Strengthening Our Faith While Waiting On...You Know... What's His Name - Zeb's Birth Story

     As most of you know, we have welcomed a new member to our family. Yes, we were surprised again. And yes, we know what causes it. Now that I got that out of the way, I can tell you that I wanted another child anyway. But the time definitely didn't seem right, not to mention Matt was content with three. I knew immediately after Bliss was born that I wanted another child, which wasn't the case with Silas and Camden. I had a short period of "contentment" after each of them was born where I thought I would be fine if they were our last. After having Bliss, though, our family just didn't feel complete. I cried countless times at the thought of being "finished", but I sure thought we were. For one, Matt had lost his job of ten years in less than two months after we brought Bliss home from the hospital (a HUGE shock). Secondly, we didn't have health insurance. And lastly, Matt started his own plumbing business that was still very much in the "building it up" phase. So, having another baby didn't seem like a very responsible thing to do. We were also looking to begin fostering again. Then... we found out we were expecting.
     Here's the series of events that led to that discovery. Matt was getting nervous after I was a few days late and wanted me to test, so he took a break from his job one day to meet me at Walmart. He watched the kids in the van while I went in to buy a test. I tested in the restroom, and waited until I was outside with Matt so we could look at it together. There they were. Two lines (although one was very faint). After Matt confirmed with me that he was reading the test correctly, he went back to his job and I went home. Yep. If I could do it over, I would definitely do it differently. This story just doesn't seem so... blog worthy.
     It just so happens that we had just applied for a health insurance that my dad just happened to mention that just happened to take preexisting. I did go to my OB right away since I had problems during previous pregnancies that you can read about in previous posts. So we had to pay a lot of lab work out of pocket until my insurance kicked in. But it did, after just a couple of weeks. By the way, it turns out that the reason for a faint line on my test was due to the fact that I ovulated way later than usual (hence the whole surprise part). So in reality, I shouldn't have even tested yet, because I wasn't really late (And I even took the "up to 6 days sooner" test).
     Over the next couple of months, jobs started coming more steadily for Matt. Then, he got a HUGE job deal that helped us tremendously. And since that was completed, he has still stayed busy with other jobs. Praise God!
     We found out we were having a boy via a gender reveal party. I was surprised! I thought we were having another girl due to this pregnancy being similar to my pregnancy with Bliss.  As you can tell, Silas' vote was for a girl. He was a little upset...

...Okay, a lot upset. Poor guy!

     He really wanted another sister. He prayed for this to be a girl. Plus, he wanted things to be even. Two boys and two girls.
     Now it was time to start talking names. We always have such a hard time with names, so there was no point in exhausting ourselves thinking of names for both genders. Now we knew we were having a boy, so we needed a first and middle name. We couldn't think of anything we cared for. We wanted something different with something Biblical with a strong meaning. I prayed often for God to reveal the name for our son. So it was surprising that we didn't have a name and were in the ninth month of pregnancy. A week or so before we had the baby at least we had a list. Whether or not we were going to go with a name off  that list, we weren't sure.
     Toward the end of my pregnancy, my OB kept telling me the time could be close. I wasn't aware I was in labor with Bliss and had her pretty quickly after arriving at the hospital, so I was pretty nervous this time. I certainly didn't want to deliver in my minivan! I went in one day for a check-up and told my doctor I hadn't felt the baby move in a while, and that this was out of character for him. He was a big mover and a constant mover. So the doctor did an NST. No movement. So she gave it a bit longer. Still no movement. She looked at the strip and there was no variation. My doctor was very concerned and in a not so calm way told me to walk over to Labor and Delivery. She said I would be having a baby that day. I would have to be induced or possibly a cesarian depending on how baby dealt with labor. I was pretty scared. I called Matt to let him know the plan and evidently sounded pretty upset and didn't explain things very well. He was terrified and thought he wasn't even going to make it to the hospital in time for the birth.
     When I got to L&D though, they hooked me up to the monitor, and before long, my little guy started moving. Things were looking better off and on. And eventually everything was back to normal. Not only that, the nurse asked me how long my contractions had been every two to three minutes apart. I told her I didn't know that they were. She checked me and found that I had dialted from a three to a five in just the time I walked over from the doctor's office to the L&D unit. Needless to say no pitocin. I didn't have to be induced! About three or three and a half hours after I arrived there, I gave birth a very precious and healthy baby boy.

8 pounds 11 ounces
21 inches long
Born at 7:40 PM
September 19, 2012



     I was hoping that the moment we saw his face, we'd have a name for him. That wasn't the case, though. I did kind of think we would end up going with Shepherd, because it was one on the list that I liked pretty well. .



  But more than a day later, when he had his "real" clothes on, Matt and I both looked at him and knew he was a Zeb.

     That was actually a name that Matt had mentioned when we first began discussing names. I didn't like it at all then. Looking at that little face though, Zeb was a perfect name, and I fell in love with it. His full name would be Zebadiah Quinn Russell. Zebadiah means "God has bestowed" or "God has given". Quinn means "Wisdom".  His name means that "God has bestowed wisdom". That I can live with. And ZQ are pretty cool initials too!
 


What did we all get out of this aside from a very handsome little boy? Our FAITH was strengthened!

•  I was afraid I would go the rest of my life with sadness and regrets from not having another child. I prayed for God to help me with my feelings. He chose to do that by giving me another child. My husband was content with three. Now... he's even more content with four (insert chuckles here).  We wouldn't have wanted to keep him from this moment.

