Mother to Be
Ricochet's own Ursula Hennessey -- and her husband, Matthew -- are keeping a wonderful and thoughtful blog, which I check into regularly. It's not only well written (not a surprise) but it's also really lovely to look at.
But I must have missed the earlier announcement, because this came as a joyous surprise:
Here I am, 20 weeks into my fourth pregnancy. I’ll turn 41 before the baby comes. One of the only things keeping me sane is faith. How does it work for those who don’t have it?
I actually have nothing concrete to worry about. (Except for my appearance at the town pool—think Easter egg). The ultrasounds went fine. I like my doctors. My other three kids are over the moon. I feel fine.
Ursula is expecting, which is good news for all of us, because it means one more human on the planet raised by such thoughtful and wise parents. And it's good news for all of us because it means more writing like this:
I remember being devastated by the news, delivered at week 17 of my second pregnancy, that my daughter had Down syndrome. I begged God to help me. I pleaded for something different—anything.
But I gave up and gave in. And my daughter has turned out to be a true blessing. That which I feared the most was actually a gift. I’m grateful for the tradition of faith. I fell back on it because I had nothing else. And it gave me just enough to hang on.
I’m grateful to have that experience as I read and hear about tragedy. Babies lost in the final weeks of pregnancy. Still births. Doctor errors. SIDS deaths. Pediatric cancer. In the wee hours of the night, when that pregnancy insomnia hits, these are the haunts. But I push them away with a few quick prayers—rote recitations I’ve known since childhood. It yanks me out of the cycle of tragic scenarios and back to a place of serenity.
Then, I go unload the dishwasher, check Twitter, and feel the flip-flops of the night owl babe inside of me.
I love that: "...the flip flops of the night owl babe inside me."
Ursula, that's a very very lucky night owl.
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Jun '12
Re: Mother to Be
Beautiful! Ubi vita est, spes est. (Where there is life, there is hope). Congratulations Hennesseys!
Re: Mother to Be
Oh, Rob, this is so lovely! Thank you so much ... although waking to the thought of the good folks at Ricochet knowing that I look like an Easter egg is a bit of a shock.
This post is originally from yesterday's edition of Family Events, a newsletter for moms/women put out by Marybeth Hicks, whom I exchanged emails with after she wrote several posts here on Ricochet. We reprinted it on our fledgling blog, which we only get to sporadically, honestly.
And, there was no "earlier announcement" as we are only getting our communications strategy underway now. It's a long campaign but at our current fundraising levels I think we can afford to stay positive. We expect a solid victory in Nov..er..December.
Jun '10
Re: Mother to Be
All the best. My mother was 43 when I was born, and I turned out alright, mostly. :)
Oct '11
Re: Mother to Be
Let's hear it for Rob: spotlighting a blog written by a Ricochet member who (I hope I don't speak for myself) everyone likes for a change. Rob got lots of negative feedback for his last (former-) Ricochet member blog spotlight, but remember (as the libs say:) carrots are more powerful than sticks!
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy, Ursula.
Re: Mother to Be
Congratulations! Ursula: 41? That's nothing. I was 43 when daughter # 1 arrived. They keep us young. I think.
Re: Mother to Be
Oh yay! A new Henessey! That is good news indeed. Love the passage and the sentiment underneath it. Wasn't it your husband, Ursula, who said that line about a child with Down syndrome being a gift no one wants until they get it? Or was it someone else? Either way, the way you guys love each of your children comes through with everything you write.
May '10
Re: Mother to Be
I'd be honored to design the birth announcements! I am 52 and have an 8 year old. God has a sense of humor.
Jun '10
Re: Mother to Be
What a great post to start my day. Peace and blessings, Ursula!
Sep '10
Re: Mother to Be
My 6 and 8 year old boys keep my 53 year old self feeling younger but wiser. Congratulations.
Sep '11
Re: Mother to Be
<Hugs>
<Tears>
<Prayers>
Mar '12
Re: Mother to Be
Congratulations and best wishes, Ursula. We have 4 kids ourselves and I'm sure I'll enjoy checking out your blog. Like Rob, I loved your description of your faith as well as your night owl babe.
May '10
Re: Mother to Be
Congratulations, Ursula! Just a little envious that you made it to 4, and we stopped at 3. What a blessed little one!
May '10
Re: Mother to Be
The Man has all of you old geezer daddies beat. He was 49, almost 50 when Little One came along. It's a party a minute around The B family.
Aug '12
Re: Mother to Be
Dittos on the congratulations. It's interesting to hear how many "older" parents are piping up here. My wife and I adopted our first (infant) when we were 38, and then two more (3 and 4 y.o.) at 46. I don't know about them keeping you "young", as I'm too busy figuring out how to get up from the chair with a minimal amount of effort and pain.
My wife worries about being mistaken for a grandma, hence the hair dye. She's usually the oldest mom whenever she gets together with other homeschool moms, though they're surprised when she admits her age.
Aug '11
Re: Mother to Be
Congratulations! Best wishes for you and yours!
Jul '10
Re: Mother to Be
Wonderful, wonderful news, Ursula! And I think you'll have quite the helpful hands with Magdalena at your side. Your baby will probably not find a more loving and caring sister who just might be able to spend even more time with the baby as time goes on than the other two (very excited) ones.
Feb '11
Re: Mother to Be
Congratulations Ursula, a baby is sure going to keep Magdalena busy. You might find you've very little to do. My Father, only seven children, always said that after the fourth child you can just keep having as many as you want because you won't notice the difference. My Amish clients, most with over ten children, agree.
Mar '11
Re: Mother to Be
Congrats, Ursula!
Aug '10
Re: Mother to Be
Congrats Ursula! Joan and I lost our first child to miscarriage - she was a downs baby. However our next two are awesome and the last of them arrived AFTER I retired from the USAF - I was 43 and Joan 41.
Contemplating Charlotte graduating from college when I am 65 is a bit daunting, but I console myself with the thought - since my son is 20, I have just guaranteed that I will be surrounded by children the rest of my life.
Oct '10
Re: Mother to Be
Rob, thanks. I'm genuinely touched.
And grateful for your link to the Hennessy blogs.
Edited on August 4, 2012 at 3:19am