Dear Jemima,
You are at such a delightful stage! In God's mercy, your growth is keeping pace with the changes of the season, and we are enjoying you so much in these busy fall days!
This month...
- You have gotten much more flexible with naps and bedtime. (Perhaps this was borne out of necessity, with a camping trip, the launch of school, and such?) It is a real mercy that you adjust to the day's needs, since our daily rhythm varies a lot! Basically, you nap sometime in the morning and then, Lord willing, make it fairly cheerfully until about 1pm, when you take a serious afternoon snooze until 4pm or so. We normally start the bedtime routine around 7:15pm and you are in bed around 8pm.
- I can't help but call you my Little Dumpling, dear roly-poly girl. It only seems fitting.
- Pretty much straining the seams on your 3 months. But I haven't pulled out the 6 month stuff yet...
- You outright laughed with me yesterday, and it is such a delightful little chortle. Your brothers continue to delight and amuse you, and you spend lots of quality time hanging out in your swing outside, just enjoying the breeze, the sun, the trees, and the joy of your own sweet fist to suck on.
- Lately you've been eating around 4am, 8am, 12:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm, and bedtime. But every day is different, and you've really sped up your meals so it's just a 10 minute affair (during the day). So we squeeze it in when needed, which definitely shifts around.
- You really don't spit while you're lying down now, so you're dry basically through the night. Now you are more likely to give a deep, belly belch, which I find hilarious coming from your petite frame.
- You still burble over a fair bit during the days. It's okay. You're cute even when wet.
- You've been making it through church in the sanctuary lately (falling asleep in my arms for a bit of the sermon). However, we are now launching into the "full Sunday marathon," so we shall see how that works out. But you have been showing your resilience and flexibility (and the Lord's kindness has been clear) in the midst of our other schedule transitions, so I trust you will ride this out as well.
- I'm enjoying afternoon or evening walks with you as often as we can fit it in. You enjoy cruising in the stroller or riding in the Ergo (if you've eaten recently, you normally fall asleep in the Ergo). It's one of my favorite things.
- You do have red hair, but it's not real prominent yet. Sometimes when you smile I catch a glimpse of my own baby pictures. But we get frequent comments about how well you fit in with your brothers. You are definitely one of the family!
- You have freckles on your nose. I love it.
Lately I have been reading in Exodus, particularly dwelling on the early days of Moses and his call to bring God's people out of Egypt. As I perused a commentary this morning, a line caught my eye and resonated. To summarize, it pointed out that the Bible is not merely history writing. It is persuasive history writing, presenting evidence and urging us to receive the truth that our God is worthy of trust.
Again and again, we see in God's word that His people are in horrible trouble that they can not resolve. The stakes are high. The options are few. There seems absolutely no way of escape.
That point--hemmed in on every side, desperate, inadequate, helpless on our own--that is the true condition of our hearts. How often God positions us precisely in such a condition so that we will realize, we will actually acknowledge our total need of Him.
Coming to the end of ourselves is not the end of our hope. In truth, it is most often the point we must reach before we will begin to place our hope in God alone. And there, sweet girl, we find that He is faithful. He is worthy of our trust. He is the Rescuer who brings us through the darkest night of despair into His glorious light.
Hebrews 11:6 says,
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
What God desires is not our help. Not our internal sufficiency. Not anything good we can muster on our own. He desires that we will look away from ourselves and find our hope in the Rescuer He has sent. "Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13).
I pray that this hope will be an anchor to your soul all the days of your life.
Momma
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