Jeremiah Daniel Gerdes is 4 years old today! It seems like just yesterday that I was holding him in my arms for the very first time, admiring his thick, dark hair and precious little face! Time passes SO quickly! As I'm reflecting on the past year, I am realizing how much Jeremiah has grown and matured in so much areas of his life. It used to be that he had absolutely no interest at all in sitting down and doing any kind of learning activities with me. But ever since he started preschool at Greenbrier Baptist Weekday Preschool this past Fall, he has grown and flourished in all areas of his learning! I am SO proud of him! He now has an excitement for identifying letters and their sounds! At a parent teacher conference earlier this school year, Jeremiah's teacher told me that he is exactly where he should be in all of the areas they cover in preschool. She did mention that he could use some practice tracing letters. So about half-way through the school year, we started doing a "learning time" every afternoon, as soon as we finished lunch/put Josiah down for his nap. During this learning time, Jeremiah traces letters, does sorting activities, plays memory games which help him reinforce his colors and shapes, etc. We have so much fun together, just the two of us! I came up with a little "jingle" to help him learn how to spell his name. To the tune of "All Around the Mulberry Bush," we sing "J-E-R-E-M-I-A-H, my name is Jeremiah." So a few months ago, he started to "sing spell" his name!!!!! I am SO proud of him for being able to do that already! We are now working on writing his name and he is doing a pretty good job with that. We are so thankful for Jeremiah's teacher, Mrs. Atkinson, and all that she has done to foster a love for learning in Jeremiah's heart this year. It's been a blessing to also see him grow spiritually as he learns new Bible verses and stories every week. We have filled up an entire stairwell with Jeremiah's preschool crafts this year. What an amazing first-time preschool experience this has been! Even though we've loved Greenbrier Baptist Weekday Preschool, Jeremiah will be attending a different preschool next year. I just recently enrolled him in the K4 Full-Day program at Atlantic Shores Christian School, where I will be teaching 4th grade in the Fall! We are SO excited! We know this will be a big change and transition for our family, but we also know that God will be there to smooth the way for us. Josiah will be in the staff day care at ASCS, so it will be nice that we can all be in the same building together. On top of every subject being Bible-based, ASCS also offers a wide variety of specials, which Jeremiah will be able to enjoy - Art, Music, PE, Chapel, Outdoor Classroom, Science Lab, Computer, and Spanish! WOW! I am SO excited for Jeremiah, and eventually Josiah, to experience all of these things! I'm even more excited that they will be going to school in a Christian environment. Because it is a private school, the tuition is of course expensive. But because I previously worked there 3 years, I get a rather nice discount, and then after a total of 7 years (so, 4 years from now), my boys will be able to attend for FREE - all the way through 12th grade! What an amazing investment - both educationally and spiritually! God is SO good! Jeremiah and Josiah recently started sharing a room and sleeping in a bunk bed together! They have totally rocked the transition and are sleeping really well, as they both like to snuggle on the bottom bunk together. So sweet! We set up a web cam in their room so that we can hear/see what they are doing at all times. It's so adorable to listen to them giggling together as they fall asleep! Surprisingly, after only about 5 minutes of giggling/playing in their bed, they are fast asleep! SO blessed! Today, on Jeremiah's big day - his 4th birthday - we are starting something brand new - Jeremiah's very first behavior chart. He is SO excited about it! There are 10 positive statements/goals, which he will be trying to accomplish each day: I wake up in my own bed. I get ready for my day with a happy heart. I show love to my brother. I show love to my friends. I listen to adults and follow their directions. I use my manors. I clean up my toys. I try new foods. I honor God through prayer and Bible verses. I get ready for bed with a happy heart. If he has a day where he gets a sticker in every category, he'll get to choose a prize from the prize box. When he gets a total of 50 stickers, he'll earn a date with Mommy or Daddy. At this age, it's tempting to use a lot of negative words, such as "don't, no, stop," etc. We'd really like to try to focus on positive affirmations as much as possible, so we are hoping that by using this chart, Jeremiah will be motivated to work towards positive behaviors. We are excited to see what God has in store for us through this new adventure! Jeremiah Daniel~We are SO very thankful that God brought you into our lives four years ago! You are so precious to us and we love you SOOOOOOOOOOO much! Happy 4th Birthday, buddy!

