Always Behind...

My week in the Tri-Cities went too quickly, and soon it was time to get back home. God timed it all perfectly again, so I was able to spend the morning of Thanksgiving with Megan, Ryan and Casey, then catch a plane home for Thanksgiving Dinner with the rest of my family. We had a nice French toast breakfast and I got to see Casey in his sweet "Little Turkey" outfit. We took lots of pictures and I held that darling little bundle one last time before we headed to the airport. Kissing everyone goodbye was hard, and I admit to sitting in the airport with very teary eyes as I waited for my flight. I wish Megan was close by so I could be of more help to her on a daily basis. I am comforted by the fact that she has a wonderful husband who is fully engaged in parenting!

Matt picked me up at the airport in Seattle, and soon I was home with all the rest of the family, with a baby back in my arms. The boys all looked so cute! We took lots of pictures and had a wonderful dinner, thanks to Kirk.

I just cannot believe where my life is now, as compared to last Thanksgiving! I am now healthy and have three more adorable grandsons! God is SO amazing! And I am SO thankful!

Casey is Here!

It is 4:30 in the morning, and I am sitting here gazing at my new little grandson, while Megan and Ryan try to catch some sleep. Yes, Casey Neal French is here and he is home! We have been a little busy, but I will try to catch up.

After Megan got up on Thursday, Nov 19, she decided to go to her prenatal water aerobics class, to try to get things moving. I watched her bounce around in the pool for an hour, then we went to Subway for lunch. We went back to her house, planning to try some shopping next. As I was checking my e mail, she came out of the bathroom with an excited, but somewhat surprised look on her face. "My water just broke!", she exclaimed, "now they (the hospital) can't send me home again!" Isn't God's timing just perfect, I thought.

So off we went to the hospital! But not before I took some final pregnancy shots of Megan and Ryan, of course.

When we got to Kadlec Hospital, about 3 pm, they had to verify that her water was broken with a lab test. They finally checked her into Birthing Suite 7, at about 4:30 pm. Thus began a very long, but exciting, night for all of us.

They started an IV of antibiotics and oxytocin about 6:30 pm. I took photos of Megan updating her Facebook page at 7 pm, still feeling great. Megan and Ryan did quite a few laps around the birthing unit, and they checked her at 9 pm. She was still only at 2 cm, 70% effaced, baby at -3, not much change. We watched Grey's Anatomy, and she started to have some contractions that hurt around 9:45 pm. The doctor placed internal monitors at 11:30 (very painful!) and she was at 4 cm. He said she could have an epidural,and it was placed at about 12:30 am. Ryan's parents arrived sometime in the midst of this, I think just before the epidural.

With her pain relieved, Megan was able to sleep for a few hours, and everyone else caught a few winks here and there in chairs and on couches. At around 5 am, Ryan texted me to come back, she was wide awake, and at 7 cm, 100% effaced, baby at -1. At 6:50, I texted Shauna that Megan was at 10 cm and would start pushing soon. Kirk and Kelly and Matt were all texting me, saying "no baby yet?" She pushed from 7 to 7:30, then they told her to rest for 15 minutes. At 7:45 she began pushing again. At 8:23 am, November 20th, 2009, Casey Neal French arrived!What a miracle to see! He weighed 7 lb 13 oz (at 3 weeks early) and was 21 inches long, and he was (IS) beautiful!

I think there is no greater gift my daughters have ever given me than to get to be a part of the births of their firstborns. It was amazing beyond words both times, and made me so incredibly proud of them. There are just no words....

Casey is here, he is cute as can be, Ryan and Megan are awesome parents, and I couldn't be happier. The blessings are overflowing. It feels like it should be Thanksgiving every day! For me, it is!

5

On the Journey Again

I will soon be a grandma for the fourth time. Little Casey is taking his sweet time in arriving. He is not actually due until December 10, so he is going to be early, but he is really dragging out the process for his poor parents. Megan saw her doctor on Tuesday morning (Nov 17) and had gone from 0 to 2 cm. He stripped the membranes and said it would probably be a few days. This caused Megan to have a lot of cramping and discomfort on Wednesday, leading to contractions that were pretty steadily 5 minutes apart by Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, all of us on the other side of the mountains were wondering what we should do. At 10 pm, I finally booked a ticket to fly over in the morning. As I was getting ready to leave for the airport around 4:30 am, Megan texted me that she was being sent home from the hospital to sleep. Dilemma for me: should I go or change my ticket to later? With no ride to the airport later, we decided I would just trust that God would work it all out for the best, and go.

