Lily's Story - The Girl with the Curl

Lily, Lily, Lily. She is the girl with the curl. When she is good; she is very, very good. When she is bad; she is very, very bad.We were pregnant and the thoughts were still very fresh of giving birth to Kiera. I got pregnant when Kiera was a little under a year. I was terrified. I wanted this baby, but I DID NOT want to give birth to another baby. I thought if I didn’t acknowledge that I was pregnant then I wouldn’t have to go through with it. Eventually I called the Baby Place because our insurance covered emergencies, but not pregnancy. They had done a great job. I had a healthy baby and it was affordable.I spoke to Coleen again and told her how afraid I was. She gave me advice that I carry with me daily and it calms me through many things. “Melissa, Don’t let Satan steal the joy of today because of the fear of tomorrow.”

Onward ho! During that pregnancy I made my second CD. It was not that bad of a pregnancy I guess. I know I was sick because the pictures I took of Kiera during that time were a bit shoddy, mis-managed and she looked “special.” But I don’t remember anything out of the normal.

You would think that after your first birth you would know when you were in labor, but I was constantly guessing. “Is this it?” Then a few days later, “Is this it?” I didn’t want to be one of those people who kept going in for false labor. I remember calling and talking to Coleen and explaining to her my symptoms and then a contraction came. I quickly apologized and hung up on her. After the contraction I called her back to continue the conversation, “I could hear the smile in her voice as she told me that if I couldn’t stay on the phone during the contraction, I should probably head on in.”

Because of my anxiety about child-birth I did not want anyone but Rick to be there this time. I don’t remember going into labor, but I remember labor. It was EXTREME. Fast and furious. It took about 4 -5 hours and it was very much like Lily. Intense.

What I remember most was how God ministered to me through music during this labor. I had brought our computer and during transition (which I don’t think you realize you are going through until after) I felt so helpless. During that time a song by Greater Vision came on called, “I’ve Been There.” The words say,

I’ve been there. I understand.
I’ve felt the pain that you’re feeling now.
I’ll give you grace to make it somehow.
So, please understand I’ve been there.

I thought about how Jesus suffered tremendously on the cross and His own father left Him alone. Yet, here I was with my Lord walking through each step with me. What a good God we have.

I know that I did NOT want to push. I didn’t want to go through that again. I told the ladies that I was just not going to do it. HA!

I lay in bed and was determined to just go through the contractions but would not get up. Then it happened. My BODY started pushing without my permission. Can you imagine? The audacity! God made your body to have that baby whether you wanted to or not.

A contraction would start and BAM my body bore down. It was an eye opening moment for me. So THIS is what they call “the irresistible urge to push.” It was to change my way of thinking about labor. I wish I had known this with Kiera. I could have saved a whole bunch of energy and wasted effort. So, God did it. I moved over to the birthing stool and within 3 or so pushes out came Lily.

She was the ugliest baby I had EVER seen. HAHAHAHAHA!

She had no eyebrows or eyelashes. Her face was swollen and bruised. Her hair was sporadic, mangled and caked. Her fingernails had not grown in. Rick and I just said, “Well, Lord. We hope she gets better.” I hope you have a sense of humor about this, because sometimes ugly babies just happen.

She turned out just fine.

I wanted to share something significant about Lily. Why she sticks out as special to me. She had acid reflux and I didn’t know it. She cried a lot. She was so different from Kiera. She was not an easy baby in any way.

When she was five months old, I lay in bed exhausted. I heard her cry through the baby monitor and asked Rick if he would go find her binky and re-tuck her in. (Now don’t think I am crazy. This is the absolute truth). He did. I lay there hearing her fuss for a while and I thought, “Well, if she doesn’t scream I am just going to stay in bed.”

Then I heard my name. I looked up and saw a dark figure and subconsciously I knew “Oh! It’s Lily’s guardian angel.” I saw the dark figure reach down to me as if handing me a baby and heard, “Your baby needs your help.” I jumped out of bed. I ran to Lily’s room. Her blanket had gotten stuck over her face and as I pulled it back I heard her suck in a breath.

Not sure what had just happened I went back to bed and hid under my covers and prayed and prayed and prayed. “Thank you God for saving Lily, but please don’t do that again that way. I am so afraid.”

I know that God saved my girl’s life. I am reminded of John Wesley and how during a home fire he was stuck upstairs when everyone else had gotten out. Miraculously God saved him. His mother thought, “God must have something for this child.” That is how I feel.

Lily’s life has been spared another time by an idiosyncrasy that is “just born” in Lily. Lily freaks out. She always has. She does not handle any type of pressure well. She is just like me. She is wired tightly and runs at a high velocity. I am not like this anymore, but Lily is still working on her reactions. When Lily freaks out she is loud.

One day after church we were all loading up and I told Rick that I would take Lily to the bathroom and then be out to the car. I must have been really tired because I went to the bathroom and when I was coming out I realized I had completely forgotten about Lily. Panicked, I rushed out.

I saw Brooke running in and said that she had heard Lily freaking out and turned around just to stop her from running in front of a car leaving the parking lot. Lily, not knowing where her mom was reacted just how she always reacts … loudly. Praise the Lord! My little girl was spared again.

She is very serious. She is SO sweet. She is a giver. She is a thinker. She is competitive, but gets discouraged because she hasn’t found her niche. So, she gives up easily. She loves to roller skate and travels the house frequently this way. She is more physically coordinated than her siblings. She does NOT like school, and learns by doing. She is very creative. When she is not home everyone is quiet because she is the maker of all the plays and playlands. When she is home the house is a mess. Each room is it’s own creation; an orphanage, a pet store, a nativity scene, a princess ball, a cowboy and indian shootout, etc.

She is the reflection of my own personality and I learn so much from her. I am so thankful for her.