A Baby Changes Everything

Wow....where does a year go?  Tomorrow, our precious miracle turns one.  I remember last year at this time the song "A Baby Changes Everything" played what felt like all of the time.  Every time I heard it I got teary eyed as I thought about Mary giving birth to Jesus, the baby who really did change everything for us.  I felt so close to Mary this time last year and I knew first hand what fear she felt when she learned she was pregnant.  The crazy looks and the smirks on people's faces that I encountered during my 9 months of pregnancy had to pale in comparison to the looks that she got when as a virgin, she announced that she was pregnant.  I can only imagine the number of people who hurt Mary's feelings by doubting her, but Mary was the chosen one.  Let me pause for a minute to say that I by no means feel as though I am remotely in the same level of "choosen-ness" as Mary, but I do believe that God chose John and me to be Tindol's parents, just like he chose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus's parents.  I say all of this to get to the point that I can remember a year ago, sitting and listening to this song and thinking......are we going to be ok when this baby changes everything?  I mean, we had been Mitchell - Party of 4 for 6 and a half years.

As I sit here a year later, I am amazed at just how much a baby does change everything.  She has changed all of us for the better.  She has made Tatum and Tyler realize just how important they are to those younger than them and how much those younger look up to them.  Tindol has allowed John and me to hear Tatum and Tyler leading their sister in the way she should go and witnessing to her even before she is a year old.  I have watched them love her and love each other a little more than I thought they could.  I have watched her cousins fall head over heels for her.  I have watched her grandparents slow their pace a little when she comes around.  I have watched her aunts scoop her up in their arms and cover her with kisses.  I have watched her uncles fall in love all over again with the new woman in their lives.  I have watched her daddy set an awesome example for some young man that she may not meet for years to come.  I myself have changed - more than I ever thought possible.  I am not the same girl I was a year ago as I became a mother of 3.  I am sooooo much better.

And so, here we sit on Tindol's birthday - she really is 1.  My how time really does fly when you are having fun....  Don't get me wrong, we have had some sad days at our house with the passing of John's Mimi days after Tindol was born and most recently John's Mama right before Thanksgiving, but it seems that Tindol in that little bitty body can provide more comfort and love to those hurting than any of us could combined.  So as we celebrate her 1st birthday, I am so proud to be her momma.  I am so proud that God trusted John and me with one more little girl.  What a blessing....

In closing, I have to go back to the song.  Tindol has changed all of us in one year, but Jesus has been changing everything for years.  How proud Mary must have been and still is......  He is the reason for this season and we will celebrate him everyday and especially on his birthday, but on December 21st we will also celebrate and raise up our miracle - Tindol Sanford Mitchell.  What a joy, what a blessing as she changed everything for us.......

Here comes Tindol....

As Tindol's first birthday quickly approaches, I think back to this time last year when we were anxiously awaiting her arrival.  I think about John and I having to go and do a baby registry because while she is our 3rd child, we cleaned out all of our "baby stuff" when we decided we weren't going to have anymore children.  That meant picking out carseats, strollers, buying bottles and diapers (lot of diapers).  Tatum and Tyler began to get excited as well and Tyler's tune began to change about being a big sister.  She realized in this time that she had the privilege of being a big sister and a little sister and she embraced this new position.  Thankfully, during this time I was so busy carpooling the girls, coaching the cheerleaders, and teaching that I really didn't gain much weight.  I truly believe it is because God knew I was much older than the last time and I didn't need any extra challenges.

We made it through November and the beginning of December where we set an inducement date of December 21.  Strategically planned, so that we could be home for Christmas!  I was able to finish out school and actually had a few days to get last minute things done. We finished up our Christmas shopping.  We spent our last few days as a family of four and I must say my emotions ran very high during this time.  I don't do change very well, so the thought of our family dynamics being thrown off really scared me.  Plus, I felt the feeling that I had before Tyler was born came back - the one that makes me fearful that I don't have enough love for another child.

Then the day finally arrived - the delivery of Tindol was by far my easiest.  My heart was so full as I held her, but it almost burst as I watched Tatum and Tyler come in and see their baby sister for the first time.  Their excitement was overflowing and their protective nature and love were out in full force.  I do believe it was love at first site for all of us and we all were amazed because Tindol didn't cry.  She was so "laid back".  As we took our first family photo of 5, I remember thinking there just wasn't anything better than this and our family really felt complete.  The Lord blessed us when we least expected it and has continued to teach us his lessons through our 3 girls.  In a year's time, Tindol has changed our lives for the better.  I can't imagine where we would be without her.

Am I really pregnant?

I know it has been a while, but I am back.....So in the last blog, I had just found out I was pregnant.