After a minor issue with security (I got frisked!), I had an easy flight, Ryan picked me up, and here I am in Tri-Cities. Waiting to greet my newest grandson. But he is not quite ready, apparently. Megan and Ryan are napping, after a long night, and I may do the same, after getting up at 4 am for my 7:50 flight. And little Casey is just hanging out where it's warm and cozy, deciding when to make his grand entrance.

Thankful

Tonight I am feeling very thankful. One year ago tonight I was coming out of brain surgery. I don't remember much of that night, but my kids tell me I was kinda funny in Recovery. I only remember later, about 2:30 am in the Neuro ICU, when my blood pressure "went through the floor," as my nurse put it. I remember lots of people working on me, sticking me with needles on every extremity. I blew five lines, and they failed three attempts at getting a central line in. I was in and out of it, but I had a real sense of calm, in spite of the frenzy going on around me. I just felt God's presence with me, and I knew I was completely in His Hands.
They finally managed to put some kind of stent thing in my arm that was very painful, but allowed them to start the first of two units of blood into me. I think I had an IV line in my leg too, but I 'm not sure. The memories are kind of fuzzy.
That blood is something else I am so thankful for. I am thankful for the two strangers who donated that blood. I used to donate blood on a regular basis, until they gave me a permanent deferral because of my heart problem. It always felt good to be able to help someone in need. I never expected to be on the other end of the transfusion. I suppose no one does. But you sure appreciate it when you need it!
Today, I got to go to a baby shower for my best friend Julie's daughter. One of the guests was telling me about a friend of hers who just died from a brain tumor, and I was reminded again of how blessed I am to be alive. Tonight I got to go to church and praise the God who brought me through the worst time of my life, never leaving my side, constantly meeting every need that I had. Two people gave their blood to save my life here on earth, but Jesus shed His blood to give me an eternal life. I cannot begin to measure how thankful I am.

Baby Shower #3!

Saturday, Nov 7, Kelly and Shauna hosted Megan's baby shower at my house. Our THIRD baby shower this year and it was lots of fun. We had a house full of babies, including Caleb, Keegan and the Cady twins, Maggie and Gibson. I had a baby in my arms the whole time! Megan got lots of wonderful things for Casey, and we had great, mostly low carb food (because of Meg's gestational diabetes), except for the cake, of course. Our cake designer at Fred Meyer did an amazing job again and made a cake to match our farm animals theme. We are getting pretty good at throwing showers. We are thinking of going professional, lol!

So the next time I see Megan, she will have Casey in her arms. Amazing. And wonderful! She and Ryan are going to be great parents. Casey is a lucky boy. I can't wait to meet him!

One Year Later

Last year, November 3rd, was probably the darkest day of my life. I was diagnosed with a "very large and very agressive brain tumor."

It hit Kirk and I like a kick in the stomach, it was so unexpected. I think we were in shock, and numb with fear. And oh, the sadness. It came over us in huge waves, making us fear we would drown in it. We held on to each other all night on that first night, crying and hoping that if we held on tight enough, this thing couldn't separate us, couldn't steal me away from him, from my family.

My children were so strong, so supportive. They wanted me to fight, but I just didn't know how much I was willing to go through, to put them through, if the outcome was likely to be the same. I didn't want to put my family through the pain Debbie's family went through.

Yes, November third, 2008, was the saddest and hardest day of my life, as were the next few days, before we saw Dr. Sarah Jost and got a glimmer of hope. How much different is November third, this year. Today Caleb Joseph, my second grandson is three months old. After the sadness of their miscarriage, Matt and Kelly are now parents to this sweet little boy.

