Here's Looking At You, Kid
When I first conceived this post, I wasn't sure which direction it was going to go in. All I knew was that was it had to be about somebody's baby (shout out to Jackson Browne) because right before my eyes, it seems like everyone was having one.
It all started almost a year ago. I know what you're thinking. It can't be almost a year ago if babies are only in the womb for 9 months, Janet. Well, duh. Even I know that! But in order to fully understand the story, I have to go back to where it all began.
One of my friends told me she was pregnant back in July. The baby boom continued right on in to September when another friend announced her pregnancy. Two days later a third friend said she was going to have a visit from the stork. For the record, none of these friends are friends with each other. Just keep on hitting me baby, one more time.
You might remember a bit about my first pregnant friend. I blogged about her here before and then again here.
What I didn't blog about was what happened a few days after that. That very same friend found out she was pregnant with their first child while her husband still was in the hospital, recovering from his stroke. She was torn about what to do, assuming that whenever she became pregnant the first person to know would naturally, be her husband. But due to the unusual circumstances, this was not to be the case. So she told a few close friends before telling him. When he found out, he was on the long, painful road to recovery, but knowing that his wife was pregnant before all of this happened to him, gave the couple hope they didn't have before.
A few months into learning she was pregnant, tragedy struck again. My friend discovered that her unborn baby girl had a hole in her heart. Apparently the hole was fixable, but she would need emergency surgery right after she was born. Again I admired the strength my friend had when she found out this news. Just when you think nothing else bad can happen to someone, God throws you another curve ball.
Her baby shower was at the end of January. She wasn't surprised. She didn't want to be surprised. Which brings me to this question. Why do showers have to be surprises anyway? I mean seriously. All you pregnant ladies and wives to be know they are coming, so you can save your "ohmygodyougotme's".
Here she is with the best onesie, ever. Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner.
Ironically, the baby showed up the next weekend, which was also a few weeks early. Now that my friends, is a real surprise.
Because the baby, aptly named Jordyn Hope, was technically born premature, they kept a close watch on her. She was only four pounds 5 ounces and they knew about the heart problem she had.
What they didn't know, however, was that her heart problem was a part of a bigger one, called Vater/Vacteral Syndrome. Of course this syndrome is extremely rare, not unlike her father's stroke at the age of 29.
V = vertebral anomalies
A = anal atresia
C = cardiac (heart) defects
T = tracheo-esophageal fistula
E = esophageal atresia
R = renal (kidney) anomalies
L = limb anomalies
S = single umbilical artery
In Jordyn's case, emergency surgery needed to performed so that her esophagus could be connected to her trachea so that she could eat. Luckily, that went ok. Then she had the first of her heart surgeries, but there are more to come. She also has some vertebrae problems and an anus that is too close to her vagina, so that too will need to be reconfigured through surgery. All of this and my friend still manages to be upbeat and say it could always be much, much worse.
A friend close to the family created a flyer that can be found here. There you can read more about Jordyn's condition, view pictures and read more about the Jordyn Hope Trust that has been created to help the new family pay their mounting medical bills and other miscellaneous costs.
The second friend has had a much more normal (knock on wood) pregnancy and she is on the verge of delivery. Her shower was also a surprise, as is the sex of her baby which she chose to keep under wraps. Bitten by the blogging bug, this friend also decided to create a blog about the process of being pregnant. You can read all about Baby D here. The "D" is for their last name, but right now it also stands for "due any day now".
By the time I got to the third baby shower, I had seen enough cute baby gifts to make me wanna say kajagoogoo. The third friend in the trifecta of pregnancies is due in May. This friend is also having a girl whom she is naming Sophia Rose. No, she's not a Golden Girls fanatic. Amazingly though, the second friend is.
Confused yet? Don't worry baby.
For me, it's a surreal feeling watch all the friends I grew up go off and become first time mothers. As I'm sure I don't have to tell most of you, being a parent is a big responsiblility. I should know. I'm an understudy parent to twenty-two children for 7 and a half hours, five days a week. In fact, after seeing some of the parenting skills I do, or lackthereof, I often wish that a license was required to procreate, just as it is to teach.
But I get to go home. I don't have to clothe, feed or save for these kids college tuitions. Ultimately, my time with these children will end. Some days this makes me grateful, other days it makes me sad.
I haven't decided yet if one day I will have kids of my own or not. I don't care what anyone says, it's a big decision. I guess I have to fully accept the idea of being an adult first. This would mean hearing terms like new kids on the block and not thinking about the long defunct boy band pop group and not wanting the last cookie all to myself.
