So many blessings...too many to count!

Thanksgiving - a time of family, pilgrims, turkey, football, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, midnight shopping, green beans, and traditions being carried out from house to house

 

Whatever thanksgiving means to you and yours....there is one guarantee, every year you will be given a day where you will be asked to give thanks for what you have!

This day last year I will always remember as being MY rock bottom! I couldn't see past my present, and pregnant and alone was all I could focus on. I didn't think, just a year ago today, I would ever smile again and I didn't know how I would be able to ever recover from the hurt, pain and fear I had let take over every part of me!!! So when asked to give thanks (although I had plenty to be grateful and thankful for) I instead focused on what I didn't have!!!

Well now, exactly one year later, I can't stop counting my blessings!!!! So while everyone I know is naming them off day by day through their Facebook accounts...I've decided to just compile them all right here....so next time I'm having one of those rough spots in my life, I can refer right back to this page and remember exactly how blessed I really am!!!

The things I'm thankful for:

I am thankful to have the most AMAZING parents anyone can ask for. They have definitely dealt with their fare share of "my child did what" moments from me...and no matter what they have always been supportive and never made me feel un-loved!!! They are there for me ANY and EVERY time I need them and support me with out question. They are amazing grandparents and my kids are able to enjoy much more "normal" childhoods because my parents help me out so much!

 

My friends - this could go ON and ON and ON. But I really do have some of the most AMAZING friends anyone could ask for! I'm a tough friend to have sometimes, and I know that, but there are some people that have stood by me for decades no matter what...for that I'm very lucky!

 

My son - if you've met him you already know he's one of the smartest yet funniest little guys around. However, behind all of the rowdiness and trouble making he has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met!I've not always been world's most perfect mom...and probably cried one too many tears in front of him, but no matter what he's always been my rock. He can look at me and with 100% true sincerity and passion tell me he loves me and that everything will be okay and from that I know as long as he's there with me it will be!

 

My daughter - at only 8 months I can tell Lilliana will be giving me a run for my money. She's a strong willed little diva. I went through hell to get here here but truly believe that she's here for a very special reason. I needed that little girl and all of her big personality to help me figure out exactly where my priorities were placed. Since the day I found out I was pregnant with her I've been asked to check my morals and stand up for what I believe in (something I had forgotten how to do). She made me fight for her and through that I was able to cut out the negative from my life and come to peace with where I am now. She's amazing and I wouldn't take back one irresponsible action that got her here.....however, I have learned from them and for that I am beyond grateful. Can't wait to see what other lessons my little princess has up her sleeve for me through the years!

 

 

My kids dads - oh this is a fun one! I go through my share of "he should have", "why didn't he" and "you won't believe what he did now" but the truth is despite everything BOTH of my children have fathers who truly deep down love them and want to spend time with them and although it's not always exactly the way I had hoped or think it should be, my kiddos are lucky to have those men in their lives!

 

My daughters extended family - last year at this time they were complete strangers to me. I wouldn't have known any of them if I crossed their paths in the vegetable isle. However, today and every day since Lilly has arrived they have served as a rock and a support system that I didn't even know I really needed. They are some of the kindest people I have ever met and not only opened their home to my daughter but also to me and my son, more than anyone could ask for them to do. They are there in a split second if I need help with the kids, if I've double booked myself or if I just need a shoulder to cry on. I believe that the lord put them in our lives to show us how mistakes can be forgiven and how family should really love one another!

 

My job/jobs - With out being "too republican" I do believe that I was lucky (and by luck I mean I went out and looked for a job rather than depended on the government...okay I'm done) to have the same job for four and a half years. I was able to learn so much and develop as a person while I was with my company. However, I was also lucky (and now I can see this) to have that job quit supporting me just in time for an amazing opportunity to open up. I know the future holds some exciting changes and opportunities that I couldn't imagine I would be a part of 5 years ago. However, through my journey I have learned my strengths and know what exactly I have to offer and what path I want my career to follow and am VERY excited to begin my new journey!