In the midst of our sorrow and hardship last November, God was blessing us beyond our wildest dreams. Not only did He create Caleb, but also Keegan Jameson (the little angel in the photo above). While I was mourning that I probably wouldn't live to meet any more grandchildren, He was blessing me with two! And this November I have those two precious little boys in my life, and am expecting another, Casey Neal, in the next few weeks. God is so amazing! I don't think it was a coincidence that I found out about Caleb and Keegan on Christmas Day, and Casey on Easter weekend. God gave us His Son on Christmas, and Jesus gave us His life on Easter. The two holiest days of the year.

This November, 2009, my health is restored, my life is restored. I got to spend Halloween with all three grandsons, then celebrate Cooper's second birthday the next day. This weekend we will shower Megan with love and gifts for little Casey. My life is busy and full, rich with blessings and love. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for this place He has delivered me to. He has walked with me every step, through the difficult weeks of sickness, and through the present days of joy. I cannot thank Him enough.

Cousins

Well, here they are together. Our two new grandsons with proud grandpa. That is Caleb on the left and Keegan on the right. On Saturday night, 8-19-09, we had all the family for dinner at our house. It was the first time the new cousins were together. Megan and Ryan were in town to see their new nephews, Grandma De and Grandpa Al came up, Kelly's mom, Jeanne, was here, as well as her aunt and uncle, Lee and Ray, so we had a full house! (grand total of 16!) It was controlled chaos, as usual, but a house full of love and happiness! And so much gratitude to God, we are blessed beyond measure.

And Again!

Keegan Jameson Hebert finally arrived on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 12:59 am. He weighed in at 6 lb. 12 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. I say "finally" arrived because we have been expecting him to arrive early for weeks. Shauna was taking medication for pre-term labor for weeks, and at her Dr. appointment last Wednesday, she was dilated to 3 cm and 75% effaced, causing us to expect him any minute! I have kept my phone with me every second and checked in with poor Shauna several times a day all week, or should I say stalked Shauna all week, lol. At this week's appointment, which we never thought we would get to, she was still dilated to 3 cm. She looked so disappointed when she came out to the waiting room and said she would be induced in another week.
But that evening at 6:10, while Kirk and I were eating at Applebee's, she texted me that she had lost her mucous plug. I was so excited and knew he was coming soon! At 8:56 she texted again that her contractions were 3 minutes apart and pretty uncomfortable, and they were "going to stick around another hour and see how it goes." We were picking the kids up at church, so we hurried home and got packed up for the hospital. She texted at 9:17 and said they were going to leave as soon as they got Coop packed up. Texted again at 9:45 that they had talked to the nurse and were going to go get checked, and were leaving soon... 9:56 "getting in car" and no need for us to rush, she wanted to make sure they would actually take her. Well, we were already on the road so we could get there first to take over care of Cooper for them (she had said they couldn't reach Teri). We arrived in the parking garage at 10:11 and they drove up shortly after us. (My cell phone kept great records for me!)
We all made our way in with sleeping Cooper, but left all our stuff in the car until we knew they would keep her (I knew they would!) Teri was inside waiting for us. Shauna got signed in and went back to be checked. Noah came out an hour or so later and said she had only been at 3 1/2 cm, but they were keeping her. She was getting into the hot bath to see if it helped and he asked Dustin to go get their bags from the car, then went back in to be with her. Cooper was still sleeping and Teri wasn't sure if she should stay or take him to her house, but we chatted and waited.
About 12:55 am, I said I wished we knew what was happening and Teri had Dustin check her phone. There was a text from 12:50 that said she was at 10 cm and they were just waiting for the doctor! Wow! That got us excited and wide awake! Then Dustin got a text that said "Keegan Jameson Hebert arrived at 1 am sharp! I'll send pics as soon as I can." We were just amazed that he was really here! Then a darling picture arrived on Kirk's phone, which he sent to his laptop so we could see it enlarged. He put pics of Caleb and Cooper, as a newborn, up too and put all three side by side. We just kept gazing at our three blessings while we waited to go in to see the newest one.
Around 1:07 we heard the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" song play and we knew it was for him. They had wanted Cooper to press the button to play the song, but he was fast asleep. It seemed like we had to wait a very long time, until finally the security guard came out and said we could come back. We went to the room, and Shauna was sitting up in bed, smiling, but there was no baby in the room. They said he was having some trouble breathing and had been whisked off to the nursery after only 2 or 3 minutes. Noah said he could take us, two at a time, to see Keegan, so Teri said Kirk and I could go first while she held the still sleeping Cooper.
Keegan was so little! He was on a warming bed with lots of wires, but he looked good. His breathing was not labored like Cooper's was and his numbers looked great. I felt very relieved!
I got to touch his little toes and I said a little prayer to ask God to watch over him and heal him.
We left the hospital about 2:30 am and went home for a little sleep, although I got none. Later that morning, I picked up flowers and a Birth Day cake and arrived at the hospital around noon, but Keegan was still in the NICU. I got to go see him when Shauna fed him in the afternoon. He didn't come into the room until around 8 pm that night, so we saw him and toasted him, but didn't get to hold him.
Keegan came home the next day (15th) and when I took dinner over to them, I finally got to hold him! He seems SO small, but he is so sweet! Thank you Lord that he is doing well and home!

