6 Months!

Dear Raegan,

You are six months old! Here's what you are doing these days:

-You eat 7 ounces in your bottle, and you usually have 5 bottles a day.
-You eat baby food at night, so far just sweet potatoes and squash.
-We tried green beans and it made you have a little rash and it upset your tummy, so we don't eat those anymore!
-You wear a size 3 diaper.
-You mainly wear size 3/6 months clothes, but there are still some 0/3 month things you can wear.
-You weighed 19 pounds, 10 ounces and were 26 1/2 inches long at your appointment.
-Three days later, you had lost 5 ounces because of being sick.
-You can roll over both ways, but HATE to be on your tummy.
-You love to stand up with us holding your hands.
-You will play and play in your ExerSaucer and are so excited about it!
-You are such a happy baby all of the time!
-You still have no teeth, but slobber ALL the time!
-You still sleep in our bed in your Snuggle Nest. I am just not ready for you to be in your room yet. Maybe soon?
-You laugh all the time at the silliest things!
-You have figured out how to take your diaper off.
-You love the Pumpernickel song from your Barney DVD!
-You laugh and laugh when I call you pumpernickel!
-You go to sleep around 9:30 p.m. and wake up at 7:00 a.m.!

You have been battling bronchiolitis since Wednesday, and we are closely watching you to make sure it does not turn into RSV. You are on medicines and just feel pretty lousy. It breaks my heart! :( Hopefully soon you will return to your happy self! You have not been sleeping at night because you cough and cough all night long. Thankfully my mom came on Friday night so that I could sleep. Since I have been sitting with you all night, I had not slept in three days. I have also been very sick, so it was getting a little difficult! You and I took lots of naps this weekend, and I hope we are on the way to recovering!

About three and a half years ago, your daddy and I decided we wanted to start having children. Then, two months later, I was in the hospital being tested for all kinds of things. They ruled out cancer and a number of other things, but I was diagnosed with lupus and started on massive doses of steroids and a chemo pill. My doctor at the time said it would be at least five years before we could think about having children. Another doctor told me it could never happen because the chemo pill causes infertility.

God said wait.

About a year later, I changed doctors and she changed my medications and we began seeing some improvement. She told us as soon as my lupus was in remission there was no reason we could not have children. About another year later, all my tests were good, I had not had a flare up and we decided it was time.

We had it timed perfectly where I would graduate from college, then have 8 months to stay home with you before I would start teaching.

God said wait, over and over again.

One year later, one very, very long year later, I graduated from college, three days later I was hired for my first teaching job. Then about a week later, God sent you to us. Two days after Christmas, we found out we were expecting you. It was the perfect Christmas present.

It was all in God's timing.

About five months in, we experienced major problems and I was put on bed rest. Thankfully, it was two weeks from summer break and I had all summer long to do nothing at all so that I could do everything possible to get you here healthy. Towards the end of the summer, we set the date for your delivery.

But, it was all in God's timing.

On August 14, your grandma and grandpa's anniversary, I went into labor. Eventually, after several hours, we learned my placenta was abrupting again. After we got to Oklahoma City, my doctor said we needed to do a c-section. By the time I was prepped and you were out, it was August 15, 2009, your birthday - and the day before my birthday.

It was all in God's timing.

Here's what August 13-17 looks like for our family:
13 - Your great-grandparents' anniversary
14 - Your grandparents' anniversary
15 - Your birthday
16 - My birthday, your great aunt and uncle's anniversary
17 - Your twin cousins' birthday

On the one day that we had open, God sent you to us.

You came to us as a late Christmas present, then arrived in this world as the best birthday present I could have ever imagined receiving.

It was all in God's timing.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
~Ecclesiastes 3:11

Love,
Mommy