perfect with Griffin's birth, I am relying on that to help me rest and trust God as we are trying to sell our house.
Oh, our house. That is a whole other issue.
Our time in the NICU was challenging and emotional. But, everything is emotional the first few weeks after baby comes. We are so thankful Griffin got well so quickly, and was home with us after just two weeks. Praise God!
We are so in love with Griffin. He is beautiful, and is a great baby. He sleeps really well, and isn't fussy. We love his name.
Griffin: because it was a cool sounding name that we could agree on. Unique enough and common enough.
Dale: because it is a family name on my side of the family, and because it sounds a little bit like Ardell. Ardell is Luke's middle name, and his dad's middle name, and his dad's middle name, and his dad's middle name...  I felt a little strange about stopping the tradition, but neither one of us loved that name, so Dale it is.
Griffin Dale sounds really cool too. I think it sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter*. (*Gryffindor...am I right or am I right?)
Here are a few birth pictures to look over.
Thank you, God for a healthy baby boy! Thank you for your care and provision of a healthy, long enough pregnancy. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you, God, for all of the prayer warriors far and near--more than I will ever know. How AMAZING to know that each of my children were prayed for and loved fervently...all FOUR of them.
We are so incredibly blessed.