Josiah's Baby Dedication - Coastal Community Church, Virginia Beach, VA - December 4th, 2011

We dedicated Josiah Timothy Gerdes to the Lord today! At the beginning of the ceremony, I was asked to give a little 1-minute "schpeel" and this is what I said: "Good morning! My name is Courtney Gerdes and this is my husband Jeremy and our sons, Jeremiah and Josiah. Today we are here to dedicate Josiah to the Lord. In just a few minutes, we'll be promising, before God and you all, that we will raise Josiah in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We want you all to know that this is not a vow that we take lightly. Jeremy and I were both blessed to grow up in Christian homes and we each agree that we learned SO many valuable and important things from our parents as we were growing up, which we hope and pray to pass along to our kids. To most people, today, December 4th, is just another day. But to my family, this day has special significance. On this day, 16 years ago, God graciously spared my father's life, after he suffered a heart attack. At that time, I was only in 7th grade, and had I lost my father at that point in my life, I feel my life would be very different and that I would not be the person I am today. My dad has had an extra special influence in my life. He's always been my knight in shining armor. In my eyes, he is one of my biggest heroes, besides God and my husband. Since his heart attack on December 4th, 1995, he's also suffered through a brain tumor, spinal meningitis, and a brain bleed, among other things. In these types of situations, most people would feel sorry for themselves or ask God "Why me?" Not my dad. He's used EVERY situation to glorify God. He views each health challenge as a way to reach out to others and testify to God's mercy, grace, and healing! That's the kind of life I want to live! I want to glorify God in everything I do. Jeremy and I hope and pray that our boys will seek to glorify God in everything THEY do. We know that we can not make the decision of salvation for our boys, so we hope and pray that through our example, and through the examples of others in their lives, like our parents/their grandparents, they'll someday make the decision to accept Christ as their savior. We are not perfect parents. But we know that God's grace covers our imperfections. We will keep that in mind today as we make these vows, on this day, December 4th, 2011."

Josiah's 1st Birthday!

How is it possible that my "baby" is ONE YEAR OLD today?! It just blows my mind! This past year has flown by SO fast, I can hardly believe it! Maybe it's the fact that my two boys keep me so busy, or possibly the fact that we've had three different addresses in the past year. Maybe it has something to do with Jeremy being on night shift for the past three months, making life seem even more of a "blur" than usual! Whatever it is, I am just shocked that my precious Josiah Timothy is one year old TODAY!

I'll never forget Josiah's extra special entrance into the world - via successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)! It was something I had prayed for and desired for SO long and God blessed me with fulfilling that deep desire. If you have not read Josiah's birth story/my VBAC testimony yet, please feel free to read it (it can be found in the 2010 archives).

Josiah is SUCH a precious baby! Since the minute he was born, people have always commented "all that hair" of his and his gorgeous blue eyes! Once he figured out how to smile, he never stopped! He is ALWAYS smiling! I was so proud of him when he smiled all the way through his 1 year photos the other day. So precious to see those six little teeth (4 top, 2 bottom) when he smiles! What a sweet boy! He absolutely ADORES his big brother and loves to follow Jeremiah wherever he goes. One of my favorite things to do is to listen to Josiah giggle. Who can make him giggle nonstop? His big brother Jeremiah, of course! It's absolutely precious to witness! Seeing my boys interact warms my heart in such deep ways!

Because he wants to keep up with his big brother, he is on the move constantly - he was sitting up/rolling across the room at 5 months old; crawling, cruising, and climbing the stairs at 8 months old; and just recently took his very first steps at 11 months old. WOW! Josiah's first word was "mama" (yay!)at 5 months old, and shortly after that, he added "dada," and most recently added "hi, bye, uh-oh, and ni-ni" to his vocabulary. It's hard to believe that he'll most likely be speaking in two word phrases/short sentences by next year at this time.

I'm very happy to report that at one year old, Josiah is STILL nursing! This was a HUGE goal of mine and I am SO happy we made it to a year! From the get go, he has been a great little nurser, and I am SO thankful for the precious bonding time that nursing has given me and Josiah. I know it sounds crazy - but sometimes I miss waking up with him at night (he started sleeping through the night at 2 months old), as now he only nurses about 2-3 times per day. I don't plan to "wean" him, but rather let him decide when he is done. I am assuming that when we start adding whole milk to his diet next week, he won't have much more need for "mommy milk." We'll see!

