One Month Old!

Josiah is...

...1 month old!

2 weeks old

For a look at Victor's 1-month mark...

Dear Josiah,

We have had a month together now... a month of not being pregnant (it feels wonderful!) and a month of re-learning the mysterious world of newborns.  

You will probably have lots of folks looking for similarities and differences between you and your big brother Victor.  You look quite like your big brother, especially when you sleep.  Both of you so beautiful... again I find myself marveling that God would entrust such a perfect little person to our care for a little while.

- You have been a good spitter ever since the hospital (even earlier than Victor)--and started on some reflux medicine last week.  Happily, it already seems to be helping.  Spit-up was a regular part of life with your brother, and now we're armed with burp rags and bibs again.  It's no big deal, really (but I do still marvel that such a little person can soak an entire outfit so thoroughly in so little time... mine, not yours).

- You are a real grunter, particularly in your sleep.  Since your bed is in our room for now, we are real familiar with your funny noises now (but I think Daddy can sleep through most of them!).  We chuckle at your little goat bleat when you're waking up.

- So far, you're a mellow, flexible little fellow... content to sleep during runs to Target or the office, content to sit in your little buzzing seat during supper, taking in the scene with big eyes, content to snuggle with Mom or Dad during church.  You sleep much more than Victor did!  

- I wouldn't say we've reached any particular schedule, but you are stretching the time between feedings little by little.  This afternoon you went 5 hours!  Normally your bedtime is around 8pm, and you may give me a 4 hour stretch before waking up at midnight... then 2 or 3, and then (Daddy sweetly snuggles you when he gets up) you will often let me sleep until almost 7 before your next meal.  But there are also nights when you want to eat every 2 1/2 or 3 hours...

Your big brother surely loves you--giving you bunches of kisses on the cheek every day.  And Momma and Daddy love you too.  Every day brings its own set of mysteries and challenges, but God is supplying grace for each one, and we are so glad you're a part of our family!

Happy 1-Month, little buddy.

Momma

This Week

Weighty
As of Thursday (3 1/2 weeks old), Josiah is 10 lb 10 oz.  Good work, little man.

Affirmation
Victor to Mom, waving his finger for emphasis: "You're a good girl."

Unproductive
Tuesday's trip to the office to print off membership certificates for the weekend:
- Finish lunch.
- Put shoes on Victor.
- Put Josiah in carseat.
- Wipe off Victor's hands, face, and tray.
- Put jacket on Victor.
- Put laptop in bag.
- Get diapers for Victor and Josiah for diaper bag.
- Go upstairs with Victor.
- Put Victor in the car.
- Put phone, purse, and diaper bag in the car.
- Put blanket over Josiah.
- Put Josiah in the car.
- Drive to the office (admiring buses, tunnels, tanker trucks, and answering, "Do you know what that is?" a thousand times for Victor :) )
- See Daddy's car and call him to see if he's at the office (he was actually Downtown for a meeting).
- Cancel the call to Daddy... because you realize that you. forgot. the. laptop. at. home.
- Turn around and drive home (admiring buses, tunnels, tanker trucks, and answering, "Do you know what that is?" a thousand times).
- Realize that it is now too late to go back to the office.
- Put kids down for naps.
- Sigh.

Mother of two.  Brain for half.

Cute Boys
Victor to Mom, pointing at Josiah: "I like Baby Josiah.  He's a cute boy."

Thoughts on Motherhood

From a newsletter, here are some thoughts on motherhood from Nancy Wilson:


Thoughts on Motherhood by Nancy Wilson

From a grandma's point of view, here are a few things I would want to tell myself back when my children were still at home:

1. Repetition is a glorious thing! Enjoy the repeat performance every day.
2. Steward the events (the planned and especially the unplanned) of each day with contentment.
3. Pray more! Worry less. Much less.
4. Express praise and thanks every chance.
5. At the end of the day, never say I didn't get anything done!

And just to be fair, here are a few things I'm glad we did for our kids when they were little:

1. After-dinner reading that sometimes stretched on for hours.
2. Hot towels from the dryer after baths.
3. Jammie rides for ice cream and a visit to grandparents.
4. Open tap on the milk in the fridge.
5. Bedtime songs and stories.

Mothering: Hold On, Let Go

When life hits a big bend in the road, it definitely illuminates the things you most prize.

Security.
Comfort.
Predictability.
Productivity.

Receiving the gift of a child comes as a package deal: priceless soft skin, sweet milk dribbling from the corner of a little mouth, painful wake-up calls every 3 hours (or sooner), soft cooing, diaper rash, spit-up, teeny-tiny newborn sleepers, inexplicable bloody screaming, and general upheaval from whatever used to be normal.

