2013 and 2014(part 1)

The next two years were a little more of the same, but we gradually began to climb out of the pit we were in. Todd's job began to pick up new routes, and he began to make a little more money. We were able to find a house in Graham, NC that we could afford. Nothing much to look at... but it was a DEFINITE upgrade from the house we had in Mebane. The floors were only 3-4 years old, and there was a yard--scraggly and unkept... but a yard nonetheless. The kids would have a place to play. 

It was about this time(late 2013) that the commute to Durham every day began to wear on Todd.  I was commuting to Burlington or Durham for larger store trips, my occasional part-time job and doctor's appointments with three kids, etc as well. So we decided we needed to job hunt for something that would offset the cost of living 30+ miles from the city where Todd worked, or house hunt for a home closer to the city. Being TIGHTLY strapped budget-wise meant finding an affordable house closer to the city was unlikely. So that meant a possible job change. 

   

   One day in June 2014... an email came for Todd. It was from Ron Elkins.. whom we had known for years as a friend in Hobgood, NC. There was a job opening in Rocky Mount at his place of work (COECO). He was more than willing to put in a good word for Todd if he wanted the position. It would mean a move to Hobgood, where Todd was born/raised. This was an idea we had been toying with for YEARS because of the small town lifestyle and the private school that the town boasted. BUT... the caveat was a DRASTIC base pay cut... like 50%. The rest of his pay would be commission. Commission... a word that I have come to hate over the past EIGHT YEARS. No man should EVER work on commission. More on that later. For now... suffice it to say that after prayer and thought, we stepped out in FAITH (or absolute stupidity! Still not sure which 3 years later!) and made the decision to move to Hobgood. Finally our land of GLOWING opportunity!!!! Or so we thought.

                                  Eliana with the flowers in front of our house in Graham.

Aunt Ashley took pictures of the boys in a tree! 

2011 and 2012

After Eliana was born, things weren't exactly smooth sailing.  About 3 months later, Todd had a major shift at work when they changed the pest technician routes (he had been working with Terminix since 2009). This precipitated a large drop in pay. We ended up with 3 kids, and not nearly enough income. Having Todd's outstanding college loan debt we couldn't satisfy... the loans defaulted.... they garnished 25% of his wages. We were short on everything... car payments, rent, utility bills, etc.  


   In February 2012, we lost our wonderful rental home of three years in Apex, NC. The landlord was a SWEET, God-loving woman who didn't make a fuss, but had to let us go. It was the biggest shake up out little family had even seen.  We only had three weeks to find some place to go. We found a nondescript, dirty-looking house in Mebane, NC... not even a speck of grass in the yard, just dirt that turned to mud when it rained. There was so much mud. The only blessing being that my mom and sister Ashley had both rented townhouses across the street. So having them to interact with kept me from crumbling a lot of days.  But the bright spots were my kids got to play with their cousin Avery across the street, and Eliana TURNED ONE! 
   
   Money was BEYOND tight. Eliana had to use cloth diapers to save on buying disposables. (Not to mention she apparently was allergic to them!) Birthday cakes were homemade, and not always pretty. Parties were small. Christmas gifts for the kids were 2-3 each from us, but we had a real tree! There was one day in particular I remember... going to the food pantry and waiting in line behind the homeless man to rummage through the grocery cart of day old bread donations. I remember Josiah running up to me SO EXCITED about a can of dented peaches he had found on a donation shelf. I fought back tears the whole way home. HOW had things ended up this way?! I felt like such a failure to my children. I was angry at God for not knowing what to do to FIX THIS! 
   I wish I could say our miracle was just around the corner... but I'll move onto the next post with 2013 and 2014. The story is still unfolding. 

 

   

Eliana FAITH Craft (Emphasis Important)

How do I summarize the past five years in a single blog post?! In this case, I feel it simply cannot be done. So with the way you would eat any "elephant"... it will be one bite at a time. I'll start with the birth of our "rainbow baby" and "nothing-less-than-amazing" daughter and work my way forwards. It seems this is the most efficient way of getting up to speed with where life has taken us. It certainly has been a ride. 
   As I eluded to in my last post in 2012... Eliana Faith Craft was born August 24, 2011. Right between my two sisters' birthdays... Alyssa's being on the 23rd, and Olivia's on the 25th. Seems Todd had a sense of humor that GOD admired when he commented that it would be "So funny" if she was born THAT DAY!  That day was TRULY a memory for more than one reason. We had a small earthquake the day before that was felt from SC to VA. It was dominating the local news all day. Me.... I missed it. I remember CRYING in my van in the Target parking lot because I was HUGE pregnant and having to take two rambunctious...and sometimes downright naughty boys shopping. It was hot... and my feet were swollen. I just wanted to go home.  Apparently somewhere between waddling to my car with sauntering children in tow, and the cart return... the ground shook, and I missed it. 
   That night, my water broke at a little after midnight after a HUGE contraction. I had been awake, timing them on the computer website I found. My "plan" was to WAIT for things to progress more before heading to the hospital. I love how God/Mother Nature/pregnancy doesn't care about our plans. When my water broke... it wasn't normal clear fluid... it was like pea soup.... meconium(baby poop for those less versed in childbirth terms).  This was a HUGE RED FLAG for the health/safety of Eliana. So I RUSHED to wake up Todd... who had taken NyQuil before going to bed for a raging cold. He was so druggy that he has said he doesn't even remember driving to the hospital!  I was praying she was okay, and this wouldn't cause her serious harm. 
   When we arrived, the doctor hooked me to an IV right away and began pushing antibiotics for me and her(in utero). I had tested positive for Group B strep as well. She assured me they would do everything to keep her from aspirating we she was born. The NICU team would be there to assess her and transport her if needed when she was born.
   The hours of labor ticked by, and I was praying for a supernatural, pain free childbirth. As much as I'd like to say that was the case... it was not. I was adamantly against the epidural, and held out for several hours without the lesser pain meds. Finally I caved after my Stadol wasn't working anymore, and asked HOW MUCH LONGER?! When the dr said I was 5-6 centimeters... approx. 4-5 hours more... I asked to find the epidural doc! But as God would have it... he wasn't needed. After two HUGE contractions... she was READY to meet us! They barely had time to get the doctor back downstairs from her nap! (She had retreated for a break after telling me I had HOURS to go!) She delivered Eliana before the NICU team could even arrive! Knowing her possible distress, she suctioned her out before stimulating her to breathe, and began cleaning her off. The NICU team came rushing in.... late... but thankfully NOT NEEDED!!! Eliana was perfect! 8lbs 2oz. and 19" long.   Golden red/orange hair... and dark blue eyes. 
   I can't explain the culmination of emotions that I felt the moment they handed her to me... the feeling of loss, grieving her sister that we never got to meet, the joy of promises and prophecy FINALLY being FULFILLED. A year's worth of feelings surged forward in one instant.  Then KNOWING she was ok.... not in danger. (They had also diagnosed her with a heart murmur the week before she was born via ultrasound and I had to have a special MFM doctor look at her in utero. We were told sometimes the murmur would dissipate after birth, or she may need more testing, observation, etc. The moment she was born... they listened to her THREE times... no murmur found!!!) It had been present EVEN on the monitor hours before her birth! Another gift from GOD... no sorrows added. 
   From that day forward... she has been nothing short of amazing. Although I would have wished she SLEPT MORE as a baby! :)