The Best Mothers Day Gift

Besides my Wedding Day, Mothers Day is a day I have dreamt of since I was a little girl. And as of tomorrow we will be celebrating it as a mother!

TO MY HUSBAND:

Hotness,

I can not thank you enough for making this dream come true. There was not a single show of selfishness on your part on this long road to parenthood. Thank you for getting us on a budget, for working tireless overtime hours to pay off our debt and save the money to go to Thailand. You never complained and took every opportunity God brought your way to work those long extra hours. Thank you for finding a way for us to have babies years before we thought we would be able to. Thank you for being the strong leader that has brought us to the point we are at now. There were so many days that I could have let my mind go to sad and dark places, but you were there with words from the Lord to strengthen my heart and lead me to joy. Thank you for holding my hand and wiping my tears. Thank you for taking my hand and going before the Lord in prayer at every hard and joys moment. You did everything that you could to make my dreams come true. Not only the dream of being a mommy but also of being married to a Real Man of God. I am blessed to be celebrating this Mothers Day with you and our very special son Maccabeus. Thank you for following the Lord and leading me on this wonderful and very exciting journey to parenthood.

Thank you for the best Mothers Day gift ever- Your love for the Lord and the wonderful example you are  to our son and to me.

You are my hero. I love you.

-Kathleen 

And Unto Them A Son Was Born

This Christmas was so surreal for me. I had dreamed for so long to have a baby in my arms at Christmas, and this Christmas my prayers and dreams were answered. We had so much fun dressing Maccabeus up in all of his Christmas outfits and passing him around from admirer to admirer. It truly made for a new kind of Christmas for us, we loved it!

We usually don’t do Christmas Cards, but this year we had a lot to show off

Mom and Dad Bowcock were able to come down for all of the Christmas celebrations. It was so nice to be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior and of our little Mac with the family.

Grandpa and Uncle Andrew getting Mac dressed up for Christmas.

Of course we sure did miss my sister and her family. Debra, Norm and their two boys, Canaan (5) and Emmaus (3), live in Africa and due to the time difference they were almost done with their Christmas celebrations by the time we were about to have breakfast. We were so excited to be able to spend some time on the phone talking to the boys about what their day held. It was so fun to listen to their excitement about their day. My favorite was Emmaus saying “Maccabeus”, it was just to die for adorable!

Thank God for technology!

Look what we got under the tree!

You can not read the gift tag on Mac in this photo but it reads “To: Gregg and Kathleen From: God”.  He is definitely a gift from God.

Love this little man.

Mac getting some cuddles from Auntie Critter.

After spending the Morning at our house we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Rutldege’s house for Christmas Lunch. YUM!

Great Grandma Lynn was exited to see Mac.

Grandmas

Auntie Critter always knows how to make any occasion sweeter.

Mac giving Grandma and Grandpa smiles.

Hanging with Grandpa B.

We were also very excited to be able to see my cousin Cherry and her family who live in Arizona. Cherry lived with us for a while while I was in Jr. High and then again when I was in High School. She has always been an older sister to me, and I was so excited to see her and her family of 6. Cherry prayed a lot for our precious Mac and was excited to show me in her bible passages where she had noted times she prayed that God would give us a baby and to save his life. It was a special moment. I loved watching her and the family with Mac. Warmed my heart to tears.

Cherry spending some special time with Maccabeus.

Everyone got in on the Mac action. He loved it!

We loved watching the girls make some serious static! I think they had fun too. :=) 

It worked!

We continued the Christmas Celebrations by taking the family up to see two of dads brothers and family. We were especially excited to see my cousin Justin and his wife Leah who are due in just a few short weeks with baby girl Madison. We are excited to meet her upon her arrival.

Maccabeus and Leah.

Gregg and Justin love chatting about Apple products. Usually works out for my benefit! New hard dive? I think yes.

Smiles all around!

Smiles!

This has been a very blessed time for us this Christmas. A Christmas we will not forget and look forward to doing again next year. And who knows, maybe we will  have baby number two on the way? Here is hoping!

Merry Christmas!!

Maccabeus the Video Star.

Here are some videos that Gregg has made as he has been off the whole time on paternity leave.  Apples iMovie has been a great asset!!

Here is his introduction video…

Upon birth Maccabeus held his head up high!  He was placed on my chest and I couldn’t believe it…he was holding his head up looking around!  This video is of him at four days old still holding that head up high mixed in with his supervised tummy time…

And who would guess that he would love the water!  His daddy was captain of the swimming and water polo team in high school so it’s no surprise that he loves the water.  The only time he starts to fuss is when he doesn’t have water on him.  He is destined to be in the pool!

This is a video clip of him deciding it was time to roll over on his own!  He again is only 4 days old here and thinks that tummy time isn’t fun enough. I guess he decided he needed to check out the ceiling fan! We thought that this was just a fluke, but he has done it a few more time since. This boy has strong legs!

