Lessons on Love

I woke up early this morning & had a hard time going back to sleep, so I wrote this in my journal...

Lessons on Love

I had a baby yesterday
& felt the Love of the Lord
through the hugs,
shared tears,
& kind words
of those who love Him & love me.

I held my baby yesterday
& felt the Love of the Lord
through the depth of love I felt
for my sweet child.
And it did my heart good
to love him,
to hold him,
to name him,
and to wrap his tiny body with his perfect feet,
his beautiful hands, delicate face, & still heart
in the blanket I stitched with love just for him.

I lost my baby yesterday
& felt the Love of the Lord
through answered prayers-
comfort when we prayed for comfort,
healing when we prayed for healing,
help when we needed help,
& love when our hearts were breaking.

LOVE is a gift.

Post removed

I deleted our last post about expecting a baby because we are miscarrying. I'm 14 (almost 15) weeks along, but the heart is no longer beating & the baby's not growing. This is our 2nd miscarriage.
I'm just waiting for the body to release the pregnancy naturally & am hoping there are no complications that necessitate additional intervention. I started spotting lightly last night. I'm thankful for some time to process what's happening.
When doing research on the internet, it seems that we might be able to determine the gender when we see the baby. I sure hope so because I'd like to name the baby.
Our chosen names are:
Hope for a girl
James for a boy
Hope I like because we are sad, but we have hope- hope for another baby someday & hope that things happen because a loving Heavenly Father has a plan for our lives.
Baby James is inspired by a song called "Sweet Baby James". Our baby will never grow to be a Jimmy or a Jim, but will always be just "Sweet Baby James". The end of the song goes:

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rock-a-bye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rock-a-bye sweet baby James

Nativity video

Here is the nativity video our family made last year- I can't believe how much they've grown in 1 year.
I still think it's precious...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Florida

We just got back yesterday from our Thanksgiving trip.
We had almost my whole family there & had a great time.
Here's a few pics...

NOT a pushover parent

I recently read this parenting book that critized parents who end their instructions with "OK?". Those parents were pushovers, the book asserted & need to just state their expectations, not make it seem like there is another option if the one the parent stated is not ok with the child.

Well, I say "OK" a lot. But, I don't think I'm a pushover. I don't say "OK" asking the child's permission. It's just that "OK" is quicker than saying, "I've now finished explaining my expectations, now please acknowledge that you heard and understood them."

Still, the doubts lingered... Afterall, I've never had my parenting philosophies published. Do my kids think I'm asking for acknowledgment or permission? Should I stop saying ok? Am I a pushover parent?

Yesterday morning, however, the 1st grader woke up early & headed downstairs. I explained, "the dishes in the dishwasher are clean, so you can get yourself a drink. Also, you can watch a video, but make sure the volume is low, OK?"

His response? "Yes, sir."

Thank you, child. Can I kiss you?! You just validated that I'm NOT a pushover parent. Now, let's see if we can teach you how to salute? ...

Lil' What's-his-name?

My sister thinks I don't post enough pictures of the baby.
OK, so Miss H DID have more pictures than he did for his birthday post.
(Don't all 3rd children get lost in their siblings' shadows?)
So, here's a post devoted exclusively to lil' what's-his-name.
Some options for a blogging name for him other than "the baby"...
STINKER
because he makes this cute face where he scrunches up his nose like he's smells something foul...



or "B"
as in big brave boy who climbs stairs like he's a professional rockclimber.


Perhaps RERUN like the little brother on the Peanuts gang who looks just like Linus.
Don't you think he's a rerun of his older brother?

He even loves dragging around hockey sticks. (And because this is a post about the baby, I won't even mention that D scored 2 goals this season and is missing 2 teeth, so he even looks and acts like an official hockey player!)


So, cast your votes in the comments for a new blogging name for lil' what's-his'name.

Our October

The baby is now officially 1! (I'm going to have to find a blogging name for him other than "baby" pretty soon!)
Miss H just finished swim lessons & had such a great time.


I wish I had a better picture of D in his hockey gear...
He's started playing hockey in the house with his plastic golf clubs & has been sent to the "penalty box" a few times for "high-sticking" & "injuring innocent spectators". (We're the ones who need protective equipment when he plays hockey in the house!) It's sure fun to watch his games, though.
Hope everyone is enjoying fall!