Our Little Miracle

Through our lives I think the Lord is constantly granting us little miracles and I try to always watch for them and recognize them and thank Him for them. But every once in a while you get one that is so monumental that you cannot deny His Love for you, one that changes your life for good in so many ways.

Although I am calling Laura Elizabeth, our little miracle, in reality she was the biggest miracle we have ever received. 32 year ago on Saturday, January 30, 1978 we saw His Hand in our lives like no other time before or since. Actually it happened several months before, but on the 30th of January, we knew we would never doubt or question God's love or existence again. We knew, and we knew-He knew-we knew and our testimony of the Savior was cast in cement that day. At the time we were investigating the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but had not yet become members. Both of us had been raised in other churches and we were searching spiritually for the truth and some answers.

I know I haven't yet shared this on my blog so I thought since Saturday is Laura's birthday and the commemoration of that beautiful, miraculous day, this would be a good time to tell you about it.

I was thirty years old and expecting our third child when just six weeks into the pregnancy I contracted chicken pox. In fact, my pregnancy was confirmed when I was covered from head to toe with pox. I did not have a square inch on my body that did not have them. I have never been so sick, before or since.

Jenny got them first and then Christopher had them the same time I did. If he didn't have a little scar from one of his pox I would not have even known he had them for sure. I was completely out of it for 2 weeks. It was not until I was heading towards recovery myself that I began to fear for the baby. I was able to have a very sweet blessing from two Elders of the church and at the time I felt a very warm feeling in my abdominal area that spread to every part of my body. I realize now that at that very moment, divine intervention healed our baby girl.


The next several weeks were very difficult because as soon as I was able to go to the doctor they started in with all the very scary details of what can happen to a little fetus infected with chicken pox when it is in this very formative first trimester. They advised an abortion because not only could the baby have all the birth defects of rubella but she could have epidural scarring as well. They said one pock could potentially become a huge scar on her body, she could be blind, born without limbs, in a vegetative state, etc. Not only did my doctor recommend it, but a team of doctors came in and tried to convince us to abort and then try again later.

The thought immediately crossed my mind that this baby was our baby...we can't just go get another one in a few months. The doctors only saw it one way and if they did have any deeper feelings than medical report findings, they did not ever surface in our presence. They started to pressure us very hard as in those days even therapeutic abortions had time constraints that needed to be followed. In order for them to do it, it had to be soon. At the time Jim was working with severely disabled students with autism and other very serious problems. We were pretty scared, to say the least.

My blood runs cold to this day, when I think that we were young and impressionable and may have taken the advise of all those doctors, had the church leaders, the Holy Ghost, and our family and friends not been there to support us. Still people were very emphatic in letting us know it had to be our decision. The Holy Ghost was more direct~quietly confirming to us that we should have our baby, this baby. I am beyond grateful we could recognize and hear His voice. Even when we were spiritually floundering and searching...God was right there for us. Forever more, we will lay down our lives for our God who heard and answered our many, many prayers!

In those days there were no fancy tests to let us know if she was OK or not and for that matter we didn't even know she was a girl. It was a very long pregnancy, but through all the waiting we had a quiet assurance that no matter what the outcome, the Lord would provide a way for us to deal with it.

Finally the day to find out if our prayers had been answered arrived. We always prayed that our will was in accordance with His will. I have to admit that when my feet hit the floor that morning and my water broke, a surge of panic did course through me. But after a moment I can consciously remember saying to myself our faith is enough, whatever God has in store for us will be OK. From that moment on, I felt total peace. Qualifying that... as much as any woman can feel peace going into labor! Yikes!

Here is an excerpt from my journal right after she was born.


"I went in to be checked later than morning and they told me to come back a little later. That terrified me after how fast Christopher was born once things got rolling. The membranes had resealed and the labor was erratic most of the day. I knew it was time to go back when the labor got more intense and very regular. We headed back around 6:00 PM. The traffic was terrible and I had contractions that were lasting through an entire cycle of lights at busy 4 way intersections. Ouch! I was admitted at 6:45 and what followed was total chaos.

The nurses were filling out papers, prepping me and having me sign things while in transition labor...it was bad. But somehow you muddle through, what choice is there really? This was my first baby where they had fetal monitors and I had the contraption strapped around me for exactly two contractions when I was ready to push.

Poor Jim just stood there in disbelief..he didn't even get a chance to coach me through one contraction, the nurses never left my side. Before we knew it we were whisked into the delivery room. The absolute crowning blow of any labor is crawling onto the delivery table. Is there not a better way?

A few contractions more and at 7:32 PM, Laura Elizabeth was born. One look at her and we knew all of our prayers had been answered! In my arms lay a perfect, beautiful baby girl...not a mark on her anywhere! We shed our usual tears of joy...and a little bit more this time. It was a spiritual moment we will never forget."

Looking back now, I realize that the greatest blessing of the day was not her perfect health, because we know we would have loved her as much as any parent could, no matter what. The bigger miracle was God's voice leading us to know what to do in that very crucial decision making time.

I truly do still shudder when I allow myself to go to that place where we might have terminated the pregnancy due to professional advise and our own fear. It took a lot of courage and faith to fight that fear. And I hear myself saying and knowing that perfect love really does cast out fear. It is God's perfect love for us that makes the fear go away.

Our sweet Laura!

Our life with Laura has been perfect. Honestly, I don't think kids come any better than she has been and still is. I cannot even imagine life without her. And I cannot imagine a life without faith in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I would never turn away from Him as he has never turned away from us. Don't the scriptures tell us that "we love Him because He first loved us." I believe that with all my heart and am grateful once again to be celebrating the sacred miracles we witnessed on the day of our youngest daughter's birth.

We love you, Laura Lou,
Have a Very Happy Birthday!

She is alone with her boys on her
birthday again this year.
If you'd like to wish her a happy
one here, feel free!