You know, stuff like that.
It all started almost a year ago. I know what you're thinking. It can't be almost a year ago if babies are only in the womb for 9 months, Janet. Well, duh. Even I know that! But in order to fully understand the story, I have to go back to where it all began.
One of my friends told me she was pregnant back in July. The baby boom continued right on in to September when another friend announced her pregnancy. Two days later a third friend said she was going to have a visit from the stork. For the record, none of these friends are friends with each other. Just keep on hitting me baby, one more time.
You might remember a bit about my first pregnant friend. I blogged about her here before and then again here.
What I didn't blog about was what happened a few days after that. That very same friend found out she was pregnant with their first child while her husband still was in the hospital, recovering from his stroke. She was torn about what to do, assuming that whenever she became pregnant the first person to know would naturally, be her husband. But due to the unusual circumstances, this was not to be the case. So she told a few close friends before telling him. When he found out, he was on the long, painful road to recovery, but knowing that his wife was pregnant before all of this happened to him, gave the couple hope they didn't have before.
A few months into learning she was pregnant, tragedy struck again. My friend discovered that her unborn baby girl had a hole in her heart. Apparently the hole was fixable, but she would need emergency surgery right after she was born. Again I admired the strength my friend had when she found out this news. Just when you think nothing else bad can happen to someone, God throws you another curve ball.
Her baby shower was at the end of January. She wasn't surprised. She didn't want to be surprised. Which brings me to this question. Why do showers have to be surprises anyway? I mean seriously. All you pregnant ladies and wives to be know they are coming, so you can save your "ohmygodyougotme's".
Here she is with the best onesie, ever. Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner.Ironically, the baby showed up the next weekend, which was also a few weeks early. Now that my friends, is a real surprise.
Because the baby, aptly named Jordyn Hope, was technically born premature, they kept a close watch on her. She was only four pounds 5 ounces and they knew about the heart problem she had.
What they didn't know, however, was that her heart problem was a part of a bigger one, called Vater/Vacteral Syndrome. Of course this syndrome is extremely rare, not unlike her father's stroke at the age of 29.
V = vertebral anomalies
A = anal atresia
C = cardiac (heart) defects
T = tracheo-esophageal fistula
E = esophageal atresia
R = renal (kidney) anomalies
L = limb anomalies
S = single umbilical artery
In Jordyn's case, emergency surgery needed to performed so that her esophagus could be connected to her trachea so that she could eat. Luckily, that went ok. Then she had the first of her heart surgeries, but there are more to come. She also has some vertebrae problems and an anus that is too close to her vagina, so that too will need to be reconfigured through surgery. All of this and my friend still manages to be upbeat and say it could always be much, much worse.
A friend close to the family created a flyer that can be found here. There you can read more about Jordyn's condition, view pictures and read more about the Jordyn Hope Trust that has been created to help the new family pay their mounting medical bills and other miscellaneous costs.
The second friend has had a much more normal (knock on wood) pregnancy and she is on the verge of delivery. Her shower was also a surprise, as is the sex of her baby which she chose to keep under wraps. Bitten by the blogging bug, this friend also decided to create a blog about the process of being pregnant. You can read all about Baby D here. The "D" is for their last name, but right now it also stands for "due any day now".
By the time I got to the third baby shower, I had seen enough cute baby gifts to make me wanna say kajagoogoo. The third friend in the trifecta of pregnancies is due in May. This friend is also having a girl whom she is naming Sophia Rose. No, she's not a Golden Girls fanatic. Amazingly though, the second friend is.
Confused yet? Don't worry baby.
For me, it's a surreal feeling watch all the friends I grew up go off and become first time mothers. As I'm sure I don't have to tell most of you, being a parent is a big responsiblility. I should know. I'm an understudy parent to twenty-two children for 7 and a half hours, five days a week. In fact, after seeing some of the parenting skills I do, or lackthereof, I often wish that a license was required to procreate, just as it is to teach.
But I get to go home. I don't have to clothe, feed or save for these kids college tuitions. Ultimately, my time with these children will end. Some days this makes me grateful, other days it makes me sad.
I haven't decided yet if one day I will have kids of my own or not. I don't care what anyone says, it's a big decision. I guess I have to fully accept the idea of being an adult first. This would mean hearing terms like new kids on the block and not thinking about the long defunct boy band pop group and not wanting the last cookie all to myself.
You know, stuff like that.
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