To celebrate Josiah's 1st Birthday, we are having a party at a nearby park (Oak Grove Lake Park) and are inviting lots of the boys' friends to play, have lunch, and eat cupcakes. We are SO excited to celebrate with our friends! God has blessed us with such an amazing "family"/network/group of friends here in this area! We are so thankful!

God is SO good to give us such an amazing, precious, adorable, smiley, snuggly, giggly, loveable little boy!

Josiah Timothy Gerdes - Our lives were forever changed when God brought you into the world one year ago! We are so very thankful for you and we love you SO much!

Josiah's One Year Photos Slideshow

JEREMIAH DANIEL IS 3 YEARS OLD!!!

Today, Jeremiah turns 3 years old! WOW! Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that we were rushing to the hospital, when my water broke two weeks before Jeremiah's due date! How was that 3 years ago, already?!

When Jeremiah came into my life 3 years ago, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine: to be a mommy. I am SO blessed to his mom and I praise the Lord for giving Jeremiah to me! He is SO precious to me! It's been such a joy to watch him grow, learn, and develop during these past 3 years and I am very excited to watch him become the young man that God wants him to be someday. I pray daily that he will choose Jesus to be the Lord of his life and will walk in the truth!

Jeremiah has been through TONS of changes in these first 3 years of his life. Praise the Lord for resilience in children! Jeremiah spent his first year of life in day care while I taught first grade for the third year in a row. He was well-loved and taken care of there, but I definitely missed out on some precious moments and am SO glad we made the decision for me to stay home after that. What an adventure we've had together these past two years, traveling for Jeremy's job, 2 times to Washington, and once to California. Just recently, I realized that in Jeremiah's 3 years of life so far, he has had SIX different addresses! WOW! That's A LOT of changes for one little guy! But he sure has done well, considering all of that! We all look forward to "settling down" soon, as God closes this "traveling" chapter of our lives.

Speaking of changes for Jeremiah, one of the biggest changes in his life occurred when we welcomed his baby brother, Josiah, into our lives this past October. What a precious time for all of us! I'll never forget the first night that we came home from the hospital with Josiah, after a day of LOTS of brotherly hugs/pictures/moments, and I looked at Jeremy, right before we went to sleep and said, "Our family feels complete. I love this feeling." Truly, I LOVE my husband, our boys, and our life together. God has blessed us tremendously. Yes, there are moments where I feel overwhelmed and struggle with with certain issues such as potty training, discipline, etc. But overall, life is GOOD! The boys and I always find ways to have fun together, whether it be through play dates, play areas, parks, toddler classes, etc. I really enjoy watching my boys interact. Josiah has the cutest little baby laugh, and Jeremiah is the one who is able to get him to laugh the hardest! It's so precious! Josiah loves to watch big brother Jeremiah play, dance, sing, etc. His face lights up the minute he sees his brother! I am really looking forward to watching their brotherly bond form over the years. Also, what fun it has been to put the boys in matching outfits! SO FUN for a mama!! :)

One of the most precious things to watch is Jeremiah's growing love and interest in God. During the past year, he's become quite the little prayer warrior, and LOVES praying for his friends, family, and those in need. I've heard it said that God finds children's prayers especially precious. I'm sure God is smiling when little ones are praying! I just know it! Jeremiah enjoys going to Sunday school, listening to his "Bible songs" (Cedarmont Kids), and hearing Bible stories. His two favorite Bible stories, which he can help "tell," are of Jesus's Birth, and Jesus' Crucifixion/Resurrection. Soon, we hope to start working on Bible verses together. He still LOVES to sing and dance. His favorite "Jesus songs" (in his words) are Jesus Loves Me, I Love You Lord, Down in my Heart, and Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord. When I hear him singing these songs on his own, my heart swells with joy and I feel like dancing!