I'm a Grandma Again!

Caleb Joseph McAllister arrived at 4:24 am, August 3, 2009! He wasn't due until the 16th, so he surprised us all! We got a phone call at 3:30am from Matt saying they were at the hospital and Kelly was dilated to 7 cm, so "they are keeping us." Well, I certainly hope so! We got up, raced around getting ready and flew out the door. As we were driving, Matt texted us. Our text exchange:
4:02 am "9.5 now"
4:03 am "we r getting on 410 tell kelly we love her!"
4:05 am "They are telling her not to push but hes coming fast! Drive careful."
4:06 am "what entrance?"
4:08 am "Birth center in the garage up the elevator to level 6 you will see signs"

We parked and ran to the birth center, arriving at about 4:15 am. We went back into Labor and Delivery and the nurses said she was delivering! We went to the waiting room, paced around for a few minutes, then heard the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" song and knew he had arrived! Text exchange:
4:32 am "8.2 she's doing the placenta now"
4:33 am "we heard the song! yay! congrats to all!
4:34 am "she is getting a few stitches"
4:35 am "ouch"
Just before 5 am, Matt came out to get us. After some big hugs, he took us back to see their son. Kelly was holding him and she said "I can't believe I'm a mom". I hugged her and she asked if I wanted to hold him. I said I had to take a few pictures first, then washed my hands and reached for my new little grandson. He is so precious! I just loved holding him and listening to them tell us their birth story. Kelly did an amazing job! There was no time for any medications, so she delivered him completely naturally. I am so proud of her! And Caleb is just a darling, who I have fallen in love with instantly.
Thank you God for bringing him safely into the world and for this wonderful blessing. Please bless Caleb and his parents, and watch over them always.

The Last Pregnant x3 Photos

These photos were taken July 18, 2009 at our "It A Boy" party for Megan and Ryan. This weekend is probably the last time all three girls will be together pregnant. The next time Megan and Ryan come over from Tri-Cities, it will be to see one of their new nephews. So it was important to me to record this moment in time, of all three of my older children expecting. This will probably not ever happen again in our family or in my lifetime. God has blessed us, times three, and that is abundantly! As one of my favorite songs says "and I could not ask for more."

These are the moments

I thank God that I'm alive

These are the moments

I'll remember all my life

I've found all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more.

These are the moments

I know Heaven must exist

These are the moments

I know all I need is this.

I've found all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together

I could not ask for more than this time with you

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream has come true

Yeah, right here in this moment

is right where I'm meant to be

Here with you, here with me.

Lyrics from These Are the Moments, sung by Sara Evans.

These words so describe how I feel these days about being with my family. The simple moments of listening to the girls compare notes about pregnancy and baby products and parenting, these are so precious to me. I am so grateful to be here to share in them. Getting to watch Kelly and Megan become moms, and seeing Shauna learn to be a mom to two, those are moments I thought I wouldn't get to experience. They are all the more sweet because of the tough times we went through. Like the rainbow after the rain. Thank you so much Lord.

