A Tough Day

So, yesterday was a pretty tough day.  It was Kindermusik day, which is fun, but makes the day busy since we have to drive about 30 minutes to get there.  I woke up with some kindof nasty summer cold - sore throat, stuffy nose, etc.  Then there was a flat tire on Will's car that had to be dealt with (we sure do love AAA).  Thankfully, even though Benjamin's morning nap was thrown off by the flat tire, he had a great time at Kindermusik - laughing at songs and toys and bubbles, and generally being the completely charming little man that he is.

After getting home, I began to realize what a state my house was in - all imaginable counter space covered with dirty dishes, and so much laundry to be done that we didn't have a single clean bib in the house.

Necessity is the mother of invention?

Anyway, to add to an already long day, Benjamin had an allergic reaction to the raspberries in the baby food he had for lunch.  Poor thing broke out in hives all over his neck and face!  After a semi-panicked call to the pediatrician and a dose of Benadryl, both of us needed some "un-plugged" time, but I had to keep him awake to monitor his symptoms.  So, we put in a little baby video and vegged on the floor for a while.   Thankfully, the Benadryl did its thing, the hives subsided, and no other symptoms presented.

I can't decide if my severe allergy issues are going to make me a better, more equipped and relaxed mom when it comes to allergies, or if I'll be just that much more neurotic about it.  On one hand, I'm familiar with symptoms, prevention, treatments, and etc.  Its not like the whole allergic thing is new to me and that level of being equipped makes me feel better.  On the other hand, I know first hand the symptoms, how serious they can be, and how miserable it is to have your body launch itself into complete rebellion over something otherwise harmless.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the afternoon sipping hot tea and trying to find the Claritin pill that I had gotten out of the package, couldn't remember ever taking, but couldn't find anywhere either.

When poor Will got home, he entered a state of domestic destruction I wouldn't wish on any human being ... mountains of dirty dishes about to collapse in the kitchen, used Kleenexes all over the couch, our bedroom floor covered with piles of laundry ... you get the picture.  But sweet man that he is spent the evening washing dishes, fetching laundry and what not, and by the time we went to bed, our house and my soul were much more in order.

So I'll end this recounting of the day's events with a verse I read yesterday morning and that the Holy Spirit brought to my mind throughout the day ...

"For You bless the righteous, O Lord, Your cover them with favor as with a shield" Ps. 5:12

Thank you Lord...
- the flat tire happened at home and not somewhere along the road
- AAA was able to come quickly for a tow
- the tire was still covered under warranty and therefore was replaced at a fraction of the cost
- for Claritin and Benadryl
- Benjamin's reaction was minor in comparison to what it could have been (read: I didn't have to call 911 as the nurse at the doctor's office advised me to if he started wheezing)
- the pediatrician's office is available, understanding, prompt, and thorough
- for a husband who lives out selfess, sacrificial love
- Benjamin was able to sleep well last night
- for comfort from your Word!

One Thousand Gifts (Labor and Delivery Edition)

Ever since we got home from the hospital over a month ago (crazy how time flies!), I've been wanting to document all the ways, big and small, that God showed his faithfulness to us during the journey of Benjamin's birth. I've been learning a whole new way to manage time in the little 1 hr. segments I get these days, so that's my excuse for why this took so long! Unfortunately, I already feel those details getting foggy in my sleep-deprived brain. So tonight, while Will is at a Bible study and Benjamin tucked cozily in his crib, I find myself reflecting on October 8, 2009...

40. Incredibly meaningful times of prayer and Bible study that whole week leading up to Benjamin's birth... the Holy Spirit truly interceded for me and led me to Scriptures that I would be clinging to for days and weeks to come.

39. A positive and reassuring Dr's appt. that morning - he truly listened to our concerns and took the time to pay attention to the particularities of our situation. Doctors always seem so busy and rushed - I knew it was a complete answer to prayer that he stopped for us, so when he made the decision to send us to the hospital to be induced, I was able to be at peace about it.

38. Weeks before, I had been doing some reading and research about the drugs commonly used for induction, and had decided that should I need to be induced, there was one particular drug which I felt most comfortable with using. God was faithful to give me boldness in discussing this with the doctor, and the dr. consented to work with me in that area.

37. That one dose of one drug did the trick! Contractions started coming hard and fast within an hour or so, and I didn't have to receive any other medications to move my labor along.

36. An amazingly fast labor and delivery - I had contractions for about 6.5 hours and pushed for only 15 minutes before our precious Benjamin was born!

35. The strength to continue through the labor and delivery without an epidural - I know the only explanation is that God was there!

