What an amazing story this is to read. I cannot believe that Courtney's son Zachary and Savannah went to Heaven on the exact same day.
What Marriage Means to Me: Courtney | Faith Permeating Life
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Savannah is a big sister!
I have been keeping a HUGE secret from everyone (including friends and family). We found out on May 22nd after celebrating mass in honor of Savannah that I was expecting another baby. This was such a huge miracle but we knew to be cautiously optomistic. I have been pregnant a total of 4 other times since Savannah and we underwent fertility treatments to conceive this time. Every day and every week that went by, we got more and more reassuring news and finally, 961 days after delivering Savannah Grace, we welcomed Irelynn Elizabeth into this world safely. When I heard her cry, it was totally surreal and a sound Eric and I thought we might never hear again.
Irelynn was born on Tuesday, January 3rd at 11:08am. She weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces (a great combo of numbers since Eric's lucky number is 7 and mine is 8). Also, Irelynn was born on 1/3. Jeremy was born on 8/3. There is always something crazy with numbers. She was 19 1/2 inches and was born amist some drama via emergency c-section, but most importantly, she was born ALIVE.
It's so funny how things happened. Towards the end, things got very dicey and I am so grateful that I had a doctor who listened to me and took me seriously, which enevitably led to saving her life. Irelynn was dangerously close to suffering the same fate as Savannah. If it weren't for Savannah, I wouldn't be so educated on stillbirth, cord accidents, fetal monitoring, or fetal distress movements. Savannah helped save her sister's life. She served another amazing purpose with her brief life and I know she is smiling down upon Irelynn, and happy to finally be a big sister!
It's crazy to see how Jeremy, Savannah, and Irelynn all look exactly alike. In fact, in the first few days being home from the hospital, both Eric and I had to stop ourselves from calling her Savannah. We miss her so much and wish that she was here to enjoy her new sister. It has been bittersweet to say the least, but we love Irelynn for being Irelynn, just as we loved Savannah for being Savannah. We don't want Irelynn to ever feel like a replacement child, because there is no replacing Savannah. Our hearts just grew wider and wider in order to embrace our new miracle.
Welcome to the World, sweet Baby Girl. We waited sooooooo long to meet you and you were well worth the wait.
To anyone else struggling with Infertility, don't ever give up hope and remain strong in your faith. It is the only thing that got us through the pregnancy. That and we have a very special little girl named Savannah who kept vigilant watch over us from her seat next to Jesus in Heaven.
Irelynn was born on Tuesday, January 3rd at 11:08am. She weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces (a great combo of numbers since Eric's lucky number is 7 and mine is 8). Also, Irelynn was born on 1/3. Jeremy was born on 8/3. There is always something crazy with numbers. She was 19 1/2 inches and was born amist some drama via emergency c-section, but most importantly, she was born ALIVE.
It's so funny how things happened. Towards the end, things got very dicey and I am so grateful that I had a doctor who listened to me and took me seriously, which enevitably led to saving her life. Irelynn was dangerously close to suffering the same fate as Savannah. If it weren't for Savannah, I wouldn't be so educated on stillbirth, cord accidents, fetal monitoring, or fetal distress movements. Savannah helped save her sister's life. She served another amazing purpose with her brief life and I know she is smiling down upon Irelynn, and happy to finally be a big sister!
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Welcome to the World, sweet Baby Girl. We waited sooooooo long to meet you and you were well worth the wait.
To anyone else struggling with Infertility, don't ever give up hope and remain strong in your faith. It is the only thing that got us through the pregnancy. That and we have a very special little girl named Savannah who kept vigilant watch over us from her seat next to Jesus in Heaven.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Vacation Bible School
This summer, I signed Jeremy up for a few different camps that I thought would be of interest to him. A lot of people have questioned why I do this, so let me begin my explaining my thought process. I am not a teacher. Many times, I have questioned why I was so interested in business if I was going to have children. If I had known, maybe I would have chosen a different career path. I didn't, so this is where we are today. Because Jeremy is an only child AND because I am not a teacher, there are limits to what I can give him as a child. For example, I want him to be very social and have lots of interests. Since we don't have any other children right now, these activites keep him going. He did very well in his 2 year preschool and overcame his speech delays after only 5 months in school. He is very interested in gymnastics so we did 2 weeks of gymnastics camp. Anyway, we heard about Vacation Bible School at Church a few weeks ago and inquired about the age range. They told us preschool so we signed him up. He is one of the younger ones, but since he did go to school, he knows how to listen to other adults, wait his turn, keep his hands to himself, and follow instructions.
Monday, my husband and I took Jeremy for the 1st day. There was so much singing and dancing! It looks like so much fun. When I picked him up, the teacher said he did very well, didn't have any potty accidents, and was such a pleasure. I was impressed. The second day went well too. I would arrive about 15 minutes early each day to watch the group prayer, singing, and dancing. I wished there was a Vacation Bible Camp around when I was a kid!
Wednesday, I dropped of Jeremy and talked to the Director. I asked her if I could help for next year. Her response was, "Yes, but I could really use your help today and for the rest of this week." I told her I had a dentist appointment but I would come back. When I returned, I went to the office and asked her what I could do to help. She asked my name and I told her. Now, many people in our parrish know of me and my husband because of Savannah, but they may not be able to associate our names with our faces. Again, she said, "I've heard that name before." I responded, "Yes, Savannah was my daughter." That's all that needed to be said for her to get it. She quickly put me to work!
