Laughter and tears

It's so much fun watching a baby's development....

    It never ceases to amaze me to see Katherine showing personality in some way or other. She is definitely getting to that age now where expressions really start showing in a hundred ways. I am discovering that she loves to laugh, (Who doesn't though), and even more importantly, loves to be tickled, thrown into the air (or at least given a zero gravity ride, which is as close to 'throwing her' as I get at the moment), teased, or splashed, flipped upside down, or given an airplane ride around the living area... Any one of those is usually enough to break her out in a cheeky grin at least, and most of them draw outright chuckles and laughter.

    I'm enjoying being home a little more often these days, (And potentially will be for a while, depending on which doors God opens or slams shut)... for the last 2 months I have gotten to see my little girl for no more than half an hour a day, and that usually just before bedtime, when, chances are she'd be tired, worn out, and a little on the cranky side. Now I get to see her when she wakes up in the morning and treats us to her cheeky good morning smirks. I get to see her play through the day, and watch the wheels turning in her head as she works things out. I get to watch her smile while she is taking a bath (Something she enjoys immensely, but only if she is holding the bath thermometer... Don't ask, lol, that's just the way it works).

    I get to see her grumpy and upset too. Sometimes she is overtired, or she's got a tummy complaint, or a tooth is being a bit sore, or any of the other things which add spice to the life of a six month old. There's plenty of blood, sweat and tears that go right along with being a parent. It's not the easy life. But it is the best life. Sometimes, when she has a really cranky session at 11PM, and nothing seems to help, I catch myself wondering whether it is all worth it. But then it takes just one of her smile to even the score for all the grumpy times she's ever had. That look of impish delight in her eyes is worth more than all the tears and crying. And when she laughs, that moment is pure joy. Nothing, ever, is more amazing than seeing her laugh... And so I tickle her lots... And give her 'airplane rides' through the house, and blow raspberries on her tummy, and anything else I can think of to have her in stitches. Because life is like that... There will always be the sad, miserable, sleepless nights, with wind, or colic, or teething.

But the happy times are created. They are intentional...

Katherine loves the bean bag... Maybe I should get her one so I can have mine back! :D

Little Children

Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God.

The mothers, bringing their children to Jesus, eager for their little ones to receive a blessing from Him. The disciples, sending them away, telling them that Jesus had no time for the children.

But Jesus did. As a matter of fact, He showed by his actions that children were a priority with him. Much more a priority than preaching sermons anyway. What a lesson!

How often do parents dodge time with their children because they have more 'important' things to do? It is very easy for parents to imagine that what they have to do (working, cooking, cleaning, washing, church, etc) is much more important than time with their children... But is it? How can it be?

And then there are Jesus words, "For of such is the kingdom of heaven". Have you meet many children? There are some sweet ones, and then there are some that for one reason or another, go wrong. Why? When I read this text today, it dawned on me why.

These children, that Jesus referred to as children of heaven, had one thing that many, even most, children lack. They had mother's (maybe father's too!), who wanted Jesus's blessing for their children! To them, nothing, no sermon, not their daily duties, nothing, was more important than getting that blessing.

Of such mothers, come children fitted for the kingdom of heaven...

Of such fathers, come children fitted for the kingdom of heaven...

Bubsy

So... Little Miss Katherine is asleep.

I wonder if all parents get a little thrill when their baby is asleep? I know I do.

In the last week or two, we have discovered that what she needed was more sleep... She has, it seems been a little overtired, and so have we! Since my wife has been enforcing regular sleeps, she has been a MUCH happier baby. That that's all good.

She's also growing at a rate of knots. I swear she is going to grow quite tall, she has such long legs...

Yesterday we went to the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, with two other young couples we know. It was amusing to see three prams, with three babies in them, all within a few weeks of each other in age. It didn't take long to work out, that between the three little bubs, at least one was awake. I'd hate to have triplets... For all that, all three behaved themselves very well... The parents on the other hand, lol.......

Katherine loves to sit up and look around. I think she takes after me, very curious about everything around her... She also loves to be held. But she definitely goes through phases where Daddy just won't do, it has to be a hug from Mummy. She's so adorable though. I'm hoping we don't spoil her rotten, because I'm afraid it would be only to easy. We don't want to raise a child that is used to getting their own way with everything. Spoilt children are only too common these days, and unfortunatly, once the damage is done in early childhood, it is almost impossible to reverse...

I think she's waking up. The hammock she is in is starting to sway and bounce, and she is calling out to her Mummy...  It is so cute to see her wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled in her little hammock. It seems to be her favorite method of sleeping though. And the best part is, it can be moved from room to room while she sleeps...
 

I'll never let go of your hand...

This is the other poem I have been meaning to post up. In the last few months, it has had a special significance for me... God never lets go. He wants nothing more than to support us through the tough times. We may miss the things He has planned for us, we make mistakes, and mess things up, but He is just wanting us to walk with Him...

I'll Never Let Go Of Your Hand

1.  I know what you've been hearing
I've seen you hide your fear
Embarrassed by your weaknesses
Afraid to let Me near
I wish you knew how much I long,
For you to understand
No matter what may happen, child
I'll never let go of your hand

2.  I know you've been forsaken
By all you've known before
When you failed their expectations
They frowned and closed the door
But even though your heart itself
Should lose the will to stand
No matter what may happen, child
I'll never let go of your hand

The life that I have given you
No one can take away
I've sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word
The everlasting Father
Has made His covenant with you
And He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard

3.  So don't you fear to show them
All the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
In everything you do
And even if you do it wrong
And miss the joy I've planned
I'll never, never let go of your hand

The life that I have given you
No one can take away
I've sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word
The everlasting Father
Has made His covenant with you
And He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard

4.  So don't you fear to show them
All the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
In everything you do
And even if you do it wrong
And miss the joy I've planned
I'll never, never let go of your hand
I'll never let go of your hand

Don Francisco

Calling the prodigal...

