The First 6 Months of Mommyhood

We've officially survived the first six months of parenthood! I'm not going to lie, guys; it was really rough! I can without hesitation say that lack of sleep makes me a different person. Months 4 and 5 were especially difficult as I was dealing with post-partum depression and I'm just now finally starting to feel like I'm coming out of that dark hole.

Counting Down

Guys, next week is Thanksgiving already! Two weeks after that Robbie's semester will end and he'll take the NBDE part II. Two weeks after that he starts his final semester of Dental School!!! I don't think there can be enough exclamation points on that sentence.

Where did the past 3.5 years go? Didn't we just finish the application and interview process not that long ago? And now we just ordered his Senior photos!

Freaking adorable if I do say so myself.

Two Semesters Left

We're finally here-- the first day of Robbie's 4th year in Dental School! Summer semester was lost in the haze of newborn land. Robbie was able to arrange to have his summer break (yes... two whole weeks! wow!) moved from the end of the summer to the beginning so he would have time off when Jubilee was born. This meant that his first ACTS rotation was moved to the end of the summer instead. He was also able to work it out with the school to have several of his ACTS rotations in or around Fort Collins so we have been able to spend a lot of time with our families.

Update About My Mom

Last August my mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. See my first post about it here. I am excited to share that she is now almost completely done with all her treatment (which included chemo, radiation, surgery, and hormone therapy) and her doctor informed her that they could no longer see any cancer! Since finishing the full chemo treatments, her hair has grown back and she is doing really well. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words over the past year.

Here she is back in April, back to her usual crazy self!

Our Birth Story

PREPARATION:
Before we were even pregnant I knew I wanted to aim for a non-medicated birth. I could write a whole blog post about this topic, but for the sake of keeping this brief(ish), my main reasons were:

1) I wanted the benefits of being able to walk and move around during labor and to birth in whatever position I wanted (ie. not on my back).

2) I wanted to be able to listen to my body's natural pushing cues/rhythm to avoid tearing more than necessary

3) Epidurals can slow down labor, sometimes leading to a cascade of interventions that might have otherwise been avoided (ex. pitocin, vacuum extraction, c-section, etc.).

4) When I weighed the benefit of an epidural (less pain) with the potential risks (drop in blood pressure, severe headache, loss of bladder control, itchy skin, back pain, increased risk of cesarean, etc), I felt that the benefit just wasn't that great.

Spring Semester of 3rd Year

A lot has happened since I last wrote but I want to get this post up that I've had sitting in the queue for several weeks. Robbie's spring semester of 3rd year is over! After a week of finals followed by a week where he had clinic all day, every day, he finally got a break. It was actually his first full week of just doing Dentistry since he started. At CU, they don't get any of their summers off so there are 11 semesters in total (he has now completed 8 of the 11!). It's unbelievable to look back and see how far he has come! It's even more unbelievable that he now has just three semesters to go! The 4th years just graduated at the end of May so I feel like I can officially call him a 4th year Dental Student.

One of the things that made spring semester of 3rd year feel different from previous semesters is that the students started completing restorative competencies. A competency is a graded assessment of different Dental skills you are required to have before you graduate. Each procedure has a certain number of competencies you must complete in order to meet the requirements and before challenging a competency, you have to complete that procedure a certain number of times. For example, the students must complete 7 quadrants (1/4 of a person's mouth) of periodontal scaling and root planing (commonly called a "deep cleaning") and then on their 8th quadrant, they can challenge the competency. For crowns, it's a 4 to 1 ratio.

Typically, you just have one faculty checking off your work but for a competency you must have two faculty separately grade your work. If you fail a competency more than a certain number of times, the school can require you to repeat a year of Dental School. In the rare case that you don't finish all of your competencies before graduation, you have to stay at the school and complete them before you can become a licensed Dentist (even if you passed your Board exams). This is how schools ensure that students have gained all the skills necessary to provide safe, quality treatment to their future patients.

Here are a few pictures from Spring semester:

Don't you love the artwork on the wall? My brother-in-law drew it! Anyways, here's Robbie working on some lab stuff for school.

Working on a wax-up

Me and my awesome supervisor on one of my last days at work

Me pretending to be sad as I throw away all of my old time cards from the past 2 years

Braxton-Hicks and Baby Kicks

At my last midwife appointment, I found out the exciting news that my Group B Strep test came back negative which means no IV needed during the birth! Woo hoo!

I've been able to get a few more things checked off my to-do list before Baby's arrival. I finally organized Baby's room by reworking the closet. We also nailed everything down with two wonderful Doulas who are going to tag-team the birth. I even started throwing a few things in my hospital bag.

Yesterday, my mom, sister, and nephew came up to visit and we went to a big indoor swim park in Arvada. They were making me laugh so hard I thought I might go into labor right there (luckily I didn't). Baby has been really active the last week and his/her kicks are getting really strong as evidenced by this video I uploaded.

I've also noticed an increase in the frequency and duration of Braxton-Hicks contractions, too. As my time for birth gets closer and closer, I've been experiencing a combination of both excitement and calm--excitement that we get to finally meet this little person that has been growing steadily inside me over the past 9 months and calm over the fact that we have surrounded ourselves with the support we need for this birth.

One thing I've done to prepare is to write down Bible verses on little cards so I can have something personal to meditate on while I go through labor.

Here are some of the verses I chose:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. -Colossians 3:15

Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. -Psalm 55:22

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. -Isaiah 41:10

 My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:26

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. -Psalm 127:3

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. -2 Chronicles 15:7

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! -Psalm 27:13-14

 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. -Psalm 32:7

By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. -Psalm 71:6

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior... -Isaiah 43:2-3

There are so many unknowns that go into pregnancy, labor, and delivery. I feel that birth is meant to be untamed in a beautiful, messy sort of way. No matter how much I prepare, I am ultimately not in control and that's a good thing. When I try to take control, I am trying to be God.

How wonderful is it that God designed the first step into parenthood to be something we can't control? As a parent, I am charged with a lot of responsibilities (loving, guiding, feeding, protecting, serving, teaching, disciplining, etc.) but this little person's soul is not in my control. I cannot make them choose the right path in life. I cannot make them fall in love with God. And so, like childbirth, I prepare but, more than that, I trust.

Childbirth can be scary. Parenthood can be scary. Life can be scary! I trust my God because He has proved Himself trustworthy over and over in my life. It's not a trust that bad things can't or won't happen, but rather that no matter what happens He will use it for my good and His glory.

He loves this baby more than I or anyone else on this planet ever could.