Enjoying Today

Sometimes the day-to-day can be kind of tough. As many of you know, I'm a list maker. So lately, I wake up with a mental list (who has time to write it down any more!) and out of ten things to do, I might get one done in a given day. That can be frustrating. But then there are moments that remind me just to enjoy every day. This picture captured one of them. I was taking a picture of Samuel sucking his thumb (which I think is pretty impressive for a three-week-old), and Isaiah came over and gave him a big kiss. So sweet.

Babies at Chrismas

Here's a picture of Samuel and my niece Abbie.

I realized that it's really neat to have a newborn around Christmas time. Samuel reminds me of baby Jesus and how small and vulnerable He was. He came to earth as something so fragile and dependent. And I definitely don't believe the line in "Away in a Manger" that says "no crying He makes." I'm sure that baby Jesus cried. How else would Mary know when to feed Him? It's not a sin to cry; it's just how babies communicate. And speaking of Mary, I can imagine how much she loved her baby. What I can't imagine is the heart-wrenching pain she must have felt when Jesus was nailed to a cross. Her precious baby that was so vulnerable at birth made Himself vulnerable again on the cross. He could have called angels down to see to His every need. He didn't have to allow Himself to die on the cross. But He did it to wipe away all sin forever. Pretty amazing.

He'll use anything

You know Isaiah loves trains. So tonight he took a cardboard box and called it his train engine. Then he put another box of toys behind it, his leap pad behind that, a few other toys, and then his red sweater as the caboose. What amazed me was that, in his mind, there were no limitations on what could be used to make a train. Maybe that's what is means to think like a child. It's amazing what we can learn from kids.

Relationships that grow with time

I'm very thankful for my grandparents. When I was growing up, I only saw them a few times a year because they lived in central PA and I lived in Connecticut. But we talked on the phone about once a week, and the three grandkids (my sister, my cousin Jonathan, and I) knew that they loved us and were interested in our lives. Through college, getting married, and having kids, my grandparents were always able to offer advice and tell stories about when they were in similar situations. Probably one of the things I have appreciated most about them lately is their ability to relate to being in the ministry. My pap was a pastor for over forty years, so he saw just about everything a pastor could see. And my grandma was right there with him. They never tried to tell us how to do ministry or what was right or wrong. They could just relate. Now my pap is in heaven (sometimes I wonder exactly what he's doing up there, but I know he's happy and not in any pain) and my grandma's still here. To be honest, mentally, she's starting to fade. But she remembers being in the ministry with my pap. She loves talking about it and is always encouraging to us. So I'm thankful that they were able to love us as young kids, yet allow us to grow up and relate to us as adults.

Koinonia

When I think of the word koinonia what comes to my mind is this cheesy song we used to sing at the Christian college I went to. But this morning at church our guest speaker Vern Borchert talked about koinonia and how it's much more than singing Kum Ba Ya around a campfire. (Click here to hear his message - scroll down and it's on the left.) He defined koinonia as a partnership or close relationship; also, being humbly reliant on Christ and Christian brothers and sisters. He said that, for him personally, most of the things he learned about God he learned from other people. I never thought about it, but I think that is definitely true for me too. I mean, I do learn things from personal study of the Bible, but I really learn a lot from group discussions in our small groups and from talking to other people. So thanks to everyone who has taught me something about God!

Save the planet, man

We didn't recycle for a while. They actually don't pick up recycling on our private road, so we had a good excuse. But then my mom volunteered to take our recycling to her house. So we started collecting the plastic, cans, and paper. It's amazing how much there is and how quickly it piles up! And we're just one family. So if you don't recycle, I'd encourage you to start. Once you see how much you really use, you'll see how important it is!

Samuel Update

Samuel went to the doctor's on Friday, and he weighed in at 9 pounds. As a minimum, babies should regain their birth weight (his was 8 lbs 14 oz.) by the time they are two weeks old. He wasn't quite two weeks on Friday, so his weight gain is very good. Thank God for a healthy, beautiful baby! Now if he would only sleep at night... Dan keeps reminding me that he's not even two weeks old yet.

Living in the Bermuda Triangle

So I decided that we picked the worst possible child spacing. Isaiah wants to be involved with Samuel but he's too rough and gets frustrated very easily. His naps are dwindling to practically nothing, and he does the complete opposite of anything I tell him to do. He responds "No!" to everything. He's very demanding and doesn't understand the concept of waiting. Every meal is a battle usually including several time outs. He just learned how to turn door knobs and likes to go in closets, then shuts the door the whole way, and then freaks out because he's locked in there. So we bought a few of those plastic door knob covers which, thankfully, he can't open. He also started waking up at 7:00 am. This from the child that used to sleep in 'til 9:00 or later most days. Now since we brought Sam home, he gets up at 7:00. It's pure torture because I just don't do mornings. And of course with a newborn it's constant feedings and not much sleep. I don't know why everything is converging at once. It's like living in the Bermuda Triangle or something!

But Isaiah's not all bad. He's still really cute and fun. He just came over to me with his hand behind his back and said, "Mommy, what's in my hand?" Then he said with a big smile, "It's probably something yummy." Then he opened his hand to reveal some plastic wrap from a DVD case and said, "It's garbage!" and then cracked up, which made me laugh so hard it hurt. Ah, two-year-olds.

Thoughts on having two kids...

1. Now I have to make new rules like, "No trains on the baby's head."

2. I don't think I'll ever leave the house with the two of them by myself... it was hard enough getting somewhere on time with just me and Isaiah!

3. What do I do when they're both crying at the same time?

4. I don't know how single moms do it - Dan has been so helpful this week.

5. It's true what they say - there is enough love to go around to both kids.

Baby Samuel

Little Samuel entered the world on Monday November 5, 2007 weighing in at 8 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long. Having a baby the second time around is a very different experience. I was much more aware of what was going on around me, and I was able to enjoy it more. I must have had at least ten diffent nurses while I was in the hospital, and every one of them was so patient and caring. And my two delivery nurses were just phenomenal. I was their only patient, and they just did everything possible to help me. In fact they almost had to deliver the baby because they couldn't get my doctor in quickly enough!

Now I'm home and I feel so much better than when I came home with Isaiah. So far Sam has been a pretty easy baby. Of course he thinks days are nights and vice versa, but that should fix itself before too long.

World Peace

Today we ate lunch at the Giant Eagle cafe. I'm embarassed to admit that we've been spending a small fortune eating out lately because I just can't think about cooking and planning meals. It's terrible. But anyway, CNN was on while we were there. They were reporting on the Pakistani president declaring a state of emergency and martial law. Another story we watched was about this Saudi Arabian Dr. Phil-type person counseling young Muslim men on the best methods of wife-beating. I just watched in amazement and disbelief. I don't want to go into a big commentary on the state of the Middle East, but during all this, Isaiah randomly looked at me with a big smile. He made a little peace sign (which he just learned how to do) and proudly said, "World peace!" I couldn't help appreciating the freedom and rights that we have.

Things that make me smile...

1. A long super-hot shower

2. A hug from Isaiah

3. When Dan gets home from work

4. A good piece of fruit (especially fuji apples)

5. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

6. A clean house

7. People eating food together

8. Good sales

9. Playing piano

10. Reading a bible verse that is perfect for when I need it

11. Reading library books to Isaiah

12. Looking at family photos

13. Seinfeld

14. Crisp fall days

15. Checking things off my to-do list