8 months old!

8 months old!

 

7 months old

 

6 months old

 

5 months old

 

4 months old

 

3 months old

 

2 months old

 

1 month old

 

2 weeks old

Dear Jemima,

Happy new year, and happy 2/3 of a year old to you!

We had a lovely month ...

- You had a joyful first Christmas! It was very special to see your wonder at twinkling lights, your enthusiasm for tissue paper, your enjoyment of new toys. (Elliot, noticing that you haven't had much to play with around home, asked very sweetly, "Mom, do you think we could get Jemima some toys?" Happily, you have an ample supply of entertaining toys now, little 5th-born!)

- You take real delight in spying yourself and me in the mirror across the room and sharing a great big smile with that cute little baby and momma-reflection!

- No more do you like the Bumbo. Once you have had a taste of standing, sitting in the constraining grip of a plastic seat is not the thing.

- You love to jump, jump, jump on my lap. Those kicking feet and happy chubby legs are the best.

- You haven't exactly taken off on your cereal, but you have enjoyed larger quantities of smushed peas on the special occasions that I remember to get them ready for you. You will get to eat real food someday, I promise.

- You are definitely in 9 month clothes, and I should probably find the 12 month bag...

- Your brothers love you, entertain you, and watch over you. Victor is big enough now to pick you up, carry you, and hold you on his own. This is excellent, a first in my life as a mother.

- We still get up generally once a night. With the colder nights, I now "double-bag" you in two zip-up sleep sacks. Lately you've been eating around 3:15am, and that gets you through until the morning. One more month, little lady, until you should be making solid progress toward sleeping through the night without meals. Home stretch.

- You like to move around and explore via rolling. But I find that I don't stick you on the floor as much as I did with your brothers (too many running/falling/stomping feet around!).

- Even in the cold, you like to be outside. Before the snow came, we got some nice walks with you in the Ergo. However, the contortions required for me to pull the hat up from covering your eyes while carrying you on my back were, no doubt, highly entertaining for the people we passed...

Things have been busy lately ... big meals, big plans, big gatherings, basically life on a large scale. And twice in the past few days I have found my emotional richter scale rising toward "Panic Mode." Kind of like a pipe under pressure, the building stress has found weak points to fizz off in alternate directions, which doubtless provides the recipient an unpleasant surprise like being sprayed in the face with cold water. 

What is going on there? I think the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus bears some similarity. In the midst of the storm, when invited by Jesus, Peter could pace on the waves without trouble. His eyes were on Jesus, his actions were obedient trust, and his feet didn't falter. But shift the focus just a few inches to the right or left--let the tempest steal the attention--and he was pulled into the froth and foam of the storm. 

We are often in situations beyond our capacity or control. Life as humans is not about stuffing everything into a safe little stress-free satchel of cares. Rather, we take the big, awkward, overwhelming load of life that God has apportioned to us and roll it onto the shoulders of the One whose strength never fails and whose help is ever-ready. And then fix our gaze on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Let our path be set by His compass and the unexpected demands and complications be met with His gracious provision, and we will not fall.

In Daddy's middle school Sunday school class yesterday, we looked at Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

The yoke that Jesus offers isn't just moderate; it's a yoke carried by stronger Shoulders than our own. The burden of the believer is a burden meant to be rolled to the One who cares ("Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved," Psalm 55:22; also 1 Peter 5:7). It's not easy because it's so small, it's easy because it's borne by the Everlasting Arms.

Life is more than we can manage, my dear daughter. There are enemies far stronger than we are, desires bigger than we can satisfy, weights too heavy for us. But draw close to the One who bore all our griefs and carried our sorrows, and you will find He is a perfectly safe refuge (Psalm 2:12b).

I love you, my dear,

Momma