So....we went and picked the girls up from school and brought them home to deliver the big news.  We sat on the couch, our little family of 4, and we told the girls.  Tatum was stunned and didn't really understand and Tyler began to sob.  See Tyler has always made it VERY clear that she did not ever want a little brother or a little sister.  She wanted to forever be the baby - the baby of our Mitchell clan and the baby of all of the Mitchell grandchildren.  Well as soon as she started crying, so did John and I.....I mean this wasn't really in our plans either.  Tatum on the other hand was over the moon and couldn't wait to broadcast it to the world!  Tatum was 8 and Tyler was 6 and I was pregnant!!!!

My first two pregnancies were rather routine and when little things arose, I really didn't fret too much over them.  Well this time I was 35 and pregnant and while I know that 35 isn't old, it felt really old while I was pregnant.  It had been 6 years since I had been pregnant and my body just wasn't the same.....I worried about every little thing I felt.  At my first appointment, the nurses had a hard time finding a heartbeat.  For the first time, I realized that I was okay with the thought of another baby and that I wanted nothing more than this baby.  After what felt like a long time, they were able to find the heartbeat - Tindol wasn't in the "normal" position.  A month later, we did the Down's Syndrome indicator test.  I had done it with both Tatum and Tyler and really didn't think twice about it  - this time I thought a lot about it.  On the first day of school in August, I got home after church to find a message on our voicemail from our doctor.  I called him and he told us that the test had come back positive for Down's.  We needed to go and have an amnio done to be able to tell for certain.  What a roller coaster the next week was as we waited for our appointment at UAB.  I am going to pause here to tell you that the ONLY reason we had the test to begin with was so that if this sweet child did have Down's Syndrome we could prepare.  We wanted to be educated and we had a 6 year old and an 8 year old that needed to be educated and prepared.  We were questioned many times about what we would do with the results.  This was about as insulting as the complete strangers who continued to ask me who the "baby daddy" was. We had the amnio and had to wait for a few weeks to have results.  It turns out that Tindol was not Down's and that she was indeed a girl.

I must insert the story of the day we found out she was a girl.  We took Tatum and Tyler with us, so the little ultrasound room was a little crowded.  The girls were in awe as they looked at the screen and waited for the technician to tell us whether we had a girl or a boy.  I must say that both of them wanted a boy.  John had been telling them that if it was a girl he was moving out.  The technician looked at us and said, "It's a girl" and both girls turned to look at John with jaws dropped.  Before we left the room, they both told us that they were ok with it being a girl, but when we got to the doctor's waiting room, Tyler turned and looked at John and with the most serious face said, "Dad, you aren't really going to move out are you?"  John immediately answered yes and Tyler instantly started tearing up.  God love her - I began reassuring her that her daddy wasn't going anywhere. 

I thought about leaving out some parts of this story for fear that someone would take them the wrong way, but let's be honest - everyone wants their child to be healthy.  It was during this time that I prayed like I had never prayed before.  I cried out to the Lord for this child and for us as her parents.  From the moment I realized I was preganant, we have called this child the miracle child and I prayed that God would keep her safe and help us to make the right decisions concerning her and that he would prepare us for her birth.  I have never been one to get on my knees to pray - it is just not something I have ever done, but during this time I got on my knees and poured my heart out to the Lord.  I was still dealing with the idea of having a baby although with a growing belly that was becoming something easier to accept.  God already knew the outcome of all of this, so I knew he could prepare my heart for what was about to happen in my life and to our family dyanamics.

My next blog will be more on the anticipated arrival of Baby Tindol......until then - may God bless you and keep you!

and Tindol makes five

I guess it is time to blog again.  I have been thinking about this blog for several weeks.  I love that so many of you ask me when I am going to blog again.  I kept thinking I wanted to blog about things in the order they happened in my life, but I have been having the feeling lately, that this isn't what God had in mind, so today is the day I blog about our most recent miracle.  2 years ago, John had a vasectomy.  You know that routine procedure that most men have as a form of birth control, so that we women can finally quit wasting money each month on birth control pills.  Before the questions start, yes he went back and got a zero sperm count.  That is part of what makes this story so awesome. 

You can imagine my surprise, when the last week in April of 2011, I bought a pregnancy test to "make myself feel better" and it came back positive.  I almost stroked and a stroke for John would have been mild.  Of course his first question was, "Who is the daddy?"  Funny this is a question that many people asked, but those who know me best know that really this isn't an issue at all.  I went to the doctor the next day to have a pregnancy test done there - like it was going to change....haha!  The nurses there weren't quite sure how to handle me when they confirmed I was pregnant and I lost it.  They didn't even give me prenatal vitamins or anything as they were just trying to get me out of the office.  To top that visit off - my due date was December 26th - seriously......

I talked to John through my sobs and tried to call my mom.  Of course I couldn't get a hold of her, so I called my dad.  I really just called him to see where my mom was and when he asked if something was wrong - I lost it (for like the 20th time that day).  I expected some consoling.  What I got was "THAT IS WONDERFUL!!!!"  So I cried harder....  I finally got a hold of my mom who was as surprised as I was, but told me - this baby is a gift from God.  So began 9 months of Godly winks.......to be continued.

How did I get here?

