Four

My precious firstborn son turned four last week. I'll post more about his actual birthday later but I just can't believe that he's four. Not that four is sooo old or anything but, his birth marked such a life change for us and I can't believe that it's been four years since then.

Here is a glimpse of our life right before Isaac was born. Some of you who are close to us already know this story. Some of you don't. I don't tell you this story to try and say how lucky we are but how faithful, gracious and merciful God is. Every year on Isaac's birthday (and Steve's as well; they share a birthday) I remember God's amazing faithfulness to our family.


Isaac blowing out his candles this year

In the fall of 2004 Steve had just graduated with his degree in Mathematics from Cal Poly and he began working at our church in the youth group as the youth intern. He was challenged to work harder than he ever had in his life and was considering how God wanted to use that experience. When we found out we were pregnant in December, we really started praying about direction for our family because Steve's internship was up in August which is when Isaac was due. We planned to stay in San Luis Obispo and did absolutely everything we could to stay there. June hit and we were in the home stretch but Steve still didn't have a job (although he had been looking diligently for months) and I was 8 months pregnant. Every opportunity that we thought would work out didn't at the last minute. We were anxious, but we just kept waiting and searching. Steve actively pursued different jobs and kept getting "no." We were discouraged.

Then in July, both of our old cars were totaled within 48 hours of each other. One happened on the Cuesta Grade (a very dangerous road) at midnight and it was a hit and run. Miraculously none of us were hurt. Remember I was nearly 8 months pregnant. Truthfully, we all should've been killed in that accident. We believe the other driver was drunk because he sideswiped us going over 80 mph and sped off. The other accident occured on our way to pick up our rental car; someone was careless and smashed the driver's side in. Now what were we going to do without cars? What was God doing? Didn't He know that our son was going to be born any time? And Steve still didn't have a job.

Steve interviewed at his old high school and we were coming back from that interview when we were in the first accident. We thought the job was a long shot. Steve didn't have ANY teaching experience yet, although he went into the Math major with the idea that he'd be a Math teacher because he loves Math and he loves kids. His degree is in Math but they wanted a Physics and Math teacher. My husband is incredibly brilliant so it's not that he couldn't teach Physics it's just not his specialty like Math is. Truthfully, teaching was the worst option to us because it meant we had to move and we did not want to move whatsoever. But when they offered him the job and we looked at the fact that I was 36 weeks pregnant and it was our only option, we decided we better take it.

We started packing feverishly and we tied up loose ends at our jobs. My doctor told me that I wasn't to pack my house but what else was I supposed to do? Two weeks before we moved, someone from our church gave us their Volvo station wagon. They handed the deed over to us and it was ours free and clear. We got the car just in time. Our rental car was due back the next day. I joked with Steve that the baby could come on his birthday, which was the weekend we were supposed to move. I'll never joke like that again.

We went in for my last doctor's appointment in SLO on the Thursday before we were supposed to move. Everything was fine but Isaac's heartbeat was up very high. She quickly checked his position and discovered that in the last week he had flipped to footling breech. I was 38 weeks and he had flipped. This isn't common. He had been head down for weeks and then he flipped right at the end. The doctor felt like it was best to get him out since he probably wouldn't turn back that late and we were moving. She didn't want me to go into labor and have him be footling breech which is the most dangerous type of breech because the umbilical cord can prolapse. She wanted him out the next day...the next day was Steve's birthday.

So, the next morning, on the day we were supposed to move and on Steve's 26th birthday, we got up early and headed to the hospital where Isaac was born via c-section. Our friends and family moved our stuff up to our new home and three days later, we got in the car with our newborn and moved. We named our baby Isaac because it means laughter. After all of the craziness (and I just gave you the highlights) when we found out that Isaac had turned breech, we simply laughed. There was nothing else to do but laugh and acknowledge that we knew God would provide for us yet again.


My apartment the night before Isaac was born

Looking back, although our move here was very hard, we are SO blessed to be here. We have three boys now and a wonderful community surrounding us. We couldn't have foreseen all that God was going to provide but He was so good. I'll never forget being wheeled out of the hospital to my new volvo (new to me) to make the drive up to this unknown place with a brand new baby boy in my arms. So many changes. So much to learn. So many opportunities for God to show up. And He did in mighty ways. Praise Him.

As for Isaac now, he's a joy. I'll always look at him and remember all that God brought us through and taught us, just because Isaac was on his way. Isaac's birth will always be a milestone in our marriage and in our lives as a time that God stretched us and strengthened us. May we never forget. He's our own little Ebenezer.

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.'" 1 Samuel 7:12