Tuesday, August 29, 2006

To be or not to be...a parent


A question from a dear friend prompted this post. As I sit, in the thick of motherhood, sleepless nights, household chores left undone and beckoning, I thought what better time to answer the question, "is it worth it to have children?" You must know from the get go that I will answer this question in all honesty. I do, after all, pride myself on being real and vulnerable. I actually have three friends who are about to embark on this journey of parenthood, two of which have a healthy dose of doubt as they enter this phase in their lives due to their nannying background. Travis and I were driving home the other evening and we noticed some college girls going for a walk together. I noted, "ah the days when I was at the center of my universe and I determined all the activities of my day". I remember when bedtime was a time of my choosing, when I got to sleep a full eight hours without interuption and often wake up when my body felt it was ready to. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those days. But to answer the question, "is it worth it to have children?" I can answer it simply by rephrasing the question, "Is it worth it to offer ourselves as vessels and stewards of God's most glorious creation, human life?" The answer? A resounding YES! Don't get me wrong my friends, I'm not saying that life will be easy when you become a parent, in fact, it can and most likely will be the most challenging role of your life. But I also know that anything worth anything often treads the most challenging path. Life becomes much richer, much deeper, much more of what life was meant to be when we are challenged. When you become a parent, you are forced to look into the clearest, cleanest mirror and take a good look at who you are without the masks we become so accustomed to wearing. You are forced, not only to decide what's really important, but to make daily life decisions based on those beliefs. Suddenly, being genuine in your walk has more consequences than it did before, little eyes are watching and little ears are listening. And your need for the Lord's provision and wisdom and strength becomes blazingly apparent, not that it was any less before you were a parent, but parenthood tends to humble us in such a way that we see our need more clearly. Yes, after reading all kinds of books and listening to all kinds of advice, you will have to make hard decisions about discipline and raising and you will constantly doubt yourself, wondering if you are doing what is best. Your children will be born sinners, just as you were, and it will be no easy task to tame and guide that sinful nature and hopefully point them towards the saving grace of Christ. No, you will not be able to take off on a whim to travel the world and no, you will not be able to sleep in for many years to come. Yes, you will have to work at nurturing yourself and all your relationships, especially you marriage, more than you did before children and no, your stomach won't ever be the same ladies. All this said, if you choose not to have children, you will never know the beauty of beholding a precious little person who is an intricate blend of you and your mate and yet completely their own person. You will never know the joy of hearing "I love you" come from the mouth of your child, and knowing that it's still true even when they're giving you their worst behavior. You will miss out on the closest you will ever come to understanding God's love for us. Nope, their are no guarantees they will "turn out" the way you hope, they are not yours after all, they are the Lord's and they must choose Him just as you did. Your heart will break when you see them struggle or make bad decisions and it will leap with joy over their triumphs. My friends, I can't make the decision for you, nor can I predict the future of what your parenting experience will be. All I can do is speak from personal experience and my heart when I say that I would never trade a minute of the challenge and blessing of parenthood for a lifetime of living only for myself. Don't lose yourself or become child centered, that won't serve you, your children or your spouse at all. You need to nurture your spirit, make time for the things that bring you joy and stimulate your mind, body and soul regularly, and put your marriage and your spouse before your children. But, don't miss out on one of the greatest of human experiences. Whether you become a parent by blood, adoption, or through your love of the body of Christ, don't miss out! That's my opinion, take it for what it's worth.
All my love,
Sarah

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

More pictures

Hello everyone! Many of you have been asking for more pictures of miss Chloe, so here they are. Sorry it's taken awhile for me to get them up, but my guess is I don't need to explain. Chloe has actually been doing really well at night, I have to wake her up for feedings usually. She'll sleep just about anywhere and we've been able to arrange her fussy periods so they happen during the day. Nursing is going beautifully, I'm finally past the most painful period. All in all, this adjustment is much smoother than I emagined. I know I'll probably be in for a brand new adjustment after my mom leaves in a week and a half, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Thank you all for well wishes, support, and offers for meals, we greatly appreciate it. The best time for meals will be after my mom leaves the first of September.
Love, Sarah

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Chloe Paige Is Here!

After much anticipation and excitement, Chloe Paige made her arrival on Sunday, August 13th at 2:20am. She weighed 8 lbs and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. Baby and Mama are doing fine and are recovering at the hospital. She has lighter hair than her sister, Emma, but still carries dominate features of her father. The family is doing very, very well!

Chloe Paige, newly born, resting on her mama's chest.
Chloe being checked out and weighed. She's not very happy about it!

The happy parents, thrilled that Chloe finally arrived!
Emma getting her first peek at the new addition to the family... sister Chloe!

Travis and Sarah with their two beautiful girls. What a blessing!

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Fun at the park!



















































































































































Our good friend Anna met us at the park today to take these pictures. At 37 weeks we know our days are numbered for photos like this. I know I'll always treasure these pictures, and I'm sure Emma and Chloe will too. Enjoy!

Friday, August 04, 2006

Prayer

To all my blog readers out there. I have a humble request for some prayer. As many of you already know, we built and bought a townhome in Salt Lake that we closed on right before we turned around and moved back to CO. This turn around was so quick in fact, that we never even got to move in to this beautiful new place, it was kind of sad. Well, long story short, we put it on the market at the end of June with our good friend and realtor who has been working tirelessly for us to get it sold, but still no luck. Every month that passes is a month that we have to pay both our mortgage on the townhome and our rent here, a steep monthly expense that will drain our savings quickly if it goes on for much longer. With our price and some recently added incentives, our realtor thinks we're in a good price range, it's just a matter of finding the right buyer/buyers. Travis and I know that this situation is completely out of our hands and yet another opportunity to trust the Lord for provision. So we're asking you to pray with us for that very provision. Prayer is powerful and the fact that our awesome God takes the time to hear them is a miracle in and of itself. He already knows His plans for us, and we trust them to be good plans, but we also know that part of those plans include our faithful prayer. Thank you for being our beloved friends and for taking the time to love and pray for us as we hope you'll always let us do for you as well.
In Him, Sarah

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

36 weeks and counting!

Well, here it is fokes, the wonder that is my huge belly at 36 weeks of pregnancy. For a full monty shot, complete with an array of lovely stretch marks, you'll have to email me at my personal email and ask for it. If you don't have my personal email, you'll have to settle for this covered shot. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and all is looking great. To my surprise and delight, I'm already one centimeter dilated and 30% effaced! But before you get too excited, a woman can stay at this for weeks, but my doc seems to think it's a good sign that things are changing and doesn't see me going the full 40 weeks. We'll see what Chloe has in mind though. If I don't make it to 40 weeks, I'll try to remember to take a last minute picture before I head to the hospital so you can all see just how humongous I actually get before all is said and done. This next picture is just a fun shot we got of Emma this morning after my little photo shoot. She just couldn't be left out, so here's our little ragamuffin with her signature grin. This will be a great one for her wedding slide show some day, eh!