So many people over the past 14 years have asked the question, "how did you get here?" Most people assume that John and I dated in college and that I moved here because of him.....WRONG! John and I didn't even go to college in the same state. I moved here in the fall of 1998 to teach at Enterprise Junior High School. I didn't know anyone.... I had attended a career fair in Troy in February of 1997 where I met Rick Rainer. I went by the Enterprise City Schools booth simply to appease my dad. I had no interest in Enterprise, Alabama because Enterprise High School had ended my high schools run for a 3-peat of football state championships my senior year. That meant that I only had 2 state championship rings from high school instead of 3. To say I was bitter was an understatement. I also didn't remember the people being friendly in Enterprise. With that being said, I introduced myself to Rick and gave him my resume along with the magic words - I would LOVE to work with cheerleaders. If I had only known then, that not only was I talking to my future principal, but I was also talking to someone who would become one of my best friends. That God sure does have a sense of humor because I left there proud of myself because I could tell my dad that I had talked to Enterprise and secretly pray that they would never call.... A week later they called!!! Hinton Johns called to set up an interview. While I cringed inside, I told myself I needed to interview to get practice. So I came and I loved Mr. Johns. I also interviewed that spring at the high school. I had a job offer in Montgomery at a private school on the table when Mr. Johns called to offer me a job at EJHS. I struggled with this decision. I cried and prayed for a few days and then I made the surprising announcement to my parents that I was taking the job in Enterprise. I had a peace about it even though I was scared to death. I do not like change and the anticipation of change sometimes can be my doom. And so in August of 1998, I moved to Enterprise. I fell in love with the faculty at EJHS. They took me under their wing and made me feel at home. Phyllis Wilson even decided to play matchmaker in January of 1999. I finally gave in and so did John to Phyllis's requests to set us up, so on January 15, 1999, John and I had our first date - a blind date. I am forever grateful that Phyllis didn't give up on us because we married a year later on January 15, 2000. Yep I would say God was in that.... The city of Enterprise and it's people have taught me so much. Between EJHS and EHS, my path has crossed with some extraordinary educators and some awesome kids. Through a tornado, God taught me to love a little stronger and tell people what they mean to you. I have learned to push through when there is no energy to push and I have learned that sometimes in the middle of a great life, God gives you a surprise that makes it even better. So here I am 14 years later, more in love with Enterprise than I ever thought I could be. I can't wait to see what the next 14 years here bring....

5 years ago

I have always known that things happen for a reason, but the events 5 years ago, hammered that message home for me. On February 27, 2007, I was named the cheerleading coach at Enterprise High School. I was beyond excited about working with such an awesome group. Two days later, my charge changed as a deadly tornado tore through Enterprise High School on March 1, 2007. I never dreamed that I would lose 8 students in my whole teaching career, much less in one afternoon. Then to realize that 2 of those 8 were my cheerleaders, made me realize that not only had this tornado torn through our town, but it tore straight through my heart. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I cried out to God as many people did in those next few days, weeks and months and asked why? I soon realized that I probably would not ever get that question answered. In the months that followed, I worked to make a team out of 24 heartbroken teenagers. Sometimes we practiced and sometimes we cried through practice. This was unchartered territory and very sensitive as I worked to find a balance of mourning AJ Jackson and Ryan Mohler and pushing them through their pain. I was lucky enough to be able to see AJ and Ryan about an hour before the tornado hit. I got to hug them and tell them I loved them. Of course, it wasn't a serious moment when all of this happened, but the words were said none the less. I didn't realize how important those words would end up being.  As a team, we had highs and lows and many days when I didn't think I could push anymore, the kids pushed me.  I learned to pray for individuals instead of praying for a collective group.  I called specific names out to the Lord - something I had not done a whole lot of.  Don't get me wrong I prayed, but I might pray for the "cheerleaders".  I do belive that God heard those prayers, but I began to get more out of my prayer life when I called those cheerleaders by name.  I mean I was supposed to be able to help these kids and fix them right???  I have a counseling degree, so what more could I need except that my heart was just as broken.  I remember coming home from Nashville, where we had won every title that we could win in a National competition and I said to John, I think I am done.  This has been a hard year and I don't think I can do it again.  John simply looked at me and said - you can't quit.  You still have a group of kids that only you understand and you have to finish this for them.  So I did - I pushed through for Callie, Caitlin, Caitlyn, Cat, Georgia, Hannah, Jacey, Sadie, Shae, Mackenzie, Katie, Kathleen, Lindsey (x2), Katherine, Danielle, Whitney, Kristen, Amanda, Brooke, and Lukas.  I pushed through in honor of Lindsey, Chloe and Ethan and in memory of AJ and Ryan.  I could not imagine a better group to have to heal with.  They are part of the first chapter in a long book of God revealing himself to me in times of trouble.  As we approach the 5 year mark, I am reminded that God does work in mysterious ways and I can't believe it has been 5 years when it seems like just yesterday......