We can hardly believe Jessah is a month old! She has brought incredible joy to our household. The children are constantly asking to hold her; they have been such an amazing help to me. People keep telling me I am super-mum for having six kids and to that I say – no, in a lot of ways it just gets easier the more children you have! 🙂 I am definitely not super-mum . . . I have lots of helpers and I have a good God who loves me and gives me the strength even when I am often weak and very inadequate. I love to watch how much my older children love Jessah and see how good they are in taking care of her. God knew what He was doing when He designed the family.
Hannah loves to write and sweetly wrote this little piece (see below) after giving Jessah a bath the other night:
Splash, Plash, “Hic”…. Tiny hands flail, little toes curl. Bubbles on round cheeks, covering little fists. Blue, blue eyes stare at the shiny rail. “What are you thinking little one?” “Hic”, little round belly jerks. Chubby legs kick in the warm water. “Hic”, arms shudder, then relax in the water. Baby coos warble from little lips. “Hic.” She seems surprised by the hiccups that are shaking her. I scoop water over her tiny, soft head, and marvel at its fragility. Water runs down her neck rolls, and back into the bath. Blue eyes stare entranced at the shiny rail. She feels the water with her minute hands, fingers curling to pick up… What? Feet kick, sending tidal waves of warm, scented bath water over her round tummy. They recede, leaving only a puddle of water in the little hole that is her belly-button. “Hic.” Tiny body shakes, drops of water rolling into the bath. Lips part, letting out a little cry. “Is it time to be done, sweetie?” Towel in my lap, I lift her slippery body. Wrapped in the towel, blue, blue eyes peeping out, she smiles. “Hic.”
Jessah is starting to do some longer stretches of sleep at night which is wonderful. I maintain I am the world’s worst person at coping with sleep deprivation! So along with the joy this past month, there have been tears of exhaustion and challenges in trying to keep my head above water. I still think that the first 6-8 weeks with a newborn are much harder than the labour and birth! But with my family’s help and lots of grace from our Father, I am feeling more human these days and functioning much better, despite the broken nights. God is helping me realise it’s OK to rest and also to be OK with letting things go undone. I have realised again recently how much I love to be in control (!) and having a newborn plus 5 other busy children is helping me to let things go a bit and embrace the chaos and imperfections of life.
Jessah’s smiles make it all worth it!
We’ve taken hundreds of photos over the past month. Here are just a few . . . Please pray for Peter as he leaves for four days of mentoring his ELF students in Athens tomorrow. Also, please pray for him as he prepares to speak at our Trinity Chippenham Christmas carol services the next two Sundays.
Thank you for praying for our family!
