“So why did you wanna talk to me about this?” I asked. “You're the one that makes the decisions about the farming.”
“Well, I thought this would be a gut opportunity to build that Dawdi Haus like we planned. He’ll need a place to live, and we’re nearly running out of space in the house. Besides, I didn’t think you would want a teenage boy underfoot too!” he said, almost laughing.
“You're right about that. I can barely stand it when my brothers stay overnight during harvesting. You know he’s gonna eat a lot of food just like when my brothers are here,” I joked.
“Are we in agreement?” he asked. “It’ll require me to work on the house after being out in the fields all day. It might take nearly the entire summer to finish it. I figure by the time the harvest rolls in, we can purchase the cattle and Seth can move in.”
“I didn’t realize it would take you that long. Maybe I could help some. If you show me how to do the stuff, maybe I could work on it, too,” I offered.
“You would really do that for me?” he asked excitedly.
“If you show me how you want it done, then, yes, I will be glad to help.”
“If you did all the work on the walls, and did the painting, that would be the most help. Drywall takes a lot of time, and if you help me, it’ll go a lot faster.”
****
The men set to work right away on getting the outside structure of the Dawdi Haus up. Mitchell and Cameron joined Benjamin and David to complete the team that would raise the building. I enjoyed having Rebekah, Nadine, and Hannah, along with Cameron’s new wife, Amelia, over the three Saturdays that it took for the men to build the house. Elijah’s cousins, Daniel and Samuel also made an effort to help when they could find the time.
When it came time for me to help Elijah with the inside of the house, I was stunned by the amount of effort it took to construct a wall out of the planks of wood that he referred to as “two by fours”. Once those were all in place, we set the heavy sheets of drywall and Elijah nailed them in place.
Over the weeks, I worked a few hours every other day sanding drywall so it would ready to be painted. By the end of June, I’d sanded and painted every wall in the house. The increasing girth of my pregnancy made it difficult for me to do any more than I had already, so Elijah took over the carpet and linoleum task to complete the house.
The last week of July, Seth moved into the finished Dawdi Haus. The cattle were purchased, and Elijah set to work in the fields to bring in the harvest. Seth did indeed have a big appetite—he ate nearly as much as the rest of the children put together. I worked extra in the kitchen to prepare larger meals to feed the hard-working boy.
In August, my mother sent Molly to help me with the canning of the vegetables from my garden. We made apple butter and applesauce from the apples in the orchard. The strawberries and raspberries had been made into jam in mid-July. While the jam only took two days, the canning had already taken four and it seemed that we weren’t even half way done with the chore. The final day that Molly was to help me, she presented me with four fresh jars of honey from Abraham’s beehives. Elijah’s father had kept beehives since he was a boy, and he’d taught him how to care for them. The aging man loved the bee-keeping purely as a hobby, but we were all grateful for the fresh honey.
After the filled canning jars were tucked away in the pantry, I bid my sister good-bye and thanked her repeatedly for her help. She would be returning for another month-long stay next month to assist me with the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I looked forward to that time, knowing that this pregnancy should be a little easier than the rest had, due to the help that Molly would be giving me. I hadn’t had help with the last ones though I hadn’t really needed it. This time, however, I was eager for the full-time help that she would be before and after the birth of this baby.
****
Molly arrived the second week of September with bags packed, preparing herself for the possibility that her stay could be a long one. I was grateful that we’d finished the canning weeks before, as the baby had grown so much in the previous week that I had difficulty walking for long periods of time. Now there would be little else to do besides the everyday chores, which Molly was prepared to do under my close supervision. It was still too hot to cook heavy meals, so I snacked a lot on fresh apples and raspberries that continued to ripen in my garden. I even had a few zucchinis left over which we baked into bread in the early morning hours before the heat of the sun made its way into the house.
****
Two weeks passed without a single sign that the baby wanted to make itself known to the family. Every day, I continued to feel kicks and jabs, sometimes hard enough to push the wind out of me.
By the time October turned to November, chilling rains blew across Indiana with icy sleet. Seth was fully trained to help Elijah with the heads of cattle that roamed our pasture. Molly had developed a crush on Seth, even though she had another year before my father would allow her to court.
“What are we gonna do about Molly’s crush on Seth?” I asked Elijah when we were getting ready for bed one night.
“I’m not certain there’s anything we can do—except keep an eye on her. We can’t stop her from feeling for him.”
“Yeah, but she’s slacking in her duties, just so she can wait on him hand and foot.”
Elijah lay beside me, running his hand along my swelled abdomen. Before I knew it, his gentle massaging of my neck and shoulders had put me into a deep sleep.
****
On the morning of November third, my mother arrived at our farm early so she could take the children to school because of the deep snowfall that had appeared overnight. I had felt achy all morning, and was grateful that she had thought of helping me out so they wouldn’t have to walk. I began to bundle Abigail, when my water suddenly broke.