 

My sons kindergarten teacher - so this sounds a bit silly from an outside view but hear me out.... I decided to put my son in 1/2 day kindergarten at the last minute this year. His school, however, had more kids enrolled than anticipated. The school came  up with a plan to put all the 1/2 day kindergartners in one class and hire a new teacher but were not able to tell us who she would be until the day BEFORE school started,....you want to talk about a high stress level!!! However, because of the changes there were more than 115 kindergartners enrolled in his school and my sons class only has 13 in it! Only 13 because that is all that were 1/2 day (do the math, the rest of the classes have more than 25, ugh), and for the new class they brought in a brand new teacher who is beyond excited to be involved, shape their futures and communicates with the parents amazingly. I think that God played a huge roll in making the transition of daycare to school easy for both Devin and probably mostly me! He loves going to school and I love being the classroom mom! It could not have worked out any more perfectly!

 

 

My Aunt Kristy and her family - not that I want to say I kept the best for last but I kind of did! My Aunt Kristy is probably one of the most amazing women I have ever met! Her and her husband were missionaries in Mexico, Guatemala and Scotland when I was growing up. They had 4 boys who are now between the ages of 15-22 and she home schooled them until they moved back to the states. The boys are such genuinely kind and caring individuals they make the K-State quarterback, Collin Klien, look like a bad boy! In the midst of having a brand new baby and stressing about kindergarten and daycare...my aunt came to me and offered to watch both Lilly and Devin! At the time I was excited to have such a wonderful person watching my children but had no idea how truly awesome of a situation it would be come. My Aunt Kristy is the most helpful and gracious person I have ever met...through watching her I am learning how to be a better mother, a better friend and learning to forgive people I never thought I could. Through watching the woman she is, I am becoming more thoughtful, more focused on my family and becoming an all around much better person. She does SOOO much for my kids and I but I don't even know if she realizes that just her kind actions alone have had such a huge impact on our lives! We are very lucky and thankful for her and her family!

 

So I'm sure that this list could go on and on...and the thought of that makes me excited! I can now see how really lucky I am and genuinely be thankful for what God has given me. I hope that all of my family (blood related and non-blood related) truly know how much I love and appreciate them. I hope that they know that the idea of being a "single mom of 2" is a not a curse but rather a huge blessing and a breeze with amazing support like this!!!!

 

 

 

Just because

So if you know me at all, you know that I love social media! I mean I really, really love it! I will sit there all day long and tell you that facebook is ruining lives, that people take it WAY too seriously and that it's dying out.....but the truth is I love it! I really don't know what I would do at night after I put my children to bed if it wasn't for Facebook. I mean, of course I 'surf' other websites, while I split my time between educational TV like Bachelor Pad and Big Brother...but the truth is I always click back to Facebook, just to see if anything super important happened while I was gone during the 3 minutes I spent catching up on Kim and Kourtney on TMZ or ogling the latest Louis adds and trying to figure out why exactly they thought adding a half naked Michael Phelps would make me want an incredibly gorgeous brown and gold clutch, more than I already do. 

The truth is that you're probably just now chuckling at me, thinking "Geez this girl has GOT to get a life" ....but most likely you found this public journal of sorts,from a link that you probably saw somewhere on your facebook...and I bet you didn't just happen to be on facebook for the first time in FOREVER... so quit judging me! I'm just WAY more open about my crazy stalker ways than the next person!

Well since I have developed a passion for watching peoples lives through the computer is the reason why I've now jumped all aboard the Instagram train! Now THIS can really make you love social media!!! There's no distractions, no dumb games to ignore, just pictures....pictures of how great everyone elses lives are. There are pictures of how skinny other girls are, pictures of how awesome last nights theme party bus pub crawl was, pictures of how much better even other peoples food is!!! It's full of small, square, blurry, color destroyed pictures of people who's last names I only know because of facebook ...and man do I love it!!!!

And although I think there are many directions I could take this blog from here...I'm just going to simply tell you why I love Instagram the most:  I love the access that Instagram gives you to those silly quotes, it gives them to you just right there at your fingertips! You know the quotes...they make it to ALL forms of social media, the quote or scripture of the day! The one that makes you buck up...gives you half a second of empowerment, the quotes that make you believe for an instant that you are worthy, that you're not alone, that you CAN take over the world! Ya, those quotes!! Those are my favorite and boy does Instagram have them!!!


