It was still dark outside, and intense labor pains had started. I didn’t have anywhere to escape to enjoy my pain alone.  Our family was still sleeping in a small travel trailer.

There was only one full size bed, and Rachael (4 years old) was sleeping between Dale and me.  Hannah (age 6) was sleeping in the shower stall.  Jennifer (10) was on the seat bench at the kitchen table, and Heather (12) was on the narrow sofa.

I laid there for as long as I could and then went outside to walk around.  It was still dark.

Just 10 months before this night, we had moved to the farm. Ellie (Elizabeth) was conceived at the end of the first month that we lived here.  She was a surprise gift from God.  I knew that she would be a spiritual blessing to us and many.  The only problem was that we didn’t know we were having more children, so we didn’t have maternity coverage.

As to why we were in a travel trailer…

Our house was built in the early 1900’s, and within the first months of living here, it became apparent that the house needed to be gutted and renovated.  The electrical, plumbing, heating, and interior walls were in pathetic shape.

So, we gutted the farmhouse and started renovating—we and our friends.

When Ellie was due, the house was still not livable, so a friend gave us his camper to live in for a month.

The labor wasn’t consistent, but it hurt badly nonetheless. At sunrise, Dale came outside to check on me. The pains became more consistent.  We got to the hospital by 11 that morning.  Ellie was born a little after 2 that afternoon, on August 3.  Since we didn’t have insurance, the hospital released us in less than 4 hours!  By 6pm that evening, we headed back to the travel trailer.  It was our first official trip home with all the kids in the van with us.  To celebrate, we stopped at Silver Diner and picked up dinner to bring home.

It wasn’t the environment you dream of coming home to 4 hours after having a baby.  But, we were healthy and well…what more could you really want?  The girls had made us a banner over our bed to welcome Ellie home. It was a sweet welcome.

We ate our food, stared at Ellie for a few hours, and then got ready for bed. Rachael claimed her sleeping spot for the night–the shower stall, since we were kicking her out of our bed for the new baby. We made a pallet for Hannah on the floor, and we all fell fast asleep.

Ellie turned 17 years old this past weekend.  It’s fun to reminisce about your children’s birthdays. We moved out of the travel trailer and back into our renovated house when she was 3 weeks old. She is truly a gift from God to us.  The Lord has mighty big plans for this young lady.  She is a leader and determined.  I can’t wait to see how He uses her in the near future for His glory!

Long day–Labor, Delivery and back in the travel trailer, all in less than 13 hours. Heather and Dale are missing in the photo.

Our baby girl graduated! Ellie and Dad