I'm an American!

It's been a while since my last blog. My how the time flies by when you're having fun. That's exactly what our family has been having too. A few weeks ago my sweet boys came running upstairs. They were both very excited. Ethan looked at me and with a big grin upon his face he said "Mommy! Me and Bryce are going to heaven!" I assumed he was imagining a trip to heaven. I definitely didn't think he was serious. So I said "Really? When?" And to my surprise his response wasn't what I thought it would be. He informed me that he was in fact very serious. He said that he and Bryce had just asked Jesus into their hearts. I guess because Joe and I were both 9 when we asked Jesus into our hearts I automatically assumed that they were too young. However, after carefully speaking with them and asking them some pretty tough questions. Even meeting with our Pastor at our church, we came to the realization that our little boys are in fact going to heaven. They understand exactly what it means. They understand what it truly means to call yourself a Christian. I could not be more proud of my sweet boys. The day we met with our Pastor we came home and individually asked the boys if they were a Christian. Bryce answered with a proud yes. We made sure he could tell us what it means to be a Christian. Then Ethan came to us. We asked him the exact same question. We said "Ethan, are you a Christian?" And with his big blue eyes he said (very serious) "NO!" Of course I'm shocked. What on earth? We just met with our Pastor, we went over everything, he explained it to us. He told us how we could become a Christian and yet he's not? HUH? So I asked him why not. His response: "Because I'm an American!" I couldn't help but smile. I explained him that when we become saved, we call ourselves Christians. I got the typical "oh" and we moved on. Now they're asking if their grandparents are saved and if their little friends are saved. I pray for my boys that they grow up to be men of God. I pray nightly for their future wives, that they are growing up in Christian homes with values. God has blessed us with His children to call ours but only for a short time. I'm learning that time flies by quickly and to cherish every moment of it.

Joe was ordained

I am so proud of my husband! Just a few weeks ago he received a phone call informing him that he was nominated to be a deacon at our church. It's a funny story too...we along with our best friends were joking that each man would nominate the other. Simply joking! Then we get the phone call. Joe had thought at first that Chad took him seriously and even called to confirm, however, it wasn't Chad! So just a few days passed and Chad got a phone call informing him that he had also been nominated. Coincidence? NOPE! It's a God thing! So, Joe prayed over the decision. He had just told me that he wanted to become more active in our church. It didn't take much prayer before he felt the Lord's calling. On October 11, 2009, Joe (and Chad) were both ordained! It was, by far, the most overwhelming experience. They had something called "Laying on the hands" and that is where all the ordained deacons and ministers come and pray for the newly ordained. To hear these men come and pray over my husband (there were a total of 5 men being ordained and who knows how many praying!) My tears flowed like the Nile river! I am SO PROUD of my husband and to see where he has allowed God to lead him. It is truly an honor to be his wife! Joe does so much for so many. He's always had such an amazing heart, even when he's had every right to be bitter, he's been kind. And to put up with me, well that says a lot! It's very humbling to know that the church looked highly upon Joe as well as myself (as I had to be with him during the interview, whew!) We had our family and some pretty awesome friends there to support Joe on this very special night.

Update..finally!

Life with a newborn has been fun and hectic. School is in good and strong now and the boys are LOVING it. They've already learned numerous Bible verses, their vowels, small math problems, songs, poems, and are learning how to read using phonics and are writing their letters in the upstairs, downstairs, basement form. The school uses the ABEKA curriculum which I love! By the time they're in the 8th grade they will have the same education as a graduating 12th grader. They had their first field trip to the zoo and loved riding on the bus more than anything. I am still just so thankful that God made a way for them at Creekside. I as well as them just love their teacher. I admire her for handling 14 five year olds all day by herself. While we are on the boys, they just love their little sister. They are so wonderful with her. When she cries they go up to her and ask her what is wrong and that they are the big brother and they're there to help her. Speaking of the "little sister." Maggie is doing just great. She's getting bigger everyday. We took her to her one month check up and she has gained 3 pounds. I just love playing dress up with her. She's just so beautiful. She is already a daddy's girl. As soon as Joe comes home from work, her eyes get so big and she's looking all over until she finds him and then she just grins. She definitely has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Oh, and about Joe...this Sunday, Joe is being ordained as a deacon at our church. We got the phone call just a few weeks ago and was informed that he was nominated. Joe said this is the most humbling thing for him. Not only does he get to serve God but he gets to do it with our best friends (Chad and Sarah, of course just men are deacons.) It's a three year term and one I know he will enjoy. Just to see where we were 6 years ago. We were good people. We went to church on Sunday mornings and that was it. There was no Bible Study or personal devotion time. Ever since I came close to losing my life during labor we decided to give all we have to God because He gave it all for us! Our lives are blessed everyday and all though we may not understand God's blessing at the time we give Him all the praise. So that's our life in a short nutshell. I hope to have more time to update again soon.

She's here!

