Now, just to get this out of the way in the beginning...Angel #2 is NOT my second FAVORITE angel...she just came to me second.
I think now that she has a second child of her own she understands that one definitely loves the second child as much as one loves the first.
My story of Jessica Pearl began when Angel #1 was only 4 months old. I was helping on the dairy; my job was to feed the new, baby calves. I would put Tiffany in her stroller and we would go to the calf pens and feed the noisy, hungry babies.
I had been feeling kinda yucky...tired, weak, just really blah...
The owner of the dairy came up to me and said, "Are you ok? You are acting like a pregnant cow." I was still nursing Tiffany and didn't know that I was expecting my second little angel. So...surprise, surprise!
I KINDA WAS A PREGNANT COW!!!
I believed the 'old wives tale' about not getting pregnant while you are nursing...
I did! I blew that old wives tale right out of the water!
My pregnancy was perfect. I worked on the dairy...lifting, fighting with the baby calves. They loved to butt me in the tummy when I had them straddled between my legs trying to force them to take the bottle.
We traveled across the US several times, we spent Tiffany's first birthday in Virginia and then travelled back to Arizona so we could have our new baby there.
Since we only had a 'round about' date of when Jessica was due we just waited and prayed.
We moved to Cottonwood, AZ to be with my Mom and Dad. My mother paid our doctor bill with one of her oil paintings, one the doctor had wanted for some time. A couple of years ago Jessica called the doctor to see if she could buy the painting from him and he said no...he loves that painting...
I was getting very LARGE, and it was a HOT, looonnng Arizona summer.
On a Friday afternoon Mike and Becky came into town, we went to Pizza Hut for a late lunch. I almost tripped over a big rock because I could not see anything past my huge belly.
I started to have contractions so I called my doctor...he advised me to come in so he could check me before the office closed for the weekend..
Oh, did I mention that it was LABOR day weekend?
How ironic!
I was dilated to a 5, (I think).
He said, "I will meet you at the hospital."
Two and a half hours after checking me into the hospital Jessica came with a vengeance! Which is perfect for who she is!
We didn't have time to do anything for the pain...her daddy and big sister almost missed the whole thing. My mother was right beside me holding my hand and coaching me through my only completely NATURAL birth. I was told that people in the halls could hear me screaming and that my Dad turned white with worry.
Then she came! She was big, and appeared to be full grown. My mother took her and weighed her...10 POUNDS...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!??
We stayed in the hospital a mere 24 hours and home we went.
Jessica was hungry allll the time!
Years have passed and many stories could be told but today I want to record my overall impression and feelings about this precious angel.
If I could only use one word to describe Jessica it would be...
WARRIOR
She is the single most resilient person that I know. She has endured so much in her short life.
She is an inspiration to me!
See too, is one of my heroes!
How one little person can go through so much adversity and still be so positive and happy.
I am grateful that Heavenly Father sent her to me and that I have the amazing opportunity to be her mother.
She is a wonderful mother and it is so fun to watch her take care of her little babies.
I love you Jessica.
29 years ago Heavenly Father sent me an angel.