Jeremiah also has started independently singing other "kid songs" such as Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Ring Around the Rosie, Head/Shoulders/Knees/Toes, ABCs, and many others. One of these days, I need to record his precious little voice singing these songs! Speaking of his ABCs, he's starting to be able to identify some letters and their sounds. This makes the "teacher" in me VERY happy! He knows most of his colors, animals/sounds, can count to 20, is starting to learn some of his shapes, and even knows a few Spanish words. SO proud of my big boy! We are very excited about sending him to Greenbrier Baptist Weekday Preschool in the Fall on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. There, he'll enjoy daily Bible songs, Bible stories, crafts, Chapel, field trips, and will solidify many of the emerging skills mentioned above.

While we've been here in Bremerton, Washington for Jeremy's short term job transfer, Jeremiah has especially enjoyed going to toddler classes at the YMCA. On Tuesday/Thursday mornings, we go to a class called "1-2-3 Grow With Me" where the kids have "free play" with TONS of toys for about 45 minutes (any toddler's dream!), then the clean up the toys, and sit down on the carpet for a few stories, a snack, and songs. What fun! On Wednesdays, we attend a "Tiny Tots" class, which is a toddler tumbling class with mats, obstacle courses, a trampoline, ribbons to dance with, scarves to wave, and more! SO much fun! This past Thursday, while at Jeremiah's "1-2-3 Grow With Me" class, we celebrated his birthday, by bringing in goody bags and cookies for all of his friends! They all sang Happy Birthday to him and he was beaming! What special memories!

In today's post, I'll include the collage I made from Jeremiah's little party at the Y. Today, we are taking Jeremiah to Chuck E Cheese and Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate his birthday! We are all SO excited! So, sometime next week, I'll post other collages of our weekend birthday activities, along with Jeremiah's (and Josiah's) professional photos that we had taken recently.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jeremiah Daniel Gerdes! We love you and praise the Lord for you every day! We are so proud of you for the big boy you are becoming, the great big brother you are to Josiah, your growing love for the Lord, and the love you show us and others around you! We hope you have the most wonderful day today, as we celebrate YOU!!! :)

Introducing...Josiah Timothy Gerdes!

We are very proud to announce the birth of our newest son...
Josiah Timothy Gerdes!
~October 22, 2010
~12:31pm
~8 pounds, 4 ounces
~19 1/2 inches long
~DePaul Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia
~Birthing Team: Midwife Tara Smith and Doula Stephanie Rockefort

We praise the Lord for our little Josiah, and give Him the glory for allowing us to have a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)!

Throughout our pregnancy with Josiah, we were blessed to have many of our friends and family pray for us, that God would allow Josiah to be delivered vaginally, but most importantly that both he and I would remain safe and healthy through the entire birthing process. Those same prayer warriors rejoiced with us when they heard the news of Josiah’s birth! Since then, many have asked to hear his “birth story.” Josiah’s birth was absolutely wonderful, and I am more than happy to share every detail. But, before I really begin, I have to explain one very important point. This isn’t really “my” story or “Josiah’s” story, but rather it is “God’s story.” It’s incredible to think that before the beginning of time, God had every detail of this story planned out. As we reflect on Josiah’s conception, pregnancy, and birth, we are clearly able to see God’s hand every step of the way. By sharing this story, my goal is to bring glory to God. So, I hope and pray that as you read, you too, will be able to see God’s hand. To God be the GLORY!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Truly, it’s always been one of my deepest desires, right along with being a wife and a teacher! I would see other women with their pregnant bellies, hear stories of births, and watch “The Baby Story” on TLC, all the while dreaming of also having the chance to be pregnant and birth a child someday. A year and a half into our marriage, Jeremy and I found out we were pregnant with our first son, Jeremiah! To say we were excited, is an understatement! I thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful, healthy pregnancy. Two weeks before Jeremiah’s due date, my water broke at home, and we rushed to the hospital, so excited to meet our first baby boy. After a couple hours of natural laboring, walking the halls, one of the nurses discovered while doing a cervix check, that Jeremiah was actually in the breech position, meaning he was butt down, instead of head down. My dreams were shattered and hopes were crushed when the doctor came in and announced that Jeremiah would need to be delivered via c-section. I begged the doctor to try to turn him, because I wanted so badly to deliver him vaginally. But the doctor refused, saying that it was unsafe to try to turn him, because my amniotic fluid level was low, due to the fact that my water had been broken for seven hours at that point. Even though I was scared going into the c-section, it actually ended up being a wonderful experience, as it was quick and painless. Best of all, Jeremiah Daniel Gerdes was brought into this world, safe and healthy! Praise the Lord! God blessed me with a very quick and relatively painless recovery. For the first month after Jeremiah’s birth, I was too in love and caught up in the “moment” of being a first-time-mom, to really focus on my disappointment I had in having to have a c-section, rather than deliver vaginally, as I had always hoped and prayed. Then, something very hurtful happened. When Jeremiah was about one month old, a family member was visiting us, and made this comment when we were talking about Jeremiah’s birth: “Oh! That’s right! You are one of those lazy ones that decided to take the easy route and have a c-section, instead of delivering the natural way!” Ouch. That stung. Although, I am sure that particular family member was just joking, his words cut me really deep. All the sudden, I wondered if everyone viewed me in the same way he did. Did everyone look at me and think that I actually “chose” to have the c-section? The more I thought about it, the more I realized how sad I was that I didn’t get to have the birthing experience that I had always dreamed of. This started a long and painful journey of feeling “robbed” of my desired birthing experience, which would take me the next two and a half years to heal from, emotionally and psychologically.

