I'm BAAACK!!!

Sorry, sorry, sorry and thank you so much!

Sorry for disappearing recently and for such an extended period of time without really letting you know what was going on... And thank you all for your concern-- it makes my heart swell and it's very humbling at the same time to know that your thoughts and prayers were there for me during this last month.

What happened? The short answer: I had a baby. That would be baby number 8. And no, we did not name him Ocho (for all you non-bilingual folks, that means eight).

Oh yes, I did say him. And his name is Jasper Rush. He came to us on November 11th, three days after his due date. He weighed in at 8lbs 11oz and 21 inches long. As he exited the bat cave, my husband's words were "that's a big baby". What a goofball! Even in my state of exhaustion, I had the presence of mind to ask him, the doctor and anyone else listening, "Well, what is it?"
Then, (after quickly examining the exterior equipment) he blurted out, of course, that it was, in fact, a boy.

Going into this pregnancy, I had decided upon a few things: 1. We would not find out the baby's gender. 2. I would not be induced. 3. I would go all natural-- NO EPIDURAL. However, since I had gone past my due date, I was dilated to 3cm and my contractions had begun (although inconsistently), my doctor felt that induction would be the best course to insure the safety of the baby. As I said, this was not what I wanted to do, but after discussing it with my husband and praying about it, we thought that it was the right thing to do. I did get an intravenous pitocin drip to move me along-- I was at 4cm. The doctor broke my water at 2:10pm, I began to have more consistent and intense contractions for the next hour, and by about 3:10pm, I had had enough. For me, it was really difficult not to quit and just get the epidural. It was probably the most physically challenging and painful thing I've ever done. Thankfully, my husband was right there to encourage me and hold me steady on course. I guess I'm happy for his ability to focus on what I had committed to do and not let me off the hook. He kept saying, "You can do it. You're almost there" even when I was already thinking, "I can't!"

Did he make me do it? No, but he made me do what I wanted to do. I guess that that's what makes men the way they are. Although next time, I wish he would have to push a melon out of his private area instead of me.

So 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Yes, I did it. After 7 births aided by the epidural, I was able, with God's help, to have Jasper naturally and without complications. I'll tell you what-- the physical toll on my body seems to be significantly less than when I had the epidural. The soreness and the side effects just aren't there. I'm not saying that it would be the same for every woman, but that's how it was and is for me. Take it or leave it. I've now been on both sides of the equation.

Oh-- by the way, during the last several weeks of my of digital disappearance, I became fixated on two things: Keeping my house clean at a level beyond just the superficial and keeping my kids on track with their schooling. Yes, my husband helped with both of these things whether by actually getting his hands dirty and doing the actual cleaning himself or by taking care of all the little things that make the household function so that I could be freed up to clean up to MY standards. Yes, I became a cleaning maniac, trying to continuously maintain a sanitized household over the last weeks since I had no idea when our present would arrive. I don't think I'll go into exact detail concerning the extent of my crusade, but let's just say that my husband and kids were getting a little weary of the whole thing.

For the most part, we've remained on schedule with our homeschooling helped by my husband coming home during his breaks at school to crack the whip (not on me!) and keep the kids in line. Even if he didn't do any actual school work, just his presence in the house or the kids knowing that daddy would soon be home was enough at times to keep the ship pointed in the right direction. This doesn't mean that every lesson was followed perfectly or that the kids weren't involved in independent study at times, but I just thank God that we've been able to stay focused.

I'm in the hospital right now. It's been a day since the birth and I'm ready to go home. 24 hours later and I'll be back home after we've been discharged. We'll get a jamba juice on the way home for the deserving mommy (for nutritional value, of course!) and Jasper will get to meet his great big family complete with lots of built-in friends, playmates, cheerleaders, huggers and smoochers. What an exciting time for our family...

Thanks again, stay tuned.

Pictures to follow later....