Here's the story on how we got from Michigan to Colorado and back to South Dakota with a daughter named Montana!
On November 16 we packed up the subaru (yet again) in Michigan after Aaron finished his seminary courses and drove 18 hours to South Dakota where we were originally planning to have a baby. We were in SD for 2 days to have an appointment with my midwife and then we packed up and went to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with Aaron's parents and to help them move to a new house.
It started out to be a full and busy trip (and only got crazier) in Colorado as we helped Aaron's folks pack up their house, celebrate Thanksgiving and we even squeezed in a surprise party for Aaron's 30th (stay tuned for more pics)! Last Monday I spent the day with 3 of my greatest friends from college and I was feeling pretty good. I went home, had Mexican
food with Aaron's family, and then went out to tea with my mom and dad and sister (my mom and sister were in town for my baby shower and to look at houses because my parents are moving to Colorado Springs). Anyway, I got home from coffee and was wiped out, so Aaron and I went to bed. I noticed that I was spotting a bit, but wasn't too worried. I just thought I would call my midwife in the morning. In bed I was feeling a bit uncomfortable and was trying to relax while Aaron was sharing a verse that he had read that morning - the story in Mark 5 where Jairus is trying to get Jesus to come and heal his sick daughter when Jesus gets sidetracked by another healing. Jairus' friends came back and said it's too late, your daughter is dead, but Jesus ignored them and told Jairus,
Don't be afraid. Just believe. And these words have become our mantra this past week!
Then all of a sudden I said, "Aaron something just came out of me!" I didn't know what to do so I called my mom. She was calm and told me to call my midwife, and so I did. I got the doctor on call and I told him what was happening and he said, "It sounds like your bag of waters just broke." I asked him if maybe we should get in the car and haul ass back to South Dakota, but he said we probably wouldn't make it, but that he knew a couple of doctors in the Springs that I could try and get in touch with at Penrose Hospital. By now I was slightly freaking out and starting bawling! I kept thinking this isn't the way it's supposed to happen!! We decided to go to the hospital, so we threw a bag of things together although we had no idea what to take, considering we still had another 3-4 weeks to plan these kinds of things.
We arrived at the hospital and they checked me to see if it was my water that had broken and by now I was definitely experiencing contractions and I was 4cm dilated. I think it was at this point I asked the nurse if we were going to have to stay. She said yes that I was in labor! So my water broke around 10:15pm and we were at the hospital by 11pm and Montana was born at 2:30 am. It all went very quickly - I wish this birth experience on any woman!!
(And as a side, the doctor on call that night happened to be the doctor that was recommended by the doctor in SD - they were in the Air Force together. Small world.)
The cool and amazing thing about this early arrival is that my parents' and sister just happened to be in town, so they were at the hospital. Aaron's family got to meet Montana right away and we had so many friends in town to come and see us. This wouldn't have been the case if we had her in South Dakota. Before Montana was 24 hours old, she had about 15 people (not including the nurses or Aaron or I) hold her and love on her. We feel so supported and loved by our family and friends. Because we weren't planning on having a baby on our trip we didn't have any baby things with us at all...so again we were abundantly blessed by clothes and blankets and other gifts from family and friends and by Aaron's sister and hubby who let us borrow a bassinet and a car seat among other items. Montana's early arrival reminds us of God's timing and how we can make plans, but He might have something in store that we would never have dreamed or imagined.
We were in the hospital for 2 days and then we spent our first night at Aaron's grandma's which was very special and then spent the next 2 days at Aaron's parents' new house. We left on Sunday to return to South Dakota. Montana's first road trip! At 5 days old she had already been in 3 states...and she is a brilliant road tripper. She has discovered the secret to a road trip - sleep the entire time!
We are now in SD for Christmas and possibly January and then we will see where God leads. The uncertainty of our lives right now is at times very overwhelming, yet underneath it all I have a deep sense of peace. I know God is taking care of us and providing for us and guiding us. And this is exactly why Montana's middle name is Faith. Even before I got pregnant we had to have faith in God's timing not ours and then when we found out I was pregnant and when we would be expecting her, we needed an extra dose of faith. We have been on quite the adventure and many days it is only by faith that I believe I have not gone completely insane.
Speaking of names...several people have asked us where we got Montana's name. I have liked this name for a really long time, but there are a couple of reasons why we chose it. Montana means mountain, and for me it makes me think of wild and rugged mountains and I like that for my daughter. Also we like it combined with her middle name because our prayer for her is that she will have faith that will move mountains. Before she was born we called her Izze and that nickname may just stick...for some reason it just really fits her. It's funny because both of her grandmas keep calling her Izze Montana Faith.
So that is Montana's story of her arrival, and I am so glad she is here and I don't have to spend the next 3 weeks preparing for her...I get to have her now!
We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It will be our last Christmas at my parents' in South Dakota, so it was extra special this year. It even snowed on Christmas Eve. 
Montana's Christmas dress was either my sister's or mine when we were babies. It was fun to have Montana wear it. She was like my little doll!!
Kate's Grandma and Grandpa
She's already got all the men in her life wrapped around her finger
Aaron's Grandma
In the midst of all of the excitement of Montana, Aaron turned 30 last Thursday. What a year, for sure...he graduates from seminary, became a father, and will begin his ministry career. He deserves to be celebrated! While in Colorado I had a surprise party in Denver for friends and family. It was a great evening and Aaron was really surprised. Everyone brought 30 of something...30 reasons to move back to CO from his sister, 30 things we've learned from Mel and Miguel, 30 bucks to REI from Lana, 30 things we admire about Aaron from Rich and Jenny, plus other clever ideas and thoughts from several friends who weren't even able to make it. Aaron's dad, Chris, wrote a funny little story about how our lives parallels Jesus' birth stor
y. Here it is (keep in mind this was written before Montana was born...so it may need an alternate ending now!).
food with Aaron's family, and then went out to tea with my mom and dad and sister (my mom and sister were in town for my baby shower and to look at houses because my parents are moving to Colorado Springs). Anyway, I got home from coffee and was wiped out, so Aaron and I went to bed. I noticed that I was spotting a bit, but wasn't too worried. I just thought I would call my midwife in the morning. In bed I was feeling a bit uncomfortable and was trying to relax while Aaron was sharing a verse that he had read that morning - the story in Mark 5 where Jairus is trying to get Jesus to come and heal his sick daughter when Jesus gets sidetracked by another healing. Jairus' friends came back and said it's too late, your daughter is dead, but Jesus ignored them and told Jairus, Don't be afraid. Just believe. And these words have become our mantra this past week!
