Maingot Update

Gosh I have been using FB that I have neglected my blog. Well the Maingot's have some excited news....we are having a baby in December. The story of how this came to be is so special. Gary was totally DONE with having children. I on the other hand just had the desire in my heart to have one more. I pryaed for two years that God would either change his heart or mine. In March Gary came to me and said that he felt God spoke tio his heart about not standing in the way of something that I really desired. So, we tried that month and got pregnant! The best part is that we found out on Levi's 4th birthday! I was convinced that this little baby had to be a boy! Well after the specialist scanning me and saying 80%-90% that it was a girl, I paid today for a private ultrasound tech today to tell me. She said I was the hardest person she has ever scanned....and gave me a 99% chance it was a GIRL!

I have to be honest, when the specialist told me I went home and cried my eyes out. I felt like I was grieving my little boy all over again. From all the signs I couldn't understand why God wouldn't give us a boy. I am then reminded that our ways are not God's ways. He is perfect and doesn't make mistakes. I am happy that I am able to get pregnant and experience this amazing thing of carrying life and giving birth. So I am rejoicing with having a little girl. God has a special plan for her. I have to have a scheduled C-section December 16. We picked out Sadie Grace for her name.

Here are some pics of my other girls!

Hannah and best buddy first day of Vacation Bible School

Well, I hope to be a better blogger! Have a blessed remainder of summer!

Brenda

Story of Levi

This is the story written soon after the death of my son for his scrapbook.

Thursday, April 14, 2005 is a day that will be with me forever. I was 36 weeks pregnant with Levi. I had a regular doctor’s appt. scheduled at 2:15. In the examing room Dr. Dimmette could not detect a heartbeat. She said that it could be because he was breach. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the ultrasound room to open, so I called Gary to tell him what was happening. When we hung up Gary immediately put me on the prayer chain at church. As soon as Dr. Dimmette put the ultrasound camera on my belly I knew that my baby was gone. I saw the flat line at the bottom of the screen. Dr. Dimmette waited some time before telling me what I already suspected. I started to cry and so did she. She sent me to the hospital to confirm what we both already knew. I told her that I just wanted to go that I did not want to wait until Gary got there. I walked across the parking lot and entered the maternity ward of the hospital. The nurses met me and took me to a room where another ultrasound was performed. The results were the same. I did not have the heart to tell Gary on the phone when he called. I waited until he got there. He wouldn’t believe it. He began to pray over my belly for about 10 minutes. He then asked them to perform another ultrasound, unfortunately it was with the same results. Gary became so angry. The first person he thought to call was our beloved friend Pastor Ken. He spoke with Pastor Ken and shared his frustrations that he was feeling. Pastor Ken encouraged him by listening to him and giving him scripture verses. By this time people from church were coming to give support. I asked Dr. Dimmette if I could go home and have the C-section the next day. I didn't have an outfit for Levi, or a camera and my sister-n-law would not have time to get there from Orange County to get an imprint of Levi’s hand. Dr. Dimmette said okay, the C-section was scheduled for the next day at 4:00 p.m. On the way home from the hospital I called my buddy from work, Dawn Smith, to tell her what happened and to let Rob, my boss, and the others know. I called Olivia to set up babysitting for Hannah for the time I would be in the hospital. The next day I had to be at the hospital at 2:30 to be ready for surgery by 4:30. We were in the middle of moving to accomdate our growing family so my mother-n-law and I packed up some of the house. I called people to let them know what had happened. Things really did not hit me until I was getting prepped for the C-section. All the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks and I began to cry. Once I was in the operating room I calmed down. That was until I received my spinal. No one warned me that it would numb me to make me feel like I could not breathe. I screamed loud that I was going to die and I couldn’t breathe. The anesthesiologist gave me an amnesia drug called vercede to make me forget what was happening to me. Once I calmed down Gary was allowed in the room. Up until this point we did not know why Levi died. But we soon learned when Dr. Dimmette said, “a true knot”. Levi had the umbilical cord in a “true knot” and wrapped twice around his neck. When I was done and in the recovery room I was allowed to hold Baby Levi. The family came in to see us. My sister-n-law Heather took Levi’s hand print out of this molding clay. Since we knew why Levi died we decided not to have an autopsy performed. We immediately had to start planning our son’s funeral. The hospital gave us a list of funeral homes and told us to be careful because there were some who took advantage of the grief people were feeling. We called our church to find out who they recommended; they said “Miller Jones”. Two minutes later our Aunt Bonnie called with the same recommendation. Gary and I got to spend several hours holding our baby. I took a little nap with him lying in my arms. Around 10:30 that night a young girl from the funeral home came to pick up our Baby Levi. That was the last time we saw him. We look forward to the day when we will see him in heaven.