Here is a clip of him wearing a hooded sweatshirt for the first time along with some of the sounds that he makes when he is getting tired or well…pooping. But you can see from the clip, in either of this situations he sure does love his pacifier.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of dedicating Maccabeus at our church (Camarillo Evangelical Free).  We were so blessed and honored to have the opportunity to publicly give him back to the God who was so gracious to give him to us.  We know he is just on loan from God and we loved the opportunity to publicly declare it!  We thank our Lord daily for what a gift he is.

Hope you have enjoyed the videos. I know we have certainly enjoyed having such a great subject to video!

Dreams come true!

We are parents!! My dream has come true!! I can not put into words how ecstatic we both are. I think some of the following photos may help I know there are a lot of photos in this post, but believe me this is just a small sampling.

last belly pic @ 39 weeks

Gregg and I knew that this would be the last belly shot before Mac came. Why? Because I had an induction date of Sunday the 13th. Mac had been measuring large and the Dr. was a bit concerned that I may have to do a C-section if we waited to long. Plus having a short torso I was very ready to be able to breath again. SO we scheduled an induction. I was ecstatic!

The plan was to go to Los Robles Hospital on sunday night for a pill that would soften me in preparations for the Pitocin the following morning. Dr. P. wanted me to be well rested for active labor starting Monday morning. Although a few days before that Sunday I was almost sure I was in active labor. I was having a contraction lasting a minute long every 4-6 minutes for almost 4 hours. It was so exciting! But alas, they subsided. It was fun though. One thing off the check list got done that night, we packed our overnight bags for the hospital.

So sunday the 13th arrived and we were off to the Hospital to start the process. This was the best trip to the hospital ever!

Last photo before heading to the hospital!

Once we were settled into our hospital room they gave me Cervidil to soften me. They did warn us that in very rare cases this will send women into active labor, but this was very rare. Well in true Bowcock form we went with the rare. With in 15 minutes I was in active labor. Not just any labor, almost like transition. I was in a hour long contraction with back labor that did not let up all the way. Thankfully I had Gregg by my side to get me though. The great thing was that even though I was in a lot of pain, I was ecstatic that we were going to have the baby sooner than we expected. Sure enough an hour into it my water broke. Here we go!!!

Oh boy! Here we go!

Gregg and I were both very pleased that I had dilated very quickly and was well on my way to having Mac very soon. Every time the nurse would check on my I would have progressed by at least 2 cm. My parents and sister, Christy, has come to visit us at the hospital around the time that my water broke. So after a little while of saying hello and helping me though getting my epidural they went home to sleep. They planed on coming back when I got close to pushing. Well by the time they went home and crawled in bed, I had gone from a 4-5 to an 8. So they got redressed and headed back over. Good thing they did because shortly after their arrival it was time for me to try a practice push. The nurse told me that she wold call Dr. P and wake him up when she saw that things were getting close to the actual delivery. She also said that some fist time moms will have to push for a few hours. So at the next contraction, with Gregg and my Mom at each side I gave it a try. The nurse then said “Ok, I am going to call Dr. P now.”   We were thrilled! Baby Mac was going to be here soon!!!  Twelve or so contractions later Maccabeus Hudson Bowcock was in my arms. It was surreal.

Maccabeus' first moment with Mommy.

Mac getting his fist inspection. 10 fingers 10 toes!

When the nurse told us Mac’s weight of 6 lb 10oz, I had to have Gregg repeat it to me. We were expecting a very large baby. Instead we got a long and skinny Mac. This was so exciting to me, I love tiny babies, they are just the best.

Dr. Poliakin. We love him.

Poor Dr. P. he had to get up at an ungodly hour  to come and help me deliver Mac at 3:15 am. He was so sweet about it, but I think I owe him a nice thank you gift.

Grandma Tami and Auntie Critter.

This picture is of my baby sister, Critter, and my Mom. What this photo does not show is my sister, Debra, who was able to use FaceTime on our iPads to be apart of the whole delivery. Even though she lives in Africa I was able to have here there for all of the moral support and company that a sister provides. It was a huge blessing.

Grandma and Grandpa Bowcock.

Grandma and Grandpa Bowcock had planned on being at the Hospital all day Monday so that they would be there for the arrival of Mac, but I guess my body had other plans. We were so excited to see them early Monday morning. Mac was just a few hours old.

A very proud Daddy.

Gregg was the most amazing partner to have by my side during the delivery. Even more amazing is how naturally he has taken to being a Daddy. Gregg changed all of his diapers for me the first few days. He looked as if he had been changing diapers for years. I absolutely loved watching Gregg and Mac spend time together, my heart grew a million time larger watching them those first few days. Gregg has also been the most amazing support to me at home. I don’t even have to ask him to do things, it is like he is actually starting to read my mind!!!!!

A very very very happy Mama. Mac @ 4 hours old.

First of many naps with Daddy.

Our little boy likes to smile.

