5 Words We All Long To Hear… July 11, 2009

I beleive that as we all go through life there are 5 words that we long to hear.

The first word in the phrase is your name, it can actually come at the beginning or the end of this phrase.  When someone remembers your name it makes you feel important and special, especially if it is someone you have not seen in a long time.  Your name gives you identity and makes you feel good when someone remembers it.  You may not always like your name growing up but at some point you learn to like it at least a bit.  Wayne and I spend a lot of time trying to come up with a name that will fit our children for their lives before they come into the world.  I think we have done this because we know that names mean a lot to us.

The next part of the phrases is “I’m proud of you”.  We all try to seek approval of someone, whether it be a parent (absent or present in our lives), a teacher, mentor or a friend.  We do things hoping that we would be seen by that person in hopes to hear those words.  If you are proud of someone, tell them, it will make their day.

Tonight we ran into an old mentor of Wayne’s that we had not seen or heard from in a long time.  As we were walking away this person said, “Wayne, I’m proud of you.”  Those 5 words hit my heart and Wayne’s and brought tears to our eyes.  It was a great feeling.  I am proud of Wayne too but I know how much he needed to hear those words from this man.

Soldiers of the Cross January 19, 2008

The week of January 7, Wayne, Rena and I went on a retreat with the junior class of Western Seminary.  It was held at Lindenwood Retreat Center, which is run by the Poor Hand Maids of Jesus Christ (a convent)  in Donaldson, Indiana.  We had a good time there and Rena was loved by all. The nuns especially lit up when they saw her. Some wanted to hold her all the time and Rena would also light up when she saw Sister Maggie or Sister Jeanne. While we were there the sisters committed to pray for our group.

One afternoon Wayne stayed back in the dorm with Rena and I went for a walk, just me and my camera.  The grounds of the convent were beautiful!  There were many statues of different saints and a small lake.  There was also a cemetery.   As I looked at the cemetery:

I was reminded of my trip years ago to Washington D.C., especially to Arlington National Cemetery where many soldiers have been buried who have served our country:

 

 As I sat and pondered the image in front of me I thought of how they were similar.  Arlington Cemetery is filled with soldiers that died while fighting for our country, for us. And the cemetery at the convent was filled with Soldiers of the Cross, sisters who died fighting for our country and the world that we live in, in the name of Jesus, by praying for people of all nations and going to battle spiritually on the behalf of many.

The sisters were going to battle for us while we were there on retreat.  Their lives are devoted to God and being soldiers of the cross, no matter what the cost.

2 Months after… January 6, 2008

It is amazing that today marks 2 months of Rena’s arrival on November 5. I was looking back at my posts and saw the 2 more months post and thought that this would be a great time to write again.

I have been off “work” for over 2 months now. A new work began 2 months ago. The work of being a mother, the joy of being a mother. I would not give up this job for anything. I love to watch her, she is so amazing!

On Sunday Rena had her first real smile, it was after Wayne said, “Ears and fingers and toes, Rena Elizabeth you have all of those”. Monday I got to experience the first smile reacting to me. And since then the smiles have only increased, it has been wonderful!!

Yesterday she had her 2 month shots. That was one of the hardest things so far. To watch the nurse poke Rena 3 times with needles. I know in my head it is for her health but in the moment it was so hard to watch her in pain and to hear her scream. You want to protect your daughter from pain but there are things you can’t protect them from. And some things that bring pain for the moment but will provide protection later.

She was a little groggy yesterday after the shots but today she was back to herself.

Tonight in the store I felt like I was having a little conversation with Rena that only a mother and a daughter would be able to understand. Just staring at  each other, I was saying her name and smiling at her. She stared back and made beautiful sounds and smiled over and over again. It was amazing!!

2 months have passed and I have enjoyed it so much. I have 2 weeks left before I return to work. I know the first days will be hard but I will just make the best of my time with her when I am not at work.

