My love

My love

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Social networking rules

In a quickly growing digital networking world where people's attention seems so divided amidst all the tweets, emails, texts and Facebook messages; I find Kevin Kelley's thoughts both refreshing and interesting.
"my first priority is face to face conversation. If I can be physically in front of someone, I give that person my full attention-ignoring competing distractions of phone calls or anything else that might hinder my focus. But if a face to face conversation is not possible, I defer to voice-to-voice-normally by way of phone. But even with that, I have rules. When I'm having a phone conversation, I don't look at my computer screen or engage with anything in front of me, except the person I'm talking to at that moment. I want to be fully present. But finally, if neither one of those options exist, my last resort is screen to screen. Using email or sending a text is my last preference-but even then I keep it short and sweet but force myself to be fully present in the written communication I send."
Interesting. Your thoughts?

Friday, September 2, 2011

Zane's Birth Story (My perspective)

Did you all know that I found out Em was pregnant just minutes after coaching the FCS Boys Varsity Soccer Team to a Victory in our first State playoff game of the tournament?  Then it should be no surprise to you that it was after I came home from PLAYING Soccer with the same group of guys at FCS that I found out that Em was having consistent contractions.  Then the craziness officially started.

Bags packed, check. Phone calls made, check. Gas in the car, check. Mixed playlists created, check.  Prayers lifted up, double check!  And off to bed we go knowing full well that at any moment we can wake up and head to the hospital.  It was July 21st as we went to bed and we were excited and nervous for the arrival of our son, Zane. To bed we went, full of thoughts that filled our minds.

Em wakes up at 3:00 in the morning with labor pains preventing her from any good sleep. She does not wake me up because she feels as if it would be more beneficial for me to get some sleep.  I wake up at 7ish just excited and ready to rock.  Em's contractions are getting stronger and I decide to go to Marshall's to buy an exercise ball for her to labor on.  Jessica Frain, one of Em's best friends and RN at Mary Washington's Labor and Delivery Wing, stays with Em to keep her company.  The contractions go from 5 minutes apart consistently to 3-5 minutes apart, consistently.  Here we go!!!!

Em decides that we have labored long enough at home and that we should leave at 3pm to Mary Washington Hospital.  I made a few last minute errands and come home for the final stages of packing.  As Em is on the phone with Jess, she says with an excited voice, "Um, Jess, I'm pretty sure that my water just broke."  Freaked out and excited we now know that we are ready!  At just after 3pm we leave our house for Mary Washington Hospital.

I now know that we had no idea what was ahead of us, WOW.

We get to the Hospital and get checked into the nicest room that Mary Wash has available.  It is really nice getting special treatment because this is Em's place of employment :)  As they are hooking Em up and we/I am overly excited, we notice that the doctors and nurses are looking at the computers with concern.

The concern is over Zane's heart rate which is decelerating outside of the contractions that she is having.  They decide that we need to monitor Zane more closely so they put some things on his head for a greater read and they still don't like what they see.  Multiple times we heard machines beeping and both nurses and doctors came running in to tell Em to move so that Zane's heart can become consistent.

Super super scary.  Helpless is all I felt.  I could do absolutely nothing but pray.  And what more do we need then the God of the Universe to remain in control?  And in control He was!

After an epidural, Em was feeling great!  Zane's heart was looking better and all was well.  Em dilated from 7 to 10 inches in 30 minutes and we were ready to rock.  We were almost certain that Zane would be born on July 22nd and through a normal, healthy delivery. But we were wrong.

As Em began to push Zane's heart was decelerating.  We could see Zane's head, and his curly hair!  But as close as he was to being delivered we couldn't finish as his heart could not handle the stress.  The doc came into the room and quickly decided that we needed him out now because Zane was distressed and in danger.

Scared, helpless, but praying to the God of the Universe.  I scrubbed in and got into some scrubs as Em was prepared for the C-section.  As it was coming to its end we heard a nurse pull Zane out and say, "Wow, he looks like his daddy."  Words that touched my heart after all of this madness.  And yet, no crying?  Why isn't he crying we wondered?

Em and I sat there staring into each others eyes.  Em's filled with tears and mine showing any kind of confidence and reassurance that I could muster.  Praying and talking to Em we just waited, looking into each other's eyes.  5 minutes went by before they invited me over to see Zane.

In his Incubator and hooked up to a bunch of ridiculous tubes I was both excited and scared. Excited to see my son and yet scared for his health and well being. Zane was born on July 23rd, 2011.

After multiple trips to the NICU, many prayers, sleepless nights, earthquakes, hurricanes, and many great memories we are.  WOW. It has been just short of 6 weeks now and all is well!  Zane is completely healthy and Em is on the mend.

Zane's name means, "God is Gracious."  How perfect is that!

God, thank you for your Grace and love.  And for my beautiful wife and amazing Son!  God, you truly are gracious to me!

James