Graduation Day

"This is the saddest day of my life."
Such were the words of woe uttered by Christa on the last day of kindergarten.
She had tears in her eyes.
I had tears in my eyes too.
It had been a fun-filled year.
Three days earlier she'd graduated with the rest of her class--wearing a blue gown and a cap complete with a tassle! Christa and her kindergarten comrades recited Bible verses and sang songs. Each student shook hands with Mrs. Jarboe and Mrs. Murphy and smiled for the camera when they received their diploma.
A few more days of fun--and then the year was truly over. Christa came home with a laminated scrapbook of memories that she has looked at again and again. The day she made a robot with her fifth-grade buddy. The day she visited the pumpkin patch. The day she learned about Indians and named herself "She who was born in the snow." Science Day and Art Day and the 100th Day of School.
What a grand year she had.
Mrs. Jarboe made certain that, in the midst of all the fun and laughter, Christa learned what she needed to know to be ready for first grade. Christa isn't really looking forward to that yet. She's too busy hating saying goodbye to such a wonderful teacher.
That's a good kind of sad.

And for that I am grateful.

May your day be anchored in gratefulness.

Bada-Baby Bling

I remember the day I walked into a Babies-R-Us store. The shock of my late-in-life pregnancy had worn off. Reality was setting in. I had nothing for a baby. Nothing.
Time to go shopping.
Babies-R-Us overwhelmed me with its aisles and aisles of strollers and cribs and swings and bottles and cups and oh-so-adorable baby clothes.
Babies had become big business since my first three were born.
Now, thanks to celebrity moms ( and a lot of them are mommies-come-lately) shopping for babies is all about the bling!
I definitely believe "You get what you pay for"--but does a baby need a stroller that costs $1,000? How about $2,000? Or a $3,000 diaper bag? Seems a bit over the top to me.
And I think a $17,000 diamond encrusted pacifier that a baby is going to suck on and drool all over is beyond absurd. But that's just what the founder of www.itsmybinky.com sent Angelina Jolie when her daughter Shiloh was born.
Call me a party pooper, but it's a lot of bada-blah if you ask me.

"Freebirthers"--A New Kind of Mom

It's challenging to type with my mouth hanging open. Give me a minute. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this new mommy phenomena.
"Freebirthers" are women who want to deliver their babies all by themselves, thank you very much.
They don't want drugs. They don't need a midwife or an OB-GYN or family physician or any kind of medical help whatsoever.
According to a Reuters article, freebirthing is legal in Britain and North America so long as the delivery is not assisted by an unqualified partner, friend, or husband.
I don't know whether to applaud or laugh.
Could we be taking the "I'll do it myself" attitude a wee bit too far?
Yes, I was the one doing the huffing and puffing and pushing when I delived all four of my children. Even so, I appreciated the help of my husband. I appreciated the expertise of the nurses and my doctors. I seriously doubt I would have been able to perform the physical gymnastics needed to catch my baby in my own shaking hands--much less cut the umbilical cord.
And what if something had gone wrong? To bear that responsibility all by myself? No thank you.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Labor and delivery is risky business. Why do some insist on making it even riskier?

Sixty-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to Twins

Wow.
I've been following late in life motherhood for several years now, but I still get surprised by stories like this one.
Sixty years old.
The mother of twin boys.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
The mom, who is believed to be the oldest woman to give birth to multiples in the U.S., also has sons ages 6 and 33 and a daughter age 29.
According to the Associated Press article, she said she wanted her younger son to have siblings close to his age and wanted to remove some of the stigma attached to older woman having babies.
News like this is always a hot topic, with people weighing in on the "Should She/Shouldn't She" Debate. (Reality is, she did!)
So what do you think?

In the News

Woman in Coma Gives Birth

"Pink or Blue" Test supposedly reveals baby's sex as early as six weeks into pregnancy

Fertility Factors: Upping Your Pregnancy Odds

This last article is a good overview that answers some basic questions about factors that could affect fertility.

Life Lesson From a Six Year Old

My daughter Christa is only six years old--but she knows what she needs and she knows how to ask for it.
I admire that.
Right now, Christa neds a lot of hugs and she makes sure I know it. She just tells it like it is: "Mom, I need a hug." We may be sitting on the couch watching TV or we may be walking through the grocery store or we may be eating out at a favorite restaurant (Hers: Chik-fil-a; Mine: California Pizza Kitchen.)
And once she tells me what she needs, she opens her arms up wide, knowing I'll give her a hug. And another. And another--as many as she asks for.
Simple, huh?