Showering Caleb with Love

On Sunday, July 19th, Megan and Shauna hosted Kelly's baby shower at my house. We had a "King of the Jungle" theme to go with her "Jungle Babies" theme in Caleb's nursery. It was so much fun to have Kelly as the guest of honor this time, after all the showers she has helped plan for the other girls. She was so cute as the mom-to-be! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did!

I remember when it was Christmastime and we were so excited about planning TWO baby showers in the summer. Now we have had the fun of the showers, and it is only a few weeks 'til the babies arrive! And as we anticipate the arrival of our little blessings, meanwhile, we have started plans for Megan's baby shower in November. Whew! These babies are keepin' us busy!

I just had to post a picture of Kelly and Matt on the porch after the shower, so I could have a picture of the proud daddy too. We are still so amazed that our first son is having his first son. It was just yesterday that we brought home our firstborn, wasn't it?

The Official Picture

Okay, here is the official picture taken with our crazy "It A Boy" banner. I now have photos of each couple with the banner we got for Shauna and Noah when they found out Cooper was a boy. The banner was made in China, probably by a little Chinese worker who doesn't speak English. I was originally going to take it back to the store, but we thought it was so funny that now it is a family joke and tradition. If I ever get to use my It's A Girl banner, I may have to remove the S, just to keep up the tradition!

Shauna's Baby Shower

What a fun weekend! Megan arrived early Friday afternoon and got to spend some time with Cooper and I. Friday night, Ryan arrived from the Academy and we went out for Teriyaki with Matt and Kelly and the Heberts. It was there that Megan and Ryan announced that Megan's ultrasound on Thursday (for a fall she took at Agility) had revealed some news a little early. News we thought we would have to wait for until her regular ultrasound July 22nd. Fortunately, all was fine with the baby, and..... (drumroll) It's A Boy! Three little grandsons! Imagine the fun, the mischief, and the adventures they will find together! With big brother (and cousin) Cooper along, it is going to be a wild ride for our family! We can hardly wait!
On Sunday, it was the first of three baby showers for our little grandsons. Even though Kelly is due first, Shauna delivered Cooper three weeks early, so we thought we better have hers first, just to be safe. We had a monkey theme for Keegan and it was just too cute! We held it at my house and a fun time was had by all. Shauna's friend Carla brought her two week old, Alexander, and we all got to ooohh and aaah over his incredible cuteness. He is so adorable, and made us more anxious for the day we get to get to hold our little ones! Next Sunday is Kelly's shower, also at my house. We are becoming excellent, and quite experienced party-planners! We could go into the baby shower business if we didn't have so many babies to keep us busy!

My Grandbabies!

Well here they are! Kelly carrying Caleb, Megan carrying Baby French, and Shauna carrying Keegan, taken July 3rd, 2009. Isn't that amazing? Shauna has been having so many contractions lately that I practically demanded that we all must get together for pictures before it is too late. Fortunately, things have calmed down a bit with some medication and more rest. Keegan is only 4 pounds and really needs to cook a bit longer! I did get to see my little grandson Keegan at his ultrasound on Thursday, July 2. It was very exciting, even though he is so squished in there now that we couldn't see a whole lot! He needs to stay put at least until his shower is over next weekend. And hopefully until after Auntie Kelly's shower too, which is the following weekend. Yes, lots of fun in store for us!

Behind Again!

How is it that I just keep getting "behinder?" I can't seem to stay current. Why is my life so busy? I guess because it is so full and rich. And I am so grateful for that. And for all the great, fun stuff we are keeping busy with. We are finally getting to enjoy our Fifth Wheel! We went to Tri-Cities over Memorial Day Weekend and spent time with Megan and Ryan. Great weather, lots of sun, a trip to a scrapbook store and a maternity store (both great fun!), good food, DQ blizzards, wonderful company, what more could you ask for?

Last weekend we got to take the Fifth Wheel to Lake Chelan with most of Kirk's extended family, Megan and Ryan, and Shauna, Noah and Cooper. What a great way to spend my birthday! Before, I had thought this might be my last birthday, if I even made it to 53. But instead it was five days of fun and family. How blessed I am!