God Plans our steps

My Auto Mechanic's wife called me yesterday to tell me a story. She has a friend that was just about due with a baby boy. The girl missed a playdate so Rochelle called her. The girl told her that she had to have an emergency C-section. She proceeded to tell Rochelle that she stopped feeling her baby move. She ate candy, drank orange juice, laid on her side, etc. She called the doctor (happened to be same Doctor as mine). They told her to do all the same things as she did. They didn't have any openings at the office so they told her to go to the hospital for some monitoring. She was hooked up to machines and they found the baby's heartbeat. But the strange thing was that when they moved her belly the heart rate went down rather than up. So, they performed an emergency C-section. What they found was the cord wrapped three times around his neck and a true knot in the cord. Had she waited any longer the baby would not have made it. After hearing this story Rochelle told her that that had happened to one of her friends but Baby Levi didn't make it. Her friend said that is his name! She proceeded to tell her that she remembered 3 years earlier sitting in Dr. Dimmette's office talking to a girl that was just pregnant after having lost her Baby Levi. The story of what happened stuck with her, she couldn't remember the mommy's name but just Baby Levi. The entire time she was contemplating on if she was really feeling the baby move, the still small voice was saying "Baby Levi, Baby Levi". Going with that she went in and it saved her baby.

The reason why I am telling you this is that it wasn't by chance that I sat next to this girl 3 years ago telling her my story. God, being all knowing, planned our steps to meet for a brief moment in time in which He used my grief and pain to save her baby's life. God wants to be intimately involved in our lives if we allow Him to be.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I LOVE Christmas! I love the lights, the shopping, wrapping presents, receiving cards in the mail, the tree, the baking, but most of all... celebrating the birth of Jesus. After all it is all about Him. My church, Revival Christian Fellowship, had an amazing Christmas service. Pastor Gary is so annointed by God to send the message of the gospel in terms that a child could understand. Anyone can listen to the message on the church's wesite http://www.revial.tv/. The worship from Gabe still gives me goose bumps. I can hear in my head.. Emmanuel God with us. Jesus doesn't have to be with us on Christmas we can have Jesus with us every day. My prayer and gift to Jesus this coming year is to know Him more and to show others who He is through my life. These last couple of years have been hard and I feel as if my light for the Lord has had a dimmer switch on. But I do not want the trials and tears I have experienced to be in vain. I hope and pray that they could be used to help others going through the same situation. I know that it has been through His grace that Gary and I have gotten through the death of our son, the loss of our home, the death of his twin brother, moving twice, the loss of 75% of our income, and recently the death of our sister-n-law. God has provided everything we needed in His perfect timing.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas:

The girls were so excited to open their package from Aunt Nene.

The Maingot Cousins singing for Granny at the Maingot Family Christmas Party.Hannah and Hattie on their way to church Christmas Eve.We could not find the cat Hannah got from Gary's lifelong friend Lorne. After much searching I found him in the Christmas Tree.

Hannah waiting patiently to open her presents Christmas Morning.

Truman and Bailey were excited for Hattie to get a dog she could walk instead of them!

Remember... God Keeps His promises. A rainbow appeared on our ceiling when Gary and I made the painful decision to walk away from our home. On the way to Gary's parents' home Christmas morning I am again reminded to trust in God, He indeed keeps His promises.

Brenda

Time to Reflect

I am writing this post with a heavy heart. My brother-n-law's ex wife passed away Wednesday evening of an aneurysm. It was very sudden and unexpected. In fact Gary and I talked to her a few hours before it happened. Susan is the mother of my beloved nephews Zack and Philip, and niece Amber. When I first met the Maingot family she was already married to Greg, Gary's older brother. She was one of the first people to reach out to me and make me feel welcome in the family. She absolutely loved her kids. It has broke my heart to see my niece and nephews hurting so bad. The only thing I know to do is pray. I pray that they feel the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. The same peace that was with Gary and I when Levi died and then two years later when Larry, Gary's twin brother, died.

Greg , Amber, and Susan at Amber's High School Graduation June 2007

For me, Thanksgiving this year was a time to reflect on what is important. So many times I tell my kids just one more minute mommy has to finish this or do that. Or, I can't right now because I have to get this or that done. I put off writing letters to my mom or sending emails out to family because "I just don't have enough time". I find myself so busy, busy with what? Am I making the ones I say I care about a priority on my list or do I take for granted that they will be there later when I get around to them? I challenge you blog readers to send out a card or e-mail, call, something, to that person that has been on your mind. You will be so thankful that you did!

On a lighter note here are pictures from Hannah's Thanksgiving Day Feast.

Lots of Love,

Brenda

Blog I love

Below you will find a link to a blog that I love. Jessics is having a baby scrapbooking session starting in December. So, for all my new mommy friends take a look and she what she is up to.

The Life, Faith & Creativity of Jessica Turner

The Life, Faith & Creativity of Jessica Turner