Today is Jincy's due date but she arrived a week ago!

 Typing this blog entry is a little different and a whole lot better  because I'm now holding Jincy Rose Wright in my arms. 

     Where do I even begin?  Another thank you is definitely in order to all of you who have continued to pray for us and especially for the birth of Jincy and the health of both of us. 

   Last Friday evening around 6pm my water broke, even though i wasnt due until today, Oct 19th. My husband was on a Skype call with a good friend of ours so I patiently waited for him to end the call before I told him.  I know him all too well so I knew I needed to seem as nonchalant as possible so he didn't force me to speed to the hospital. He would need to leave for practice a few minutes after 6pm so I decided before telling him that it would be best for him to go on to practice so I could calmly prepare to go to the hospital. 

   When I told him his face turned pale as a ghost and and he immediately started pacing across the living room  asking "what now?"  "what do we need to do?"  ;) I couldn't help but laugh and tell him to calm down and go on to practice and I would call his coach if I needed him before practice was over.   It took some convincing but he reluctantly went on to the gym. 

      During the next few hours before he returned from practice I took Nola & Pip for a few long walks, did some laundry, showered,  walked to the market to get some snacks, prayed,  and packed my bag for the hospital. Around 9pm I called my doctor, praying she had returned from her holiday in London, and was more than thankful to hear her voice on the other end of the line.  She instructed me to meet her at the hospital at around 11pm after I told her I wanted to wait on my husband to get home from practice.  He made it home faster that night  than any other and  still seemed shocked that the time had really come. 

     We gathered everything we needed and headed out the door when he decided he would hide the key above the door frame after locking the door. Ooops, the key fell down inside the frame so it was no longer reachable (still not sure why but he wanted to hide the key rather than taking it but I'm attributing it to nervous energy and giving him a pass). This was our only key  so we had to figure out a way to retrieve it so he ended up finding an unused washing machine in the hall way to stand on and a make- up brush to fish it out. By this time I was feeling  some painful contractions so I just shook my head and impatiently waited while trying to remain calm. 

  We finally made it downstairs (after the neighbors came out and looked at us as if we were try break in) and flagged down a taxi.  We hopped in and instructed the driver to take us to Doha Clinic. After driving a couple of blocks, Dominic, in a semi-panic, says "we are going the wrong way! "

I figured the driver was just taking us a different way so I tried not to panic (or laugh) and couldn't help but feel like I was in a scene from a romantic-comedy.  We soon recognized that we were on the right path and made it to our destination.  

      We got settled into the delivery room and found out I was 2cm dilated so our doctor suggested I get some rest and she would recheck me again in a few hours and then have my epidural administered when I reached 6cm.  

   I'm not sure how she expected me to rest with the anticipation I was feeling and having contractions on top of that but my husband and I decided to watch Problem Child 2 and snack on some salt & vinegar Pringles while we waited.  My mom and dad called about every hour and I could hear their nerves and longing to be by my side through the phone. 

   I highly doubted I would ever have children and if I did I surely didn't imagine giving birth in the Middle East without my family present but God knew and makes no mistakes

   At one point my husband and I heard a lady screaming in labor down the hall and he said "that's what natural birth sounds like" and I followed by saying "yes, I'm  so glad I'm getting an epidural!"

  

   Well, 6am came around and I was just about 6cm so my doctor had the epidural administered as she could tell I was having intense contractions every 2minutes.  I had it in my mind that all I had to do was make it to the epidural and the rest would be easy (so I had heard from others who received an epidural).       

     I was  wrong!  For some reason the epidural didn't take with me and I could feel the contractions getting more painful and closer together. I told my husband "do something, this isn't working!"  (And probably repeated that to him a few dozen times over the next several hours)

 I could see the pain and helplessness in his eyes as he looked on me wishing he could take my pain away as he prayed for me. 

     The next few hours were almost like an out of body experience except I could definitely feel everything my body was going through. As an athlete who had always pushed myself and had great coaches who pushed my mind and body to the limit I thought there wasn't a much higher level of pain or exhaustion that I could be faced with but I was wrong again.  Looking back on the experience I do believe those trials in athletics helped me develop a mental toughness that helped me not give up and ask a for a c-section.

    Between 11:00am-1:18pm my mind, body, marriage, and relationship with God were challenged to grow in ways nobody could have explained to me.  There were times when I didn't think I could take another contraction and I had to pray to God and look into my husbands eyes for strength. There is no doubt that God used my husband to get me through the most challenging and painful experience of my life. He stood by my side (fanning me until I thought his arms were going to fall off because I kept telling him I needed it) and holding the oxygen mask over my mouth and nose as he encouraged me, coached me, and prayed for me.  