So although I logically know looking, obsessing and admiring others peoples lives through a phone or computer screen isn't the healthiest form of entertainment....at least I can always hope to stumble upon a good old Marilyn Monroe quote or a bible verse I haven't heard in awhile, so for at least one second I can think "All things are possible" and "Fear" is really just a four letter word. So for a girl who's had a rough day, who's just a little too honest sometimes, and who realizes she isn't the only one who's life keeps throwing curve balls....I just thought I would post some of my favorite, silly quotes on here, because even if for just a second they give you hope...well that's got to be better than no hope at all, right???!!!! Enjoy:)

Move over Zuckerberg..I'm taking back control of my life!!!

I went to a baby shower the other day....it wasn't one of those totally lame 'lets sit down and play ridiculous games and talk about babies' baby showers, it was actually a lot of fun. Very social, women brought their husbands and the alcohol was flowing. Being "the other pregnant girl" I got my own fair share of questions asked of me as well, including the awkward moment when my pregnant friends uncle asked in a room full of people (who were all paying attention) "So has your husband been as supportive as hers?" He meant it so kindly, he wanted to brag on his nephew who had given up drinking the entire time his wife was dealing with the grueling days and nights of pregnancy. The room got quiet (or that's how it went in my mind) and I sat there with a blank stare on my face....I'm not usually one to be at a loss for words but I was stunned. How exactly do you answer this? I definitely didn't want this day to be about me....I didn't want to make him feel awkward.....and I didn't want to start crying. So I lied....."Yes, yes he is." Then with looks of approval from the rest of my friends, we said our goodbyes and headed towards the food. The rest of the shower went quickly, however, I was still 100% focused on the fact that I didn't have a husband, that I didn't have a support system, and that the "sperm donor" of this child had in fact done the opposite of giving up drinking...he had actually quickly became the king of weekly pub crawls.

We sat through the presents....said our proper goodbyes and headed home. I held it together for as long as I had people in my car but the tears flowed when I walked in my door. I laid down on the couch and didn't get up until it was time to move to my bed. I sat there and just felt sorry for myself.

At about 7 o'clock that night I received a text from my pregnant girlfriends whose shower I had just attended. It caught me off guard....It was actually an apology, but not for what I had been pouting about all day. It was an apology because I guess through out the day she had been making comments of how we were due at the same time but I hadn't gained much weight and she thought she might have offended me because of my apparent disconnect for the rest of the shower. I quickly sent her a message to make her feel better telling her it definitely didn't bother me...but it did get me to thinking: So here I was pouting because I didn't have a husband to help and yet my girlfriend (who I actually think looks fabulous at almost 9 months pregnant), who has an awesome husband and support system, was not happy with her weight gain. Selfishly, I thought that I wouldn't mind putting on 20 more lbs if that meant I had someone to tell me everything was going to be okay at 4am in the morning. I thought, I would love to waddle all over this city only if it meant that when I got home I had someone to help me in the house with the 10 bags of groceries. I would love to have to shop at Motherhood Maternity if that meant I had someone to argue with a name for this baby about. However, my girlfriend who does have all of this was concerned about a few pounds. Really, just a few pounds that will fall off afterwards??? How and why do we do this to ourselves I thought?? I mean all she could see is what was going wrong in her life (and believe me she is one of the most positive people I have ever met) and at the same time I'll I could do was look at what was wrong with my own life. Neither one of us were stopping to appreciate what was going right.

I mean the truth is although I don't have a husband as a support system...I do have some of the most amazing friends and family a girl could ask for. I have a mother who will come to my house while I'm at work during the day and clean the hell out of it...just so she knows I wont stress out. She also answers her phone at 3am and heads 45 minutes to my house if i can't get myself to quit crying. I have a father who has volunteered to be the "man" in my daughters life and constantly watches my son and encourages him to be an amazing little guy. I have amazing girlfriends who live in Texas who have actually taken time out of their lives and busy schedules to make sure and visit a couple of times through my pregnancy. I have 2 great guy friends that don't let a morning go by without sending a "hope today's a great day for you" text. I mean how could a husband really live up to all of that anyways?