The key to mommy’s heart December 11, 2007

I can’t believe that Rena is already one month old. I can’t explain the time so far, I think that only other mothers would understand. The feelings of being a mom and watching my little daughter grow day by day. Each day staring at her, noticing something new and amazing about her, her red hair, taking in the scent of her, her dad’s nose and the way it flares like his does. God is just so amazing!!! And to be able to hold this miracle in my arms.

The sleepless nights… Who would have thought that you wouldn’t really mind getting such little sleep. Yeah, there are moments that I feel too warn out to move just wanting to cry and sleep but holding this miracle makes the hard times easier and all worth it.

Rena does indeed hold the key to mommy’s heart.

A moment worth waiting for… November 9, 2007

November 27 was the expected due date of our little one. Over the past few weeks thing began to change which ultimately changed the date that our precious daughter was born.

On Tuesday October 23rd I was involved in a small car accident. I was stopped at a red light and the person in front of me decided to go backwards instead of forward. He did not stop his truck until it was too late for my car. I was not hurt but my car was a different story.

The following day I went to the doctor just to make sure that baby and I were okay. The doctor hooked me up to a monitor to make sure that the baby was fine and everything looked great, except for my blood pressure. The doctor did some other testing for preeclampsia. The test results came back fine, but my doctor continued to monitor me over the next week.

On Wednesday, October 31 I went into the hospital because of my blood pressure but as soon as I got there it was fine, so I was sent back home. I went back into the doctor the following day and my blood pressure was back up. My doctor told me at this time that she wanted to induce labor so that no harm would come to baby or me. She set it up for us to go in at 9pm on Friday to the hospital.

We arrived excited to begin the process. Unfortunately it did not work. After being at the hospital for almost 24 hours we were sent home empty handed. We were so disappointed and worn out.

On Monday morning at 4 am we went back into the hospital and started the induction process over again. This time everything seemed to be heading in the right direction. At around 11:00 am the doctor broke my water and things continued to progress and our excitement grew and grew. At this point we knew that we would not be going home empty handed again.

Around 5pm we got to the point where the doctor had me begin to push. We tried this for a few hours.

At this point Baby was not wanting to come down the birth canal. Our doctor then discussed with us that we should consider a c-section. She said that we could have tried to push for a while but depending on how things worked we would possibly end up with an emergency c-section. We took time to discuss our options with the doctor and then the doctor left us to discuss and pray about what we should do.

At 8:30 we headed into the operating room and began surgery. Everything went well. Wayne sat by my head as the surgery was being performed. Wayne was told to stand up just as the doctor was pulling our little baby out. The look on his face was priceless! The doctor announced “It’s a girl!” Everyone in the room was excited. Wayne then was able to cut the chord. It was great to be able to watch him take it all in. He then took a glance back at what the doctor was doing to me and sewing me back up. This part wasn’t quite what he needed to see but he turned back to his little daughter and he could not take his eyes away from her. He still has a hard time taking his eyes off from her.

Her name is Rena (Ree-nah) Elizabeth Bowerman. Her name means Joyful song or singer, dedicated to God. She was born at 9:13pm on Monday, November 5. She was 6 pounds 3 ounces and 18 inches long.

Rena and I are doing well. Wayne brought us home Mnday afternoon and it is relaxing. Rena can sense that we are more relaxed. Her favorite spot to rest is curled up on daddy’s chest. This is Wayne’s favorite spot too, as he whispers to his little girl about how much he loves her. She lays her head against his chest and curls her legs up, she looks so cute, like a little frog. 🙂

We have one picture of her so far and we will put the others on as soon as possible.

Holding this little miracle is an amazing feeling, a moment worth waiting for…

2 More Months To… September 17, 2007

In two more months our world is going to change in many ways!!  It is hard to believe that little baby Bowerman will be here so soon!  Some days it feels so far off and some days it feels like it is way too close and we are so not ready.