Thankfully the story does not end there! At one of my doctor appointments, after having Jeremiah, the doctor explained that because of the type of horizontal incision he had made during the c-section, I should be able to have a vaginal birth some day. That gave me hope, and over the next couple of years, I started to research a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and all that it entailed. During that time, I spoke with other women, who had had successful VBACs, in order to gain more confidence that a VBAC was possible for me. My sister had two successful VBACs of her own, and was a huge inspiration to me. When Jeremiah was just over a year and a half old, we were having the time of our lives in California, on one of Jeremy’s short-term job transfers, and we conceived our second son, Josiah! Josiah’s conception was the start of my journey toward my very own VBAC.

When I was about 12 weeks along in my pregnancy with Josiah, we returned to Virginia, after a wonderful 5-month “adventure” in California. Knowing my desire to have a VBAC, my dear friend Karen recommended that I start seeing the midwives at DePaul Hospital in Norfolk. I called and scheduled an appointment right away. Because I was attempting a VBAC, I was considered “high risk” and could not be seen in the actual “midwifery center,” but rather, would be able to be seen by the midwives in the WomenCare center, an extention of the hospital. I just felt blessed that I was being allowed to see midwives, as I had learned through my research, that they were very into the “natural” birthing process, which was my desire. During my first appointment with one of the midwives, I learned some very uplifting statistics about DePaul. First, there are as many midwives as OBs who deliver babies at DePaul. Second, DePaul has the lowest c-section rate and the highest VBAC success rate in the state. After that appointment, I just knew this was the hospital for me!

My friend Karen also recommended that I visit her Chiropractor, Dr. Tiffany Fernandez, who specialized in a chiropractic technique, called the Webster Method, which is used on pregnant women, to encourage the pelvis to open up and the baby to get into the head down position, which is optimal for vaginal birth. I had my first appointment with Dr. Tiffany Fernandez at 12 weeks, and was very encouraged to learn right away that not only is she a believer in Jesus Christ, but she has also had a successful VBAC! Praise God! Throughout the rest of my pregnancy, all the way up until I was overdue with Josiah, I enjoyed chiropractic care from Dr. Tiffany, and also her husband Dr. Lou. With Jeremiah’s pregnancy, I had a terrible sciatic nerve pain, which made for many sleepless nights. However, due to my chiropractic care with Josiah’s pregnancy, I never had any back pain, and Josiah did indeed get into the perfect head down position, just as the Webster technique boasts. Dr. Tiffany was kind enough to invite me to a few of her classes where she taught me more about the Webster technique and also gave tips for a healthy labor and delivery. I learned so much through these classes. I praise the Lord for using Dr. Tiffany’s chiropractic care to help me enjoy an even healthier and more comfortable pregnancy with Josiah!

