Girl #3

It looks like girl #3 will be joining our family this fall!

Will you please pray for this little one? Last week during an ultrasound, the technician found a fluid-filled area in her abdomen. After examing it further, the doctor has basically ruled out a tumor (as it would be a solid mass, not fluid-filled) or a distended bowel. He believes that the most likely scenario is that she has an ovarian cyst. We have decided not to do an MRI or anything at this point. I’ll have another ultrasound in 2-3 weeks, and if the area has grown, we’ll consider an MRI at that point.

We know that our little girl is in God’s capable hands. Please pray that she will continue to grow properly and that Dan and I will be able to make wise decisions regarding this matter. Thank you!

Just Like Daddy

I’m sure that all mothers of boys have witnessed this same thing I’m about to to talk about, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to witness it, so I’m going to talk about it.

I am fascinated at how Jonathan imitates everything that Dan does. Once in a while, my girls would try and do something that Dan did. Jonathan, however, wants to be just like Daddy. He copies Dan’s mannerisms, habits, and way of walking. He follows Dan around and attempts to do every chore or activity that Daddy does.

It’s amazing the detail of Dan’s mannerisms that Jonathan pays attention to. Sometimes I catch him doing something that I didn’t even realize that Dan was doing. I wonder to myself “why is Jonathan standing that way with his leg crossed?” and then look over to see Dan doing it, too. If Dan sits on the couch with one arm up over the pillow, you can bet that Jonathan is doing the same. He does it so nonchalantly, too, as though it were the most natural thing in the world for an 18 month old to sit on the couch with one arm stretched way up high on top of the pillow.

Dan is his favorite person. Every morning when he wakes up, he wants to know where Dan is. If I tell him that Dan is at work, Jonathan goes “vroom, vroom” (meaning that he left in his car) and he’s OK with that.  But as soon as Dan walks through the door in the evening, Jonathan is the first one who flies into the room yelling ”Daaaaaaaaaaa-dee!!!”

It’s sobering to Dan to realize how closely Jonathan watches him and gives him an even greater impetus to be a good example for him.

To me, though, it’s a source of joy and entertaiment all day!

I came around the corner the other night before the children’s bedtime and here’s how I found Jonathan. He had grabbed Dan’s work lunch backpack and put on a pair of Dan’s work shoes. He was going to work, like every responsible man should do:

Goodbye Mommy!

See you tonight!

“Umm…I could use a little help with this door…”

Enjoy them

This afternoon as I was making my purchase at a small consignment shop near my home, I chatted with the woman behind the counter. As she looked at my little ones around me, she mused, “Enjoy them…they grow so quickly. I had five, and believe me, they grow up so fast.”

I’ve heard this many times from various women, almost all of them older. As many times as I’ve been admonished of this, I’ve wondered if I’m truly enjoying the time like I should be. I mean, I think I am. I’m not really sure what these women mean by saying this. The mantra “enjoy them”  has been repeated to me so often that I get the impression that not many mothers do enjoy their children while they’re young. Is is even possible?

Let’s face it – young mothers are busy! The stage of raising babies and young children is exceptionally busy. Among the dirty diapers to change, laundry to wash, boo-boos to kiss, millions of little toys to pick up, tears to dry, tantrums to squelch, sibling confrontations to referee and stories to read, there isn’t much time for long-thought-out musings about how much I’m enjoying this stage.

As I thought about this for the remainder of the day, I came to realize that I am indeed enjoying my children and I thought of more ways that I can make this time with them even more profitable.

Realize how special and precious my children are in God’s sight. When I look at my children as unique people that God has created, I am more apt to appreciate them and see their special qualities.

Spend time with them. I don’t mean just “quality time”, but “quantity time”. Maybe this is what the women who tell me this really missed with their children. In our family, we have built into our days different times where our children are close to us doing something special. When we intentionally structure our days to include time together, we are less likely to just skip the parent/child time because of busyness creeping in. Examples of this are morning Bible Time, where we all get to be close together, praying, singing hymns and reading the Bible. The conversations that ensue during that time are often the most precious. Another time that is special is storytime with Daddy. Dan makes every effort to keep this “appointment” with the children every evening at 8:00pm, no matter how busy he is. Other special times include Daddy occasionally choosing a special helper for evening chores. That child gets to go out alone with him to help him and more importantly, talk. One night per week, each of our children have a “special night” with Mom and Dad where they get to stay up 1/2 hour later than everyone else and play a special game or do something fun of their choosing.