So why had I become so focused on "the wrong" rather than everything that was right??? I thought about and thought about it. I thought by no means was my pregnancy perfect last time...I mean I lived with the father and you could say he was physically present but never really emotionally...in fact, I spent more nights during that pregnancy in the hospital alone than I've had to this time. So why was this go around so much more difficult???  Why was I so focused on the negative this time? Why was I comparing myself to so many peoples perceived "perfect pregnancies" this time? Then I figured it out...............the main difference between both of my pregnancies. I had the answer.............and the answer was simple and seemed so silly but there it was........FACEBOOK!

Okay, so I know it seems ridiculous to blame a social networking site for my pity parties through out my pregnancy, but hear me out. I think I'm on to something here. So when I was pregnant last time the world wasnt' so Social Media focused. I did have a Myspace account. (this was 6 years ago...quit making fun of me.) I maybe checked my Myspace 1x a week, maybe wrote something on there 1x every 2 weeks and hardly ever loaded pictures.....I mean it was a  lot of work to get out my digital camera and upload pictures to my account. You had to be really dedicated. These were the days when people like Tila Tequila were the cutting edge of social media websites. I did not have that type of energy or really care to show myself off that way. I knew my friends phone numbers and if I wanted to see what they were doing or talk to them I just called them. Calling my friends meant we talked and I heard all of the good and BAD that was going on in their lives. The truth is as much as its sucks to know their is bad in your friends lives I think that makes us just a bit more confident in our own lives. I mean you can hardly ever speak with someone when they don't want to vent just a little about what is so wrong in their life. I mean sure what I got going on sucks, but look your life sucks too...it makes you feel like we're in this together.

Fast forward to now....I would say I keep up with the majority of my friends via facebook. I know, it sounds ridiculous. But think about it...it's just so much easier. I'm now a single mom, I work 40 hours a week...the only times I have to talk to someone is while driving in my car but I have a 5 year old in the backseat who shouldn't really be hearing everything mommy wants to complain about.....and to see someone would require me making plans on the weekend and then following through with them (such a chore.)

So Facebook it is. I see what my friends are doing, who they are dating, what sort of fun events and parties they are going to. I see my pregnant friends pictures with their husbands, I see the congratulations from their families and friends about what great "Parents" they will be, I see their mother in laws bragging about their upcoming grand babies....and all the while I unconsciously let it get to me. I see a picture of the first time a girlfriends husband has his hands on her belly feeling their baby kick....a process that now takes less than a minute to upload if taken with a smart phone.

I know the truth is that everyone has their own set of problems....I know that the grass is not always greener on the other side.....and I know that what people put on facebook is 1/100th of what's really going on. I mean who's going to take time out of their day to post how terrible and miserable they are. It's the same reason we wear makeup to the grocery store...we don't want anyone to know what we really look like or what is really going on behind close doors. Consciously i know this......however, realizing it and letting myself not be affected by it is a whole new challenge.

Have you even seen the statistics on facebook (as of February 2012):

-There are over 845 MILLION people on facebook worldwide

-With more countries allowing Facebook it is projected to have over 1 BILLION users by end of 2012

-There are over 250 MILLION photos uploaded daily

-The average visit to Facebook is at least 20 minutes long

-The average user spends a minimum of 55 minutes a day on facebook

-For every 5 pages looked up on the Internet worldwide 1 is facebook

-48% of 18-34 year olds check their Facebook before they get out of bed in the morning

-FAD (Facebook addiction disorder) is quickly becoming the fastest growing addiction problem worldwide

-57% of people say they talk to people more on-line through Facebook than actually talk to them in person

So see I knew I was on to something here! So what you're telling me is (because I consider myself an "average user", really if not more) that I'm spending over 334 hours a year on line looking at photos and pictures of friends/acquaintances and their friends/acquaintances and their status updates of the best part of their days or weeks or months, and what fabulous parties they are attending and who they met out for lunch when they all checked in! All the while I'm sitting at home, by myself and without being able to help it I'm comparing myself to their accomplishments and lives. 334 hours!!! Do you realize how many hours of feeling sorry for myself that is????? To put it like that it makes me think....if I were really to put my mind to it, what amazing feats could I accomplish if given 334 hours to do it in???