       A few minutes before  1 pm it was  finally time to push, which was the most exhausting and excruciating pain of the entire experience. But again, my husband was used by God to give me the strength and courage to do what I felt was impossible. I fell deeper in love with him than I could have imagined, truly experienced love at first sight when they handed me little Jincy, and saw God Almighty high and lifted up. It was if I was floating above the hospital bed watching the most miraculous experience ever take place, almost not seeming real. 

   Of all the "accomplishments" that I once was so proud of from setting and reaching high goals in basketball to seeing myself on billboards in Time Square, none of those even come close to bringing this little angel into the world.  Now I see clearly that accepting Jesus Christ as my savior, following The Lord in believer's baptism,  marrying Dominic, and giving birth to Jincy Rose Wright are my greatest accomplishments and blessings. 

    This first week with our daughter has been precious to say the least. Every moment with her is cherished and I already want to stop time and keep her wrapped in our arms forever. Now, the real challenge and opportunity starts, trying to raise her in a way that honors The Lord and allows her to see who Jesus Christ is and how much He and we love her so that she will accept Him as her savior one day and dedicate her life to being a light for Him.  We would appreciate prayers to help us be able to do this.  

 (1 week old, so we had to get her in the gym. Here she is at practice with Daddy and teammate, Uncle Nana)

   I'm just thankful she came a week early so we get to have more time to love on her. Nola and Pip are great with her, it's pretty clear that Nola thinks Jincy is her pup and wants to take care of her and Pip is her guard dog already.  To add to my happiness, Jincy loves getting in her mobu wrap and taking them outside for walks. 

 Overall, life just got a whole lot sweeter and we look forward to bringing her home to share her with our loved ones.  Oh, and Jincy quickly learned how to pull on Daddy's beard so he got a hair shave and a hair cut! 

P.S  After giving birth, give yourself plenty of time to let the swelling go down in your hands before trying to put your engagement ring and wedding band back on. I learned this the hard way a few days ago and we ended up in the women's hospital around midnight to get my ring cut off my finger! The women's hospital won't allow men in so daddy and Jincy had to wait outside on me and it was a pretty terrible experience. 

 Now, we can laugh about it an add it to the list of stories we want to tell Jincy about our early adventures with her! 

     Here is a bit from my husband about bringing Jincy into the world: 

 It is only appropriate that I start by thanking the Lord, Jesus Christ, for all He has done in my life, especially for my greatest blessing of all, without a doubt, my wife, Angela. From the moment we met, to our epic proposal, marriage, countless other joyous moments we've shared, and now the gift of Jincy Rose. It's amazing and humbling in the same breath to realize Jesus was at the center of them all. I can't imagine anything greater than what I experienced with Angela,the moment our little girl entered the world, I say this because I can't imagine what it will be like to enter into the presence of our Savior, but I like to think I touched a bit of heaven when I first laid eyes on Jincy.

I remember it vividly, hearing Angela let out a laugh and seeing a smile on her face, while I was on a call with a dear friend. It was unlike any other laughter and there was something even more special about her smile. This distracted me enough to rush off the phone not knowing exactly what I was about to hear. When she told me her water broke, on the surface, I thought my demeanor was pretty calm, cool, and collective, that's just me... Who am I kidding? I was a nervous wreck! I did get a bit dizzy and I am surprised I didn't hit the floor, thank God. My nerves, the  panic, I couldn't keep thoughts from racing through my head. The best advice came from the wife (as always), for me to go to practice and be ready for a call if I am needed. Basketball definitely served it's purpose this night.

I couldn't wait to get home, although Angela assured me everything was fine. Once I saw her poise it made me feel much more at ease, almost too confident, thinking this may be a piece of cake for her. (You all should know just how easily Angela makes eating cake look, especially while pregnant.) I thought I had myself together, but I still was doing uncharacteristic things like trying to hide a key, and I sure messed that up bad. Instead of exposing myself at my worst, it's better to fast-forward to the less embarrassing parts, but also more enjoyable.

Now that I look back, I am not sure if watching Problem Child 2 was such a good idea, I am praying we didn't jinx ourselves and Jincy may have overheard some of these obnoxious schemes. (We do wish kids could still be kids and enjoy movies like this.)

2cm, 3 cm, 5 cm dilated, was all jargon to me, everything Angela had educated me about the delivery process was out the window, I was too anxious to see what had been hidden for the passed 9 months. I am sure that if I would have known what Angela was about to endure, I wouldn't have been in such a rush. Then again, that's why it's so much better leaving the timing of things in God's hand, everything in His hand for that matter.

Like Angela, I had bought in to the stories of the epidural. I figured with the help of it as well as knowing Angela's toughness both physically and mentally, the pain would be minimal and wouldn't last long, at least I hoped for her sake. When it came time to push, I soon realized that everything I was hoping for would not even be short-lived, those hopes were erased by Angela's constant reminder that the medicine was not working, at all. I am pretty sure the nurses knew it too.