Work to cultive active, open relationships with them. I believe that this will, in turn, make them more enjoyable to be around. A major part of this is using the time we have with them to instill God’s Word in word and in deed. 

“You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up  - Deuteronomy 11:19

Whenever someone tells me to watch out because they “grow so fast”, this is the area that I often think of first. I ask myself “Will I use this time wisely to teach them all that I can? By the time they are grown, will I have demonstrated to them mercy, true love and a willingness to admit failures and mistakes? Will I have pointed them to God as their true Helper in life?” Close, loving relationships are founded on unconditional love, which is not possible apart from God.

Touch lovingly. Holding hands during prayer, snuggling close during a story or spending time sitting in bed next to each child before sleep gives a sense of comfort and joy to both me and my children.

Use encouraging words. This is one area where I’m trying to improve on. When I’m busy, I have the tendency to sound more like a drill sargeant then a kind encourager. I know that my relationships with my children will be more enjoyable when words of kindness flow from my mouth. This prayer comes to my lips often:

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. -Psalm 141:3

I hope that when my children are adults, I won’t spend much time wishing that I’d enjoyed them more as children. Instead, I hope that I’ll be able to continue the benefits of lasting relationships that were started and cultivated in childhood.

How about you? Did you enjoy your children when they were young? If you have young children, how do you intentionally enjoy and fill these moments that you have with them?

Photographs: A summer treasure shared; a serious conversation with a 2 year old; a new bundle to snuggle

Yes, it’s true…

…there really IS a baby in there! I saw him (or her) today, kicking and wiggling around all over the place! Everything looks healthy and normal.

We are so thankful and happy, as you can see on my face in this picture that Abigail took of me when I got home from my appointment today.

As of today, I’m 12 weeks and should be nearing the end of the sick part. I’m very happy and thankful for that, too.

Farmers

Early in the morning hours, before the girls even rise, there’s important farm work to be done with Daddy…

(Notice how Jonathan keeps his hand on his sippy cup just like Daddy does on his cofffee. )

Here the two farmers quietly peruse used farm equipment, with Jonathan providing appropriate sound effects (“vroom, vroom!”) when necessary. I’d better not disturb their hard work!

30, Part 2

Have you wondered why it’s been so quiet around here lately?

Well, there was something else that happened on my 30th birthday that I didn’t share earlier…

That was the day we found out that we are expecting our fourth child!!

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been very, very sick – which is my normal pregnancy routine.

In addition to my “regular” sickness, each of my children have come down with the stomach flu sometime during the past week. It’s been a bit of a struggle to keep my head above the water, so to speak. But God has buoyed me up and continues to carry me through this challenging period.

I’m looking forward to my first midwife visit in a week or two to hear that precious heartbeat!

Children: Blessing or drain?

I heard an amazing comment at a gathering awhile ago. It was in response to my mother asking a young newly married man how many children he and his wife would like to have. He responded that they would love to have many children, but they weren’t sure with how bad things are today.

When I asked him whether he meant the financial burden of raising children or the evil world we live in, he said both. He went on to explain:

You see, back in Bible times, it was an agricultural society, so children WERE a blessing back then. They actually contributed to the family income. Today, there just aren’t enough jobs for people, because so many jobs are service jobs instead of industry jobs.

He was quick to add:

Of course, we still think children are a blessing. I mean, we love them and everything – but they aren’t a blessing in the same way [note by me: and therefore, should be limited].

At that moment in time, I chose not to address his issue about children being a financial burden, but rather chose to focus on the issue of bringing children into the evil society that we live in, as it seemed more important to me at the moment.

I wonder how you would have responded to this young man and his claim that children are more of a drain (financially) on families than a blessing in our modern society.

Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

What a mess!

When both Abigail and Iliana were around one year old, the only finger foods they were allowed to eat were dry and clean ones, like Cheerios, bread chunks, cheese chunks, etc.

Either I’m becoming more laid back as mom or I’m just getting lazy.

Take a look:

Yes, I knowingly let Jonathan feed himself turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, broccoli, a biscuit and pumpkin pie (complete with whipped cream) last night.

Scary.