Another very important part of my “VBAC team” was my Doula, Stephanie Rochefort. I met Stephanie through a friend on facebook. At the time we met, Stephanie was working on her Doula and Child Birth Educator certifications, and needed to attend two births in order to be completely certified. Because she was still a Doula “student” she did not charge us for her services, which was a major blessing to us, financially! She was an incredible source of support through the end of my pregnancy (from about 30 weeks on), and was a very important part of our labor and delivery process. She, along with my Chiropractor, Dr. Tiffany, invited me to my first ICAN (international cesarean awareness network) meeting/support group, which played a HUGE role in my psychological healing process. At the ICAN meetings, I learned even more about c-sections, VBACs, important health statistics, my rights as a woman, and many other important tidbits of information, which helped me to feel empowered as a woman attempting a VBAC. I praise God for ICAN and the healing He brought to me through this amazing group of women!

As you can see, God blessed me tremendously with an amazing “VBAC team”: friends and family members who continually supported me and prayed for me, wonderful midwives, a loving chiropractor, an incredible doula, and a great ICAN support group. On top of all that, I had God on my side, so I knew that no matter what, whether God allowed me to have the VBAC, or if He decided I would have another c-section, I was in the palm of His hand, and there was no better place to be! Throughout my entire pregnancy with Josiah, I kept reciting Pslam 37:4 (NASB), “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” It gave me so much comfort to know that God absolutely knew every desire of my heart, and that He had His best in mind for me. God is SO good!

Now that I have shared all the “background info,” it gives me great joy to share the amazing story of how God brought Josiah into this world!



Thursday, 10/21/10

10:00am
I dropped Jeremiah off at my friend Karen’s house. Karen graciously agreed to take Jeremiah for me, so that I could attend my full day of appointments in peace, without having to bring a toddler with me. I was very much looking forward to some “mommy time!” Since Jeremiah was going to be at Karen’s all day, I packed food, extra clothes, etc. for him. I even packed pajamas, “just in case” he ended up spending the night, if I happened to go into labor, since I was already five days overdue.

10:30am
I went to the acupuncture appointment, via the recommendation of my doula and chiropractor, on Thursday morning. I LOVED it! I've never felt so relaxed in my life! I'm serious! This warmth came over my lower tummy (where I had been having all of the cramping, pressure, etc.) and I got into a deep state of relaxation. The minute I got down off the table, I felt my first little "gush" but tried not to get too excited about it, because I thought it might be heavy discharge. On my way to my appointment, I stopped at Panera Bread for lunch. I was on my way to my long 3-hour appointment at DePaul anyway, so I knew everything would be ok. Well, on my way there, while I was walking into the WomenCare center, I felt four more little "gushes" and pretty much knew at that point, my water must have at least somewhat "broken." I was getting pretty excited at that point!

1:00pm
I had a great NST (non stress test) at my appointment, and then OB Dr. Hughes confirmed with a litmus test that my water had in fact broken (even though it was just leaking) and I was 2cm dilated, so he sent me over to labor and delivery! Dr. Hughes was incredibly positive and encouraging, and told me that in his opinion, I had a 90% chance of having a successful VBAC, since my water had started to break on it's own, I was already dilated, and the baby was in such a good position, so low in my pelvis. I praise God for Dr. Hughes' encouragement, as that surely was a great way to start out! Thankfully, Jeremiah was already with my friend Karen Miller, during all of my appointments that day, so I knew she'd be able to take him for me that night too, which put my mind even more at peace. On my way over to labor and delivery, I made all of the necessary phone calls. I called Jeremy and Stephanie to tell them to join me at the hospital. I called Karen to make sure it would be ok if Jeremiah stayed with her overnight. My parents (from Wisconsin) had visited my sister in northern Virginia earlier that week, and were visiting my brother in North Carolina at the time. They were only five hours away, so I made sure to also call and let them know what was going on, so they could start their journey toward the hospital, too. I was so excited that things were REALLY happening!

2:00pm
Jeremy and Stephanie arrived at the hospital shorty after I called each of them. I started walking the halls and having a few mild contractions.

6:00pm
I started having stronger contractions. As Jeremy, Stephanie, and I walked the halls, Stephanie made sure to time the contractions for us, and they were about one minute long and 3-6 minutes apart. During each contraction, I would have to stop what I was doing and concentrate on breathing, as they slowly became more and more painful.