Holding Daddy's hand.

Someone is a bit jaundice. But Grandma and Grandpa were there to keep him company.

Day 3 was in Pediatrics to get a better handle on the Jaundice. Just precautionary. Worth the extra day in the hospital.

Maccabeus getting his sun the way a true Californian does, well in the winter at least.

Getting a little bit of cuddle time in with Mommy before going back in the incubator.

Dr. Saul. He is a big deal. Kinda famous. We really like him a lot.

Getting ready to go home!

Kelly, Mac and I. She was the best!

One of the best parts of my stay at Los Robles were the nurses. They were such a blessing to me. They did such a good job of making me feel like the best mommy in the world. And anything that i needed they were right on it! Kelly, one of my nurses really touched my heart. I was so excited to have her as our nurse in Pediatrics the morning we went home. I

The Bowcock Family.

This is one happy birthday girl.

Going Home!!!

Getting dressed! Headed home.

Going Home!

First car ride.

Mac and Daddy in the nursery.

Mac's very special teddy bears in his very special crib.

I am in love!

Watching over a very special baby boy.

Napping.

Mac and Grandpa Charlie.

Oh..... so precious.

So small.

Cuddled up in a hat.

They grow up so quickly.

Safe in Daddy's strong arms.

First "bath"

Smile! Say Cheese!

Do I have to wake up??

So Comfy.

Love these faces. Love this boy.

Just perfect.

Mac and Uncle Andrew!

Kisses from Mommy.

Just toooo cute!

Mommy and Mac.

Hum.....

MACCABEUS HUDSON BOWCOCK

Baby Mac arrived at 0315 today the 14th of November 2011. Mom and baby are doing great…more to come…

IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

Am I really going to be a mommy? This is the question that has been in my head for the last few months. Is it really going to happen? Or have I just been blessed with the experience of being pregnant? It is hard sometimes to grasp the reality that Mac is going to be here, here in our arms. He has a bed, he has clothes, blankets, car seat, diapers, socks, hats, and toys. But at the same time it is hard for me to grasp the reality of his life coming into ours.

I think this is part of my defense mechanism to protect myself. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to be a mommy almost more than anything. I remember the day while driving with my mom, at the age of 14, I came to the thought “Maybe because I want this so bad, God will not give it to me”. This was not a thought of “God is not a loving God so therefore  he will probably not give me what I want”. But a thought that “God does love me so much, and this is defiantly an idol, He is probably going to use this in my life to bring me closer to Him because He loves me, intimately”. So ever since then I have tried to protect myself by saying that I will never be a mommy. I love that God has taken me through this trial of infertility. It is such a sign of just how much He loves me and how much He thinks I can handle.

But as Mac’s due date gets closer and closer and Mac gets larger, I am seeing my future more clearly. I am seeing that God has given us a child. I am not sure what type of child he is giving us, healthy, stubborn, cuddly, independent, but I know that Mac is going to be exactly what God has for us to show me His love for me, perfectly. I do know right now that he enjoys stretching, kicking, punching, squirming, and growing. I am getting more and more excited to meet this little man that God has for us. I know that one of the biggest trials that God has for us is going to be arriving sooner than later. Maybe a little sooner than later??? Hu?? One can hope!

Here are a few photos from the past couple weeks, just a bit of life as the Bowcocks.

34 weeks! He is getting big!

Baby bag!!! So excited!

Mac's coming home outfit options. They are so soft!

32 Week Checkup

Quick update! We went and saw the Dr today for an ultrasound, one of my favorite things in the world! Mac is looking great and healthy! The last time we saw the Dr. we had our suspicions confirmed that he was very much breach. So over the last few weeks we have prayed that he would turn head down, something he has not been this entire pregnancy. I was sure when we saw the ultrasound we would see a breach baby, but he was head down!!! Praise the Lord!!! I really did not want to have a C-section if I did not need one, so having Mac head down is a huge relief.

We also got the news that he is about 4 Lb 10 oz. About 10 oz more than average for almost being 33 weeks. Looks like we are going to have a big baby boy, I sure hope and pray he is not late! Dr. P tried to get some good shots of Mac, but things are quick squished in there. One thing he was able to see quite clearly was that Mac is definitely a Maccabeus and not a Mackenzie. He is all Boy! Gregg and I had a good laugh while watching Dr. P try to get a good shot of anything other then his boy parts.

We are blessed to know that our little baby boy is healthy and growing. This has been quite a journey that God has taken us on. We are thankful for all that he has taught us and it continuing to teach us. We look forward

32 weeks pregnant. Only 8 to go!

Here are a few photos we thought we would share with you from this last week. The first photo was sent to us by Gregg’s parents. Isn’t it great!! I guess he has known what he wanted to do since he was 3! If we were all so lucky!

1st day as a CHP motor

These onsies were made so lovingly by some of the girls from our GiGi group. I can’t wait to see Mac in them!

So cute!