Isaac Maxwell

This story has to start at the beginning: August 18, 2017 was the day we found out I was expecting baby number 8. Movement had alerted me to that I might be pregnant in spite of not feeling pregnant at all and we were right. But I thought I was maybe 24 weeks or so. I ended up having to get emergency medicaid, which put me at 33 weeks! All of this was a huge surprise, but so exciting and amazing. It took another 2 weeks to get an appointment.
I ended up going to a group chosen because they accepted my insurance and women who were farther along in pregnancy. I knew nothing about them, I just had to trust God knew what He was doing and would take care of us.
Oh, how He took care of us! This group was wonderful! They are primarily midwives and are very hands off, exactly what I hoped and prayed for! My due date was set for October 9, just over 4 weeks from my first appointment day! Can we say shortest pregnancy ever! (For me at least.) A one hour GTT was performed as well. This was elevated, so a 3 hour GTT was scheduled for the next week with my ultrasound and next appointment. The 3 hour GTT was terrible, but we were able to see our baby, which was a huge blessing. Excess amniotic fluid was seen on the ultrasound, as with my previous pregnancy. The 3 hour GTT confirmed Gestational Diabetes, which recommends delivering in the 39th week. This was not what I wanted to hear, as I so desired to not be induced again. I prayed and had everyone I know pray for me to go into labor. I had contractions and even dilated some, but labor never started, and I was scheduled for induction.

October 4th came and early in the morning Jim and I headed to Kennestone Hospital, a whole new experience for us. I ended up waiting for about an hour before I was taken to a room. Tonya took us back around 8 am. I got changed and hooked up to the monitor. The midwife who was leaving checked me, with no further progress made she ordered pitocin to be started. Next order of business was getting an IV started. The WORST part of giving birth hands down. It took two tries, but thankfully a previous ER nurse was able to get it started on the second try.

Around 10 am the pitocin was started. Not long after this Carson, my midwife for the day, came in to meet me and see how I was doing. She was happy with the level of contractions, so we talked L&D and shared previous experiences. She was wonderful! She allowed me to stand up and attempted to get a cordless monitor working on me. During this time Jim got our essential oil diffuser going and my labor playlist running. We turned down the lights and I walked around the best I could while talking and singing praise. It was such a wonderful time. Tonya also told us how Kennestone is mama baby friendly as well as natural friendly, which was a huge blessing! I even got a lunch tray! I couldn't believe it. It was exactly what I needed to keep me going in my labor.
Around noon Carter checked me for herself and there was no progress. She realized we should have done something different, but with the pitocin we could not do a cervidil as well. We talked about a Cook's Catheter to put pressure on my cervix from both sides and decided that would be the best option. They got the catheter in place and I stood back up to keep the baby in place, as he kept popping up out of position when I sat or lied down.

The Cook's Catheter was the right decision. It made the pressure and contractions stronger, doing it's job! Within a couple of hours the catheter fell out, meaning I was around 5 cm dilated. We debated on whether or not to just have her break my water and get it done, but the baby was still too high to safely break it. With the Cook's Catheter out, the labor was less intense for awhile but still consistent.

Around 3 Carson checked me and I was 6-7 com and mostly effaced! Yay for progress! We decided to wait on breaking my water even though it might have been possible. We wanted to be sure the baby was in a good position before doing that. Carson asked me if I wanted to get in the shower. I asked, "I can do that!?" (This never would have been offered at the other hospitals I delivered at with me being on pit.) They put me on a telemetry monitor and let me get in the shower. This was amazing and completely made my labor. It really helped me relax even though I was standing.
The contractions continued to get stronger and I was hopeful. Around 5:30 pm my lets started to give out. I had been standing almost constantly since 10 am. My feet were incredibly sore! I decided to get out and attempt to lie down for a few minutes. I was so tired!

Lying down was not the best thing. The baby bounced back up and labor decreased, so I stood back up again. Around 6:30 Carson checked again. There had been no progress and the baby's head was too high again to break my water! I did not know what to do. I was struggling badly. Carson and  Tonya suggested I kneel on the bed so I was upright but off my feet and would hopefully bring the baby back down. They fixed the bed for me and I was able to kneel comfortably on it. I had a contraction, which put pressure on my bladder to relieve some pressure. We thought maybe the baby was being held up by my bladder, so I went to finish emptying my bladder. IT WORKED!!!!! The baby came back down and Carson was able to break my water by leaking at 7:10 pm!

With my water broken and the head well applied, I was able to sit in the bed! What a relief after standing for 9 hours! They put me in high fowlers so I could be upright and still relax. I had to say good-bye to Tonya who had been amazing! Sarah came in after her. I got situated and dozed off and on for about half an hour as the contractions got stronger.
Around 7:50 pm I felt like I needed to pee, so I got up to go to the bathroom. As I reached the door I had a strong contraction hit and my legs started to give way. I grabbed on to Jim and Sarah walked in and caught me. She told me I needed to get back in bed. The baby was pressing hard! I kept apologizing for getting up as she put me back in the bed with Jim behind us with the IV pole. She called for help but everyone else was tied up. They got me back in bed and Carson came in. Baby was right there. Carson and Jim got gowned up and I pushed.

