A Little Peek at a Small Dude

Today we mark the one month face time arrival of our newest blessing, our son Daniel Luke Michael. He arrived on Saturday, September 28, a week ahead of his due date, and managed to give us all enough of a heads-up to get his siblings some awesome care and for Papa to make it to both services on Sunday. He weighed in at a solid seven pounds, fifteen ounces, and measured twenty inches long (and by six days post-partum, he'd shot up to eight and a half pounds. Good eater, this one). We were surprised but pleased to see his full head of blond hair--no bald baby this time! I'll share more about his watery births--physical and spiritual--later, but suffice it to say God is merciful and we are very grateful for our son. Say hello, Small Dude!

I'd say more, but the little manny is hungry, and I still haven't figured out how to breastfeed and blog at the same time. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! Our cup runs over.

Oh, and happy belated October, all, and Go Cardinals!

Benediction

The last few days have carried an absolute cacophony of news of life and death for lives touching ours. Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, a sweet lady, Dottie, from my home church (that is, the church where I grew up) passed away. I learned just a bit ago that one of my best friend's father, Jim, died late last night night. He was to begin cancer treatments yesterday and was instead admitted to hospice. Though I know little about Dottie's passing, I know that Jim's was expected, but not quite so suddenly. These lines do nothing to emphasize the jolting shock of death to children, to grandchildren, even when those dying are old.

In the meantime, church members we know celebrated the birth of a grandchild and great-grandchild. In an odd and humorous twist, the parents had been informed that their child was a girl. But on Sunday, they welcomed a son instead. Rowan is healthy and strong (and, presumably, not going to wear all the pink waiting for a baby girl at home).

On Friday, a friend forwarded me a prayer request for the son of her friends, who've been experiencing a tumultuous pregnancy due to their son's major medical problems. At that time, Tim and Paige expected to deliver their son Issac today, not knowing if he would live more than a few hours. Instead, he was delivered yesterday, and he screamed and peed--despite the non-existent kidney function the doctors all expected--and wiggled. His prognosis is still being discovered, but Tim wrote that when he left the hospital, "Paige was awake and laughing."

Few joys are so acute as those that are miracles of life; few sorrows are so intense as those that are losses in death. As Christians, we trust in the hope that is Christ and His resurrection from the dead for us. We look to He who tells us, "See My hands and My feet, that it is I myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24:39). He does--and we do--live, and will live. Issac and Rowan live on earth now until the last breath that God has ordained for them. Dottie and Jim have died on earth now and await their final bodily raising. But they are alive in Christ. They are in heaven, awake and laughing. And this helps us go in peace. 

And Then There were 3!

E with our beautiful children (boys laughing at the photographer!) 

We are so pleased to announce the arrival of our lovely daughter C, born at 10:39 p.m. on December 7. After just over ten hours of labor, our "little" girl showed her face--and the rest--to the world, all 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 3/4 inches of her. She was baptized into Christ's death and resurrection at just after 12:30 a.m. on December 8.

Bigger than her two brothers at birth, C has been a great blessing to our family already! We look forward to many smiley times, God willing, in the coming weeks, months, and years. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Labor--and Life--Perspective

We just enjoyed an afternoon visit from Annetta L., a lovely lady from church. She enjoys sitting on our front porch (in fact, she gave us the handcrafted wood sign that adorns said porch in the spring, summer, and early fall that says "Come Sit On My Porch"), but today we sat around the kitchen table because a fine April shower is falling outside and the preternaturally summer-esque days of earlier this week have melted into cool, more seasonal weather. She's in her mid-80s and has lived an amazing life, not in the Hollywood sense but in the everyday vocationally blessed life that God gives each of us. She comes from a family of 15 (isn't it incredible that our freak-show fascination with families like the Duggars is merely a few generations removed from families like Annetta's?), and she and her husband had 9 children within 10 years. She told us about when she birthed her daughter Darlene and the doctor said, "It's a girl! But there's another one coming," and then son Daryl appeared. Annetta said, "If I hadn't been lying down on the table I would have fallen over." Talk about a way to find out you're expecting twins! Annetta's family didn't have running water or indoor bathrooms when the kids were young--and of course, no disposable diapers--and frankly, when I hear stories like Annetta's I am more and more convinced that my life is cake. She graciously said that the world is different now, but I can't believe that life itself is harder in a world in which we (meaning average Americans) never worry about fresh water, toilets, whether or not we've got enough food, etc. I don't mean to belittle the exhausting work that motherhood with conveniences can be like; in a few weeks (or less) I'm sure I'll be in tears from constant breastfeeding, laundry, cooking... the especially intense early weeks of new babyhood (plus an adjusting toddler). But I hope I remember when those moments come how easy I really have it. AND, as Annetta so gently and subtly shared, how fast this time goes (see precious P birthday pic from the last post).



J on our porch, back around when P was born.

On Birth and Miracles

Okay, I'm realizing that this blogging thing is becoming more of a cathartic experience for me and less of a post-about-family thing that I originally intended. Therefore, I'm seriously considering starting another blog for my mind-rambling in order to keep this one focused on our lovely family. But before I get overly ambitious and allow this one to peter out, I'll just combine my two loves (random commentary and my wonderful fam) here. So, for those interested parties, please consider reading several terrific blogs by (mostly) Lutheran women that I enjoy. I read this one fairly regularly, and Rebekah, especially, alternately tickles me and inspires me. Her latest longer post dealing with induced labor and links to another awesome blog have reminded me how incredibly, incredibly blessed we were that P was born naturally. I think I've been incredibly naive about the fact that he was induced but somehow I (and he) avoided the knife and all the complications it can carry. I understand c-sections can be necessary, but all too often they're overused for, frankly, selfish and/or practitioner-protection reasons (NOT with the mother and child's best interests in mind). Anyway, P is a wonder, and so is S (bless his little yet-en-wombed heart). As Anne Shirley (or some screenwriter put it), "Babies are never common. Every one is a miracle."