11:30pm
After about five hours of walking the halls, practicing different laboring positions, and being monitored every hour, I started to get just a bit discouraged, as my labor actually slowed down a bit. Contractions started to spread out to about nine minutes apart. Nell, the midwife that was on duty that night, checked my cervix and discovered that I was still only 2 cm dilated. She recommended that I take this opportunity to get some rest, and she gave me some benadryl, in hopes that it would help me rest and relax overnight. At that time, Stephanie went home to get some sleep, since nothing was really happening, and I had been told to rest anyways. The benadryl really did nothing to relax me, and I was still in quite a bit of pain during each contraction, so I really could not sleep at all that night.


Friday, 10/22/10

2:00am
Nell came in to examine me and found that I was still 2cm, so she decided to really break my water (with the hook), and sure enough, that REALLY brought on the contractions! From about 2:00am-7:00am, I labored through intense contractions that were right on top of each other, with really no breaks in between. I tried every position possible, to try to get some relief from the pain, but nothing helped. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even sit down, and laying down made me want to scream. The shower was the only thing that seemed to help, but even still, the pain was absolutely excruciating. After no sleep, and nothing to eat for the past 12 hours, I was getting exhausted.

7:00am
I was checked again, and found to be only 3cm dilated. After seeing me go through so much pain through the night with no relief, Jeremy decided that I should get the epidural. At the time, I cried, because I really did want to try to do everything completely naturally and drug-free. I started to feel like a "failure" because I had “caved in” to the drugs that I so desperately tried to stay away from. Stephanie arrived at the hospital, just as I was getting my epidural. I thought for sure that she’d be so disappointed in be for “caving in,” but I was wrong! She was completely supportive and uplifting. She didn’t make me feel bad about it at all. She acknowledged that I really had tried my hardest to labor naturally on my own. It took a few tries for the anesthesiologist to get the epidural in right, so that was pretty painful. But as soon as it was in, I felt an immediate sense of relief! It honestly reminded me of the warm, peaceful, pain-free feeling I had at the acupuncture appointment the morning before. It was wonderful! Finally, I was able to actually lay down, for the first time in over five hours. It felt so good!

8:00am
Midwife Tara had just started her shift, and so she came in to check me. She told me I was 4cm dilated. She was extremely encouraging and told me everything was going to go well, and that she was very excited for my VBAC! I was so encouraged by her positive spirit, too! Tara and the nurses were completely supportive and loving! I am SO blessed! After receiving my third bag of IV antibiotic to protect the baby from the Strep B that was in my body, the nurses hooked me up to the pitocin. At first, it wasn’t hooked up right, and Stephanie realized that the pitocin was actually dripping on the floor! So once they finally got it hooked up to my IV, things started to move pretty quickly! The next two hours, were amazingly wonderful and I was able to just lay in the bed and relax, completely free of pain. I wasn’t even feeling the contractions at that point. If it weren’t for the monitors, telling us when the contractions were happening, I would have had no idea I was in labor. That epidural sure does work!

10:30am
My sister, Chasey, and niece, Madison (from northern Virginia) arrived at the hospital and stopped in to see me. It was wonderful to be able to actually talk to them, since I was so relaxed from the epidural. They would not have wanted to see me in the pain I had been in, just a few hours prior!

11:00am
The nurse checked me and I was already at 10cm, fully dilated!! I was shocked! Just a few minutes before that, I had started to feel the pressure of some of the contractions and had commented to Stephanie that I thought I might have the urge to push, but wasn’t sure, because I'd never done this before. I shared with my "team" that I REALLY desired to be able to do some different positions when I was pushing (hands and knees, squatting, on each side, etc.). I really did not want to be on my back when I was delivering my baby, because through my research, I found out that the pelvis opens up 30% more when a woman is in any other position than lying on her back. The nurses listened to my requests, and were able to turn my epidural down, so that I could still feel and use my legs. It was WONDERFUL! I had the best of both worlds: no pain, but still able to use my legs! So cool! Obviously toward the very end, when Josiah was crowning and coming out, I had some pretty intense pain. But thanks to my amazing, supportive team, I was able to work through the pain. Most importantly, I knew that God was with me. I could feel His presence in such a strong way! I cried out for His help many times in those last moments of pushing, because it was such hard work! When things got really hard, I kept repeating to myself Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It helped me stay focused on my goal!