It's been a hectic last few weeks but I am pleased to announce that on August 17, 2009 at 5:01PM I gave birth to Miss Maggie Grace Wilburn. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. She's absolutely beautiful! Our journey began on Thursday, August 13. I had a scheduled doctors appointment and was having contractions all day. Nothing serious, maybe 10-12 minutes apart. I told the doctor of this and he examined me. Everything was fine and closed but he made the comment to call him Monday morning. He was on call and said he wanted to hear how my weekend went. It was as if he knew something. He said depending on my weekend he might go ahead and induce me since he was on call. So, Friday came and my contractions were coming every 5-6 minutes. So Joe and I made our way to DeKalb Medical and they examined me and I had dilated to 1 and the contractions were still continuous. So the on-call doctor had me walk around for an hour in hopes that I would dilate more. Well, no luck! So I went back home. Then on Saturday I began having contractions every 2-3 minutes apart so back to DeKalb we went. This time they examined me and I was 2 centimeters dilated. Wooo hooo! So the new on-call doctor admitted me. They took me out of triage to an actual labor and delivery room. Got the iv in and got me all hooked up. I was ready to go. This time, my contractions stopped! The on-call doctor made a visit to my room and said she didn't feel comfortable with giving me pitocin to induce labor since she isn't my primary doctor. So we went back home. Then on Sunday, Joe and I went out to eat with his family to celebrate August birthdays. We enjoyed our day and I enjoyed having spontaneous contractions rather than steady ones. On Monday morning I called my doctor just as he ordered. He was quite upset that they even sent me home and told me to get up to DeKalb that we were going to have a baby today! So that's exactly what we did. I checked in at 9:00am. They monitored me for a couple of hours and finally at 12:00PM my doctor came in, asked why they hadn't started pitocin yet and ordered them to do it immediately. I got my blood work back and thankfully my blood was thick enough to enjoy an epidural. The contractions began coming and I was feeling great! The nurses came in and said that the pitocin could have been making Maggie's heart rate drop during contractions and wanted to monitor me more closely. Then the doctor came in. He broke my water and put an internal monitor on her head to make sure the pitocin wasn't making her heart drop. Thankfully it wasn't. She was perfectly fine and as they kept saying "happy!" The next thing I remember is this horrible shooting pain in my back. A pain that came every 3-4 minutes and was quite intense. They gave me an IV drug called Demerol but that didn't work! I was begging for the epidural but the nurses said I had to finish one complete bag of fluids, a bag that was already going and still extremely full. I went from 4 centimeters to 5 in less than 30 minutes. The doctor came in and said to call the anthistesiologist for the epidural. The nurses informed the doctor that hospital protocol is that you must have a bag of fluids before the epidural. My doctor informed the nurses that he knew what protocol was and that HE was THE doctor and he wanted my pain to go away. Thank you Dr. Arshad! So about 5-10 minutes later my best friend, Mr. Epidural, walked through the door. A couple of hours later they examined me and I was ready to go. We had to wait just a few minutes on my doctor as he was delivering another baby. When he came in, they took apart the bed and I pushed twice and out she came. She is the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen. As soon as she cried we heard the boys outside the room giggling. They were so excited to meet their new sister. Once they got me together, Joe went out and got the boys and we were able to share our first family moment together. It was a moment that I will never forget. Of course, it lasted maybe 3 minutes but the greatest 3 minutes. Then the flood gates opened. My mom, dad, Joe's mom and dad, Sarah and Debbie all made their way in to see our little princess. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have friends and family surround us with love and support. I am blessed to have these people in my life! It's been busy around the house but things are starting to get to normal. The boys come in and check the cradle every morning before school to make sure their sister is ok. They enjoy hugging her and loving on her but have made it quite clear that they will not change any poopy diapers. What a journey we are on and how thankful I am to have God leading our way.

And we're off!

This past Monday the boys started their first day of Kindergarten. What a momentous occasion in their little lives. I was quite worried about my little Ethan. The Friday before his little nerves truly got the best of him and as soon as we got to the school for their "mini day" he got sick and had an upset tummy for the remainder of the weekend. We managed to get through it fine but on Monday morning he began complaining of a tummy ache. He used the bathroom and felt much better. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for myself. I was so worried about my babies (who have informed me that they're big boys, not babies!) Joe and I made the 15-20 minute drive to Creekside Christian Academy, parked the car and walked our "big boys" into their classroom. Both boys went in with huge smiles on their faces and began talking with their teacher. No hugs or kisses for mommy and daddy just a reassuring smile that they were fine. Joe and I walked away both in tears. I find myself tearing up right now. I just think back to the day they were born. A day that I didn't even get to enjoy completely due to my illness as well as theirs. A day that I didn't even get to hold them. And now, here they are, 5 1/2 years later, perfectly healthy boys and starting Kindergarten. Where has the time gone? I am so proud of my boys. They are so smart, well behaved and have manners better than most teenagers/adults. It's been very quiet around the house but I've managed to get things in order and have them stay that way. As this week has come to an end, the boys are really enjoying school and they just love their teacher. I am so thankful that God allowed the doors at Creekside to open and accept our boys into the school.