Next week, the four of us take the trailer to Oregon for three days, then Long Beach for two. Then it will be the Fourth with all the kids, then two weekends of baby showers, then a trip for just Kirk and I, before we begin the days of staying home waiting for our two little grandsons to make their debuts. And in between there are summery days of sunshine, swimming at Grandma De De's pool, days of sprinklers, baby pools, and swings with Cooper, working in my organic vegetable garden, making jam, catching up on some good reading, and scrapbooking, of course! I love my life!

Mother's Day 2009

Here we are on Mother's Day--all the mothers and mothers-to-be--Shauna, Kelly, me and my mom, Grandma De De. Except there is one missing....it's Megan! Yes, she is a mother-to-be also! The secret is out now! Thank Goodness, because I have been just busting with this exciting news! Megan and Ryan are expecting around December 10th. They are going to be terrific parents! That means three grandbabies in four months! Could anyone be more blessed?!!!

What an amazing Mother's Day this turned out to be! Of course, our BBQ did bring in the clouds, as always. But it didn't rain until dinnertime and it was warm enough for appetizers on the deck. We didn't get to play bocce ball, but had fun anyway. It is always a great day when I get to be with my kids, and I am blessed to still have my mom with me too. I love them all!

Mothers Day

Today Shauna and I and Cooper went out garage saling (is that a word?) at Lakeland Hills. We found a few good baby bargains for the girls and a few things for Cooper. Going to garage sales is like a treasure hunt!

Tomorrow is Mothers Day. Last November, I didn't know if I would still be here for this day, or if it would be my last one. How sad it would be to know that each holiday is probably your last. But instead, I am celebrating! God is Good and I am so fortunate to be able to be with my mom and my two expecting daughters. I wish Meg could be here, but I know I will get to talk to her on the phone. It is supposed to be sunny and we have a BBQ planned (hope that doesn't bring in the clouds!) I am filled with gratitude for my life and for all my great kids (and grandkids!) I am SOOOO Blessed!

I Will Testify to Love

(The title of one of my favorite worship songs)
Yesterday was such a great day! I was asked to give my testimony at MOPS at our annual Tea and Testimonies. I was so nervous about speaking in front of so many women, but it went great! God was with me all the way and I was able to share how He has blessed my family through this whole brain tumor ordeal. I promised God that if He got me through that trial alive, I would know He had a purpose for me, and part of that purpose was to give Him the glory for my recovery. Well, I do that all the time, but I finally got to do it on a large scale. Yippee! I am so very grateful to Him!

Starting Over

Well, I got a little behind on my blog (like almost 2 years!) It seemed like I would never be able to catch up, so I am just going to start again, and maybe go back and fill in some of the blanks from those two years. But when I think about catching it ALL up, I get too overwhelmed!

November 1, 2007 was one of my best days ever! That is the day Cooper Orion Hebert was born. I was finally a Grandma and I was overjoyed! I got to watch him come into this world and it was the most amazing moment. I was filled with so much emotion-love, gratitude to God, joy, pride in my daughter. Of course, I cried. Those who know me would expect nothing less.

All that Cooper went through, health-wise, for the next 8 days also made me cry. But it mostly made me pray, lots and lots of prayer! And God heard our prayers. Cooper got better and came home, healthy and whole.

Watching him grow and thrive has been a joy. And so has watching the wonderful mother my daughter has become. I LOVE being a Grandma! I am very blessed to be able to spend lots of time with Cooper and I love every minute of it. He is so darn cute and has so much personality (you don't suppose I am a bit prejudiced, do you?)

It seems like the time went so fast, and then he was a year old already. I love my pictures of him with birthday cake all over his precious little face!

And then there was the whole brain tumor chapter of my life. Long story short, God brought our family through a really tough time. It was such a learning experience for me--learning to trust completely in God and seeing how faithful he was in every way. I can never thank or praise Him enough.

And now He is filling my life with Blessings! My two new little grandsons, Caleb Joseph and Still Unnamed Baby Boy (lol), will be arriving in August, due just a couple weeks apart. What a Double Blessing! It is so fun to watch Kelly's and Shauna's bellies grow!