12:31pm
After an hour and a half of pushing, we welcomed Josiah Timothy Gerdes into the world! I was able to deliver Josiah in the squatting position, at the end of my bed, which is JUST what I always wanted!! As soon as he was suctioned, etc. he was put on my chest and I was able to nurse him right away! He latched on perfectly and fed for 20 minutes on each side, while Tara finished stitching up my small, second-degree tear. It was so incredible!

Soon after Josiah was born, the pediatrician discovered that he had some fluid on his lungs. Because of that, he was breathing at 100 respirations per minute, and needed to be hooked up to monitors and an IV. He was not allowed to breastfeed for two days, because they were afraid that he would aspirate the breastmilk, since he was breathing so fast. It was very hard to not be able to bring him back to our room with us, and to see him hooked up to all of those machines. When he was two days old, we were allowed to breastfeed again, and two days after that, his breathing had slowed down enough for him to be sent home. God healed him! We brought Josiah home on Tuesday, October 26th! What a joyous day for our family of four!

God is SO good to have allowed me to have a successful VBAC! It was definitely one of the biggest desires I've ever had on my heart. I knew so many people were praying for me the whole time, during all of the labor and delivery. I've never felt so bathed in prayer in my life! I am just SO BLESSED! I feel so good about being able to deliver a baby the way God designed for my body to deliver a baby. I praise the Lord for a successful VBAC, and am so thankful for the support team (Jeremy, midwives, OBs, doula, chiropractor, supportive friends and family) He put in my life, to encourage me every step of the way. Even though I did end up getting the epidural and pitocin, I am still thankful that I was able to experience just a little piece of natural labor. I praise God for every moment He allowed me to experience, as it was all I ever dreamed of, and MORE! After lots of prayer and anticipation, it was so beautiful to see God’s plan unfold in the birth of my second son, Josiah!

Welcome to the world, Josiah! We are so glad that God has given you to us! We look forward to the many wonderful memories that we will make with you. Most importantly, we pray that you and Jeremiah will come to know the Lord as your personal Savior someday. We love you SO much more than words could ever describe!

STILL pregnant on our DUE DATE, 10/16/10!!!

Well, we have officially reached our due date and are STILL pregnant! I am actually feeling pretty good, but am also REALLY wanting to meet this baby! We are ALL so excited to welcome him into our lives!! Can't wait to see our boys together!!! :)

Yesterday, I had an appointment, with an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech confirmed that he is head down (yay!), and she estimates him to be 8.5 pounds. WOW! She did warn us that there is a margin of error in the testing, so there is always a chance he might not actually be that big. But, still! She also says he has a big head, with LOTS of hair! Apparently, in ultrasounds, hair shows up as "white stuff" that swishes around in the amniotic fluid. She pointed out his hair to us, and even printed out a picture of it (along with others)! Jeremiah was born with a FULL head of hair, which went down over his ears and down his neck. So, we have to wonder if this baby has as much hair as Jeremiah did. We'll see!

At yesterday's appointment, we also found out that I am 1 cm dilated (yay!). It's not much, but at least it's something! Over the course of my pregnancy, I have been blessed to have met all four midwives (Blair, Nell, Tara, and Jennifer) and have now met two of the OBs (Dr. Hughes and Dr. Dixon). Dr. Dixon swept my membranes yesterday around 11am, and ever since then, I have been feeling regular contractions, more pressure, and lots of cramping in my lower tummy. Last night, before bed, I timed my contractions for an hour, and they were about 2 minutes long, 3 minutes apart.

I am so thankful for my doula, Stephanie Rockefort, who has been answering my calls/texts every couple of hours, helping me figure out what to "do next." Stephanie is actually a doula student, needing to attend births, for her certification, so she is not charging me a penny! What a blessing to have a FREE doula! She has also had two VBACS, so she understands my passion for wanting to have my own VBAC. Truly, what a blessing she is to me!

If you are reading this, please be in prayer for the baby and I through the remainder of the pregnancy (hopefully not too much longer!), labor, delivery, recovery, bonding,and breastfeeding. Also be in prayer for our precious little Jeremiah, as this will all be a big change/transition for him! We have everything ready: bags are packed/in the van, double stroller is in the van, carseat is installed, crib is up, clothes are washed/put away, big brother/little brother tshirts are made, and now we are just waiting...and waiting...anticipating the exciting moment that we will see our precious baby's face for the very first time!! Come ON, baby!!! We are SO excited to meet you!