At 8:10 pm, Jim delivered our baby, put the baby on my chest and laughed, "It's another boy!" We were so amazed and happy God had given us another boy! The whole room was laughing with amazement. How much joy was in my heart at having another son!
It took him a minute to really perk up. They worked on him and he started to pink in the warmer.  They brought him to me for kangaroo care, hoping that would help him to level out. Jim and I finally got a good look at him as he rested on my chest. We decided to name him Isaac, "he laughs". The whole situation was wrought with laughter from only finding out 6 weeks before I was pregnant to welcoming our 7th boy into our family. Jim had also been wanting to name a son Isaac and now seemed like the perfect time. It took a few minutes to come to a decision about the middle name, but we decided on Maxwell, Jim's dad's name, Jim's brother's middle name, and meaning "from the great well," which Isaac had been with such high fluid level. It was perfect, Isaac Maxwell Manor.

While on my chest Isaac was grunting terribly and was clearly struggling to breathe. They came back in to check him out but he was obviously struggling. These nurse parents, especially NICU dad knew something wasn't right. They took him to the nursery and soon admitted him to the NICU. That was so hard, but we knew it was the best thing. We decided to sleep that night and get started with pumping in the morning. Best decision!!!

We went to see him in the morning and took a little colostrum. They put him on CPAP so he could not nurse and I continued to pump. My parents brought the kids to see Isaac the next day. It was good for them to see him but they struggled with Isaac being hooked up to things. They were a little scared, but God used it to teach all of us to pray and trust him.
For 10 days we went back and forth, pumping and praying for healing. Finally on October 14th, Isaac was able to come home! We were so thankful.

It's been a crazy, almost 4 months since Isaac's birth, but God has been so faithful. Father, thank You for Isaac. He is such a blessing to our family! Please save him and grow him in You. Let him know Your laughter. Let him be a great joy to all who are around him because he is overflowing with Your joy! Thank You for how You have used Isaac already for Your glory. Please continue to use his life to point others to You!

Thank you to Nichole Begerow for our newborn photo!

Our 5 Year Old Gabriel

Today our precious Gabriel is 5 years old! It is amazing that it has already been that long since we welcomed into our arms. We had just moved into our Louisville house a couple months earlier and still settling into our new routine in our home when he arrived a week and a couple days early. He came in a whirlwind and he has not stopped.

Gabriel is such a spunky go-getter that is always on the move in some form or fashion. He has a strong personality and his reasoning for why something is is because that is what he has decided. His name means "mighty man of God" and he is certainly mighty in his opinion. How we pray for him to become mighty in God, but for now we watch his mighty personality grow and blossom.

Gabriel loves to learn. He is starting a Kindergarten program with our home school and he loves his math! He really enjoys working through books and learning what he can. He talks and shares what he is learning as much as he can. Gabriel is extremely observant and notices all around him. He is a mover that likes to be rocking or writing or chewing at all times. He is excited about learning to read, but his strong personality balks when he doesn't understand. He wants to know and understand right now!

Gabriel loves his family. Whenever someone is missing he asks where his friends are. He loves to play with his siblings and learn with them and from them. While he enjoys moments alone here and there, he really loves to be around people and interact with them. Church is one of his favorite places to go as well as the park; anything where he is with people.

Gabriel is such a big helper. He enjoys learning to cook with Daddy. He helped make his birthday cake. Cleaning with a rag or mop is also fun for him, but he does not like picking up toys.

Gabriel also loves to be outside enjoying creation. He prefers to be barefoot and loves textures on his feet. Climbing and jumping are also big for this active boy.

We are so thankful for Gabriel and the fun dynamic he brings to our family. He keeps life interesting in a good way.

Father, thank You for giving us Gabriel to raise for You. He is such a gift to our family! Please save Gabriel by Your grace and make him Mighty in Your Spirit. May he boldly proclaim Your Gospel to those he sees!

Thank you to Nichole Begerow for the 5 year photos

Manor Party of 10!

Yes, you read that right. Our family is now a family of 10!!!!!

No one could be more surprised than us, but we are so happy about this special blessing that God has given to us. What's more is this special blessing will be joining us in about a month!!!!!

With all that has happened this year I was extremely stressed out and had no normal pregnancy symptoms and did not even realized until a couple weeks ago that I actually was pregnant! I am now one of those people who can say "I didn't know" and everyone can look at me like I'm crazy. But seriously everything I felt seemed stress related.

What a blessing to make it to 34 weeks without knowing and being able to just do what I need to do!

The kids are so excited about another baby, especially since they have been asking when we would be having another one since we brought Malachi home. James is regularly giving the baby hugs and kisses as well as talking to the baby. Lillian and Reuben also enjoy talking to and feeling the baby. Sometimes Nehemiah will say "Hi Baby" even though he is clearly confused about what is happening.

God is so gracious and good to us! We are so thankful for this added blessing. Though it makes little sense to much of our culture, we are so happy to be on this journey as a large family.