So naturally I'm not going to take myself off Facebook right this second. I'm not going to boycott the number 1 website in the world because I've realized what is wrong with me (or part of the problem.) However, it does make me think. What if I limited myself to playing on facebook (which is really just a form of stalking when you really think about it)....what if I limit my time? What if I set an amount total I can be on Facebook a day??? 

If I make this first step (I sound like a drug addict, scary)....then maybe, just maybe I can start to look at the positives of my own life. I will be able to see what is going right because I won't be so busy watching other peoples lives and comparing myself. I will learn to appreciate what I have no matter what more any one else has. I will stop thinking about what I'm missing and rather appreciate what I have. I am quickly learning that this comparing myself to anyone is a vicious cycle, because the truth is while I'm wallowing in my sorrows of what I don't have someone else is probably looking at my life and wishing they had what I do have. So there it is.....not a perfect solution, and for sure not a 100% cure of emotionless nights...but I think if I can wrap my mind around the fact that Mark Zuckerberg's was just trying to come up with a fun way to connect with his classmates and not design a way to ruin my life...and I can really makes sure I believe that I'm truely only seeing the very best parts of my "friends" lives...then I can learn to Love my own life. I can be proud of my own accomplishments and cherish my own achievements! Now to figure out what to do with those 100's of hours of extra time I'm going to have on my hands!!!

 "Do not compare yourself to others or you may end up believing that you are better or lesser than the other person; in either case, they are both not true."



Daddy dearest.....

As I approach my 8th month of pregnancy there is one question that I can't seem to let go....I go to bed thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it....and during the few breaks I get through out the day, I think about it!

It seems a simple enough question....It almost seems silly when I say it out loud....It seems as though it would be common sense. However, I think until now, I never even considered it to be a question that anyone would even ask...but here it is, one of the main focuses of my life.

"When does a "father" really become a father and even more a dad?"

Now without revealing too much of my personal life (because we know I never do that).....I am playing the waiting game with this question right now. With an un-planned pregnancy now coming close to an end I'm flooded with array of emotions and questions. Being a planner by nature, I want to know what the next few years of my life will be like (if not just not the next few months.) However, unfortunately I have been put into a position where I have absolutely no control...and for me to lose control is tough!!

I am waiting to see if my little girl will have a "father" or what I believe a fathers role should be. Being as emotional and open as I am, I have made my situation known to people who have asked and I have been given more advice than I know what to do with. So here I am trying to sort it all out it my head.

Now with most things in life, you can settle an argument of definition by going to Wikepedia or Websters dictionary. There it is in black and white. However, even these 2 websites can't agree on a term for "father".

However at www.thefreedictionary.com  it is in black and white.....the definition I am currently experiencing:

'A male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child'

So is that what it is? Is that really what being a "father" comes down to. The fact that 2 people are physically able to make a child. I have to believe a fathers role has to be much much more.....otherwise the statistics of children growing up without fathers wouldn't be so shocking.....

Did you know:

-Over 70% of prison inmates grew up without a father

-Kids who exhibited violent behavior at school were 11 times as likely not to live with their fathers

-Children in single-parent families tend to score lower on standardized tests and to receive lower grades in school

-72% percent of adolescent murderers grew up without fathers

-63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes

-90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes

-80% of rapists come from fatherless homes

-75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes

-Saddam Hussein, Adolph Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Charley Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald and Jeffrey Dahmer all grew up without fathers

Stats like this prove that the "father" role has to be more than just about the birds and the bees lesson we learned in middle school, right?

I mean I was a lucky little girl, who grew up with one of the most amazing fathers in the world. A dad who at the age of the 32, I can still call to help me change a light bulb or help with my car. In fact, some of my greatest childhood memories were just of my father and me spending time alone. My daddy was always there for me....he took me to breakfast every year on my birthday (even to this day), he was the one that took me to get my ears pierced for the first time when I was 5 years old, he was the one that stood on the side of high school track and encouraged me of every lap of those 2 miles I ran to finish strong...he was amazing. This is why it's so hard for me to imagine my little girl growing up without that!!

(my dads favorite pic of himself...with his watermelon he grew)

After doing much research (just trying to make sense of it all) and speaking to many guy friends that have found themselves in the same position as I am...I have been told that the "father" role hits a man when he actually sees the child, I guess like a sense of proof (as though my ridiculous size belly and 8 months of physical inability to do ANYTHING wasn't proof enough). This must be somewhat true, because every "I'm pregnant and alone" website I can find all have the same quote at the top of the page:

"A woman becomes a mother when she's pregnant. A man becomes a father when he holds his child."

