Grace Elizabeth - Our Rainbow Baby Birth Story

After Every Storm Comes A Rainbow.... 

It's only fair to share the birth story of our sweet rainbow baby girl with our followers. You followed our journey thru infertility, miscarriage and pregnancy. It's fitting that we share the best part with you all as our way of saying thanks for the support the love and the oodles and oodles of prayers that have been prayed to get her here to us. 

Tuesday May 16th - My scheduled induction date. I was instructed to call at 6:00 am to see if we could come in for the induction. We were ready, excited and anxious about this part. Everyone had a "plan" for that day. We planned out who was watching our son, my hubby was off work, our family was on standby ready to come and visit,  the house was clean, bags were in the car - we were ready. That was until I called and they told me that the night before was super busy and unfortunately they didn't have room that day. Since I was an elected induction, I would have to wait until tomorrow as long as there was room. At first I was crushed. Like lots of tears and a little grumpy that I had to WAIT ANOTHER DAY!!! After accepting the fact that I would have to wait I changed my attitude and reminded myself maybe it was for a reason. 

Some asked why induce? The answer was my recovery. My son came in RECORD time and made me have a terrible recovery because of how uncontrolled it was. My body labored so quickly and they assumed it would do the same again so they thought this was the way to go. 

I went to bed that night knowing that MAY 17th may be the date we got to meet her but it also may not be. I had to prep myself for the possible let down in the morning. 

Wednesday May 17th - I set my alarm for 5:30 am that day. When the alarm went off I spent an entire half an hour praying. For the first 15 minutes I prayed for peace and patience in the event that I was going to be told I had to wait another day. The last 15 minutes I prayed for her safety and mine. I prayed that we could enjoy the moment and that we could see the beauty in today. We waited years for it and I knew it would be such an emotional time. I just wanted to be able to soak it all up. At six am I picked up the phone and called the hospital. Sure enough they said yep we are ready and waiting for you - come on in. I ran thru the house yelling wake up, wake up - it's baby day!! 

My son and husband were so excited!!! We quickly dressed my son and took him to preschool and headed over to the hospital. My hubby was so anxious on the way to the hospital. For some reason I wasn't. I felt a sense of peace over me. I think it must have been all the praying. 

We got to the hospital and were greeted by the most WONDERFUL nurse. She was so happy and excited to spend the day with us. She will forever be someone special to me now after sharing that day with her. She made us feel welcome and at ease. It was such a different labor experience than the first time around. Nothing was rushed like it was with Carter. 

They admitted me and then checked me. I was 4 cm dilated which I had been in the office on Monday. I was started on pitocin with hopes that it would start active labor patterns. At that point I wasn't sure if I wanted an epidural or not. For some reason I was wanting to try it without one this time. We spent the morning just waiting. I was having some contractions but nothing too crazy. I spent most of the morning bouncing on what they called a peanut ball. My hubby and I watched a lot of morning television and I kept insisting I would have the baby by lunch time. The doctor ended up needing my nurse and had to do a C section, so she assigned me to someone else for a bit and said to sit tight. Around noon they all came back. The doctor checked again and sadly no progress had been made with the pitocin. They asked me to rethink the epidural again. If I wanted it, they suggested I do that first then they were going to break my water. I agreed to just do it and shorty after they came in to administer that to me. I don't know why, but this time around I was really afraid of it. I think because I knew it would hurt. As expected, it did but honestly I am so glad I got it. 

This was in the room when we arrived. That tiny hat with the bow on it became my focal point for the day. We kept reminding each other someone would soon be wearing that pink bow hat. It helped me keep pushing when I didn't feel like it. 

Once my epidural was in they quickly broke my water and then said to "rest" while I could and that they would be back in two hours. I was like REST? Are you kidding, how can I rest when I know what excitement is coming. Needless to said I "rested" for about 45 minutes before telling Kevin I was progressing and needed a nurse. I was starting to feel a TON of pressure so I knew something was happening. My nurse came back and checked me and was surprised that I had made it to 8 cm in those 45 minutes. She stepped out for a few minutes and while she was gone the pressure got stronger. I had her check me again and was already to 9 cm in those few minutes. She said it was going to be baby time a lot quicker than we thought. The room started to transform very quickly. 

Lights came on, instruments were counted, blue drapes were starting to appear and a team started to arrive. My nurse and Kevin helped coach me thru the pushing. I kept my eyes shut to focus but I could tell by Kevin's expressions she was almost here. The doctor came in just as it was time to push her out. She didn't cry or scream until they suctioned her mouth and it was by far one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. My crying got stronger too once I locked eyes with Kevin. We both felt such a relief that she was here and safe and healthy. There is no words to describe the emotion that hits you when they place that baby on your chest. Kevin got to cut the cord and we got to spend many hours just holding her. They didn't give a bath or anything they just let us enjoy her.

