#7 Of My Favorite Things: MY CHILDREN

This is from last week’s blog:

“I had just given birth to Duana and was so ecstatic that God blessed us with a baby girl that I was in 7^th Heaven!  Or maybe it was Cloud Nine? Here I was holding my baby girl in my arms and feeling like, somebody pinch me! I have a Baby Girl! After having 2 boys and losing a baby the year before that I believe was a boy, and with boys dominating the Vasquez Family, I was in dreamland holding my baby girl!. I could not see the end to being pregnant. I loved being pregnant, I loved the process of childbirth, and I loved the sound of hearing my baby’s first cry, and I absolutely LOVED when the nurse would place my newly born baby in my arms and they were mine to take home. I’m getting ahead of myself here since this is what I’ll write about in my #7 Favorite Things.”

In the beginning I was afraid to get pregnant because I was afraid of miscarriage. My grandmother and an aunt had a miscarriage so that always loomed in the back of my mind that this could happen to me.

The day came when I went off “the pill” and the waiting game began. It was always so fun to make the announcements to the family but I think by the time we announced baby #4 on the way it was met with eyes rolling…another one?! I know my Grandma McClung was rooting for me when I told her we wanted to have six children. She told me the story of her grandparents and that her grandma gave birth to six children so her grandpa told his wife, “You had your six so now it’s time to have my six.” They had 12 children!

The day came when I took that first test and the plus sign showed I was pregnant. Oh what an exciting time this was! God showed his favor and blessed us with one of His creations! I had good pregnancies. My body felt healthy, my skin had no blemishes and my hair was perfect! I had my “What to Expect” baby book in hand and I marveled at the life growing inside of me. God was using ME to bring Life into this world. There was no mistake that this baby was wanted and was loved from the very start. My tummy grew…and grew…and grew!

The day came in the wee hours of the morning as I tapped my husband and said, “I think we’re gonna have a baby today.” Off we went to San Dimas Hospital and was all checked in by 7:30am. The doctor checked me and said that baby was over 8 lbs and it would be a miracle if I delivered this baby naturally. The nurse came up to me and said, “We’ll show the doctor miracles do happen.” That afternoon I gave birth to our first boy and we named him John Neal after both his grandpa’s.

If I continue giving you details of each pregnancy I’ll end up with a book. I did have rather easy pregnancies. I felt the best carrying my boys and my girls gave me a little morning sickness. I did have my worst time carrying my Diana but again that is another story. I would feel sick around the 5 o’clock hour but I did figure out that if I took my prenatal pills at night I wouldn’t have that “Evening” sickness.

Each of our children had a special reason for choosing their names. As you saw above Johnny was named after both Grandpa’s. Our second was Robert Frederick who was named after Grandpa Johnny’s brother and my oldest brother. I did lose a baby at 12 weeks so it was too early to know if we had a girl or boy. I tend to think boy for some reason. I’ll be pleasantly surprised when I reach heaven. Duane didn’t want a Duane Jr. and what were the chances of us having more than one girl? Duane agreed to the name of our first born daughter, Duana Rebecca. Next would be Donald Laurence. Donnie after Duane’s brother who died at the age of 7 and his middle name after my younger brother. Duane has always liked the name Diana so he gave her the name. Her middle name is after both her grandma’s Ruth Consuelo because what WERE the chances we would have another girl? Next came Dawna Linda. We chose Dawna because after naming her sisters with a “D” and ending in “NA” we thought just changing the second and third letters would be fun! Besides she was born at the Dawn of morning. Four months after her birth I was pregnant again and this is story in itself. We lost our little girl Debra Lois in the 6^th month of pregnancy. I thought we were done with 3 boys and 3 girls.

I did have some problems physically and the doctor said I should consider a hysterectomy. I didn’t do anything about it for a number of years until it was obvious something needed to be done. This was a hard decision to make to know that I would never carry another child in this body. I asked the Lord if I wasn’t done having children if he would allow me to get pregnant one more time and then I would take care of myself. The next month I was pregnant! Our bonus baby, William Joseph, came 7 years after Dawna was born. We never told our children if he was a boy or girl so they all called him, Baby, while he was in my tummy. That name stuck with him for quite a few years. Billy was named after his great & great, great grandfathers.

There you have it. All My Children! I could tell you so many stories of each of their lives. I did have difficulties during their growing years when I would feel God tugging on my heart to do more for the Kingdom of God. I spent many a time talking with the Children’s Pastor, my friend Winona Stradley, and share with her the way I felt. When I would tell her I wish I could serve God on the Mission Field she opened my eyes and told me that my Mission Field right now were My Children. So if anyone out there feels like their family is sapping the life out of them you need to see them in a different light. We are raising the NEXT generation and us as mother’s have the most important job anyone else could have. No one on this earth can do a better job at raising your kids better than you can!

Recently I have also learned something else from seeing the movie, “Midnight in Paris.” Have you ever felt you were born in the wrong time era? My husband and I both have felt that way. We love the turn of the century time era and both feel we were born at the wrong time. Since seeing this movie I have come to the conclusion that I was born exactly in the time God wanted me to be here. Each of us was born exactly where we should be. I was placed here to marry Duane and together with God would give life to these children. We would raise them to know and love God and teach them to use their talents to glorify God and to expand His Kingdom. The verse that sticks in my mind too is found in Esther 4:14b (NKJV)Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 

We all have a purpose for being where we are when we are. I pray that you find your purpose.

A friend of mine posted this on my Facebook Wall and it means a lot to me. I want my children to remember as well as those that read this blog…Psalms 139

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13 For you created my inmost being; 
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
your works are wonderful, 
I know that full well. 
15 My frame was not hidden from you 
when I was made in the secret place, 
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; 
all the days ordained for me were written in your book 
before one of them came to be. 
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! 
How vast is the sum of them! 
18 Were I to count them, 
they would outnumber the grains of sand— 
when I awake, I am still with you.

One day I’ll have to share with you how “I came to be.”
I know All my days were ordained by God for me.
I just now need to be obedient to what God has planned for my life.
I pray you discover that too.