We Do, God Helping Us.

Mother's Day this year was a myriad of emotion and experience.

I was awaken at 5:15 by our sweet Naomi.  I suppose she was eager to get this special day started.  For that day she was to be baptized into the covenant.

On my mind at that early hour was Mother's Day 2010 , last year.    Oh,  how uneasy I was heading to God's house that beautiful spring Sunday.  Conflicted because I had much to be grateful for after all,  I was a mother 4 times over,  but grieving the still baby I had delivered 3 weeks prior.   It was the first Mother's Day I experienced with a heavenly baby.   How clearly I remember telling myself not to be so upset,  to be logical.

Don't let Mother's Day get to you,  I told myself... it's just a Hallmark holiday anyway. 

I survived that day, even got a few photos of it.   When last year's Mother's Day was through, I prayed that the next year,  my heart would have some healing and I could testify to God's work in my life.  

That was my prayer.  

In fact I even wrote about it here. 

God,  as He promises to do,  answered that prayer and I was given the opportunity on Mother's Day to share during the worship service.  Speaking honestly about the pain and joy our last year has seen,   how God is always good and His blessing is not based on my deserving or perception. 

I'm forever grateful for the chance to stand there,  with my husband and newborn daughter at my side,  and proclaim-- To God Alone be the Glory!  Thank you for bringing us this far!!

It was just one of those days where I realized how amazing this life can be.  How,  through the loss of April,  God can use me,  how He opened my eyes and heart to so much.  How it is only the beginning.

Well, like I mentioned at the start of this post.  Mother's Day was also Baptism day for Naomi.  I was determined to keep a calm attitude despite my nerves and the chaos of getting everyone out of the house.   Unlike any given Sunday,  I did NOT want the drive to church to be one of kids fighting,  me grumbling under my breath about how Dan waited so long to brush his teeth and surely that is why we were late.   Rather, I hoped for smooth and methodical Sunday morning preparation and did my best to facilitate that.   You would think I would do this everyday of my life,  but no.  Chaos generally reigns.

Thankfully,  everyone (including myself) was well behaved and we had a joyous time celebrating  with family and friends.

Naomi in the baptism dress worn by me, my sis Stacey, Joy, and Juliet

love, love, love the history in that gown!

First, 

do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, accept the promises of God, and affirm the truth of the Christian faith which is proclaimed in the Bible and confessed in this church of Christ?

Second, 

do you believe that your children, though sinful by nature, are received by God in Christ as members of his covenant, and therefore ought to be baptized?

Third, 

do you promise, in reliance on the Holy Spirit and with the help of the Christian community, to do all in your power to instruct these children in the Christian faith and to lead them by your example into the life of Christian discipleship?

We do, God helping us.

Prayers for a Precious One

I'd like to ask those who follow this blog

(some of you I know, some I am quite certain I do not know)

to

please

pray

for an unborn baby.

The precious baby of dear friends.

click the bird button above to learn more of Baby Bird's story and how you can jointhe warriors of prayer as we wait in hope for the life of this baby.
Thank you so very much. 


If you would like to add this "pray for baby bird" button to your blog, copy and paste the code that you see here in my right sidebar.

one last hurrah. (a long lost blog post!)

This post was written pre-Naomi :)  I just discovered it in my blog drafts and for the sake of memory keeping,  thought I would still post it.

in the beginning of  March, we packed up the mini-van and mozied down to Schaumburg, Illinois to visit LegoLand Discovery Center.

Dan and I promoted it to the kids as one last family trip before the baby comes.    We would stay in a hotel,   eat at restaurants,  and swim in the pool!   They could hardly wait until the Friday we would leave.  The closer the weekend came,   the sicker and rounder I was becoming.    All hopped up on nasal spray and Zantac,  I soldiered through the rather close quarters of LegoLand and slithered into a swimsuit for a dip in the hotel pool.  

Fun family times were had by all.   I'd have to say my one of my favorite parts of the weekend was Thai food delivered to our hotel room!      There is nothing more fun that eating on a bed with 6 people watching Spongebob Squarepants...   or is there ? ? ?

A few pix from the experience...

 are we having fun yet?

 very typical

 

I was not allowed on the rides. 

Joy thought this was about the funniest thing she had ever seen!

April's Garden 2011

Last year we created a garden in the front of our home.
A memorial garden.

it was a productive activity,  and i really, really needed to do something with my time and anxious thoughts.

At the time (May) Dan suggested that we plant a good amount of spring bloomers because after all,  our baby passed away in April just as spring was budding and blooming.   The garden as it bloomed would remind us of April our 5th baby,  of God's faithfulness in our lives and ultimately bring us joy.

But, by the time we prepared the yard and put the finishing touches on the garden,  Spring had long passed.   We had to wait until Spring 2011 to see new growth and beautiful blooms.   It rather well represents the patience and waiting I had to learn this last year. 

Looking back I can still feel how impatient I was.   I wanted time to pass as quick as possible.  I wanted to rush the outcome.  In my mind one year after April's passing would be significant.  Significantly healing,  I had hoped.   God did reveal His plan this last year,  in powerful ways.
I like that the garden is so much more than just a collection of soil and vegetation.  It is a symbol.  Not just this Spring,  but every Spring season in the future. 

Today,  it is Spring 2011, one year later.   I snapped a few photos to share the progress and the beauty of the garden.