34. An incredibly supportive husband who was present with me through the whole journey and very attentive to my needs.

33. A wonderful nurse whose shifted lasted from 7 pm to 7 am, so she was able to be with us through the major portion of the labor, during delivery, and throughout those crazy early morning hours after Benjamin was born.

32. A medical staff who was incredibly sensitive to my severe peanut allergy (I believe this was spearheaded by our angel of a nurse listed above). Their concerns about my exposure to people who might have had peanuts led them to allow us to stay in our delivery room the whole night and next day after Benjamin's birth, and then move to a private room in the birthing center where we had wanted to be all along.

31. A healthy, safe, and beautiful Benjamin in our arms after the whole thing was over! Because I had to be induced, I was on constant fetal monitoring throughout labor. Even though this wouldn't have been my choice (I had envisioned being free of such "hindrances of modern medicine" as I labored), I distinctly remember being able to hear the rhythm of Benjamin's heartbeat and how reassuring that was to me.

I still look back and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was present with us in every detail. My prayer is that this experience will stregthen my faith and my confidence that, yes, God does move on behalf of His children. No, it doesn't always look like we had "envisioned" but it is always always always for His glory and our greater good.

A Discipline of Thanksgiving (One Thousand Gifts)

Does anyone else ever feel like being thankful is an act of your will? It's not that, in general, I'm not grateful to God for countless things, but at certain times, because of my own sin, hormones, or whatever, it's hard to see the forest for the trees, as they say.

I've been feeling weepy today as I contemplate the upcoming holidays, our first to celebrate with our precious baby, but also our first to celebrate so far from our families. And travel takes time. And travel is expensive (sometimes shockingly so, as we discovered during our initial ticket search last night). And airplanes are especially nerve-racking for us because of so many germs and peanuts. And then, if I let myself, a whole snowball of negativity gets started in my head of everything that's wrong or hard or hurts in life.

The reality is, God has been unfailingly faithful (can you say that?) to us over this transition. As I look back, I can't begrudge Him anything - He has provided. And just because He hasn't always provided in the ways that I wanted Him to, doesn't mean He isn't there for me. A very wise woman at Bible study last week pointed out that, "Sometimes we don't know where God is, but He always knows where we are."

Back in the spring when it became apparent that this transition was on the horizon for us, my mom started a list of all the things that God would need to work out on our behalf - from Will's graduation to the moving process to finding a church here. I've been postponing fully celebrating that list because its not complete yet (our house is still on the market) - but who am I to tell God how to provide for me? He promises that when His children ask for bread, He will not give them a stone. (Matthew 7:7-11)

30. webcams
29. our townhouse - cute, cozy, and convenient
28. our church - full of sweet people who have lived out the love of Christ to us
27. a second car - a gracious gift
26. artwork and photographs to hang on my walls
25. an awesome grocery store close to our house
24. a good doctor here
23. a gorgeous park just 5 minutes from us
22. a job that my husband enjoys
21. GRACE!

One Thousand Gifts

20. Real bbq all the way up here in CNY (www.dinosaurbarbque.com)
19. naps on a comfy couch
18. fresh veggies
17. photographs
16. a familiar hymn
15. chocolate! :)
14. laundry machines
13. white puffy clouds in a blue sky
12. a beautiful lake so close to our home
11. libraries

One Thousand Gifts

As a discipline of thankfulness and paying attention to the little things in life, I've decided to start my own list of "One Thousand Gifts," which originated at a thought-provoking and challenging blog, "A Holy Experience."

One of the (many) shortfalls of my over-analytical mind is that I tend to be so wrapped up in whatever conundrum confronts me this day, or just in the dailiness of laundry, errands, dishes, e-mail, clutter, laundry... that I overlook the small joys of life and the evidences of God's presence around me on a moment-by-moment basis. I just don't see things - this is also the reason my houseplants die, but that's a topic for another post :)

This quotation from Elizabeth Barrett Browning is always so convicting to me, "Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only those who see take off their shoes. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."

So, each Monday, I will post at least 10 things I'm grateful for, till my list reaches, and exceeds, "One Thousand Gifts"

10. houseplants :)
9. soft yarn for knitting
8. the hug of a new friend
7. the voice of an old friend
6. air conditioning on a hot, sticky summer day
5. enough phone minutes to stay connected with loved ones far away
4. comfy pajama pants
3. the feel of a baby kicking my ribs
2. a husband who loves me unconditionally
1. LIFE - the feel of breathing in, breathing out and knowing its because "in Him, all things hold together"