“Eli, go out to the barn to get your papa so he can get Dr. Beiler for your mamma,” my mother ordered him.
Eli pulled on his boots and trudged through the snow to do his grandmother’s bidding.
Almost immediately, I began having short, painful contractions. I stood at the kitchen counter to brace myself during a strong one, when I spotted Dr. Beiler’s buggy pull into the curved drive in front of our house. I knew Eli hadn’t had time to talk to Elijah about fetching the old man, much less, to have actually summoned his arrival. Nonetheless, the two hurried from the barn to greet the doctor and explain that he was needed in the house. When they opened the door, snow blew in and swirled around the kitchen floor before Eli could push the door shut. The obedient boy immediately grabbed the corn broom in the corner and tried sweeping it back out—a difficult task, he discovered, as more snow came in when he tried to remove the first batch that blew in. Even in the midst of my painful contractions, his determination amused me.
Dr. Beiler tried getting me to stay in one place, but I found it eased the pain somewhat if I moved around a bit. My moving about made it difficult for him to listen to the baby through his stethoscope.
“Hold still for a minute, Jane, so I can get an accurate rhythm,” the doctor begged.
I stood still during a break from contractions.
“What are you doing way out here this time of the day?” I asked.
“I was merely making my morning rounds when I decided to see how you were coming along.”
“Well I’m overdue, but in labor—that’s how I am.”
“I assure you, Jane, this baby is right on schedule. Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll take good care of you,” the doctor said, trying to reassure me.
It was comforting to have the doctor arrive at the exact time that he was needed. Everyone in the community felt that he had good intuition, but he always reminded us that he was simply well organized, and had a talent for remembering who was due on what day. This was the first time that he’d arrived on our doorstep this well timed, so I wasn’t totally convinced of his memory skills—but it wasn’t important now.
When the contractions became too
intense for me to move about, Elijah carried me up the steps to our room where I stood leaning over our bed to relieve the pain in my back. Without warning, I felt the urge to push. Dr. Beiler then insisted that I lie down on the bed so I could give birth.
After the baby’s head emerged, Dr. Beiler gasped and worked frantically with tools from his bag.
“Stop pushing,” the doctor barked at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“The cord is wrapped tightly around your baby’s neck, and I can’t deliver the rest of the baby until I cut through it.”
After what seemed to be a too long to wait, the doctor gave me the command. One small push revealed a silent, blue baby girl. Dr. Beiler set her down at the foot of the bed and rubbed her back while suctioning out her nose and throat with a bulb syringe. The baby didn’t move or utter a sound.
“Is she gonna be okay?” I cried.
Dr. Beiler didn’t answer me, but continued to suction the child and pat her back. He appeared to be talking under his breath, and when I caught his words of prayer, I panicked.
“Oh God, please save this baby. Don’t let Elizabeth die,” I bawled.
I hadn’t had a name picked out for this baby—until that moment. Elijah grabbed my hand and squeezed as we watched the doctor continuously suction the baby’s throat and nose. One strong suctioning down her throat caused her to begin wheezing. Tears ran down my face as I watched another child of mine struggle for life. I knew she wasn’t breathing well—but at least she was breathing. The doctor continued to work the syringe to relieve her of the fluid that was in her lungs, then, he tipped her nearly upside down, causing her to cough the bulk of it up. Once her chest had loosened up, she cried a low, painful sounding cry.
Dr. Beiler finally handed her to me, instructing me to keep her head in an upright position so she could continue to cough up the fluid that still remained in her tiny lungs. Elijah hugged the both of us as he cried and prayed. I thanked God for saving another child’s life.
After Elizabeth’s coughing quieted, Dr. Beiler checked her, and happily announced that she was out of the woods and would be just fine. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I held my baby close to my heart. It felt good to hold her, but it felt even better knowing that God loved her enough to let her stay with Elijah and me.
THREE
‘TILL DEATH DO US PART
“Oh, it’s Monday again,” I said to myself. “Wash day,” I continued to complain as I tried to wipe the sleep from my eyes.
Monday was washday. Always had been for as long as I’d been part of the community. I was grateful that I had Abigail’s help in carrying the loads out to the clothesline. Elijah had gotten up hours before me, and was already working in the fields. For some time, I found it increasingly tough getting up most mornings. In fact, I suspected I was pregnant again.
My entire family was expanding, with Cameron and Amelia having their second child, as were Rachel and Daniel. Lucy and her husband, Nathan, were expecting their first child, while Molly and Seth were newlyweds. Meanwhile, I was the only one of us brave enough to have this many children. After having Elizabeth, my father teased me, saying that if I wasn’t careful, I would have as many as he and my mother had. I now wondered how badly I would be teased once the news of my new pregnancy was out.
