Has It Really Been Eight Years?

My blogging schedule is a little off...you've probably noticed that. School is taking me a little longer this year. As both children progress to higher years their work load grows, too. The kids are doing good with just a few cranky days. This week commemorates a special event in our lives. Our Jonah-boy turned eight years old on October 4th. Today we are taking him and two of his buddies to Springfield for an afternoon at Incredible Pizza Company. Of course he is up bright and early today, ready to get dressed and have his shower. As a tribute to him, every year I try in some form to tell his story. I promised God that I would talk about that time of our lives to bring glory to His name and to tell of His wonderful deeds in the midst of darkness. This is also for Amanda Sue, who just brought her own little man into this world for the glory of God.

Darrel and I had just taken a pastorship in a little town called Potter, Kansas. We were living here in Lamar, Darrel working at the Blue Top Restaurant and I was babysitting three one-year-old girls during the day (including Kelsey!). I was kind of glad for the new adventure. It was during this time that, being the schedule-oriented person I am, Darrel and I had decided to have our second child so that they would be exactly two years apart. We had this thing down to a science. And just like with Kelsey, we conceived with one real try - much to Darrel's disappointment, ha! For some reason, he always hoped it would take lots and lots of practice...

I found out I was pregnant and immediately started making plans for my prenatal care. I had done so well with Dr. Lacy, so I called to make my appointment. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I was going to be moving in a month or so, they didn't want to take me on as a patient. They recommended that I look for a doctor where we were moving. So I began packing and all that moving stuff - puking the whole time. Yep, just like with Kelsey. The good thing about that is you don't always gain a lot of weight! In true Phipps form, we were packed and ready to go around 11pm when Gary suggested we just leave right then! I was kind of planning to get a good night's sleep and then head out in the morning - silly me! So we caravaned the 5 hours to Potter, Kansas. Darrel and Doug in the U-Haul, Gary & Lois in a car, and DeAnn and I driving our van. I did ok for a while, but by the time we reached the Flying J, I had to puke! The rest of the way was spent with my head in a trash bag. All I can say is DeAnn was a trooper - which must have been God because we all know how DeAnn is with puke! We pulled into Potter early the next morning and I had to go directly to bed. I was so ill that all the church ladies and my family had to put all our stuff away for me. I hated that - I'm kind of picky, you know...

Life progressed, as it tends to do, and we were busy pastoring and traveling back home to cater once in a while for extra money. We only made $800 a month and things were pretty tight, even with living in the parsonage. I had finally found a doctor in Atchisson who would take new patients. He was new in town, which made everyone tell us not to go to him. We just had a good feeling about him. I was four months along when I had my first prenatal appointment - a little later than I liked. Dr. Sontheimer took one look at me and called KU Medical Center in Kansas City to make a high-risk pregnancy appointment. Darrel and I thought this was a little extreme. But Dr. Sontheimer's exact words were, "I don't want you coming in here at 7 months needing to deliver and our little hospital can't take care of you." We laughed and assured him that Kelsey had come with virtually no problems except that she was built like a "V" with the biggest shoulders I had ever seen (thus the C-section).

September came and with it came our anniversary. The church sent us to Branson for a weekend. We had no money for Silver Dollar City tickets, so we decided to sit in on a presentation for condos to get two tickets free. We sat through all the talking and then a representative took us on a tour. It was about 150 degrees out and he sets out at a 50 mph pace up the hills to see one of the condos. About half way up, I watched as all the other people rode by on golf carts - why couldn't we have one? Then came the contractions - only Braxton Hicks but still alarming. The man didn't care in the least. He was on a mission. We endured the torture and got our tickets, spending the rest of the day walking up and down the hills of Silver Dollar City in the 150 degree heat. Darrel had booked a catering at the end of September serving 800 or so for Lamar Bank & Trust Customer Appreciation Day. We traveled to Lamar and again stood out in the 150 degree heat serving hamburgers and hot dogs. I had decided to ask a friend of ours to record an ultrasound for me while I was in Lamar - KU Med wouldn't record my previous ultrasound. It was important to me for both kids to have a record of being in the womb - weird I know, but pregnant women are excentric sometimes. I now know that it was God's plan for what would go on in the next week. The ultrasound went well and Jonah was growing good - about 3 lbs. I was in the last weeks of my sixth month and everything seemed to be progressing well. I was showing like I was eight months pregnant, however. I was huge which was weird because I puked all the time.

We returned home to Potter and kept my next doctor's appointment on October 3rd. I had been feeling pretty good. They had monitored my blood pressure and my urine and I had taken two glucose tests (that orange stuff is the nastiest!). That day, however, the office started hopping after I took my urine test. I was just at the start of my seventh month and it seems that they thought the protien count in my urine was too high. They told me to report to KU Medical Center. We left the doctor's office, went to Wal-Mart (just in case I had to spend the night and I hadn't started to get my suitcase packed yet), came home and found a sitter for Kelsey until we could get home later. We showed up at KU about three or four hours later. They were practically in hysterics - I couldn't understand why they were so upset that we were a little late getting there. We had no idea just how severe the situation was. They immediately put me to bed and tried to start an IV. The next thing I remember is blood shooting out of my arm as my vein blew. My blood pressure was 200something over 119 or something like that - it was stroke level anyway. They kept tapping my arms and legs with that reflex knee thing and I kept jerking and jumping. It was weird. Things were moving so fast, and the next thing I heard was that I would have to stay in bed for a while. I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. Well, I knew that wouldn't work - I had to get home to Kelsey plus our church's annual fried chicken supper was the next night. It was the biggest fund-raiser the church ladies had each year. Well, I consented to stay the night and Doug & DeAnn came down be with us. Gary and Lois came later and kept Kelsey.

Sorry to leave you hanging, but a little boy's birthday party calls and showers have to be taken and treat bags have to be bought...

I'll write again tonight!