I have never felt more powerless or useless. My strength was drained watching Angela go through agonizing pain, and all I could do was watch and pray. Time didn't feel like time anymore, because it was at a standstill, with the person I loved most suffering in the midst of it. I couldn't fight back the tears watching her go through something so intense that I will never know for myself the feeling of, again thank God. As much as I remember the things she said to me, there's nothing more memorable than a time she stared into my eyes and she didn't say a word. That look alone told me everything I will ever need to know about just how much she loves me, and it will never be forgotten.

I saw Angela hit a wall, if I ever thought she would give up at anything, which I never had the thought, but if I did, this would have been it. I witnessed my wife muster everything she had to draw strength from another place, and then I saw God move and time finally resumed. After a few long strenuous pushes, Jincy Rose Wright entered the world, for us to never be the same. In that moment we both grew but as one, together, we became closer to Christ. 

As much joy as we have shared together, Angela and I have had many obstacles along the way and it certainly has not been an easy road. But we have found joy in the midst of many trials, which has been our pleasure to share with all of you. Sure, we have loved ones we want to give insight on our lives, but more importantly to share our faith in the One who has kept us throughout it all and why we are able to count it all joy. We choose to share because Jesus is in our hearts and we know that like us, many are falling into various trials in life. We pray, that  what we share can give if only one person a little hope or a little faith in Jesus because that's all it takes to overcome. His goodness brings joy that this world can't take away. Thank you Jesus for the real, live, proof of this which we have in our Jincy. 

Thank you to all that continue to pray for us, please know that each one is felt, cherished, and appreciated. Our God is so Faithful and True. 

Amen

     

   

  

Beaches, a birthday, and lessons being learned

Three weeks should be long enough to get settled into a new place I would think but we are still adjusting to Qatar and this season of life. I can't imagine going through this experience without the prayers and support of our loved ones and I want to thank each of you again who prays for us. 

    The weather has cooled off a little bit here which makes the evenings especially nice with a refreshing breeze that helps walking Nola & Pip be much more pleasant.  It was strange to see my brother wearing a jacket when we spoke on skype the other day and to hear my mom say it was pouring rain. I actually saw a cloud in the sky here a couple of days ago.  It was just one small cloud and no precipitation came from it but it was pretty exciting to see the sun setting with even a tiny cloud hanging next to it. 

      We also got to experience a beautiful day at the private beach here in Doha.  We had a couple of friends staying at the  St. Regis, a stunningly beautiful place to see  if you ever want to take a middle eastern vacation. 

 

 The visit with  them was really nice as we enjoyed getting so see familiar faces, share good laughs, conversation, and even a prayer on the beach. 

My husband was extremely excited to be able to finally get an omelet for breakfast because in our temporary apartment the stove isn't working. He was so excited  that her ordered two. ;)  I was more excited about getting down to the beach for some much needed time out enjoying God's beautiful creation and beautiful it was! The water was clear, clean, and the perfect temperature (unlike the sand that was so hot we had to run to the water once we took off our shoes) and because it was a private beach we could wear our normal swimsuits.  It was Jincy's first time in ocean and our first time since our honey moon in Destin, Fl. 

      Something about the beach turns me into a kid, maybe it's a reminder of how much fun we had on family trips to the beach when I was young but I automatically want to go into the water and swim as far as I can. My husband on the other hand, reluctantly ventures out with me asking how much further we are going to go and telling me the entire time we should turn back.  There were big rafts and trampolines out in the water for the hotel guests to play on so of course I couldn't resist. I set my eyes on the  biggest trampoline that was the furthest out, not realizing what a challenge it would be to climb up on  at 38 weeks pregnant.  Once I overcame the struggle of gravity and climbed up on the huge float , with a little help from my strong husband, I could have stayed up there for hours soaking in the sun and taking in the beautiful Doha cityscape against the Persian Gulf.  It was especially nice to be able to lay together, floating  under the open sky and thank our Lord for another opportunity  like this one after being in a high rise apartment for weeks. Unfortunately, Dominic and I both scraped our toes on the ladder climbing up and were bleeding a little bit and he reminded me that sharks could smell a drop of blood from miles away so getting back to shore was a little more adventurous than the swim out. 

I'm already looking forward to going back to the same place to take Jincy once she arrives and I thank God he allowed us to see more of His beautiful creations. 

