A Purposeful Peek

Charli Ann, Our beautiful little blondie, it is amazing to think that you have now been in our arms for nearly as many months as you were inside my belly.  The past 18 months have been the most incredible months of our lives, but especially the past 9 months! You Momma survived our first extended time apart; Momma and Daddy went to Minneapolis for a work conference, and you stayed home with your Mimi and Didi.  Your Grandma, Mammo, and Pappo also came to visit, and your cousins kept you plenty entertained while we were gone. You LOVE your people. Last month, you were exploring what it felt like to pull from sitting to standing, and this month tested your limits by beginning to "cruise" around furniture. You learned the strength of your legs in your Jumparoo - you went from bouncing to JuMpInG and twirling. This month you also discovered your words.  You've babbled and "sang" for months, but now you ar...

Only a few months old and about to undergo a significant treatment, my tiny patient squirmed tearfully in the arms of a stranger. No parents in sight, a hospital staff member had been assigned to hold her during this painless, yet uncomfortable procedure. The fluorescent lights in the hospital room glared down upon this sweet baby, and the television had been turned to a loudly obnoxious cartoon channel in hopes of distracting her.  In his loud, authoritative voice, the attending physician rattled off confirmation of the patient's labs, medical condition, and procedure that was about to take place. Then, he looked at me and said, "I'm afraid this isn't going to go well." As the clinical pharmacist, I had been asked to assist in monitoring the patient's blood pressure at the bedside during this treatment and to dose the appropriate medications if needed to help control it.  As the baby began to scream lou...

Each woman's journey into motherhood looks completely different.  Some enter into it without intention, while others long to become a mother and yet grieve the heartache of infertility.  Some must wait for years to be matched with their forever child, and still others receive the blessing of motherhood naturally and expectantly.  Today, I honor three women, whose stories are woven into my own journey to motherhood... She was young and in love. Engaged and planning to spend forever together.... until she became pregnant before the wedding. This simply wasn't acceptable in her family, or even in his. No, this could not happen, would not happen. He walked away.  Her family pressured her to end it all. But despite her world crumbling around her, she somehow found the strength to nurture that tiny life inside her for 40 weeks, enduring the stares and whispers, perhaps being disowned by her own family. She birthed that perfect baby boy, and then she gave him away before ...