On another note things are taking off in the Wilburn household. I have 3 due dates. August 30, 31 and September 2. We're now going on the August 31 due date. However, due to my blood clotting disorder, my wonderful doctor has agreed to induce me on August 25 at 8:00am in the morning. I am so excited. I am a planner and this to me is great news! Not to mention I didn't want to take the chance of having an on call doctor deliver me. My doctor knows all of my history and was the one to diagnose me with Factor V Leiden. I asked him if I could go into labor on a night when he is on call and he said that sounded like a wonderful idea. I'm nervous about the whole inducing process but looking forward to (hopefully) enjoying an epidural this time. We had two doctor appointments yesterday. The first being at my high risk specialist where they did an ultrasound and took measurements. The first set of measurements they took, she said that Maggie looked to be very small. As in the 9th percentile small. She started telling us that we would have to come in once a week for measurements to confirm that she is growing the way she should. Then I asked her if the measurements could be wrong so she got a better angle of her head and jumped to the 30th percentile. She's weighing in at 5 pounds 15 ounces so almost 6 pounds (and their measurements are almost exact!) They say the baby usually gains a 1/2 a pound a week so by the 25th she could be weighing close to 7 pounds. For most that probably sounds average or small but for me, it scares me! Ethan was 4 pounds and Bryce was 5 so adding 2 pounds is a big difference to me! I know that God is good and He never gives us more than we can handle so I'm not worried. The nursery is just about complete. I've had two wonderful showers given by three of the greatest ladies in my life and I have two more this weekend. I'm not sure why so many people feel the need to want to throw us a shower but there will never be enough words to thank them. Joe and I had nothing! NADA! We have been so blessed. Maggie's nursery is near complete thanks to the thoughtfulness of others. So that's really about it. I will do my best to keep everyone updated on the arrival of Maggie Grace. Please keep us in your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

Yippee

Last night we had orientation for the boys new school. Bryce was beyond excited whereas Ethan was a little hesitant. We get there and have an assembly where every couple minutes Bryce asked how much longer until he got to meet his teacher. We had already prepared the boys that they probably weren't going to be in the same class with each other. Something I was more worried about than anyone. I had requested them to be in the same class only this year due to all the changes in our lives that was taking place. They are changing schools and adding hours to their days. They are getting new Sunday School teachers, new Children's Choir teachers, Preschool Praise is starting up after a summer break and lets definitely not forget a new baby sister! I think that's so much for them to deal with at such a young age, however, I know my boys well enough to know that they can adapt to any change. Still for me, this was hard. As we walked with our friends to the first of four classrooms we noticed quickly that they weren't going to be in the same class with their dear friend Emily. A huge disappointment to both of our families but we continued down the hallway. We came to the second room where several friends were together but not our boys. We came to the third classroom and still...neither one of the boys were listed. At this point I'm almost in tears due to excitement. We approached the final classroom and the last two names on the list was Bryce Wilburn and Ethan Wilburn! PRAISE GOD! Our boys are together again. We met their new teacher and she seems extraordinary. She has a wonderful, bubbly personality and has a child in the same age so as a parent, she can relate to the other parents. I am so thankful for the gifts God has blessed us with. Here we were just a few short weeks ago, on a waiting list not even knowing if our boys would get in to this amazing school and now. God is so good.

34 weeks and counting

Wow, I wished I could say that time has flown by this pregnancy but finding out at 3 weeks only makes for a very long pregnancy. Adding on all the complications I've had and it adds even more time but it's coming to an end. I had a small scare the other day. I have a blood clotting disorder called Factor Five Leiden or Leiden Factor Five and basically when I have any added hormones in my body I am more susceptible to blood clots. During my pregnancy with the boys I developed a DVT and nearly lost my life and not too long ago a 23 year old woman lost her life to a blood clot just weeks after giving birth to her son so as you can see this is a very serious thing. I've been taking a blood thinner pretty much the entire pregnancy which drastically reduces my chances, however, it's still a possibility (and a very scary one at that.) With that being said I've been having a good amount of pain in my right leg (a classic symptom of a DVT) and thought it would be best to call my doctor. My doctor said he didn't think it was a DVT but to put both of our minds at ease to come in and be examined. So, thankfully I have an awesome husband, Joe came home and together we went to the doctor. He did a quick exam and praise God, no clot...just a very low baby girl sitting on not one but TWO nerves! She is so low that she is literally sitting on a nerve that goes down my right leg and she's also on my sciatic nerve causing lower back pain. Although it's extremely uncomfortable, I would much rather have heard this than a blood clot. I have another appointment next week and it's been suggested by one of the ladies that works in the office to ask for a scheduled induction. Only due to my previous history and of course my Factor Five Leiden. Please keep us in your prayers as sleep is becoming a thing of the past and the discomfort level is at an all time high. Joe is still recovering from his surgery so we look like two peas in a pod when we go out (he in his cast and me and my belly.) We joke all the time. He'll say try wearing a 5 pound boot all the time and I'll say try adding a 20 pound belly. Even through it all, we still give God all the Glory. We know that a child is a blessing and the end result is worth it all.