This is a really great poem, that shows God's yearning for the sinner to turn back... When I first heard it, it impressed me very deeply, and I thought I just had to share it... I'll be sharing another poem soon, by the same author, which is just as good, and equally inspiring....


1.  I loved you long before the time your eyes first saw the day
And everything I've done has been to help you on the way
But you took all that you wanted, then at last you took your leave,
And traded off a Kingdom for the lies that you believed

2.  And although you've chosen darkness with its miseries and fears
Although you've gone so far from Me and wasted all those years
Even though My name's been spattered by the mire in which you lie,
I'll take you back this instant, if you'll turn to Me and cry.

I don't care where you've been sleeping, I don't care who's made your bed
I already gave My life to set you free;
There's no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love,
And it's all yours if you'll come home again to Me.

3.  When you come back to your senses and you see who's been to blame,
Remember all the good things that were yours with just My name;
Then don't waste another thought before you change the way you're bound
I'll be running out to meet you if you'll only turn around

I don't care where you've been sleeping, I don't care who's made your bed
I already gave My life to set you free;
There's no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love,
And it's all yours if you'll come home again to Me.

Don Fransisco

Heard but not seen

It's 1:00 PM on Sunday the 9th....

I am physically, emotionally, and mentally drained and exhausted.

But that's nothing to how my wife must feel... She has been labouring actively for well over 12 hours. Before that she had been in pre labour for another 24 hours. Before that, she has had 2 weeks of on and off pre labour. It's been exhausting. But it's about to get interesting....

I'm sitting on the chair next to my wife's bed. Behind me a monitor is making a rythmic beeping noise. Around me, people are working, smoothly, efficiently, quietly. Masks, gowns, caps, all make it look like something surreal. Like I've walked into a movie scene. Except, that's my wife lying there, and I'm trying not to think about what's going on behind the sheet draped in front of me.

That's when I hear it. A cry. Repeated, and strong. The stunned look on my wife's face must be a reflection of my own. But still I can't look. because if I do, I'll faint. I haven't eaten for 24 hours, and haven't had more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, and the one thing I want to do right then is look over the curtain. But no. I don't want to faint, again. Just enjoy the sound for now. the sound of our baby girl crying. A healthy strong cry. But I still can't afford to look. Fainting right now would not help things.

The cry stops as she is soothed. And then I look around the curtain as she is taken to one side. She is cleaned, and wrapped in a blanket. I am told I can go over and see her. She is gorgeous. Dark, almost black hair, little wrinkly hands and feet, and of course, a very different head shape from what she will have in a few hours. Her temperature, pulse, and respiratory signs are checked and noted, and then she is weighed. She looks small... But she weighs 3.65kgs (7 pounds 10 ounces). That's  more than I would have guessed just from looking at her. She is 54cm long, so the ultrasound technician who had told us she was quite long was right.

And then I can hold her. Her eyes look up at me, and I can feel the weight of the last 3 months disappear. I hold her, and she seems happy. Her skin is a rosy colour, except her hands and feet, which are wrinkled and a little paler and bluer.

I walk back to my wife, and the look in her eyes speaks volumes. The one thing she wants to do, she can't do right now. The motherly instinct to cuddle the baby has to for now. Because for her it's not over yet. The baby is brought over, and I hold her in front of Cherith for a while. So she can see her, talk to her, take in the reality of it. But then it's back to business. The baby is placed back in a hospital bassinet. And the work of repairing the damage begins. 15 minutes later, Cherith is stitched up and ready to be wheeled out. The sheer exhaustion, multiplied by the amount of painkillers she has been given in the last 10 hours, are taking their toll. For 6 hours, she can't keep her eyes open for more than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, she also can't seem to sleep for more than 10 minutes. Unbeknown to anyone at the time, she is reacting to one of the painkillers.  Sweating, nausea, and lightheadedness soon follow. She manages to feed the baby, and then it's all over for that night.

When I come back into the hospital the next morning at 7:30, Cherith looks a lot better. The staff have indentified the offending painkiller, and the symptoms slowly go away. Still she has to stay in bed. The extra oxygen she was breathing in has been taken away, the drip follows a little while later. Finally she can get up. But still she has to be very gentle about it. She can hold her baby properly now though. Only for short periods, and then she has to lie down again. Not only does she lack energy, but her abdomen feels very much like it had just been cut open and stitched back together again, which of course it has.

It's over though. For nearly two months we have tried everything to stop Cherith going into premature labour. And it worked. She made it past 41 weeks. Then for 3 weeks we have tried everything to bring on labour and make it as easy as possible. And all that is over. The baby has been brought into this world, albeit a little differently to the way we would have wished. But what we wished for most is a healthy baby, and a healthy mummy for the baby. And that wish seems to have come true.

So when they say, "Children should be seen and not heard", forget it. Sometimes it's comforting to hear them, and know that they are alright.


P.S. I fainted when Cherith was given a needle. I hate needles. Especially watching them being put into other people. Apparently it was a graceful slump onto a chair and from there the floor, but I wouldn't have a clue.

A parent's prayer...

Seeing as I am going to be a father soon, I thought it was time for a little fun...

 

A Parent's Prayer
by David Axton

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet,
Far from the daily family riot.
May I lie back and not have to think
About what they're stuffing down the sink,

Or who they're with, or where they're at
And what they're doing to the cat.
I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)

To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)
Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)

And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I've got the right to dream)
Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,

But as I look around I know,
I must have lost them long ago