Chapter
37

God has blessed us so abundantly with children. This is especially awe inspiring in remembering that we were once told that we would never be able to have children. God had other plans. Around March of 1999, Elna became pregnant with Grace. We were so thankful. No other child would ever be born to replace Jackson. However, we knew that our children were such an amazing gift from God, and we were in awe that he would allow us to have another. Things were going well with the pregnancy, but emotions were heightened due to grief added on top of the pregnancy. Elna’s OB/GYN was the same man as before. I was not a fan. He was Elna’s doctor, not mine. We went in for a routine ultrasound to assess the baby’s growth and to see if it was a boy or a girl. Tension, stress, and anticipation were very high. I remember being close to Elna’s head as the doctor turned on the ultrasound machine and placed the wand of the ultrasound machine on the lower part of Elna’s abdomen. The doctor and his new wife who was his nurse were the only other people in the room with us. Elna was scared. I was scared too. We just wanted to hear that the baby was healthy. We had just had enough bad news for the year. We just wanted to hear how awesome the baby was doing.

 

The doctor and the nurse continued to chat away about office gossip and other things that meant nothing to Elna and me. Finally, Elna said in a nervous voice, “Doctor, does the baby look ok?”

 

He said, “Well let’s look again here.”

He then scanned back and forth. He said, “Here’s the baby’s head. Here’s the baby’s heart just beating away beautifully. And here’s…….. What’s this?????. Hmmmm…… Hmmmmmm…… Hmmmmmm. I don’t know, what’s this?????. Hmmmmmm……. Hmmmmm…

 

He said this over and over as he looked on the ultrasound scan.

 

Elna gripped my hand extremely tight. I told her, “It’s going to be ok. I’m sure it’s going to be ok.”

 

Elna gripped tighter.

 

The doctor then said, “Well I don’t know what that mass right there is????? It’s so big. I wonder if it’s some type of tumor. Hmmmmmm………. Hmmmmmmmm…….. Hmmmmmmmm.”

 

Elna gripped tighter now with her nails going into my skin.

 

The doctor then said, “Well I don’t know. Maybe that’s a tumor, but I’ve never seen a tumor look like that before.”

 

Then the doctor’s nurse/new wife chimed in with excitement as if she had just solved the puzzle on a gameshow and blurted out, “I know what it is!!!!! You had twins, but the other baby died, and this is the dead baby’s body!!!!”

 

Tears were flowing down Elna’s face as she gripped my hand even tighter. I didn’t cry. My focus was on Elna’s face and calming her to the point of just taking another breath.

 

The doctor finally saw that we were upset. He said to his nurse/new wife, “Go get Mike. Let’s see if he can tell us what this is.”

 

Mike was the doctor’s brother-in-law. I knew Mike very well, and he was a highly intelligent and skilled OB. Mike was also smart enough to know what a complete idiot his brother-in-law could be. Mike walked into the room while eating a sandwich and had an attitude of “what does my idiot brother-in-law need from me now.” 

 

Elna’s doctor still had the probe on Elna’s belly and focused on the mass of tissue in question on the ultrasound screen. Elna’s doctor said, “I just don’t know what this mass right here is???”

 

Elna’s doctor’s nurse/new wife chimed in AGAIN, “I think it’s a dead baby.”

 

Mike leaned into the ultrasound screen. He then looked me and then Elna in the eye with a look of complete disgust of his brother-in-law. Mike then looked back at the ultrasound screen. Mike then put his hand on top of his brother in law’s hand. Mike then turned the probe 90 degrees as we were all focused on the screen. As he did this, Mike said, “That mass……. Is a hand.”

 

The mass that had brought such angst into the room suddenly went from an undetermined “cancer” or “dead baby” to a beautiful hand. Yep, we got a full opened hand wave from our third child. That child would end up being a beautiful baby girl, although we didn’t trust any sex determination done that day. Her pregnancy would go forward without major complications, and December 16, 1999, we would arrive at the hospital to meet Hannah Grace Dease face to face.

 

On that day, we arrived at Lakeview Hospital for a scheduled induction of labor. Emotions were again running high. We were about to have another child living with us. Another child would be under our care. Today, that care would be for us to make sure that Grace’s delivery went well.

 

Elna was progressing well. Two centimeters, then four, then six, then 8/9, then 10 and almost ready to push. Things were moving fast. All we needed was the doctor to come for a last check before Elna could begin pushing.

 

The doctor was called. He was called again. And again. And AGAIN.

 

Elna said to me and the delivery nurse, “The baby is coming out. She’s coming out.”

 

I said, “Baby, you’ve got to wait for the doctor. I’m sure he will be here any second.” After all, his office was on the same floor of the hospital just behind the actual wall of the delivery room. However, he was still not there.

 

Elna was not interested in me telling her that she had to wait, and apparently neither was Grace.

 

Elna then raised her head up from the bed as she gripped the front of my shirt in anger as she pulled my face close to hers. She then said in a strict and commanding voice, “The next time you are sitting on the toilet about to take a shit, I am going to tell you to “just wait, Honey” and shove that turd right back up you!”

 

I then said, “OK…………. Let’s see where you’re at.”
 

With the labor and delivery nurse right there, we lifted up the sheet covering Elna and found the top of Grace’s head peeking out. Of course, Grace made her entrance as we should have expected, …..crowning.

 

I said, “Ok. Let’s deliver this baby. Everything moved very fast. Elna was placed in the stirrups, and Grace was delivered.”

 

My third child had entered the world, and God had graciously let me deliver her. What an awesome God we serve.

 

Oh how……. I love you, Lord.

 

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 New International Version

 

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.