Wordless Wednesday…”1997’s Great Expectation”

Posted on October 3, 2012 by thisnest

Second Child Pregnancy

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A Milk Refill

Posted on October 1, 2012 by thisnest

Weaning a breastfed toddler

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It’s been hard for him these last few months since I finally weened him. Although he’s coming to accept my explanation that there is no more milk in my boobies, as he calls them – when he’s really tired, he still asks for that old familiar comfort.

He must have thought on this for some time – this claim of mine that the milk is gone. In all of his amazing three-year-old reasoning, he solved this most pressing dilemma. I’m the one who is apparently too dense to grasp the logical direction to which his amazing brain was headed.

He took his glass of milk (from a cow) off of the counter where it was sitting next to his lunch. He carefully walked it over to me. He handed it to me. He demanded I drink it all. I thought he was just playing some kind of game…so I played along, pretending to take a sip out of the tiny cup. He saw right through my fake-out, growing frustrated, and demanded again that I drink it all. I still didn’t know what was happening, but I drank the milk anyway…it seemed very important to him, so I obliged.

A very big smile crept across his very handsome face as he let me in on his little secret…

“Thewe! he exclaimed “Now ya have milk in ya boobies!”

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Losing And Finding D’Lo

Posted on September 27, 2012 by thisnest

Chapel Hill tubal reversal

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Five years and eleven months ago, I was on a flight to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to undergo a tubal reversal. My sweet mama accompanied me on my journey, and when I say journey – I mean that in more than a geographical sense. I was on a mission to find our fourth child, our son. I lost him seven years earlier when I’d had my tubes tied. I had misplaced him and I mourned him…even though he had only existed in my heart. He was real to me, because we’d wanted him.

With ten kids under our roof by the time we were twenty-eight, we made the difficult yet easy decision. Difficult because that meant we would sacrifice that fourth child, long before even his conception. Easy because we were stress-fully, physically, emotionally, and financially exhausted. So the choice was made and carried out…and my heart ached while my head reassured it of our right decision.

Fast forward those seven years, we made a new decision – a chance to find our fourth child. Combined with that the fact that I was having complications due to the tubal, and we were left praying for the proverbial two birds with one stone. We refinanced our house, we consulted, we weighed and measured, we made travel plans…and we jumped into those prayers!

Guess what?! Eleven months, almost to the day, from my reversal surgery – we welcomed our precious, long-lost son, D’Angelo into the world on September 27th, 2007 – and into the family who had waited so long for him. Happy 5th birthday, Baby Boy! You are phenomenal! You are incredible! You are amazing! You are absolutely everything (and so much more) than I could have ever hoped you’d be…YOU ARE.

Mommy and Daddy love you so dang much. We are so thankful we found you.

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First Day Success

Posted on September 26, 2012 by thisnest

What was I even worried about?! These two were like preschool pros! I was worried about them missing me…they didn’t even know I was gone. I was worried about them being apart…they found surrogate brothers in their new classrooms. I was worried about their safety…God (and great teachers, TA’s, and volunteer parents) took precious care of my babies.

They had the BEST day – followed by an entire evening of re-living each playdough, crayon, and playground moment with each of the bigger Sparrows in This Nest. They had so much fun, in fact, that after nearly five hours of what I anticipated being an unsteady transition…they didn’t even want to come home with their mama!

Thank You, Lord, for answering this mother’s prayer for her babies’ first day of preschool. It was an even better experience for them than I could have imagined. Cute boys and their little backpacks with big smiles on their very important day – and we owe it all to You 🙂

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Night Before The Big Day!

Posted on September 24, 2012 by thisnest

First Day of Preschool

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Twas the night before preschool and all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, except mama mouse.

She was cleaning, and packing, and trying to pray

that her babies would have a safe first day…

The Maniac Midgets are sound asleep – the same place that I should be. Their clothes are laid out. Their new Spiderman backpacks are stacked, packed, and waiting to be holstered upon their very small shoulders. They are very excited.

Mama Sparrow is ready too. My class schedule is printed. I’m way too tired to be nervous anymore. Before this day gets all the way from me though, I just wanted to acknowledge the significance of this, the night before their very first day of preschool.

I have kissed their sleeping faces, prayed over them, taken my own mental pictures of tonight – my attempt to freeze time, even if it is only in my own head. My camera is charged and ready to take those same familiar pics…I have taken them before – in 1999, 2001, and 2003. I look at those occasionally and stand in awe at the speed in which those days escaped me.

Tomorrow I will take more of our last little Sparrows. I will enjoy every frustrating moment the morning will bring, and I will count every minute as important…because I know that it will be just the blink of an eye before tomorrow’s pictures will also be records of distant memories.

Lord, please watch over my babies tomorrow. Please cover every mouth, eye, and hand that takes part in my children’s care on this very big, first day of preschool, and continuing on into this term. Please send legions of angels to surround, all the way around, above and below my little guys, a hedge of protection against all harm – physical, mental, emotional,and especially spiritual. I pray all of these things in the name of your own precious Son…Amen.

 

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