God's Little Miracles...

I spent a sleepless night last night praying for 2 very dear friends; each facing a day very different than the other, each a miracle in their own way! One friend woke up this morning and headed to the hospital to have her scheduled C section... to bring her precious baby girl into this world!!! The other friend, having only delivered her baby a short 3 weeks prior, faces watching her baby girl go in for an open heart surgery!

Each birth brings a Mother and her Child to the brink of death, whether it be a natural birth or a C-section because she is unable to deliver "naturally." Along with this comes the fear of the unknown... a Mother's mind has so many questions! Some completely reasonable; others maybe completely silly to other people and yet as Moms we have all thought them...
"Is my baby healthy?"
"Does he/she have all 10 fingers and 10 toes?"
 "Does he/she have hair?"
 "What if my baby is ugly??!"
"Am I going to be OK?"
"Can I do this??!"

Although we all have these worries of the unknown, I don't think any of us really think that we are going to really have to face something quite as scary as our baby having a heart problem! Yet, my friend went into labor 3 weeks ago having no idea that her baby DID have heart problems! She had a beautiful and fairly uneventful labor and delivery followed by a God-given 2 preciousl hours of skin to skin time before anyone realized there was a problem! She was then whisked of via Life Flight to a Children's Hospital 4 1/2 hours away from home!
What is the miracle in this, you might ask??! MANY THINGS... This friend of mine had several health issues that should have insured her giving birth a week or 2 early. Yet because of continuous scheduling issues, the Drs were unable to get her in. Which resulted in baby girl being born very close to hear due date! This was a miracle... every moment she stayed in Mama's womb gave her more of a chance to strengthen her lungs and heart! If she had been born a couple weeks early, the outcome of her delivery could have been very different! A coincidence? I DO NOT think so!
This friend was able to spend 2 hours uninterrupted time with her baby girl snuggling and enjoying each other! Who knew that in the next few hours their lives would have been turned upside down??! The Lord knew and I believe HE allowed those sweet moments because in the weeks to follow their contact would be limited!
Another miracle in this situation?? Just the fact that she was born in a generation where they could look at her tiny little heart, figure out what was wrong, and make a plan to fix it! Simply two generations before they may have had to sit and watch their daughter die, never knowing what was wrong! WOW... Praise God for Drs and the wisdom to fix the heart of a tiny baby!
So many other miracles I could list such as the testimony of her precious parents... I am so thankful that I have been able to sit back and watch this couple trust God in this circumstance in their life! The Lord has given me the honor of being a part of their circle of praying friends! God is so good... ALL the time!

As I sat and held the new baby daughter of my other friend today, I had to thank the Lord for His faithfulness, grace, and mercy... He is so good! I can't imagine going through the birth and forthcoming responsibility of a new child (let alone a heart surgery) without His leadership and guidance!

Thank You, Lord, that we know all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) and that You are a refuge in our times of trouble (Psalm 9:9; 32:7)!! Thank you that with You all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). AND THANK YOU for the miracle of life and the birth of these 2 precious little girls!
I pray you allow me to see some the amazing plans YOU have in the lives of these little girls and their families!

ABC's of ME...

A-Age: 29
B-Bed size: Queen
C-Chore you hate: LAUNDRY... I don't mind the washing/drying, but I HATE folding!!! :)
D-Dogs: None for now... maybe one day when the kiddos are a bit older!
E-Essential start to your day: Cup of Coffee... with Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer!
F-Favorite Color: Purple
G-Gold or Silver: Silver, ALWAYS silver!
H-Height: 5' 4"
I-Instruments you play: None unfortunately. Would love to play the piano!
J-Job title: Wife and Mommy! And they are each a full time job!!! :)
K-Kids: 4 ~ Chloe (6 years); Gracie (4 years); Micah often referred to as Bubba (2 years) and Noah (almost 7 months!)
L-Live: Thankfully back home in Eugene, OR... its been a long journey home though!!! :)
M-My Mom's Name: Jacque
N-Nickname: Mommy, Engeltje ("Little Angel" in Dutch), Babe
O-Overnight hospital stay: Only with each of my 4 kids!
P-Pet Peeve: People smacking thier food/gum!!!
Q-Quote from a movie: This would be a better question to ask my kids... they are always running around quoting the entire diologue to movies!!! Slightly obnoxious...
 R-Right/Lefty: Righty!
S-Sibling: 4 brothers/1 sis in law AND several wonderful friends who are LIKE sisters!
T-Time you wake up: When my kiddos wake up... usually about 8 am!
U-Unique information about yourself: I was born in Weisbaden, Germany! My hubby was born in Belgium and each of my 4 kids have been born in a different state!!! :)
V-Veggies you dislike: PEAS!!! Yuck...
W-What makes you run late: My Children... I use to never be late! Then I started having kids. Once I think I have a schedule worked out to be somewhere on time I have another kid that throws a kink in that! We are done now so we are finally getting better... :) Cause being late drives me CRAZY!
Y-Yummy food you make: Homemade Lasagna, Taco Soup!!
Z-Zoo animal: I love Monkeys... they are just sooooo cute!!! :) And fun to watch!