Having a couple of those packages now, I see something of what 1 Timothy 2:15 was talking about: But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

Of course, no woman is saved by having a baby... all that pain and blood and exhaustion is not redemptive in itself.  But to continue in faith and love and sanctity, with self-restraint... to walk the hard (and very sweet... but very hard) road of coughs and food allergies and mastitis and temper tantrums and potty training and sometimes unrelenting 24-hour duty of caring for small people who are vulnerable, immature, and needy... it presses one down to the very bottom of self-sufficiency and into trust in the One who is bigger. 

Every family has its stories of blood, sweat, and gore, when absolutely everything was more than they could handle (stomach flu, finals, colic, joblessness, bankruptcy, insomnia, allergies... often all piled together).  Families are, perhaps, destined to wear the brokenness of this world like war wounds; almost killed us, survived by a hair, stronger now.

And even when the times are good, parenting is full of heartache. 

Just look at how big the kids are getting.  Feel the good-bye on the horizon (in 18 years or sometime sooner), when your season of care is over and God draws them onward to their own independent adventure in life.  Your heart gets all braided together with the fibers of these small people, and in the end, God doesn't intend for them to stay with you.  Perhaps a bit like Mary the mother of Jesus, every parent may feel the sword pierce your own heart whenever it strikes them... but you can't take it for them.

It calls for a particular kind of courage, the kind of gentle and quiet heart that will receive with an open hand all the good, the bad, and the ugly that God deems wise to send... and relinquish with an open hand when the season turns and something priceless has to be let go.

And in the process, I think God burns out a lot of selfishness and self-confidence and leaves us a bit more ready to call heaven home.

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

Early Pictures of Josiah

Here is a little look at Josiah's first 2 weeks.

2 Boys, 2 Weeks

With sweet nostalgia...

Josiah at 2 weeks old

Victor at 2 weeks old

Fun Family Outing

This morning Daddy took us all out for a fun outing.  First we stopped at Menards and picked out a new kitchen faucet (which will work with our new dishwasher--an amazing gift from Pop-Pop!).

Then we headed down to Prior Lake to enjoy our first taste of Edelweiss Bakery.  They have some amazing pastries and coffee, and it was a delightful time. 

The Name: Edward

Unlike with Victor, Ben and I had nailed down our boy middle name very early in this pregnancy. 

Edward.
(i.e. Ed, Pop-Pop, Ben's dad, and arguably the most well-known Katterson around here).

I'm pretty sure Ed was the first Katterson I met.  Over a year before Ben moved to town, his dad moved to Minneapolis to worship at Bethlehem, and he jumped in with both feet.  I remember often crossing paths with him at the early morning prayer meetings, Wednesday Connections, and worship services.  When I was the "hot dog lady" for one summer, he was my griller.

His story is a tale of grace, and we wanted to honor him for the blessing he is in our lives and honor God for the great work He has done in and through him.

A few things that we love about Ed:

- Passion and faithfulness in prayer
- Humility to work behind the scenes in many ways (especially with vehicle emergencies)
- Willingness to help vulnerable people
- Love for the nations
- Tenderness for his "daughters-in-grace," as he calls us
- Generosity and thoughtful gift giving
- Full-hearted worship
- Perseverance in studies, becoming the first Katterson man to get a college degree
- Creativity and writing gift
- Desire to press on to know God in His Word
- Simplicity of living

Josiah Edward, we pray that you will know and love your Pop-Pop for many years ahead.  And even more, we pray that your life, too, will be a trophy of God's grace and a vivid example of His redeeming love that overcomes all our sin and brokenness.  May you follow in the ways of your grandpa and give your heart to the same great Savior.

We love you, Pop-Pop!

Letters to My Boys

Dear Josiah,

It's amazing to consider that you have been with us only 10 days... and it has already been 10 days.  What a different world you know now, compared to last Saturday morning!  And what a difference you are making to our world now that you're here.

You arrived at 11:52pm, and 20 min later you started eating... for an hour!  You've definitely been a good nurser so far, to the point that you frequently eat to the point of popping and then have a tremendous spit-up all over.  It really wigged Momma out the first few times (because my memory is short and because I'm ready to be wigged out about most anything... side effect of sleep deprivation, I think).

Aside from Night #2 (which was rough), you have been a good sleeper too.  You wake to eat about every 3 hours but go right back to sleep at the end.  Spitting aside, you have given us mostly very calm nights, something for which I prayed almost since the day we knew you were on the way!  The Lord has answered a lot of prayers in your coming, big and little.