I was put as the adult leader wtih the 3rd graders. They had two teen helpers but no adult leader. The kids were so well behaved and I was so impressed by how well run the program was. Each morning for the gathering activities, we practiced our dancing and singing to that music that I thought was so cool the 1st day. By the end of the week, the music wasn't so cool anymore. In fact, I found myself practicing the movements in my sleep.
Yes, that is Jeremy holding up the "R" for the special word of the day! And yes, I am one of those annoying moms who snaps pictures of everything my child does.
It was a great experience for me. There were lots of other things I could have been doing while Jeremy was at camp, but I feel good about knowing that I was right where God wanted me to be. The simple messages that were taught: Trust God, Love Never Fails, Care for Others, and Share your Faith ~ these apply not only this week but each and every day. Throughout the past 15 months, I haven't always trusted God. In fact, I have questioned him and repeatedly. Why was Savannah taken from us? Why can't I get pregnant again? What did I do wrong in my life to deserve this? Why do other people have beautiful children only to hurt and abuse them? Why did you let Savannah die? Some of this is part of the normal grieving process. I understand that I will not know the answers to any of these questions.
I also know that I have many blessings, and the most important one is love. I have a husband who loves me and accepts me. He doesn't care whether I am a size 4 or size 14 (I have been both and all sizes in between in the last 5 months). He doesn't care if my makeup is on or my hair is fixed perfect. He loves me for who I am ~ unconditionally. I have been blessed with Jeremy, the light of my life. That little boy makes me smile each and every day. The only type of love he knows is unconditional, whether it's for our kitten, Oreo, or the homeless man that hangs out at Farm Fresh. The teaching is something I need to remember ~ Love Never Fails. Savannah loves our family and we love her. Our love for her and each other and our love for God will never fail.
So, the moral of this story is that teachings are not just for the kids. Even an old person like me (and I feel very old because I've been hanging out with 3rd graders and 2 teenagers) can learn something from Vacation Bible School. And yes, I will be sporting my dance moves tonight at the Closing Ceremony. And I might even let Jeremy keep the CD of that annoying music.
"Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning."
Until next time, remember to count your blessings.
Blessings,
Shannon
Monday, my husband and I took Jeremy for the 1st day. There was so much singing and dancing! It looks like so much fun. When I picked him up, the teacher said he did very well, didn't have any potty accidents, and was such a pleasure. I was impressed. The second day went well too. I would arrive about 15 minutes early each day to watch the group prayer, singing, and dancing. I wished there was a Vacation Bible Camp around when I was a kid!
Wednesday, I dropped of Jeremy and talked to the Director. I asked her if I could help for next year. Her response was, "Yes, but I could really use your help today and for the rest of this week." I told her I had a dentist appointment but I would come back. When I returned, I went to the office and asked her what I could do to help. She asked my name and I told her. Now, many people in our parrish know of me and my husband because of Savannah, but they may not be able to associate our names with our faces. Again, she said, "I've heard that name before." I responded, "Yes, Savannah was my daughter." That's all that needed to be said for her to get it. She quickly put me to work!
I was put as the adult leader wtih the 3rd graders. They had two teen helpers but no adult leader. The kids were so well behaved and I was so impressed by how well run the program was. Each morning for the gathering activities, we practiced our dancing and singing to that music that I thought was so cool the 1st day. By the end of the week, the music wasn't so cool anymore. In fact, I found myself practicing the movements in my sleep.
Yes, that is Jeremy holding up the "R" for the special word of the day! And yes, I am one of those annoying moms who snaps pictures of everything my child does.
It was a great experience for me. There were lots of other things I could have been doing while Jeremy was at camp, but I feel good about knowing that I was right where God wanted me to be. The simple messages that were taught: Trust God, Love Never Fails, Care for Others, and Share your Faith ~ these apply not only this week but each and every day. Throughout the past 15 months, I haven't always trusted God. In fact, I have questioned him and repeatedly. Why was Savannah taken from us? Why can't I get pregnant again? What did I do wrong in my life to deserve this? Why do other people have beautiful children only to hurt and abuse them? Why did you let Savannah die? Some of this is part of the normal grieving process. I understand that I will not know the answers to any of these questions.
I also know that I have many blessings, and the most important one is love. I have a husband who loves me and accepts me. He doesn't care whether I am a size 4 or size 14 (I have been both and all sizes in between in the last 5 months). He doesn't care if my makeup is on or my hair is fixed perfect. He loves me for who I am ~ unconditionally. I have been blessed with Jeremy, the light of my life. That little boy makes me smile each and every day. The only type of love he knows is unconditional, whether it's for our kitten, Oreo, or the homeless man that hangs out at Farm Fresh. The teaching is something I need to remember ~ Love Never Fails. Savannah loves our family and we love her. Our love for her and each other and our love for God will never fail.
So, the moral of this story is that teachings are not just for the kids. Even an old person like me (and I feel very old because I've been hanging out with 3rd graders and 2 teenagers) can learn something from Vacation Bible School. And yes, I will be sporting my dance moves tonight at the Closing Ceremony. And I might even let Jeremy keep the CD of that annoying music.
"Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning."
Until next time, remember to count your blessings.
Blessings,
Shannon
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