So is that my answer? Is that when my little Lilly will be loved...when she's actually made her debut to this world??? If that was a 100% guaranteed...my problems with anxiety, depression and sleepless nights would be over. I would have a time and date set in my planner to have a "father" for Lilly. However, as sad as it is, this can't always be the case....because if it was there wouldn't be so many "fatherless homes" to extract the above statistics from.

So when does a father REALLY actually become a father??? The weird thing about this is I now notice more than ever how many men do decide to step up and full-fill there father role. I find myself looking more closely at the shopping carts with babies in them at Wal-Mart and the Grocery Store to see if there is a father pushing them. I find myself looking inside cars next to me while sitting on the highway to see if the men have baby seats in the back. I find myself lingering in the baby isle at Target to see what type of men stop by to grab a package of diapers. As unconventional as it seems, even the most unattractive men have become just a bit more attractive to me as I see them head to the check-out isle with the baby items, or in their baby Bjorn carrier at the store. Instead of rich and good looking, being a caring, present, loving Father is now at the top of my list of criteria when asked what I'm looking for in a man.

After all my observations (yes maybe a little creepy...but it's research) I've come to realize that you can't tell who will and won't step up as a father. Some of the dirtiest and most ghetto men are the ones in the baby isle grabbing the package of baby wipes while some of great CEO's in our city couldn't tell you what a Boppy Pillow is.

So really there is no answer and really it's what I've been told and honestly known all along....I won't know if Lilly's father will want to be involved in her life until she's actually here. It is a waiting game....a long, emotional, draining waiting game. And the truth is, even if he decides he doesn't want to be involved in her little life, that doesn't mean I won't or can't find another man to fill that position one day. I have no doubt that somewhere in my future my knight in shining armor is waiting to be there for not only me but my kids as well. However, until then I will just relish in the fact that I can always count on her being dressed perfectly (because I'll be the one doing it...you know a man doesn't know how to correctly put a bow in her hair), and an awesome big brother who will give her plenty of "boy perspective" for now!

So maybe you do have it right,  www.thefreedictionary.com. Maybe the physical part is the only definition of Father....however, that's not the definition of "Daddy" and for now I guess I have to be patient and let Lilly come up with that definition on her own (and cross my fingers that her definition is just half of what I grew up with....because if it is, she will be one lucky little girl.)

"Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad." ~Author Unknown

To abort or not to abort....a lot tougher than I thought!!!

So this is THE BLOG! The blog that I've been wanting to write....the blog that I've been waiting to write....the blog I was too scared to write. It's a controversial subject, it's the one my mom might get mad at me for, it's the one I could lose friends over (that is the friends I have left after not going through with this subject).....but I have to do it. I need to write it for me, I need to write it just in case somebody else is EVER in this situation so they know their not alone....and hell I want to tell this story...because it was so shocking to me at the age of 32 that I can only imagine what it would feel like if I was 16. So here it goes!!!

THE REASON I CHOSE NOT TO GO THROUGH WITH AN ABORTION!!!!

Okay, so now you've already made up your mind. I'm either your hero (for your pr-lifers out there) or I should keep my opinion to myself (for those of you that are pro-choice)....well I can promise you this: I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't believe. In fact, (and this is where my mom gets mad)...I'm still 100% pro-choice. Like most areas of my life...I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions. What may work for you, may not work for me. I don't know your background, I don't know your story and I certainly am not going to tell you what you should do only because that's what I would do....

but here's what I did!

Disclaimer: Just for the naysayers out there....being pregnant SUCKS! Sure you get a cute little chubby cheeked baby out of it....but the entire process sucks!!! Your body goes through insane, disgusting changes...your emotions are out of whack you can breakdown in the middle of the frozen food isle at the grocery store and there is nothing you can do about it. You get fat, you're tired all the time, you have to go for over half a year without any sort of enjoyment (a martini, sushi, dating, tanning)...and in my case I'm sick ALL of the time. I throw up everyday (so far I've gone over 140 days of puking EVERY SINGLE morning)...I have stayed multiple weekends in the hospital, been dehydrated and am taking daily meds for my newest diagnoses: anemia!! So NO this is not fun, this was not planned and this is not something I think anyone would purposely want to go through....much less ALONE. Also remember I knew all of this would happen (this isn't my first baby) when I decided to leave the abortion clinic, yet I still couldn't go through with it...and this is why!