A few hours later they weighed her and did a physical exam. She was 7 lbs 11 ounces and 21 inches long. She was born at 3:56 pm. Labor was really only an hour and 56 minutes. 

Around 6 pm our family started to roll in to meet her. Carter's reaction was adorable. He came with his present he made for her, flowers for me and also balloons. He loved her the moment he met her. 

Around 9 pm after everyone left we got to go to our room. We snuggled with her and admired what a miracle she was. Around midnight she got her first bath in the nursery. We tagged along to watch. Before we ended the day, we read the same book to her that we read to Carter - On The Night You Were Born. Just as I did with her brother, I cried as I read the final lines - "Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful marvelous night you were born." I am sure they did baby girl, I am sure they did. 

Someday, I will tell her how special she is. I will tell her how many people prayed for her and how special my pregnancy with her was. She was a light for others. She gave hope to those longing for a baby and reminded many others how special their own little miracles really are. She is our gift and our reminder that life can only give you so many storms before the rainbow shows up. 

Thank you for loving her and praying for her. 

xoxo 

The Griffith Family 

3 years in the making - welcoming our rainbow baby

One Week To Go.... 

If you have been following our journey with infertility you may realize that the journey after three long hard years is about to end in less than a week. 

To be honest I am not sure how I feel right now. You would think I would be overjoyed and excited and just ready to meet her. While I am to an extent, I also have to be very honest and admit that I am terrified, worried and also anxious about all of the change that is about to come our way. I woke up this morning knowing that a week from today I will be induced to have her at some point on the 16th of May. I feel like I have a million things I need to do still to get ready, but I just don't feel ready.  

I keep praying that my anxiety stays down and that I calmly have an uneventful birth, but until shes in my arms I don't know that my fears will go away. I spent most of the first trimester worrying about a miscarriage. Then the second trimester worrying about how well she was growing and worried about her coming prematurely. Then I got to the third trimester and I started to have some major worry about the actual labor and delivery process. I am not sure why because my sons delivery was a breeze. I prayed a ton and that helped, but I still find the worrysome thoughts creeping in. 

I think all of this worry was my minds way of protecting me from the hurt and what we had been thru over the last three years. It's like I don't want to allow myself to get too excited until I know she really is here and safe. I would like to think this is normal when you walked the dark road of infertility, but who knows maybe it's not. 

So for the next week you will find me waiting and waiting and waiting some more. I am praying big and hoping that all goes according to HIS plans that are waiting for our family and this sweet little girl. We have such a special life planned for her with lots of love waiting for her. 

I have envisioned the moment when they hand her to us over and over in my head and every time I envision it I cry. The hard ugly kind of cry.

I have no doubt that it will be one of best moments of our marriage and my life as long as all goes well. I hope that the labor and delivery nurses who are there with us have a tissue because I anticipate it will be an emotional moment for everyone in the room. 

There was a bible verse that I held near to my heart during our dark days. Romans 8:18 says that "the pain you have been feeling can't compare to the joy that is coming." I believed deep down it was true. That all of our hurt and pain was going to turn into something beautiful someday and sure enough it did. 

I will be reminding myself over and over of this verse during labor as I endure a few hard hours before meeting our precious rainbow after the storm. 

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for coming along for the ride these past few years. We hope our story gave you hope for your own. God Bless you all. Can't wait to share her with you. 

Nesting School

Baby On The Way? Join Me In My Nesting School 

Mom's to be where are you? I want to invite you to join me in my 5 day "nesting" school that I am going to be offereing for all of my social media friends who are expecting in the coming months. 

I have been on a quest to "organize" everything that I need to be doing to get ready for baby number two and have come up with quite the list. 

The teacher in me thought it would be fun to have a "class" with other new moms where I can share what I have been doing with you all and get some ideas and tips for you. 

Here is what you can expect to learn and do in "nesting school." 

- How to make a nesting list so you feel less overwhelmed 

- Healthy meal ideas for after the baby arrives

- What I have packed in my diaper bag and why, as well as what I am planning to take to the hospital. 

- Sharing gender reveal stories 

- Must have baby items this time around

- Lacation cookies and smoothies for nursing moms 

- Sibling gift ideas

- Post partum care suggestions 

I am going to offer the course starting on Monday April 17th and it will last for five days. If you would like to be added into the group please click here to request access. Please join me and share it with all of your expecting friends as well! 

Congrats on your upcoming arrivals. 

Naming Our Rainbow Baby

How Gracie Got Her Name... 