You have been very laid-back and mellow so far, content to snooze most places we go and mostly calm and quiet even when you're awake.  You even slept through your whole first church service--something I don't remember Victor ever doing! 

I know there is a lot we don't know about you yet, but we surely do love you, Josiah.  You are already learning patience, when Momma is tied up with Big Brother right when you're feeling ravenous.  And your little smiles (intentional or not) are so sweet.  We marvel at your tiny fingers and toes (even though you were a pound and an ounce bigger than Victor at birth), and we love your soft, dark hair (we'll see what color it ends up in a few more months!).

You are our precious son, and we are so glad you're here.  We pray God will continue to protect and care for you so that you will be like Jesus, growing in "wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men."

You are our favorite small boy. We love you, Joey,
Your momma

Dear Victor,

What a lot of changes you have seen in the past 10 days too!  Even though we talked about "Baby Brother coming to our house" for months, I know that you could not anticipate what a difference this baby would make. 

And I am so thankful, so proud of you, and so delighted at the reception you have given your little brother.  Lots of more prayers have been answered in that.  You are very attuned to his needs, telling us, "Baby Brother crying!" at the first peep he makes.  You are very tender to give him little kisses on the cheek.  You urgently alert me if his hat has fallen off or he lost a sock.  You love tip-toeing in to peek at him while he snoozes in his crib, and when he was wailing away on our first morning home on our own, you went right to him and lustily sang "Jesus Loves Me" to comfort him. 

I didn't know how it would work, trying to care for you while meeting the needs of our new little baby, but God has given us very sweet times so far.  You push a bin over to climb up and watch while I change his clothes or diapers.  And when it's nursing time, sometimes we read Bible stories or sing songs from the hymnal, and sometimes you bring your train tracks into the room so you can play near us.  You haven't seemed frustrated about Momma not being able to help you or come to you while I'm taking care of Joey.  I'm sure those times will come too, but there has been such grace to accept these many changes--and you seem to genuinely enjoy and care for your baby brother.

You are SO big.  Holding a little 8 lb infant and then heaving you up to give you a snuggle is an incredible contrast.  You are tall enough to push the quarter into the grocery cart at Aldi.  You can walk up and down the stairs by yourself and climb into your car seat.  You use your big muscles to push the laundry basket full of clothes into the laundry room.

You are a great joy to us, and we love you!  We pray God will continue to shape your heart to look out for the interests of others and to trust in God for all you need.

You are our favorite big boy. We love you, Victor,
Your momma

The Name: Josiah

Several months ago, when Ben and I were looking for baby names, Josiah bubbled to the top as a favorite.  It is, apparently, about 79th in popularity in the United States as a baby boy name.  But we were not really trying to be trendy.


The story of Josiah, the one that gives this name significance to us, is found in 2 Kings 22-23.  The nations of Israel and Judah are divided, and one king after another has come to power in Judah, chosen to follow false gods and vile ways, and drawn the nation farther away from the heart of the one true God.

Even though His people have disobeyed and dishonored Him, God has not forsaken them.  And coming onto this bleak scene as a young 8-year-old king is Josiah.

Ben and I have 8-year-old nieces on both sides of our family--what a vulnerable, impressionable, and immature age to be placed in such a position.  Yet the Lord gives remarkable protection and grace to little Josiah: And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left (2 Kings 22:2).

As he grows old enough for active leading, Josiah repairs the ramshackle condition of God's temple.  He uncovers a copy of God's Law and his heart was broken and repentant to realize how far from His ways they have strayed.  God's judgment is indeed coming, but God gives Josiah this message: Because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD ... and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD ... and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace (22:19-20).

Josiah is not lethargic in turning away from sin.  He calls all the people together to read the words of the Book of the Covenant, and he made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant (23:3).

Then he throws himself into uprooting the deep idolatry and gross dishonor to God from the country--burning, deposing, beating, breaking down, banishing... making ugly things ugly and honorable things honored.

He calls the people to keep God's celebration called Passover--No such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah.  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem (23:22-23).

The life of King Josiah ended in treachery, simply recorded: Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him (23:29).  It seems incongruent, perhaps, for a great life to be taken with so little fanfare or explanation.  But the summary of King Josiah's story stands in beautiful boldness: Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him (23:25).

For our Josiah, this is our desire.  Perhaps not an ending of fame or renown.  Perhaps little human recognition for the efforts and labors of his heart.  But a legacy marked by God as one of single-hearted devotion to Jesus and the influence, earnestness, and reverence that set him apart from the world all the days of his life.

May it be, Lord, may it be!