• We were concerned about how we could afford the medical bills for another baby. God provided an affordable health insurance just in time, after over a year without. There's no way we could have afforded a baby without it.
• We were concerned about how we could support ourselves during the first stages of owning a business, let alone another child. God provided Matt with an opportunity to step his business up to the next level, so that our income would become more steady.
• We were concerned (especially Matt) about not making it to the hospital in time. God got me over to the hospital when I was in labor, so no delivering in our minivan. Apparently my body thinks I'm a pro and that I don't need much warning that baby is coming, because with the last two babies I didn't feel much pain until an hour or two before baby arrived. God allowed me to already be at the hospital for other reasons both times.
• We were concerned for our little guy when his strip wasn't looking good. God took care of him. We're forever thankful for that! The doctor said he was laying on his cord, more than likely causing it kink, if I remember correctly. Zeb did recover, though, and I didn't have to have a ceasarian or even be induced. Yay!
• We were concerned about a name. I prayed, and God delivered in His time. It couldn't be more perfect for him.
• Silas really wanted a sister. To him, that would work out best for our family. God taught Silas to have faith that He knows what is best. By the looks of these pictures, I'd say Silas is happy with another brother.

 

     So there you have it. Turns out while we were worrying concerned about everything, God was handling everything. And I couldn't imagine life any other way.



Silas - Not your average Joe

I wrote this when I couldn't sleep early the morning of Silas' birthday.
 
     In a few short hours, my firstborn son will be waking up and we will be celebrating his seventh birthday here in Branson, Missouri. Silver Dollar City is his very favorite place. He loves the shows, the shops, the rides, and the demonstrations. Seven. This is huge to him, by the way. Silas seems to think this is the year of all years. He thinks now that he will be seven that many new doors have opened for him, that many things will change. We'll see, I guess. Anyway, today, a post for Silas...

     The best words to describe Silas would be old soul. If he could sip coffee in a donut shop at six in the morning while swapping stories from days of old with a bunch of old men, he'd be in paradise. Here's a photo that definitely depicts that.

 
     One thing that Matt and I admire about Silas is that he is very confident in who he is. He has a mind of his own, and is not swayed by his peers. He likes what he likes, and while caring about others, he doesn't care what others think he should think or do.
     What does he like? I'm glad you asked. Well, he likes fishing, and it's something he talks about constantly. He has a tackle box for bass fishing and one for trout, and now wants some for cat and crappie fishing. He "studies" effective fishing strategies, and he knows all the parts of a fish and can recognize many different types. He wants to be a professional fisherman when he grows up, and have several boats in different colors.

      He wants to be a "picker" when he grows up too. Ha! He loves all kinds of stuff (even things we call junk), so this isn't surprising. How many seven year olds do you know that aspire to be a picker? Of course, he also wants to be a missionary and witness to pirates. When I told him that sounded dangerous since pirates are mean, he responded, "Well, that's why it's so important that I tell them about Jesus. They need a savior." Can't argue with that!

     Silas likes tools and building things. We get him a lot of little kits from Lowe's that he can build, but he also likes to invent things of his own. He loves to help his dad build things and do outside projects too. Here is a picture of him with his real tools he got for Christmas last year.

 He really likes to shoot his BB gun and he's pretty good. This is a picture of his reaction when he got it last year. He was not expecting it!

 

He loves to try new foods and has pretty sophisticated taste.
                                   

     Silas likes to cook, especially his own recipes.This is a love he also shares with his dad, although  I have to say that I like his dad's inventions better. Here's my little cook.

 That's true when talking about food anyway. But Silas has pretty good inventions for other things. His wheels are ALWAYS turning! This is what he came up with for fall festival one year. His dad helped him make it a reality. Yep, he's a wall!

  

 

     He REALLY likes soccer and has a real talent for it! And he can run extremely fast.

 

      My little guy has just recently started drawing quite a bit. Here is the first real picture he ever drew.

 

 He likes Rescue Heroes and old shows like Andy Griffith and I Love Lucy. Facing the Giants is currently his favorite movie. He likes musicals a lot (Annie Get Your Gun, Sound of Music, Yankee Doodle etc.). We all do around here. He really likes shows on how to rebuild cars, but since we only use our TV to watch videos, he can only do that when we are visiting a hotel. So every time we go out of town, that's what he expects to watch.  He collects bugs, rocks, seashells, seeds, leaves, and clothes hanger sizing tabs (a weird one, I know).
     Silas has also met the girl he says he wants to marry. He's known for a few years now. He wants seventeen kids too. I hope he's cleared that with her! He's looking at land (not wanting to pay too much, you know), and has a running list of features he wants for his home. Good grief! Here is Silas and sweet little Emily.

Then

And Now

     He loves to learn everything about anything. He has such a passion for learning.That is with the exception of reading, but that is because it is difficult for him. He is making huge improvements though, and when he gets really good at it, I know he will love it because that is a tool he will be able to use to learn even more. I feel so blessed that he is a lover of learning. Here he is at a family field trip to the Museum of Discovery.

     Most importantly, though, my Silas is a lover of God. For this, I am the most grateful. He loves to sing about the Lord and to the Lord. Silas cares about what God thinks of his decisions and what God wants for his life. He is a prayer warrior. Silas prays often about everything. I am just so blessed. Here is a picture of him at a restaurant on our way to the beach. I was handing out food to my other kiddos and turned to see this. Silas saying the blessing before their breakfast.

Well, that's Silas. We are so proud of him and the person he is becoming! I pray that Matt and I will raise him up in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, and that he will grow be exactly who the Lord desires for him to be.