Latisha is turning 16. Can it really be? Yeah, she is excited she can finally drive at night. My little Christmas baby. What a joy and blessing she is. She has always enjoyed doing things her own way and from the moment we found out we were having her things have gone that way. I had finally finished college and was excited to have another baby. I felt I might be expecting so I took a test. It was negative. Then I started spotting so I was quite bummed. Then a couple days later I decided no, I think I am pregnant and took another test. It came back negative, I was bummed but still thought I was pregnant. Again I started to spot. What was going on? I was very upset this time. I sought God and felt compelled to call the doctor. I thought they are going to think I am crazy. They were very nice and told me to come in. They gave me a pregnancy test and it was positive. So they took my blood and said my count was good. A couple days later they took another blood test and my hormones were increasing just as they should. So after an emotional start I got to really believe I was pregnant. I was so excited.
Within a couple weeks I began to blossom. My clothes were already getting tight. It was as though my body knew what was to come and wanted to make plenty of room. I had a very healthy pregnancy. Then I went in for my ultrasound. My due date was January 1st but the not so pleasant ultrasound tech was annoyed and told me I was off on my due date and she moved my due date to the 15th. She would not guarantee the gender because I wasn't even 20 weeks. The doctor came in, looked at the ultrasound and said "I don't see anything there, if it is a boy I would be very surprised." I immediately started buying girl outfits. Oh this was so fun.
My weight gain was following a better pattern from last time. Even with my pregnancy ending during the Christmas season I gained only 35 pounds. Ten pounds less then with Alex's pregnancy, since then I have always gained 45 pounds. Then 3 days after Christmas I started having contractions. I began denial, and started cooking and cleaning dinner. David was sure we were about to have a baby though and started video taping. Alex, meanwhile, was going a bit nutty. I could't sit down. I was having contractions every couple minutes and would pause in my pacing to breathe through it. I finally consented to David calling my Grandma to come over and watch Alex. It didn't take long for her to get there but by the time she arrived I was definitely sure I was about to give birth. We went to the hospital and they asked me if I wanted anything, I said maybe in a while. David said "no, now, hook her up now." I was really concerned about a needle being put in my spine. But they did it and told me I would probably feel one more contraction and then I should be good. I never felt that or any other contraction and well, I felt great. I feel very happy for my friends who choose to do it all naturally but I am a wimp when it comes to pain and I was so grateful to be able to lay there and watch my contractions go up and down and enjoy every minute of giving birth. The doctor said push. I did and she was out in three contractions. Such a difference from Alexander's birth, where I may have thought I was about to die.
Latisha had beautiful dark hair and everything about her was perfect. They cleaned her up and brought her right to me. She stared at me with her deep brown eyes and we just both connected in such a way I can't explain. We now had a wonderful little boy and a beautiful daughter, how blessed. She weighed only 6 lbs 2 oz. So tiny and wonderfully made. Within a few months she chubbed up a bit. She started walking just after 9 months old and then she went of the charts below the normal weight gain. I was concerned but the doctor said look at you, she probably won't be any taller then you, she now is taller than me. Her hair turned a beautiful auburn color. She loved to play with her big brother and they were adorable. Once she became a big sister she took on a motherly role and has been an amazing help with each additional child. Latisha is very self motivated and loves to see everything done in a certain way. She is such a big help and encourages me. I now watch her as she has matured into a beautiful young women. She has chosen to go against a lot of the teen age pitfalls and hold a standard for the Lord. I am so proud of her and am looking forward to where the Lord is going to take her. Happy Birthday Sweet Pea. I Love You.