September 2011

Wednesday night out with my girlfriends, just like always. It's the one night my son goes to his dads house and I get to act like I'm still in my 20's. Sure I'm not always the most productive at work on Thursdays, but hey I've got this down to a science. My hangover is cured as soon as I hit Quicktrip and chug a lemon lime Gatorade and then down a chocolate milk. Lucky for me I'm a MAC makeup junky and that war paint will cover any black bags under my eyes that may be trying to show how late it actually was before I made it to bed, no worries for Thursday!! Except this Thursday is much, much different. Maybe it's my immune system...maybe it's my old age....maybe it's the flu that's been going around...but whatever it is, this hangover is not going away and I can not quit getting sick. I actually call in for the first time on a Thursday in my almost 4 year stint at my job. I lay in bed, cry to my mom how I must have the flu and hope it goes away quickly. After all I have HUGE weekend plans!!!

Now it's the weekend, I'm still sick....my best friend suggests I take a pregnancy test. I laugh it off. There is NO way. I mean there might have been the one time that I had too much to drink at a wedding and woke up regretting my company (not so much the company rather than the bad decisions)...but could I really have that bad of luck??? Does God hate me that much??? Could anybody be that fertile???? Certainly not! However, after trying everything else, and being in the pharmacy section at Hy-Vee at the pregnancy test grabbing my eye..I think "Why not?", couldn't hurt to see...after all it would just take a few hundred dollars to make that problem go away, I need to feel better!

Much to my relief....the test is negative!! So are the two after that. 3 pregnancy tests, all negative....my mind can rest....but geez I need to find out what is wrong with me. It's been almost 2 weeks and this flu won't go away. I decide urgent care will be able to tell me...or at least give me something to make the throwing up stop. One quick blood test later(only after telling the doctor it was a waste of time...I was POSITIVE I wasn't pregnant) and it's confirmed..........I AM that fertile, it DOES only takes one time and it's a possibility not so much that  God hates me, but he's definitely wanting to test me!!!! I simply tell the doctor "thanks....now I'll go ahead and schedule this problem to go away"...before practically running out of the room. The doctor runs after me and grabs my arm "I just want you to know you do have other choices"...ya lady I get it, I'm 32, I know my choices and i KNOW this isn't what I need right now!

I book it out of that office...flooded with an array of emotions I know this will just be a memory in a couple of weeks...but for those 2 weeks I have a lot to accomplish. I need to figure out where I go to get this "taken care of", I need to decide if it's even worth telling the "father" or aka sperm donor, and I need to play off this sickness and figure out a way to work through it!!!

Still September 2011....

and only 6 days after I ran out of urgent care:

It's here...the day that's going to put make this problem a memory rather that a current situation. Lucky for me everything has worked itself out perfectly....a good OBGYN friend prescribed me meds to subside the throwing up for the better part of the day so I could work, my boss let me have a vacation day, the other half of how this happened, has been amazingly supportive and even given me the entire amount of money its going to take to make this problem disappear and my best friend has taken the day off and we are on our way to the Abortion Clinic...a place where problems go far far away!!! Unlike I thought it would be, it's not in the hood somewhere...its in a very nice part of town....in a strip mall type building...and except for the protesters standing a good 100 feet away from the building, you would never know what goes on inside this building. I mean the protesters holding the bloody fake baby dolls and holding up posters of post-aborted fetuses...does give it away, but I choose to just look the other direction, and with the windows up you can't hear their pleading screams to reconsider anyways.

Now I'm walking into the building. I'm a bit confused...there must be somebody VERY important inside. At least that what I gather after having the 6'6 300lb African American bouncer/security guard go through my purse, pat me down and run a metal detector over the parts of my body he isn't allowed to touch. After reassuring Bruno (or whatever his name is) that we have left all electronics including or cell phones in the car he finally lets us in.