You may or may not know this but we had been struggling with infertility for the last 2 1/2 years. We experienced a miscarriage this past spring and it really was hard to go thru. We finally decided to move forward and be okay with only having one child after going thru it all. Then this summer shortly after my grandmas passed away we learned that we were in fact expecting. It felt like a miracle and I almost felt like I had a special guardian angel watching over me. I convinced myself that if  grandma could have nine successful pregnancies, maybe just maybe she would have a hand in helping ours along the way.

Shortly after we found out that I was pregnant I started to see a rainbows each day. They call a baby born after a miscarriage a "rainbow baby" so I found it ironic that I was seeing them so often. At first I thought it was a coincidence but then it became a daily thing and to this day five and half months in I see at least one a day. I would like to think it's my grandma's gentle way of reminding me that everything is going to be okay. It reminds me of this special crystal that she had in her dining room that would hang from the window and shine rainbow rays of light. I still remember seeing it every time I visited her house as a child. 

My instincts started to tell me that maybe just maybe it would be a girl. I decided from the start that if it was a girl I wanted to use Ann as her middle name since that was my grandma's name. Then it came time to start picking possible boy and girl names. My husband had Grace (Gracie) on his list. It was never one of my first picks, but it started to grow on me.  Then things started to happen that made me reconsider. The name started to appear everywhere. The homily at church based on the topic of grace. I would see the name just randomly in places and I started to be drawn to it but I wasn't sold on Grace Ann. That's when I decided I would do Grace Elizabeth possibly. I knew she loved saying "Sarah Elizabeth" when she greeted me each time I saw her. I knew she loved it also because she used it as my aunt's name. Then a few days later when we were doing our family advent reading, the topic for the day was on the importance of a name and what names meant. This passage stopped me dead in my tracks. It talked about how the name Ann means grace or Gods favor. It lead me to do some research and I realized that Ann is Hebrew and it means God has favored me. The name refers to Grace. In that moment I realized that name was perfect. Even better than just using Ann for the middle name. 

The signs just kept coming. Earlier this week one of the local churches passed out flyers and put them on all the doors in the neighborhood inviting us to their Christmas service. The church name. Yep you guessed it Grace Hills Church. The encounters got to the point that I was seeing it SEVERAL times a day in unexpected places. 

The last encounter was almost eerie. It happened the day of our ultrasound as I was checking out at Macys. The lady asked if we knew what we were having and I explained that we actually had that ultrasound that morning. We had the ultrasound tech put the gender reveal in a box with confetti and that we would be opening it on Christmas morning. I told her how excited we were because we had waited so long and had such a difficult time getting pregnant. She informed me her daughter struggled too for eight years. She then smiled and said that's why we named her Grace. She wished me luck and said Merry Christmas. It took my breath away. I could barely even respond to her. 

Some might think that all of these encounters with rainbows and grace are just coincidences but I would like to think otherwise. I would like to say they are messages from a very special guardian angel. As much as I miss my grandma, I think she's closer to me then I realize. 

It came to no surprise to me on Christmas morning that the gender reveal box  in fact did had lots of pink confetti inside. So Grace Elizabeth Griffith it is. She will make her arrival on May 22nd. While the name was never one we considered in the past I think we would be crazy not to. 

If your willing to get quiet and listen God often speaks pretty darn clear to you. 

Joy in the journey

Finding Faith In The Little Things

If you read my previous post I had made when I announced my pregnancy, you would remember reading my "rainbow" story. If not I will quickly share with you what I mean.

Since finding out we were expecting our "rainbow baby" I have been seeing a rainbow every single day, sometimes several times a day. Incase you're new to the term "rainbow baby" it's a baby that you have after experiencing a miscarriage. They call it a rainbow because after every storm comes a rainbow of hope.

Today I wanted to share with you an update. Some have asked are you still seeing the rainbows three months into this pregnancy? My answer is YES. Actually even more often now than I was in the beginning. Sometimes they are real rainbows up in the sky and sometimes they are silly things like a Halloween costume skirt or a piece of art in my sons school. It often comes when I am least expecting it each day.

I cannot tell you how much joy these little appearances bring me. It's my gentle reminder from the universe that all is well with my little one and to have faith that this is going to turn out okay.

At first I thought all of this was just a crazy coincidence but now three months in, I am starting to believe that these rainbows are being sent to me intentionally.

My husband thought I was crazy at first but now he believes I am seeing them for a reason too.

This is my first encounter with "signs" from God or the universe or whatever you want to call it but I am hooked. I love it and truly see each rainbow as a gift. It makes me curious how many other people see "signs" in their own lives as reminders to stay in faith.

