Our Baby Son. And Other Mercies.

We're back. Four Christmases since I last posted, but we're back, having celebrated as a family here, then road-tripped Back Home for three more merry-making, gift-giving, catching-up-with-family gatherings there.

One very special treat the Lord allowed over our month-long Christmas break was getting to photograph Baby H in my dad's old baby gown. I took these right at Baby's 5 month birthday.

I'd hoped to get photos of him asleep in the gown, but he wasn't into it. However, when I undressed him, he gave me a few more sweet pictures...

And, below, our studio: a black fleece blanket that was a wedding gift, and some beautiful sunshine in the front room of our house.

At Christmas, I felt very aware of the fact that Baby H might not have been with us or that he could have been in poor health or experiencing different delays due to immaturity. My body was trying to birth him at 28 and 30 weeks, and the Lord saw fit to spare us the sorrow of losing him, as well as the struggle that would've been real if he'd come that early. I could go on and on with reasons for giving thanks to Jesus...

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20

H is a dear, smiling little baby. He's happy, simple, and uncomplicated; very go with the flow so far.

I've long ago lost count of my mercies list. If and when I take the time go back and read old posts, I can probably catch up the numbering of God's innumerable mercies, but for now I'll just list...

-having Baby H with us, healthy, whole, and developmentally on track, for Christmas

-coming home to a ruined garage door (long story, it actually got messed up as we left for Back Home!)

-coming home to a kaput hot water heater

-coming home to malfunctioning smoke detectors that needed replacing

-coming home

-God's provision for a new hot water heater

-a husband willing and able to remove and install the new hot water heater (IN THE ATTIC!)

-the friend who dropped everything to help lug the old out and the new in

-that no one got hurt in all that lugging up and down

-new smoke detectors

-safety on our road trips, and speed: made our best times ever (12.5 and 13 hours, hooray!)

-a restful Christmas break

-my Magnificent Seven

-that God will keep teaching me, loving me, forgiving me when I'm not so quick to learn my lessons...especially lessons of trust, of not fearing

-this day, exactly as He has made it to be

-my hearing: such a blessing to have it in my right ear again, great checkup today on that

-my toddler buddy and infant boy so well-behaved during said checkup...Miss Dimple Wimple sat in a chair and looked at a People magazine whilst the PA attended to my ear...Mr. Dimple Wimple sat in his little seat, batting around a toy :-)