Surprise Blessings

Time has certainly passed and so many things have happened within the Cimburke family, since the last post.  My apologies, but just wait to you hear about the newest blessing God has bestowed on us!   In August we got the shock of our lives.  Knowing our lives, you have to appreciate just what a "shock" this truly was.  Well after a few days of nausea and the persistence of instinct I decided to take a pregnancy test.  Surely it would be negative, we had made up our minds that we were done reproducing and had actually made a more permanent decision for Chris to have a procedure.  That procedure was scheduled for 2 months out, due to his work schedule and time needed off.  In the mean time, to prevent from conceiving I had the Paraguard IUD.  So in our mind, getting pregnant was the last thing on our itinerary.  Eight positive pregnancy tests later, I was convinced I was going crazy.  After making an appointment with my OB/GYN it was confirmed by blood work that we were indeed going to be outnumbered by our children.
Knowing there was some reason for this child's existence in my growing womb, we slowly began to get accustomed to the idea that our perfect little family of 4 would be a family of 5 likely by Easter.  Shock, fear, anger, and frustration turned to anguish, uncertainty, and anxiety.  Never was there a "question" as to the result of the pregnancy, at our hands.  We firmly believe if we get pregnant, we have a baby.....annnddd that the best way to prevent baby number four is to continue with the surgical procedure for daddy AND mommy to have it done after delivery.  We want to go for the "double protection" HA!  Still knowing, if God wants life, God creates life.  BUT please hear us loud and clear :)
More emotions have come to rise than I think we ever knew we could feel.  From shock, to acceptance and most of all faith I am finally at a point of excitement and rather eager to meet our newest little miracle and 2nd baby GIRL.  With that said, now I introduce you to just how "eager" a pregnancy in this lady can be.  Knowing that Emily and Josiah were both pre-term, my doctor began to monitor me for signs of an early delivery rather quickly into the pregnancy.  At 17 weeks I was placed on bedrest and medication for pre-term contractions.  I cannot explain the emotions the new medical status brought on.  Thinking "Why?" why would God give us a life, just to take it away?  Why put our family through this?  Why test my role as a mother and wife?  Why increase Chris' role as father and husband to mother and caregiver?  Sooo many questions and so many feelings.  We took each day as a blessing and there was more evolving than I think we even knew we were capable of!
13 weeks after first being prescribed to a life on the couch, I could not honestly have a more positive outlook on how far we have come and what lies ahead.  First and so importantly,  Chris is the love of my life and has slipped so perfectly into his role as "mr. mom" and caregiver.  You can think for years that there is no way you can love a person more than you already do, but throw a trial in there and you will be proved wrong!  I have never felt more loved, cherished or appreciated in my entire life.  I never knew I could sit back and watch my house turn into a playroom, or enjoy just watching my kids interact with each other.  I was unaware how independent my 3 1/2 year old could be, or how tolerant my once spoiled 17 month old would become in a playpen.  My always supportive close family members even pushed the standard of helpful.  Church family and friends were practically knocking down our door to bring meals and help out in anyway that I could ask.  Growing from what I like to think was already an appreciative Godly woman, He turned me into an even stronger one.  Some of those "whys" have become so clear, and I already have some pretty good proof of the impact Miss Alexis Ruth Cimburke has had, prior to her first breath.  Amazing how a life can be of such an impact before most even consider it a "life",
Just as I got used to being an incubator and efficient couch mom, let's throw some more adversity into the mix.  I was admitted into the hospital at 27 weeks with severe pain and contractions.  Doctors discovered the pain was radiating from a blocked, low functioning kidney!  The good news, the pain could be resolved and contractions could be stopped.  The 2 week hospital vacation ended with 3 procedures, one very scary event of hard labor, and a Nephrostomy tube.  To put it simply an incision was made into my right kidney, through my back and a tube was placed into it and connected to a bag.  Basically a secondary and exterior bladder.  So as if being 30 weeks (about 7 months) gaining 30 lbs and being stuck on the couch all day isn't uncomfortable enough, lets stick a tube into my back! Still counting my blessings that I did not lose complete function or my kidney, a Nephrostomy is just another bump in the road.  They believe there are two large stones, one in the right uterer tube and one in the kidney.  But being pregnant there isn't but so much they can do to properly diagnose it or remove it.  After Alexis is born, I will have the tube surgically removed and with radiology they will be able to better find the obstructions and remove them.
I feel like the most popular person on God's answering machine and even with everything going on and a million reasons to worry, I am really at such peace.  Perhaps I am naive, or spoiled by family, or just maybe I have that much faith knowing that her birthday is already set; as are the days that lie ahead.  For the first time I have learned to let go!!  "Lexi" may not have been in our plan, but then again I can tell you that half of our life was not in our plan!

 

UPDATE on the Emily;

3 1/2 years old now she is such a young lady.  She has become so mature in the past 3 months and so intelligent too!  She can tell you our phone number, address, and streets that all her grandmas, aunts and close friends live on.  She is such a little sponge and absorbs so much knowledge!  She is a total mamas girl and enjoys laying on the couch watching movies and snacking all day.  Health wise, she has not been sick since having her tonsils out last February, her asthma still raises its ugly head now and then but overall she is a very healthy and vibrant young lady.

UPDATE on Josiah;

Almost 18 months old now Josiah is about 20lbs and is fitting nicely in size 12 months.  He is still a little delayed in size but he does not let that hold him back!  In the past 2 weeks he has decided that he will only walk and does not crawl at all.  He took his first steps about a month ago but is non-stop now!  He talks, and walks and loves his sissy, gaga, meanmaw, mawmaw and pawpaw but daddy is his favorite.  Not the usual mama's boy and daddy's girl in this household.   Strong man is a total little lover and much like his sister I am shocked at his intelligence.  Perhaps I am like every other mom who just thinks her kids are exceptionally smart, but hey...thats my right!  Health wise, he has struggled with frequent pneumonia and prior to having tubes placed in his ears, he dealt with more than his fair share of infections.  Plagued by allergies to eggs, apples and bananas we never leave without his epi-pen and are always on high alert of what he ingests.  We are hopeful he will outgrow those allergies and all his prior trails will remain behind us.