This will be the last one, I promised myself. More than anything, I wasn’t certain I could carry the load of another child, but since God had chosen to bless us again, I decided to accept it and be thankful.
After all, they aren’t really ours—they’re just on loan from God.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to break the news to Elijah—he was already working too hard to build up our farm to support our current children.
Since God has chosen to bless us, He will provide, and Elijah’s back will remain strong.
As I sat up on the end of the bed, I realized I’d heard the roosters crowing hours before, and although at the time I felt the urge to give the children a reminder to throw them some feed, I was having a bit of trouble taking care of myself this morning. The door that led out to the balcony was ajar and I could hear the clucking of the hens—a fair indication that they had not yet been fed. I pushed myself off the end of the bed and threw some cold water on my face, then pulled on my last clean dress. As I brushed my teeth, I noticed in the mirror that I did look a little pale. The months were not setting right with me somehow—almost as if I’d taken on a cloudy outlook toward my weakened condition. It had been almost three years since the birth of Elizabeth, and I hadn’t prepared myself for the possibility of another pregnancy.
The time for Elijah to be told about this pregnancy is way overdue. Well, maybe I should wait and see Doc Beiler first, though.
Downstairs, I knew Abigail would have the breakfast prepared for the family, as she had recently taken over the morning chore in my absence. Eli was gone—the bus would have picked him up an hour before. He always left an hour earlier than the other children because he’d been attending the public school. He was so intent on going to college that he had begged Elijah and me to let him attend the public school instead of the small community school that Elijah and I had attended. It seemed that I had missed Eli’s morning departures for some time, due to the queasiness that had invaded my morning routine for the past few months. I felt in some ways that what I was feeling was more like getting older than being pregnant, and I seemed to be feeling it more lately. At twenty-nine, I felt weak and much older than my years.
“Lord, give me strength for my day. Only by your grace will I be able to get through my day. Make my husband strong, and his burden light. Thank you Jesus, Amen.”
I pulled myself away from the bathroom mirror, intending to join my family for the breakfast I could smell cooking. I was sad that Abigail had taken care of yet another morning meal for me. Elijah would be in soon to wash for the morning meal, and I knew I would like to greet him before he exited the mud-room to say the blessing over the food. I pushed open the other door to the upper balcony to look out toward the field for any signs that my husband might be moving in toward the homestead. There was a slight breeze, urging the autumn leaves to scatter gracefully across the deadened grass below. The last remaining birds of the season chirped an uplifting song that lightened my spirit. The air felt cool, inspiring me to enjoy the harvest time, for winter’s crispness would soon arrive.
As I mindlessly watched the autumn leaves scatter to the ground, I began to get the feeling that I’d forgotten something. I struggled to think of what it could be, when suddenly I remembered with a heavy beating heart.
Oh no. I’ve done it again. I’ve been so wrapped up in thinking about being pregnant, that I forgot that I’m thirty today. How could I have overlooked such an important thing again?
My family members had become accustomed to my forgetfulness, but Elijah seemed to be the one that dealt the most with it. None of them could understand how I could forget the birthday that I shared with Elijah, but I’d figured out long ago that it stemmed from the awful birthdays that I had as a child. Elijah knew, therefore, he played off my forgetfulness as a game of sort. This eased my conscience a bit, but still, I felt awful.
What will I do for Elijah? He’s thirty-one today, and the poor man will have to suffer through another birthday without a gift from me because of my forgetfulness. That makes three times I’ve missed it since we’ve been together, and I vowed after the last time never to miss it again. How could I be so careless?
I paced across the balcony trying to think of a gift for my husband.
Without warning, Elijah stepped into the room. His presence startled me somewhat, making me wonder if he’d heard me talking to myself. My heart skipped momentarily, until he took his favorite place behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder. Then he slipped a chain around my neck that had a locket on it.
“Happy birthday, my little wild flower,” he said with a smile.
“But won’t your papa get after you if he finds out you gave
this to me? Even I know the rule of no jewelry within the Ordnung.”
“If you keep it next to your heart, the elders of the church will never see it,” he said as he slipped it down the front of my dress. “You know my papa has been pretty lax over the years. What the elders don’t know can’t cause a rift between them and papa. ”
The heart-shaped locket felt warm against my skin, as though Elijah’s love were emanating from it enough to warm my heart. The wearing of jewelry was forbidden, but Elijah knew how much I’d admired Nadine’s locket for years. His willingness to go against the Ordnung just to please me put a lump of guilt in my throat, but it was exciting to have secrets with my husband.
Tears filled my eyes as I moved his hand to my swelling abdomen that had been easily hidden in the pleats of my dress.
“God has blessed us with another child,” I said through my tears.
Little Wild Flower Book Two Page 7
