what a difference a month makes
there are so many things that can be done in a month
my heart has grown in vast proportions this month
i didn't think i could love another child so completely
i didn't think i could function on such little sleep
i didn't think we would adjust to being "5" as smoothly as we have
i am BLESSED
life is good
the end
my poor poor karys...it's difficult to watch a five year old grieve
she has loved and adored cats since she could speak!
and, since we caved into her wishes over a year ago and got her a kitten, she has loved and adored her "Cricit" (Cricket) cat!!
needless to say, we've lost the cat...she's gone, and has been for over 2 weeks now! see the ziploc bag at the top of the picture?? yup...it's FILLED with little pictures and notes to/about Cricket and (don't judge me) a chunk of her fur they found when she and Daddy were on a walk looking for her!
it's hard to see, but I honestly forget about it a LOT of the time...until moments like tonight when she drew this card and wrote this note and was biting the insides of her cheeks to make the tears go away...
i have let her know that it's okay to be sad...it's good that she's writing these things to help her remember her kitty...and it's certainly helpful to cry! so...cry she did....and it nearly broke my heart!
how to comfort her? how to help her when she wonders "why?" what to say when she asks if God will bring her back?
my little girl is sadly getting an adult dose of reality...
i wish i could take it away...
now, my question is, does another kitty really fix things or make it worse??! and i'm the mummy who has to make the call...*sigh*...i've never wanted that cat back so badly!
i am blessed...
daily, i am reminded of the many things in life that are a cause for thanksgiving and celebration...
today was no different...
an "off the cuff" comment from our middle child led us to have an age-appropriate conversation with her...
that comment and conversation resulted in a cause for celebration!
WHY??
because Avery has asked Jesus into her heart!!!
we could not be more excited for her!!
and SHE could not have been more excited to be taken out for ice cream...like her sister was...to celebrate this moment!!
Avery has such a huge heart, she never fails to make us laugh each and every day, she is a source of joy in our life and we are so excited for her to have made this decision to accept Jesus as her Saviour!!
LEVI "unified" EMERY "brave, full of strength" made his debut on August 26th at 3:44 pm...we could not be happier!
Something we have been waiting for for 2 years had finally happened and the joy that filled our hearts was and still is INDESCRIBABLE!
We thought we knew what was best for us...
We thought it was best to have our children close together...
We thought having it take a year and a half of trying was too long...
"Man plans his path...God directs his steps"
This is perfect...
God's plan for our family is perfect...
This age-gap is perfect...
And we are blessed!
It all started that morning...around 5:45am...three days later than I had planned! :P
My contractions were 2-4 mins apart from the on-set. I timed them for an hour, not wanting them to stop, but also feeling unsure as to whether I was ready for them to be "real." I also didn't want to wake Jim, for fear that they would all stop!
So, after the hour I timed them for another 15 minutes before calling my midwife. She asked how I felt, and I knew things were not going to be as hasty as with Avery. She lives 45 minutes away and said she'd come right away just to check things.
She got to our home (which was perfectly silent because the girls had actually been at my Mum's for a sleepover! What a blessing!) and I was only 2-3 cm dilated...but at least it was something!!
While she was here she received a phone call from the hospital letting her know of their shortage of OB nurses...meaning that if she had anyone in labour (ME) that day, and they didn't have the baby before 7pm, (!!) that person (ME) would have to be FLOWN OUT!!! She hung up the phone and said "We have to have this baby before 7 tonight!!"
I had never wanted to induce painful contraction more than then! But, things went slowly along for the next chunk of the day...until 2pm rolled along and my midwife suggested that we move to the hospital and break my water, in hopes to speed things up.
To the hospital we went...and it took 45 minutes for her to get all her ducks in a row and at 2:45 she broke me water...
Remember the beginning of the post, where I said Levi was born at 3:44pm!! yup...59 minutes after my water broke I went from 5 cm to 10 cm and pushed him out! Needless to say, that was an hour of my life that I will never forget, but never want to re-live!!
One push and my life was forever changed!
