Celebrating my baby boy's first year!

WARNING:  If you're squeamish about blood, you may NOT want to view the following photos.  They can be a little graphic for some that have never witnessed the birth of a baby.

Yesterday marks one year that I gave birth to my baby boy, Josiah.  He has been nothing but a JOY & a wonderful, constant reminder of the grace & blessing that the Lord showers on our lives. 

He & his next older sister, Grace, have been born in the peace & comfort of our home, in my bedroom, in a kiddie pool of wonderfully, warm, soothing water, with my dear husband & dear children gathered around, anticipating the arrival of their newest sibling (all done w/ the utmost of modesty in mind, of course!)!  

 Both births were considered "unassisted" because I did not have an official midwife present.  Instead, I had a dear friend, Mrs. S, who apprenticed alongside a professional midwife during approximately 30+ births.  She was willing & MORE than able to help out.  I also had another dear friend, Mrs. M, who is a nurse that came to witness the birth and be there "just in case".  She took most of these pictures.  THANK YOU MRS. M!!!

My first look at his perfect little face!  I'm trying to hold him up closer to my chest, but his unusually short umbilical cord wouldn't let me!

  His first, sweet cry!
 

                      Mama & Papa checking out our newest olive shoot!  God's handiwork is perfect!

  

Tired, but excited to hold my sweet baby.  Labor was a short 4.25 hours.  Just waiting for the cord to stop pulsating so we can cut it.

Beautiful creation!  Praise the Lord you're here!

Of all 7 live births that I've had (I've had some miscarriages too), the two I've had at home were the most peaceful, relaxing, exhilarating, and least painful!  AND, amazingly, my largest babies!  Grace was 10lbs, 1oz.  Josiah was 10lbs, 4oz.  I really believe that birthing in the water & having my husband squeeze in my hips while I pushed, did TREMENDOUS wonders to my ability to have such an uncomplicated delivery.  Not to mention, being surrounded by all those precious people who love & care for me most!     

  You may be wondering..."What on earth possessed you to take the 'risk' of having your babies at home when there are so many hospital facilities available to 'safely' deliver babies at?"

ANSWER:  I happen to be a child of the ONLY true GOD who DESIGNED WOMEN'S BODIES TO HAVE BABIES and I TRUST Him with that event!!! 

Ladies, He knows your bodies better than anyone! God DESIGNED our bodies perfectly capable of having babies without anyone's "help". Pregnancy is a natural occurrence, NOT an "illness" to be "treated" by a doctor!!!  Of course, there are cases where it is necessary to have a doctor's input & even intervention due to health issues that are pre-existing or complicated by pregnancy, but I think I can safely say that the majority of deliveries can happen in the peace & comfort of the parent's home.  

 

 In my previous 5 hospital births, NONE of my doctors waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating  (unfortunately, I didn't know any better then...I was just trusting their "expertise").  They would just go ahead & have the cord cut as soon as the baby came out!  This is NOT a good idea!  The blood that continues to pulsate through the umbilical cord from the placenta to the baby is VITAL to the baby's health!  Read up more on this subject here.  In this photo, you can see that the cord is white (empty of any vital blood) and the placenta is in the bowl.  

Here the clamps have been put in place.  Mrs. S is handing the sterilized scissors to Daddy.

 

YAY!!!  Daddy cuts the cord! 

So precious & sweet!  All 10lbs/4oz. of him!!!  We are SO blessed!!!

Daddy is so happy & proud!!!

Precious baby, blessed by God, how I pray that you grow to know the One that created you!

Now, a year later...

Playing with his birthday balloons!

Standing like a big boy!!!

Happy to be with his big sis', Grace.

About to enjoy some yummy birthday cake with his siblings!

With Big Bro' Noah & Daddy!

Here he threw himself back in laughter when we were trying to get a shot of him 
smiling!

Proud Papa!

Proud Mama!  What a smile he has on that scrumptious face!

