One Year Ago Today...

One year ago yesterday, I was admitted to the hospital at 31 weeks of pregnancy for the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. Ever. After hours of waiting and testing, they discovered that I had Gallstones. I was already under watch for preclampsia, and now I had this. They kept giving me medicines that didn't work, and even made the pain worse, until they eventually had to admit me overnight. By random chance, the Dr. decided to do a second blood test on me in the morning to make sure everything was okay, and discovered my blood had thinned 50% in a mere matter of hours. I remember the call to my husband, who had only just left with my blessing an hour before, to tell him that 1) yay! my pain was finally gone, and 2) I was going to be transferred to Walnut Creek to have our baby. I was surprisingly calm, by the grace of God, but that was still one of the strangest calls I've ever had to make.

One year ago today, I rode by ambulance to the hospital (which was actually one of the coolest experiences of my life for some odd reason) to go have my son two months early. It was so unexpected and shocking, and yet I was so overwhelmed by God's peace about it that I'm still amazed. I had my son two days later, a 3 lb. 14.8 oz. preemie with a full head of black hair who had to be rushed to the NICU and be put on a ventilator to breathe. And today, he is such a chunky, healthy, happy and vibrant baby that no one would ever suspect from what dire circumstances he came. And I am still in awe over how much God was in control of everything. Had I not noticed my high blood pressure and been put under watch by the doctors because of it, had I not developed gallstones, had I not been admitted overnight because of the intensity of my pain, had the morphine worked and not made it worse, and had the doctor not randomly decided to do a second blood test (which the next doctor on was shocked and very happy about), then we both would have most likely died. How great is our God! I am truly amazed by how much he really does work all things for the good of those who love Him.

Here is that baby boy, born almost one year ago under less than ideal conditions, who brings joy to my heart every day. He is a testament to me about how much God loves us and cares for us.

He's such a happy baby, too, which I think is pretty obvious, especially in the next few pictures...