(this guy isn't half as scary as the real Bruno)

I look around and it's packed, I mean PACKED, for 8:30 on a Thursday morning. I ask the front desk lady "is this the only day you do the abortions" and her reply to me is "no it's always this packed". Wow! While we look for a seat I am just astounded at the array of people crammed into this building. It takes me about 10 seconds to realize I'm the oldest person in the room who isn't here to make sure my 16 year old daughter goes through with it. There are little girls all over the place with eyes full of tears, young women who are clearly almost to the cut-off limit (you can't have an abortion in KS after 19 weeks), and a few girls that you can tell opted for an abortion rather than giving up their sorority lifestyles. There is a woman across the room who looks to be about 4 months pregnant but has 3 children with her, the oldest child appears to be 5 years old at the most. I take it all in and decide to focus on my own goal....getting in and getting out, kid free!!!!

It's only about a half an hour into the process and my name gets called.....I think to myself this is easier and quicker than getting the test a few weeks ago at urgent care! I follow the friendly nurse back to her room. Now this is where it gets weird. This nurse is actually the sonogram tech who will be measuring how far along I am in my pregnancy so the proper methods will be taken for the abortion. Funny thing is we walk into the small room where I climb up the chair and lift my shirt so that she can do the ultrasound. The screen is directly in front of me (I've heard this is because KS passed a law a few years ago that requires you to look at the ultrasound before making your final decision). So to avoid this I begin looking around. Well there it is, the nurse is a brand new Mom, and boy is she proud. I don't think I've EVER seen more baby pictures in one room. It's seems odd to me. Almost like bad business.....like if I went to apply to The University of Kansas but walked in the Dean's office and he only had K-State Wildcat stuff up, doesn't quite add up. I quickly decide to quit trying to figure out why she's decorated her office in "baby" and look back down. There it is. My baby!!!! MY BABY!!! Right there on the screen in front of me....Now had I not had a 5 year old and been so excited the first time I saw him on that screen I don't know if this would have affected me as much as it did....but I knew from that second that that little bean of a picture could be a little mini-me. The talkative nurse quickly interrupts my thoughts by only confirming what I already knew, 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Then she asks (and I tell you...like it was just a normal question)..."Want me to print a picture of the sonogram for you?" What? I mean seriously....did she really just ask me if I want a picture of my soon to be dead baby. I quickly reply "Um, no I'm good, thanks."

There it was....the 5 minutes that changed my life. Now of course there were 5 more hours spent in that abortion clinic that day. It's a bit more of a process than I knew. After the sonogram they send you to talk to a counselor, then to meet the Doctor (who by the way speaks no English...always reassuring before going into surgery), then they make you wait...and wait.....and wait.....and think about it. Bruno the bouncer limits you to two trips out of the building for safety precautions and the waiting room becomes your new home. So I sat there....and then at hour 5 I looked at my best friend, asked her to get my money back and ran out of there without looking back. I don't know if it was the anxiety of the surgery, the fact I was looking around at all these young girls who opted to take their pictures of the sonogram while they sat there and cried and stared at them, or the fact that they made me wait so long but I realized that a miracle might just be what I need.

(my sweet little Lilly at 18weeks)

At the time...while I was running (litterally...like almost sprinting) out of the building a sense of peace came over me. I knew it was going to be a tough, tough 9 mos ahead...and even tougher lifestyle being a single mother of two but I knew it couldn't ever be as tough on me as those 5 hours were. I also never realized by being open with how I almost went through with the abortion, how many girls (and 1 guy) would reach out to me to tell me the pain they still felt from when they made the decision to go through with it. I guess they are right when they say stuff happens for a reason...and of course, I'm still in the process of figuring out exactly why it's all happening as it does, but I know there has to be a bigger reason out there for me to have had this experience. Until then I've embraced the idea of having a baby girl.....and I've decided that maybe KS isn't that bad of a state after all. I applaud you KS for making me wait that 5 hours (although misserable) I probably would have gone through with it, if given any less time to process, and my regret and pain would be much worse for the rest of my life. Now instead of wondering what if, I'm looking forward to just a few short weeks when my little miracle arrives!!!

(t-shirt I ordered for when Lilly arrives)