Oh, the Sweetest Thing

I got the U2 song playing in your head now, don't I?  Well, it's playing in mine.  

It was a clever title, what can I say?

I've had quite a few good titles piling up and things to write about, but not the time or our computers' cooperation in the past few weeks.  And too bad I got inspired to blog about my girls towards the end of my 2-year-old's nap and at about the time I'll need to nurse my 3-week-old again!  Oh well, hopefully this will make it up before my husband gets home and has to use the laptop to work on one of his essays for school.

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So, I was browsing Facebook and noticed that my mother-in-law had created an album on her profile titled "Adella Hope" filled with pictures she took of Adella and Leala during her visit here at the beginning of the month.  I was so surprised when I saw the picture she took of Gregg kissing Adella in the hospital.  I remember him doing that and not having my camera within reach to capture the special moment.  I only vaguely remember my mother-in-law snapping the picture. But she did, she captured it (thank goodness)!  Then excitedly I remembered the picture I took of Gregg kissing Leala when she was a newborn in the hospital!  Since several of you have told me that you really liked the other pair of twinsey photos I posted of Leala and Adella, I decided to post another set.  It's amazing to me that both of these sets of pictures were taken by coincidence.

Speaking of candid, unrehearsed moments captured on camera, I caught Leala holding Adella's hand from the other room while she was eating her snack and watching Jelly Telly online earlier today.  I was only able to sneak this one shot before Leala realized I had entered the room and was taking her picture.  It's moments like these that encourage me to keep seeing the best in my daughter, especially since lately my husband and I have been seeing what people must mean by "the terrible twos."  I've been tempted to take my daughter's fits personally and start seeing her as an irritation.  I've lost my patience and have gotten frustrated.  But sweet moments like these remind me of Leala's potential for good and I want to keep being the one who believes in her as opposed to becoming one who would make a habit of disapproving of her.  It reminds me of the things I read from Sally Clarkson recently about building strong relationships with your children:

"... as we accept and encourage our children, we will teach them to be encouraging in their own relationships.  Children who are constantly criticized will tend to be negative and critical in their relationships with others.  When children feel appreciated and encouraged, they become encouragers themselves, sources of life and hope in an often discouraging world."  {The Mission of Motherhood, p. 133}  

What do you know, I actually finished this post in one sitting!  Time to nurse Adella now, for Leala to wake up from her nap and my husband to come home from work soon. 

Adella's Arrival

 

A week ago from today, Adella Hope Fields was born!  Because my labor with Leala took 30-something hours, I was not expecting Adella's quick arrival.  After only 5 hours of labor, Adella entered the world!  I had however mentally prepared myself for the possibility of Adella coming so quickly that I wouldn't have time to get an epidural, since that was the experience of some of the moms I knew.  And that's what happened!  Honestly though, I think I rather preferred to just get it over with rather than have it drag out so long.  In a way it was cool to feel how my body worked to get the baby out, like each time the baby dropped.  How God has created and designed our bodies is amazing!  And thankfully Adella was only 7 lbs., 11 oz, interestingly enough on 10-7-11.  Recovery has been surprisingly quick as well and Adella has had no problem nursing (though it has been a pretty painful process for me).  It still seems surreal that we're actually a family of 4 now!  Gregg and I are so blessed that God would give us another daughter.  Children truly are a gift from Him (Psalm 127:3)!

Gregg and I were happy to get to go home after only having to be in the hospital for 24 hours.  Out of curiosity we found Leala's newborn pictures and compared them to the ones I took of Adella.  We thought, along with my mother-in-law, that they almost looked like they could be twins in these two pictures.  Leala was born at 8 lbs., 8 oz., so it makes Adella seem so small.  [laughs] She's swimming in her newborn clothes!  Adella seems to have gotten more of my physical features.  She has more of my olive-colored skin, the slanted shape of my eyes, and the amount of hair I was born with.  It's hard to tell what her eye color is, but to me it doesn't look very blue.  I think she will end up with green eyes.  Either that or dark blue eyes, but we'll see.  Both Adella and Leala have my dark hair color but Gregg's cool rectangular hairline.

It has been so sweet hearing Leala say, "Hi baby-by-by-by."  Leala's given Adella kisses, hugs and gentle pats.  She's even tried to feed Adella her food [laughs].  Leala's been the big helper I thought she would be.  [laughs] It will be interesting to see how things will be with Leala and Adella once my mother-in-law flies back home and Gregg goes back to work.  It'll take God's grace and a lot of prayer some days, I'm sure.  I think this new season of life will be a good growing experience for us all and I'm thankful for it.

In the Stillness

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I was catching up on the events of online life this morning since I haven't been on the computer as much lately due to Gregg needing the laptop more often for school and me nesting like crazy with my due date being right around the corner!  One of the things I came across was this post my friend, Arielle, blogged on Tuesday.  I couldn't believe that on the same day she shared about the need to be still in the midst of this busy season of her life, God spoke to my heart, "Be still" when I was feeling restless and desperate to find something to lift me up spiritually.  So I sat down on the couch in my living room and just watched and listened to the refreshing rain that had begun falling outside and answered God's call to be still in His presence... 

"Be still, and know that I am God."

{Psalm 46:10}

Since the summer, I had gotten back in a routine of reading at least a chapter a day in my Bible in the morning and would get to spend a little time in prayer before Leala woke up.  But being at the end of my pregnancy, getting out of bed in the morning has been harder, and my days now begin with Leala crying for someone to come get her and take care of her.  I have learned how important that simple prayer each morning of, "Dear God, please give me the love and patience I need to care for Leala today," has been as I look back and see how the past couple weeks have gone without it.  They've been filled with days of frustration with Leala, raising my voice in impatience and irritation with her, and just overall stress.  My friend, Arielle, was so right when she wrote, "I am filled up so that I can be poured out again" and going through Sally Clarkson's book, The Mission of Motherhood on Tuesday mornings, I am well familiar with her similar maxim of, "You can't give to your children what you don't have yourself."  In fact, the night before, in preparing for my Tuesday morning study, I was convicted after I read about how Jesus served His disciples the night before He was going to go through a brutal crucifixion (chapter 4, The Servant Mother; p. 63-65).  He had every right to be served by them, but instead, He set the loving example of serving them, even knowing that they all would leave and betray Him when He was arrested.  So in light of Jesus' example, being at the tiring end of my pregnancy and facing the impending labor and delivery of my baby is no excuse to treat Leala the way I have.  I want these final days with just her before her baby sister comes, to be filled with special one-on-one memories, not filled with mommy being a stress case.

So in my spiritual lack, God met me where I was at and gave me the solution to my problem: "Be still."  And when I was obedient, not only did He sweetly and beautifully speak those words to my heart, but these encouraging words from the worship song, None But Jesus, came to my mind:

 

"In the quiet, in the stillness I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence I know there I am restored 

When You call I won't refuse...

There is no one else for me, 

None but Jesus

Crucified to set me free...

So when You call I won't delay...

All my delight is in You, Lord

All of my hope, all of my strength

All my delight is in You, Lord, forevermore..."