Me? I complicate things in typical adult fashion. I don't ask.
About a week ago I was emotionally taken to my knees. A precious friend's husband's died suddenly of a heart attack on his way home from work.
Just typing those words in this blog makes it hard to breathe. I hurt so deeply for my friend.
I want to comfort her--to wrap my arms around her and somehow make the pain go away. But I can't.
Maybe sometimes a hug doesn't make the pain go away. Maybe a hug just allows a person to find a place to rest for a moment in the comforting embrace of a friend.
I need a hug.

In the News

Here's a rundown of recent headlines of interest to late-in-life moms (and moms-to-be):



An Increasing Number of Fertility Clinics Allow Women to Freeze Eggs

Medical Study Shows Gaining Too Much Weight During Pregnancy Puts Both Mom and Baby at Risk

This next story is controversial, to say the least:

Mom Freezes Her Eggs So Her Daugher Can Have A Child

I don't know what I think about that last story. A mother's love knows no bounds...but then again I'm not certain I'm comfortable with this. Then again, I don't have to be, do I?

A Wedding--and Reasons to be Grateful

The wedding.
My son Josh promised to love, honor, and cherish Jenelle--and she promised the same for him.
Tiny snowflakes fell during their outdoor wedding here in Colorado. My mom said it seemed like a blessing from God.
And then, just as they spoke their vows, the sun shone down on them. Jenelle looked up and just smiled.
We all smiled.
I am still processing the moments of their wedding weekend--kind of like the way you keep shuffling through photos, looking at them over and over again. I made sure I watched my son's face when he saw Jenelle in her wedding gown for the first time. When tears filled his eyes, I had to glance away.
I watched their first dance as husband and wife--and how my son sang softly to Jenelle.
And I laughed and clapped several songs later when they broke out into a swing dance routine.
I've never seen my son happier. Josh told me he has never felt more loved or more blessed as he has during the wedding celebration with our family and friends.

And for this I am grateful.

May your day--may your life--be anchored in gratefulness.

So My Son's Getting Married

Yep, Josh is getting married in three days.

And, yes, I got a little teary-eyed as I typed those words.

Happy tears. Happy tears.

I've finished scrubbing the tile grout and moved on to cleaning out the fridge--to make room for all the food I'm buying for the weekend festivities--and rearranging the photos and magnets on the front of the fridge. How inane is that? (I know! Post a comment and tell me what silly, inane things you do when company is coming to visit. Let me know I am not alone!)

Last night I did a silly Mom thing. I looked through photos of Josh growing up. And, yes, I cried. You'd think I wanted to make myself cry. Well, that wasn't the point, but it was the result. There he was--a tow-headed toddler with a mischevious grin and a "You-can't-make-me" glint in his eyes. Photos of him holding a variety of pet snakes--Did I ever tell you about the time one got loose in his room and I had to catch it? Photos of him at fourteen getting ready to head out for a nine-week Teen Missions trip to Kenya.

That was probably the first time I had to purposefully let my son go. I wasn't ready for him to go so far, far away for so long--but he was more than ready. And I didn't want to get in the way of what God had planned for him. I still don't.

When it came time to say goodbye, he looked me in the eye and said, "You going to be okay, Mom?"

"Yep. I'll be fine."

He could see the tears in my eyes. He probably figured I was lying. But I was going to do my best to be fine--to let him go. I prayed my way through that summer.

I remember watching him walk away--off to a new adventure. I was so, so proud of my son.

I'll be fine Sunday too. I am still proud of Josh. And I am so, so excited for him to start his Happily Ever After with Jen.

Wedding Count Down

It's silly, the things I'm doing to get ready for my son's wedding.

A few days ago I decided I needed to scrub the grout in the tile in my kitchen floor. There are paint cans sitting on my kitchen counters so I can touch up a few walls. And my dear husband stained both the front and back porches and assembled a new set of lawn furniture. All of this has nothing to do with the wedding ceremony--but we will be having guests over for a bridal shower and a post-wedding celebration.

I'm sure given more time and a bit more energy I could come up with additional projects. But I need to finalize plans for the rehearsal dinner--a few surprises there!--and making sure my schedule of events coordinates with Jen and Josh's schedule of events.

The past two mornings, I haven't jumped out of bed the minute I woke up. Instead, I laid still and enjoyed those quiet minutes before life got busy, busy, busy. I thanked God that my son is getting married to a wonderful young woman named Jenelle. Through the years, I prayed many prayers for my son's future wife--and it's delightful to see the answer come to life in her warm smile and generous nature. It is beautiful to see the love between the two of them.

Those early morning moments are the most precious ones of this wedding week--taking time to be thankful. I need to try and squeeze in a few more moments like that throughout the day.