Monday, November 27, 2006

Through the Eyes of the Babe

Light, sounds
Entrance into a world so cold
Love felt
Strange surroundings
Smell of Hay
Wrapped in warm swaddling
Faces, many Faces
Grand, kingly gifts
A star, shining brightly o’er top
Worship
Foretold for many generations
Young virgin mother
Angels heard on high
Born to die, yet bring life
Purposed for salvation

© TRM 2006

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Pregnant Bellies

Life, recently, has been quite joyous. Despite the heart-wrenching toast that made half the table cry at Thanksgiving at Grandma's house for the last time (thanks Dad!), our family, I think, is generally happy.

Many of you know that my husband and I don't want kids (yea, still!). However, I do not think it is wrong for me to enjoy other people's pregnancies. The first pregnant belly I ever touched was a friend of mine's, Robbie's. I just asked her one day at church, and I just thought it the most interesting thing ever.

Now, before your start thinking it, I won't just touch any stranger's pregnant belly. That, truly, is out of bounds.

None of my immediate family has ever been pregnant and in close proximity, until now! Rachel is about 6 months pregnant with a boy (Andrew William) and with a proud daddy, my brother, Thomas. I guess you could say she is the 2nd pregnant belly I have touched.

I would tend to say that Rachel and I are close. I mean, we ARE family and all, but she is my sister-in-law and wife to a brother whom I am very close to. Thus, by default, we are close. The neatest thing is that she invites me to touch her belly (I do give warning!) pretty much all the time.

I felt Andrew kick for the first time on Thanksgiving day. That was an experience. I mean, my hand moved and everything. He's got one heck of a kick!

I never really realized what pregnant tummies felt like until I touched one. I guess I assumed that they were squishy and jiggly. But that's really not the case at all! They are actually quite firm! It is the neatest feeling to touch a pregnant belly and know that there is a living little person in there.

I put my ear to her belly and couldn't hear anything. We even tried a stethoscope and really just heard a lot of liquid swishing and maybe a very faint pitter-patter. The little one only weighs a little over 2 pounds, so I suspect we'll hear more when he gets bigger.

She is due in late February and we are all excited! My Mom is still not sure she's ready, especially since she has no grandma budget yet. What grandma really has a budget anyways?

By the way, Andrew was thought to be Maria Grace for a full month until the last ultrasound. That's when the nurse admitted to a boo-boo when spotting Andrew's family jewels. I just know that my Grandma is just laughing from heaven about the boo-boo as she knew it before us!

Pregnant ladies really have a lot of say in life. If she wants to eat this, then we all go there. If she needs a nap or rest, then she does it. Nobody thinks twice if a pregnant lady has something to say or wants something. We just go with the flow. That is pretty much a given and Rachel has the right (she is so reasonable!)! It does take a lot of BTUs to bake in that oven (the womb!)!

I know what some of you are thinking. "Oh, she's talking her way into having a kid." No, in fact, I was pretty much scarred from wanting to have one when I ran my first EMS call. Really, enjoying and watching others go through a pregnancy is fulfilling enough of that call of nature!

Monday, November 13, 2006

D.B. & Angel (and then some!)


D.B. & Angel

Awww

adorable


All 3!

Handheld!

So ugly, yet so cute.

The one on the left is the one that died.


Angel- the last one we will keep.

Sleepy head

so colorful against a bland carpet (BeBe)

Babysitter


You're not Rodney!

Snuggle buddies

They like to spoon!

cuddling with binky #2


flapper!

D.B. stands for dutch blue

a couple of days before she died

cutie pie


D.B. is our nickname since he is sold already

Siblings

This is an awesome picture

cuddling on Daddy!


Evee on Daddy's collar... note the fluff hanging over

Evee is so mellow

Evee in BeBe's cage (sneaky like a ninja)

before we pulled them from the nestbox


proud parents

smoochers


Dewey & Sierra
If you can't tell, we love our birds!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Loss

Today is a sad day. Today is the first time that we have lost one of our birds.

The youngest of our three new babies passed away today.

She couldn't be saved. At first, I blamed myself. I took care of her yesterday. Had I overfed her? She was sluggish starting about 6pm last night. She didn't want to eat. She was usually the most hyper of all three of them. What was wrong?

I held her in my hand. Put her on my chest. Felt her warmth. Touched her little feet.

Now, she's gone. I didn't think I would get so attached to these babies. After all, she was to be sold to a wonderful family. Even still, I loved her. She was one of my charges. One of my babies.

It wasn't my fault though. Her liver was very swollen; it was a birth defect. She had thrown up yesterday and overnight. Those were the last stages/hours of her life. I think she knew that we loved her. She recognized us and wanted us to hold her.

These things just happen.

God created us to love others, to love dearly. That's what makes us like Him; that we could care even for the smallest of creatures created by His own hand.

Now, her little body can be used to help other babies in the future, so that they may be saved.

I did cry. And, no, it's not stupid to cry over a bird. My heart is tender. Crying helps me to deal with the pain and get it out. But, she's not hurting anymore.

Comfortingly to me, I know she is held in God's own hand. Forever to be warm and loved.