Things are crazy and unpredictable right now, but we know God is working in all of this. Please pray for everything to continue to go smoothly. Pray for health for both baby and me. Pray for my body to go into labor on its own and not need any assistance. Please pray for continued provision! We have gotten what we need thus far, but Jim is still in need of a job. Please pray for God to open doors for this!

We are so grateful to have you on this journey with us. Life with others is so much richer. Thank you for being a part of our life!

Our 6 Year Old Reuben

Today marks 6 years since we welcomed Reuben into our arms. How time has flown and how much he has grown. He was our first baby born in Louisville after following God's call to go to seminary. It was a blessed surprise as we found out a few months after moving that we would be welcoming our 3rd child, and life has not been the same since.

Reuben has such a sweet personality and is very mild mannered. Extremely sensitive, it takes little to hurt his feelings, but he is also very tough when wrestling with Daddy and his brothers. He aims to please in most of what he does; a true perfectionist at heart. He is such a balance to his very active, rough and tumble younger brothers.

Reuben's favorite thing to do is school work. He loves to learn and figure out problems. When he's not doing school work he loves to build/create with blocks, Legos or magnets, play Lego Star Wars with Daddy or watch a good movie. He also loves playing with his siblings and is a very caring brother. Though he loves his siblings, Reuben also likes to be alone. He can sit and build for hours alone when the mood strikes him. It is such a blessing to have a child who loves being with people and being alone. He also enjoys one on one time with people, especially Daddy!

Reuben is pretty go with the flow. For the most part he is taking this unknown season in stride and helps to keep smiles all around. We are so blessed with Reuben in our family and so thankful God has given him to us.

Father, thank You for giving us precious Reuben. He is such a blessing! I pray You will make him a man after Your own heart, saving him by Your great grace in the Name of Your Son, Jesus. I pray You show him the depths of sin and how much he needs You to be truly good. Make him humble and a man who follows You to the ends of the earth. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Malachi is 1!

How can it be that 1 year ago Malachi joined our family outside of the womb?

So much has happened in our lives and he has grown so much. Malachi is such a ball of energy and full of fun. He started out life keeping us guessing and he still keeps us guessing. He has such an adventurous spirit and wants to explore in everything he is not supposed to get. With great speed he zooms to open doors to see if he can get out of them.

Malachi is a happy, smiley kid who loves to play and wrestle. He makes us smile and laugh, with his bold, belly laugh. He follows the older siblings around wanting to do everything they do. His older siblings love to take care of him, especially James and Lillian.

Malachi is great at crawling and learning to stand on his own, but still unsure on his feet. Yesterday he discovered clapping and it was such a pleasure to watch him enjoy this new found skill. He loves to eat and feed himself, but he is not so sure about the cup. He still prefers a bottle. Thankfully he eats most things, but seems like he is going to be a carb lover! Like the rest of our kids, Malachi enjoys music and I think will enjoy clapping and dancing with music soon.

I am so thankful for the blessing of our 7th child. Malachi adds so much to our family.

Father, thank You for Malachi. Please soften his heart toward You, even now at his young age and save him by your great grace. Make him a messenger of the Gospel of grace and teach him about your great love. Make him wholly Yours!

I'm 1!

Humble Roots

Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson is a must read by anyone who is a Christian! It was super convicting, challenging and comforting. It is a beautiful look at who we are, who God is and uses nature to help us to understand deep truths. Hannah has a very personal touch that is extremely relatable, and brings it home with the truth of God's Word.

In a culture of independence, Hannah reminds us of our dependence on God. The intro has this quote that I think sums up heart of what she is teaching well:

"We must never forget that looking like God does not mean we are God. We are made in His image, but we are made nonetheless."

Hannah's writing style is very easy to read and easy to follow. This is a book that men and women of all ages can read, relate to and learn from. I cannot recommend this book enough. I read this in January and I already need to read it again!

5  Stars for this wonderful, Spirit filled book.

Frankenstein

I read Frankenstein as part of my Back to the Classics this year, in the category of Gothic or horror classic.

This is a book I have wanted to read for quite a while, and it was a really good read. I was pleasantly surprised by this read as I had heard things here and there about this book and wasn't really sure I would like it. It was a very good book and extremely interesting.

I loved the depth of the book and the narrative of the story. It was clear and easy to follow. What I enjoyed the most was the clear spiritual journey that was being worked through as Shelley wrote this fiction work. You could see her wrestling with who she is, who God is, how everything in life is connected. I greatly enjoyed seeing this struggle and allowing this to let me work through things. From the beginning to end it is a clear story.

I really appreciate the ownership of the story being told in first person and the full circle of the story. It begins with a narrative of finding Frankenstein and comes back around to him in the end. It also overlaps the stories and has stories within stories. You can feel the depth of emotion as the stories connect and how all of the characters are deeply connected.

I also enjoyed the writing style. It was easy to read, which is always nice. I really appreciated how she explained the development of the monster in a really basic way. The story-telling was such that even a young person could understand but sophisticated enough to hold the attention of an adult.

I would give this book 4 stars.