This is for Journaling purposes so it's a little detailed :).
Our little Bodey decided to make his way into this world a little earlier than we expected. On Thursday, January 5th Matt and I went to the doctor for out bi-weekly appointment for an ultrasound and a non-stress-test. The ultrasound showed that Bodey had finally flipped head down (he had been transverse the whole time) and the tech said she thought we would "be seeing some action really soon". During the non-stress-test I was having regular contractions on the monitor, but didn't think anything of it because they were not too intense. We met with the doctor and he gave me some medicine to help with the Choleostasis itching and told me that he wanted me to wait until my scheduled c-section to have the baby if I could. (I was itching SO BAD I wanted him to take him ASAP!) After our appointment we went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. About every 10 minutes I would have to stop and breath trough a contraction.
I started timing the contractions on my iPad and by the time we got home they were 5-7 minutes apart. So I laid down and ate some food. They still didn't stop. So I took a shower and did my hair (just in case) and they still didn't stop. I laid down again and by this time it was 9:30 and the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart. I called Labor and Delivery and asked what I should do. They said because of my high risk situation I should come in to be monitored. I kind of rolled my eyes, still thinking i wasn't REALLY in labor, and kept watching TV.
About 11:00 I talked myself into going to the hospital. Matt and I packed our bags, put in the car seat, and off we went....kind of. We got half way to Sage Junction and I told Matt to turn around. (He was so supportive the whole time and was being so nice to me despite all of my crazy pregnant-ness!) So he pulled over and said, "Let's just say a prayer. It will make us both feel better." So he said a prayer and we headed back to the house. We drove one mile and we both looked at each other and knew we needed to turn around again and head to the hospital (EIRMC).
My contractions were 2-3 minutes apart when we got to the hospital and stayed consistent while they monitored me for 15 minutes. They called my doctor and he wanted them to try and stop the contractions if it was false labor so they hooked up an IV (after 2 misses in my hands...OUCH!!!!) The contractions weren't stopping but according to the nurses I wasn't dialating. They admitted me and got us situated to stay the night. The contractions got stronger as the night went on and neither of us got much sleep.
At 8:20 my doctor came in and checked me and I was dilated to a 3. This meant he could do a c-section and take the baby! Matt and I were in SHOCK and were sure after the long night we were getting sent home. We started to text and call our parents and siblings. From there things went SO FAST and at 9:24 am on January 6th Bodey Dell Bitter was born! He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He was 2 1/2 weeks early. (All photos, except one of Grandma Klingler, taken by Tammy Morrill)
The operating room was a bit scary but once my epidural was in and Matt was there I was okay. The nurse who took Bodey was such a sweet lady and kept telling him how "pretty" and "beautiful" he was. Matt got to watch them do all the little things to him and then he brought him over to me. It was so amazing! When we were in the recovery area Matt's mom and Aunts were all outside the room waiting to hear the news. They were all there because Matt's grandma was in the same hospital and was finding out her diagnosis that day. Matt took Bodey and held him up to the window for them. In the recovery area I fed Bo his first bottle and he took it like a champ! Then Matt took him to give him his first bath. Some of his uncles and aunts got to watch him do the bath through the nursery windows.
They finally moved us to a regular room and got us all set up there. Matt's mom and sisters were the first to come in and meet Bodey. Daren, Matt's dad, was on his way home from North Dakota so he didn't get there until a little while later. My parents came down after my mom got out of school. All through the day and for the next 2 days Bodey was visited by endless aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends.
The afternoon that he was born, Bodey's Great-Grandma Klinger was diagnosed with terminal cancer. They gave her 2 weeks to live. This news was devastating for the entire family. She had been so healthy months before and it was a hard to think she wouldn't be with us much longer. Many tears of joy and sadness were shed this day as we welcomed Bodey into this world and prepared to send our beloved grandma into the next.
After the news sunk in a bit we began to think about the Lord's timing and what all of this news meant. We had named Bodey after Grandma Klingler's husband Dell who had passed away 7 years ago. We realized she would be with him again soon and this brought us great comfort. She had missed him so badly. As I was thinking about things I remembered something I had come across when I was looking for baby names. Bodey meant "messenger" in a French translation. I truly believe that little Bodey was sent on that particular day to be a messenger from heaven; bringing a message of peace, comfort, love, and truth to our family. He reminded us of the Plan of Salvation and that our grandma was going back home. That she had simply completed her journey. That there were many loved ones awaiting her arrival...especially her beloved companion, Dell.
On Sunday we were discharged from the hospital. Before we went home we were able to go to Grandma Klingler's room and see her. She was happy and alert. She held Bodey and played with his feet and hands. She wrote on her whiteboard (she couldn't talk because of a tracheotomy) and smiled with us. She told us that Bodey was her 29th great-grandchild. She was such a proud grandma. It was impossible to hold back the tears. The spirit was strong and there was so much love in the room.
The next week we visited grandma on Wednesday, the day after they brought her home from the hospital. She was not very alert but was able to reach out her arms to Bodey and mouth "Hi Bodey". She held him for a moment with Matt's help. It was so hard to see her in that state, but I like to think that seeing Bodey again took away some of the pain and brought her joy.
The next day, just six short days after receiving her diagnosis and the birth of Bodey, grandma passed away. The weekend was filled with family gatherings and funeral services. Arlene Klinger was one of the most loving, kind, thoughtful, and real women that I have ever known. She took me into her family like I was one of her own grandchildren and loved me just the same. She and Dell raised an incredible family and have left an unforgettable legacy to their children. Their strong testimonies of faith and family are very apparent in their children's lives and can't help but be noticed by outsiders. I feel so blessed to have known her for 6 short years. I can only hope and pray that Matt and I can live a life and leave a legacy as beautiful as she and Dell have done.
Because of all of the events we haven't been home a whole lot. Even with Bodey, we felt like it was important to be a part of the family gatherings and spend as much time with family as we could. But now we are exhausted! It has been so nice to rest this last little bit and I am looking forward to the rest of my break from work and spending it with my sweet little boy and my husband! I am healing great and feel awesome. It was not half as hard as I thought it was going to be! Bodey is doing great and growing like a weed! I can't believe three weeks have gone by! It's unreal. It has all been one big blur, but an even bigger blessing! I can honestly say that after this month I KNOW that the Lord does NOT make mistakes and that He will do things in His own time, in His own way, and that it is OKAY- even if we don't agree or know why. I know that Bodey wasn't supossed to be apart of our family until this specific time. I know that all of the trials we have gone through to get him here have made me a better person and has stregthened my testimony, my marriage, and my commitment to relying on the Lord. I know that grandma was supossed to leave this earth the way she did and is so much happier now. The Plan of Salvation is REAL and the Lord shows us that it is every day...we just have to look for it.