But how do you really prepare for a little one to come into your life?  Can you ever fully prepared for this miracle of life to join you on this journey?

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little son or daughter.  What an exciting time!!

“The Kids” September 6, 2007

We just returned from having a birthday dinner with most of my family at Outback. Wayne, my brother Mike and his family, my parents and also my sister were all there. It is Mike’s birthday on Sunday and his daughter Sydney’s on Monday. Mike and his family are here in Michigan until tomorrow. They are moving from Seattle, Washington to Ft Leonardwood, Missouri. They have been out of their old house since the end of July sometime. I am sure that they are ready to be moved into the new place. The kids start school on Monday and their furniture and everything arrives on Tuesday. Mike is in the Army and will be stationed in Missouri next. Since he has joined the Army he has been all over, from Seattle, to Colorado Springs, to St. Joseph, to Seattle, to Iraq, back to Seattle and then now to Ft Leonardwood.

Tonight I enjoyed just watching Mike and his family. They all have grown up so much lately. The kids range in ages from 6 to 10. I think I noticed a change in Mike and Shawn too. It has been quite a while since we have spent time with them. We have only been able to see them one time since they have been in Michigan for this trip. I brought some little business cards with some of my pictures on them. I had one of each of the kids and started giving out one to each of them. Through out the night I ended up giving them more of them. It was fun to watch them remember the times of when those pictures were taken. Naming the place where it was or different memories about something in the picture.

The above picture was one of them. This was taken 2 years ago when they lived in Michigan and all 4 kids had spent the night with Wayne and I. We went to a park and played around and ate lunch. We have a large copy of this picture above our desk. It is one of my favorite photos. The copy we have is almost life size, it is fun to just look at and see their personalities coming out. The grin on Gabriel (on the top) is a classic little grin. Sydney’s eyes and the little bit of food on her face. Haley with her big grin and bright eyes, with her self cut hair. And of course Ian with his loving eyes and serious face.

As we left this evening the kids were filled with hugs, declarations of love, letting us know that they would miss us and then of course one last hug. It won’t be as long this time that we will have to wait to see them. At the latest we will see them at Christmas, if not before at my brother Don’s wedding (depending on baby’s arrival). 4 months isn’t that long but who knows how much they will grow up in that time.

Baby Bowerman July 20, 2007

This is the first picture we have of Baby Bowerman. We are over half way to the arrival of the little one! It is so exciting! We don’t know if baby is a boy or a girl but we are excited about either.

People are saying baby looks like Wayne.  What do you think?

To the Class of 2007 May 22, 2007

To Boo Bear:

Saturday, May 19 was a day that was filled with excitement and new memories.

Who would have thought 12 years ago that Wayne, after graduating high school, would wait7 years to start back to school? And then 5 years ago begin his college journey at Grand Rapids Community College? I know he didn’t think it would happen and probably more that that, I don’t think he would have imagined that he would transfer from there to Reformed Bible College and then to graduate on May 19, 2007 from Calvin College.

Wayne is the first person in his family to go to college, and then complete it.

Over the past few weeks Wayne wasn’t really sure he would make it. Those thoughts were overwhelming for him when he was working on his 25 page senior seminar paper and preparing for his Art History paper. But he made it!! I am so proud of him!! As of the time that I am writing this he has only hours before he receives his grades but I know that he passed and after the 3 credits he wraps up on June 13, he will be able to officially say that he is a college graduate!!

Wayne, I am so proud of you! I know that you wish that there was one person, who could not be with us, there watching you. But I trust that she was there watching. I know she is so proud of the man you have become and the things you have accomplished! And she is so excited about the dad you will be!

Wayne, your mom loves you and is proud of you!!

I am proud of you too and excited about the exciting changes we are getting ready to experience!!

I love you.

The Heartbeat April 30, 2007

Today Wayne and I went to the doctor and we got to hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time!!!  We are so excited!  It is amazaing to hear that sound for the first time.