OUR FIRST MONTH AS A FAMILY OF FIVE

Well folks, Finn turned one month old on Sunday and life as a family of five is rolling right along! 

I'm realizing how short and special of a time this is. It wasn't until I held Finn for the very first time that I remembered how truly tiny and precious infants are. And he's already growing like a weed! He's a really content, mellow little guy and he just so happens to be a marathon napper, making the adjustment in our day to day life a little less of a challenge for the rest of us. 

Isn't it funny how low maintenance newborns are compared to their older siblings? Yes, he does his fair share of being up at night. But by the grace of God, we're managing things pretty well even though having a four year old, an {almost} two year old, and an infant all at the same time is definitely a juggling act. In spite of life being a bit non-stop now and the inevitable moments that are hectic and sometimes just plain crazy, I love having our three boys! 

Speaking of our boys, Asher and Silas love having a little brother! Most of the time they don't pay him much attention, which is pretty helpful because when they are paying him attention it's usually a little on the loving-but-not-so-gentle side, hahaha. Occasionally they try to pick him up, or knock his head when they're wrestling around on the couch, or poke at him, or cover him with a blanket {face included}. But mostly they like to just look at him and kiss him on the forehead. I thought for sure that Silas would have a rough adjustment and struggle with jealousy, but it hasn't been an issue at all. Thank you Jesus!

And I'm so thankful for a husband and dad like Thane! He deserves a lot of the credit for things going smoothly this past month, I honestly don't know how we would have done it without him. I was really hoping that the the labor and recovery would be the easiest yet, being the third baby, but that wasn't the case. 

I know, childbirth is never supposed to be "easy". Maybe I'm just getting old, because everything was exceptionally painful this go-around, and recovering was so up and down. There were a couple of pretty good days in those first few of weeks, but there were some really terrible ones too. Nothing totally out of the ordinary- the usual postpartum soreness and cramping, the uphill climb of adjusting to breastfeeding again, and a long, painful bout of fever inducing mastitis. Just amplified this time. But right about the time time I started to think I was never going to feel like myself again, the perfect verse was put in front of me;

"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Paul's words from Acts 20:24

As hard as it was to be in some variety of pain everyday for a few weeks, Paul's example was a great reminder that 1) hey! it's not all about me!, 2) my struggles hardly compare to the struggles of so many others, and 3) it's the gospel and the ministry that Christ gave me that matters. In this season of life, my ministry is my role as a wife, mom, and the keeper of our home, and it's not always supposed to be easy! Sometimes I have to get my focus off of myself and onto the work He's given me- to carry the load I've been entrusted with- difficulties and all.

But- now that it's mostly passed, haha- I'm thankful for this lesson. Sometimes it takes just a small taste of life not going my way to be reminded of how absolutely blessed I am. I can't help but walk away from these past weeks feeling more compassionate for those who suffer from much greater problems, for much longer periods of time. I hope my own relatively light difficulties help shape me into person who is better equipped me to reach out to others in need.

But the harder-than-expected recovery aside, Finn is an absolute joy and we're enjoying each and every day as we settle into a new rhythm as a family of five!