The Words I Would Say...

While cleaning this morning I had the radio on, as I often do to help motivate me, and this song came on! The words spoke to me! I have several friends and family going through very difficult situations right now! I dedicate this song to you. I am so thankful that the Lord allows us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)...

Three in the morning,
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say

**Song by Sidewalk Prophets**

We like sheep...

On the way to our Pastor's wives house on Tuesday afternoon, I passed a field of sheep! The sheep in this field were so peaceful and many of them were lying down and it seemed to me they were just enjoying the little lambs who ran around playfully! I immediately thought of the message from Sunday School on Sunday! And the rest of the week I have been pondering the phrase from Psalm 23:2a:

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures..."

The phrase is not all that impressive when you just read it in passing. However, my husband is using a *book written by a Shepherd and it gives a whole new meaning to those 9 small words! Sheep will refuse to lay down unless their following needs are met:

They Must Be:

  1. Free of all fear

  2. Free from friction with others of their kind

  3. Free of pests (flys, parasites, etc)

  4. Free from hunger

Wow... when you apply this to us, as Christians, it has so much meaning! Christ wants to give us peace and rest but we can not truly have that until we have trusted Christ to free us of these same things in our lives! Some are harder to overcome than others, however, Jesus provides a way! All we have to do is trust!

I can't wait to get the next installment on Psalm 23 tomorrow morning!!!

*A Shepherds Look at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller

Another Step on his Journey away from his Mommy...

I do promise that all of my posts will not be about Noah's many, many new milestones... as there will be MANY to come! However, tonight was the first time I fed him solid foods! Now, I know some people who read this will think, "What??? He is 6 months old... you haven't fed him yet??!" I allow that people can disagree with me but none of my kids ate any solid food until they were 6 months old! I knew that IF they day came where they were showing signs of being hungry (such as waking up in the middle of the night, etc...) I WOULD feed them. None of mine ever did that! They all nursed every 3 hours during the day and slept through the night from the time they were a few weeks old... Very blessed, I know! Partly though, that came from alot of hard work and planning on this Mama's part!!

In light of all that, Noah is now 6 months old and I knew it WAS time to start feeding him some solid food! I have to admit that this was NOT easy for me!! I bought the food a few days ago and kept finding excuses to put it off one more day...

Tonight, though, was THE night! As you can see in the video, He loved it!

When I first brought the bowl out he grabbed it and put his mouth on the side as if he could just suck it right out of the bowl...





He kept sticking his tongue out waiting for another bite!



...Finally! SUCCESS!! Thank You, Mommy!!





Big Smile~Happy Baby







At the end of the whole wonderful new experience for my precious son, we snuggled on the couch and he nursed! I swear he looked at me with whole new eyes during this time of nursing. As if he was saying, "Wow, Mom!! Can life really be this good??! I get that new food stuff... AND I still get to snuggle up and get the Mama's Milk! Thank You!"

Point of the story?? Each new step is wonderful... as hard as it MAY be, if we just take that next step it brings with it many unforgettable moments with our children!

My Baby is 6 Months Old!

I have gone through the transition from newborn to infant 3 times before this... and yet never has it been quite this hard!!! My little Noah Jericho is now 6 months old (as of February 20th) and he is beginning to think that he might want to give a shot to this crawling thing. (As seen in the above video...) Altho, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching each of my children's milestones this one is distinctly different... He is my BABY! The last baby I will have (unless the Lord changes these plans) and each new accomplishment is the next step in him leaving his Mommy!

I, of course, want my kids (even my boys) to grow up into wonderful, secure adults who want to leave home and make it in this world on their own... However, when I held this precious newborn at a whopping 6 lbs 14 oz (which was my smallest baby) my heart somewhat broke! This pregnancy was so precious... I felt better than I did with any of them and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment of those 9 precious months. In the last month of my pregnancy I secretly wished that time would just slow down for a bit! I knew once this little man was born I would never again hold one of my children that close again... within my womb. Never again feel the tiny pokes or strong kicks of a tiny baby growing inside me. The miracle of pregnancy and birth NEVER cease to amaze me... whether it is one of my children or hearing the story of another woman's experience I am often moved to tears at the goodness of our Lord for allowing us, as women, to be a part of this amazing miracle! It truly is nothing short of that...

"Thank you Lord for all of my precious babies! Help me to enjoy each moment and to treasure the time you have given to us...

Amidst all the chaos of crayons being thrown across the living room, or food being thrown to the floor or a disagreement among siblings, HELP me to remember how blessed I truly am and what a miracle each of their little lives are!"

The Beginning

To begin, I would like to share a post from a friend! This "poem" describes our journey completely:

Wait!

Desperately, hopelessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait!'

"Wait?, you say, wait!" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and am claiming Your Word."

"My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign."

"And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want...but, you wouldn't know Me."

"You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see."

You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save...,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart."

The flow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last."

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
Your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!"

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to wait."