Brent always said if he had a girl he would put an ad in the Awanna for her, but as you all know those girls mean the world to him. However, he still had this manly desire within him to have a son of his own, to carry on his name, and to be his "little man." Well to our surprise, that happened a lot sooner than we ever anticipated. If you know me at all, you know that I am extra careful when it comes to birth control. I had just finished nursing Elli and I didn't want to go back on birth control because of the way my body reacts to it. It just so happens that there was this one night when it never even crossed my mind, even until the next day when I was folding laundry and realized what I did, or forgotten to do for that matter. AHHHHH! Well, that's how Crew came to be...only I don't see it as irresponsibility or forgetfulness, I now see it as God taking control so that His blessings could be abundant in my life. At the time I cried and cried because I didn't think that I could do it quite yet. Elli had only just turned one a few weeks ago. But today, I couldn't imagine my life without my little lack of memory!
For any of you who were around through Crew's pregnancy you know exactly where I'm about to go. If you read my blog about Ellisyn yesterday, and thought, "awe poor girl had a tough pregnancy," that was nothing in comparison to Crew's. We were able to keep our little secret until Christmas Day when we revealed our "surprise" with everyone through a picture puzzle to share our wonderful news. Not everyone was as excited as I would have hoped, but all that mattered was that we were! I guess it kind of gets old when you announce pregnancies about 18 months apart huh? Anyways, the first week in January is when my sickness hit me like a brick wall. The doctor already knew what could happen so he was Johnny on the spot with trying to offer me relief. He knew it was my thyroid once again causing the Hyperemisis. He got me on meds at once, but it was so hard to get it regulated. He referred me to home health care and I had to be on a Zofran pump to ease the nausea, but Zofran in large amounts causes migraines, especially when your dehydrated in the first place. Now not only did I have to stick myself everyday with a new needle in the belly to administer the Zofran, but I also had to have an IV in 24/7 to administer fluids and vitamin therapy. I was so weak. I couldn't eat or drink without puking. I couldn't bathe myself, and I certainly couldn't take care of the girls. I had to be out of work for the remained of the school year. My parents had to step in and get the kids to school each day, and Brent had to be super dad. He worked all day, came home cleaned and cooked, and got the kids ready for the next day. I know I have an AWESOME man, but I already told you that on day one! From all the vomiting I was a whopping 96 lbs. and looked like Bella Swan when she was pregnant with her little vampire baby. I was convinced that Crew too would be a vampire! It was a depressing, overwhelming, and all out terrible experience, but God was teaching me a lesson, how to depend on others.
When we went for our 20 week ultrasound to reveal the sex, I was so nervous because I wanted Brent to finally get his boy, but I was sure it was going to be a girl. The technician pointed his boy parts out and I burst into tears. I was going to be a mommy to a boy...uh-oh, I was going to have a boy! What do I do with a boy? Can I do this? I don't know anything about boys!!!! Once my fears were calmed and it settled in, I was "tickled blue". We were going to have the 5th generation William Johnson.
I am thankful for Crew's delivery. It was by far my favorite even though I felt more pain. I was relaxed and it was very special. It was my last. I loved it just being Brent and me at the hospital without the pressure of feeling like I had to entertain others or being worried about how others would react to my request for them to leave the delivery room until the baby was delivered and cleaned up. It was also special because it had been a hard time in my life and I was about to see my reward (or vampire) face to face. I am thankful because I was able to really experience Crew's delivery and enjoy it. What a miracle baby he was! A baby who should be malnourished and underweight from my inability to nurture my own body comes out a whopping 8 lbs. Yes, I felt this one friends!!! When they pulled him out and handed him to me, all those hard feelings from the sickness, swollen legs and feet, and lack of room to eat and breathe toward the end, disappeared instantly. I was in love yet again! This baby boy has had me wrapped ever since. My surprise wrapped in blue!
I'm thankful for Crew because he was unexpected, but he's shown me that unexpected can be wonderful! I'm thankful that I was able to stay home with him this whole first year of his life and to have been able to nurse him for the first year of his life. That bonding time has meant the world to me because it was a time for just he and I when we could sit in the quiet (sometimes) and we could just stare at one another and soak up every moment. I'm thankful that he's a good sleeper because that first few months was hard. I like my sleep and all he wanted to do was cuddle and EAT! I'm thankful that Crew has been so different than the girls. Even though his different is often harder it's so neat to see his boy personality develop. I'm thankful for his love of balls because he's super easy to please. All you have to do is give him a ball and you have a happy boy. I'm thankful that his first word was "ma-ma". I'm thankful for his absolutely heart-melting giggle. I also love his ability to be in an all out tantrum and all you have to do it tickle him and he will stop instantly and say, "tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle,". He gives the sweetest open-mouth, slobbery kisses you'll ever receive saying, "mmm-mmmaaaahhhh". Boys certainly do have a way with their mommy!
Crew is an amazing little boy who came to us at the perfect time. He's a spitting image of his daddy at this age, and that's a GREAT thing because it just means he's going to be one handsome man whose going to make some young girl as happy as I am! I'm thankful that I will always be Crew's first love and first kiss. I'm thankful that God saw fit for me to not only raise two girls to be women of influence, but also for entrusting me to raise a mighty Man of God. That's a tall order these days, but God doesn't give us more than we can handle. Thank you God for my "Crew Man" and for the calling you have placed on his life. I am honored to be his mommy!
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