 Being attacked with kisses from Mama & Papa can be a bit overwhelming!  Love the look on his face!

We are SO thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for having blessed us with each & every one of our sweet, precious babies.  They are each so unique & bear the image of God.  

We, as parents, have the HUGE responsibility to disciple them & teach them the Word of God (Deut. 6:5-9); training them to follow His instructions so that they might be blessed in this life.  May the Lord continue to grant us the wisdom we need to accomplish this great task!!!  It can be so overwhelming at times, but we know that only with the Lord's help & His Holy Spirit to guide us, all these things are possible!   We must continue to trust Him & pray that our children would somehow overlook those ugly faults that we are so good at displaying to the people we love most.  We must continually point to JESUS & the great work He has accomplished on our behalf.  He is our only hope!

SOLI DEO GLORIA!!! 

My baby is 1 year old today!

a funny face he made after having enjoyed a piece of his birthday cake!  what a ham!

Today we celebrated the beautiful life of my sweet baby boy, Josiah!  He is a whole year old!  I will be posting pics of our celebration tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

Ways to be an encouragement...

I often ponder how much I have been impacted by people in my life who have taken careful thought to be an encouragement to all those around them.  Most of the actions were miniscule, but far reaching.  It may have been a word, a touch, a gift, an embrace, a shoulder to cry on,  a simple look in the eye, or just a listening ear.  I like to reminisce on those encouraging moments & think of ways to repeat them to others so that it becomes a wave of encouragement in this life that is so often full of disappointments & hardships.  Many times, when WE are the ones that are going through a hardship, focusing on being an encouragement to others helps keep our minds off whatever difficulty it is that we are going through making it a dual benefit! 

Who are those around us that need encouragement most?  Well, if you're married, your husband needs it for sure!  Your effort to encourage your husband can be a fire that lights up a seemingly hopeless marriage.  It has the power to kindle it in ways unimaginable!  Hiding love notes from you in his pockets, texting him to tell him how thankful you are for him, making every effort to greet him with a smile & a kiss at the door when he comes home from a hard day's work.  The possibilities are endless!  Your marriage is THE most important human relationship you will ever have on earth.  Nurture it!    

If you have children, they need it from the time they are born all the way up to adulthood!  Take them on an unexpected trip to a local ice cream shop; spend special one-on-one time w/ them; tell them how proud you are of them & how blessed you are that God gave them to you; let them know that you pray for them regularly; make sure they understand how unique & special they are as individuals; color a picture with them or have them bake cookies with you--use that time to talk, share, answer questions they may have.  

Parents:  Find ways to honor your parents.  You know their likes & dislikes.  Many times, just calling them makes their day!  Write them a letter telling them how much they mean to you.  Send them a card.  You most likely know what their love language is since you lived w/ them so DO something that tells them in THEIR love language just how much they mean to you.  (See the link on my side bar that takes you to the love language quiz. It's not just for lovers!) 

Pregnant women:  offer to clean her house, wash dishes, or do laundry; make her family a meal or several frozen ones for when the baby is due; run errands for her; if she has other little ones--offer to take them to the park or a walk while she stays home & takes that much needed nap; give her a foot rub or (if you're not sure how to do that exactly!) a gift card to a local pedicure; offer to stay the night to keep her company if her husband is away or if she's a single parent.  I remember all the kind deeds friends & loved ones did for me each time I was pregnant!  Their kindnesses meant SO much to me!  I will never forget them!

Many elderly people cannot get things done outside of the house & need to be driven from place to place--offer to get them where they need to go or run their errands for them; plan to bring dinner & spend an evening with them; mow their lawn; weed their garden; do those extra strenuous things around the house that need to be done; or just stop by to check on them. 

These are just SOME of the ways you can be an encouragement to others.  But there are endless possibilities!  Sit down & write some out.  Share them with me in response to this post!  Use them on random people in your life.  God will honor your efforts & reward you with the blessing of knowing that you've made someone feel extra special.