I would like to think that my grandma has something to do with all of this. She passed away this August and I would have become pregnant shortly after her passing. She had 9 children and was what I would like to call the queen of fertility. I swear shes been assigned to watch over me and this pregnancy. Here's the cool part. Growing up my grandma had these beautiful crystals that hung in her dining room window. Every time the sun would shine you would see beautiful rays of rainbow light. It was a fun memory from my childhood. These rainbows make me think of her each day and it makes me feel closer to her.

While I don't photograph all of them I did want to share a few with you all to show you how cool it really is.

This announcement has been YEARS in the making. It's absolutely an answer to all of our prayers. 

This was my first encounter with the rainbows. Each of these long streaks is a rainbow. It's hard to see it from far away. They were in the foyer of my home. My son was the first to find it. He called me and was yelling to COME SEE ALL OF THESE RAINBOWS. It was a week after I found out I was expecting. Nobody knew yet except my huband and all I had been thinking about was how happy we were about our rainbow baby. It brought me to tears. I could have sat and looked at it for hours. Since that night I have continued to see these rainbows each day. It was a much needed sign for me.

A close up of what the streaks looked like in our foyer. Bright, brilliant and beautiful just like this miracle we are experiencing.

This one showed up in my kitchen on a day I was feeling uncertian and worried about the baby. I am sure it was shining this bright because someone knew I needed a strong reminder that day. I was in awe of the beauty of this one. 

This one appeared over our house the morning after announcing our pregnancy.

This showed up on my computer screen one day when I sat down to work for the day. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I kept looking around for the light in the room from where it might be coming from. I still never figured it out instead I took it as a sign that all is well today.

There are many more that I could share with you. It gives me hope and faith and helps to ease my mind each day. I can only hope that they will continue until my little one arrives in May. I hope you enjoyed reading this and sharing in the JOY along with me. 

After every storm comes a rainbow...

For This Child We Prayed... 

I cannot tell you how many years I have been dreaming about the day that we would get to share that our son would no longer be an only child. If I am being honest with you I will say that we finally decided to put that dream aside and move on from all the pain we experienced. 2 1/2 years of infertility and a miscarriage this past spring left us feeling hopeless, sad and ready to move on with our life.

Then God showed us he had a different plan.  We have since learned that we were getting another chance at this and that maybe, just maybe our rainbow baby is coming after all.

If you're not familiar with what a rainbow baby is, it's what they call a baby born after a miscarriage. Because after every storm comes a rainbow of hope and that's just what this baby is for us. It's hope.

While we contemplated not sharing the news with everyone until a few months from now, we have decided it was time to share the hope and excitement with others instead of hiding it.

It's been a long two months not telling any of our family or friends. If you follow me on social media you know that I share ALL of my life, so not sharing this part of our journey felt like I wasn't being me.

We have had two appointments so far and at both appointments everything looked great. Strong heart beat, perfect size and great growth. All very different than the last pregnancy we experienced. It's not to say we are out of the woods. I realize many people wait until after the first trimester to share, but we have decided that we need the prayers and that we are going to celebrate the gift of life we have been given for as long as we are able to enjoy it.

Pregnancy is a journey and a scary one at that. I wish I could go back to being as clueless as I was during my first one. I had no fears. After our first ultrasound we told everyone, started picking names, planning the nursery and picking out clothes. In our minds we were getting a healthy baby in a few months and that's exactly what happened. Now that I am older and wiser I realize that next few months will be scary, but I also realize that motherhood and life is also very scary. I have made a choice to put my fears aside and believe that God has a plan for our family, and maybe just maybe this blessing that's growing inside of me will get to be a part of our plan.

I want to wrap this up with two things that I think are pretty special.

The first is that they say when a loved one passes away God often gives you another one in return. This past August my grandmother passed away. She was what I would like to call the queen of fertility. She had nine children and was literally a saint. I became pregnant shortly after she passed. I would like to think that she's looking out for me up there. I told my husband shes my guardian angel for this pregnancy. It brings me comfort thinking of her this way.

Lastly I talked about how this baby is called a rainbow baby. I want to share something pretty amazing. EVERY SINGLE DAY since the day I found out I was expecting this baby I see a rainbow. Sometimes a real one in the sky, sometimes in a store or on TV or even on an art project in my son's school. It's amazing but it's my daily reminder to take a deep breath and just enjoy this pregnancy and have hope that is will work out. I find so much joy each day when I see those rainbows.

So that's what we are doing. Taking this pregnancy day by day hoping and praying we make it to May. Thanks for all the support you have given us on our journey thru these hard years. Let's hope this year has lots of happiness in store for us.

ALL OUR LOVE

Kevin, Sarah, Carter and BABY GRIFFITH

"I will not cause pain without something new to be born says the Lord." Isaiah 66:9