 

    We still haven't moved into our long term apartment yet and I would be lying if I said I haven't asked God what He is doing through all of this in the past week or so.  Now that I'm 38 weeks pregnant and have the belly the size of a watermelon or two, it is really setting in to me that I'm about to be a mom. Not only that but a stay at home mom (while we are here at least).  I shamefully admit that I have had a bit of struggle accepting this season of life. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to become a mother, I love Jincy dearly already, AND I'm very thankful I wont have to rush back to working and leave her with a sitter.  I'm also thankful that I can support my husband full time in his  career and not worry about us juggling two work schedules while trying to spend quality time together. But if I'm honest with myself and with you I have to say it is a struggle to let go of the person I've always seen myself being and quite frankly, the center of my own world. Through my accomplishments  and busy schedules in basketball and the modeling industry I always felt a sense of pride and purpose so now I'm having to learn more about my true purpose and embrace what God wants for me, not what I selfishly want for me. 

I believe that one of the most important things God is trying to teach me in this season of life is that I'm not the center of the universe.  I now see that having a small army of people catering to you to get your hair, make up, and wardrobe just right before you go in front of the camera on any given day or an arena full of people cheering you on during a basketball game  can give you a false sense of importance and entitlement.   Because reality is, I'm not the center of the universe, He is, and my self worth shouldn't come from others glorifying me. I think He wants me to learn now that until I can deny myself and lay my life down for His sake, I won't ever fully get to experience His awesome plans and role He has for me in His kingdom, not my own kingdom. He wants more for me than worldly accomplishments because while rewarding in some regards, deep down I know they can't compare to the spiritual rewards and fruit that comes only from submitting to Him and living out His will. He loves me (and you) enough to teach us these hard lessons because He knows whats best for us. 

I share this only because there may be someone else out there going through something similar and hopefully this will encourage you to embrace Him and let go of self. I'm not there yet but I'm trying so please include this in your prayers for me.     

     One of the blessings I'm already realizing from this is how much more I should appreciate and respect the way my parents raised me and  the sacrifices they made for my brothers and me. They both sacrificed greatly to give us the life we had which I wouldn't trade for the world.  Just because I'm going to be a mom I am speaking of my mother's great impact on me and how she sacrificed worldly desires to be a stay at home mother and wife. 

I never had a baby sitter or went to day care one day in my entire childhood. She was present at every school event,  had dinner cooked when we got home from school, and tucked us in every night with warm blankets she would heat up in the dryer. She rebounded for me day after day for years in the hot summer sun or even worse in unairconditioned gyms, she cooked pregame meals for my teammates and never missed an athletic event of mine. She was a constant example of what Jesus did for us on the cross, laid down His life so that we can truly live. 

   I also got to see what a Godly wife can be for her husband as she supported (and still does) my dad by preparing wonderful meals, keeping the house clean and comfortable, greeting him with love every time he came home from a long day or night of work, and so much more.  There aren't enough words to say how much their selflessness and obedience to God impacted my life and I'm thankful I'm realizing the gifts they have given me more through this experience. I only hope I can bless my children and husband in the same way. 

       Hopefully, we are not only getting older but wiser as we celebrated a very special day on Oct 5th, Dominic's 28th birthday. I woke him up with an ice cream cake in bed and now I have eaten over half of it! 

We then got up and went on the hunt for another omelet (breakfast is his favorite and not easy to find here) which we eventually found at hotel downtown. Later that evening we went to a public beach, Al Wakra, that allows dogs because Nola & Pip wanted to celebrate too! This beach wasn't nearly as nice as the private beach or maybe it was just a little too crowded with everyone on vacation here for Eid but it was nice to see a beautiful sunset as Nola & Pip played in the sand. They finally saw another dog for the first time in weeks and looked at her like "What are you doing here? We thought we were the official dogs of Qatar!"

We were really amazed that there were hundreds of men their enjoying themselves with very  few women,  maybe 5-10 females on the entire beach! We couldn't figure out what the deal was with that until we remembered that 90% of the population here are immigrant workers with many of those being men who traveled here without their families.  (Which again reminded me to be thankful that we are here as a family) 

 The immigrant worker population is in large part due to Qatar being the 2022 World Cup host and has created a very interesting situation that I'm eager to share more with you all about once I do more research.  

    In the days ahead hope to get settled into  long term housing and get totally prepared for Jincy to make her debut into the world. Hopefully she waits a few more days until our doctor makes it back to Qatar from London. 

       Please keep praying for us as we continue to try to live each day for The Lord. There is no doubt He hears the prayers as we have been protected, used, and blessed  by Him during our stay so far. We hope everyone back home is enjoying the transition into fall and never taking for granted living in the greatest country in the world! 

Scripture on our hearts: 

-But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.-

2 Cor 12:9

-For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.-

 Jer 29:11

-Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.- 

 Matthew 16:24

-For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.-

 Mark 10:45

-Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.-

 Proverbs 31:30