Joseph's Baptism

Joseph was baptized this past Sunday.  Our church baptizes infants (adults are also baptized), which can be a real sticking point for some folks.  I get that.  However, Matt and I obviously wouldn't have our children baptized as infants if we didn't believe it to be a theologically sound practice.  Good arguments by godly men have been posited by both sides of the baptism debate.  One of those is found here:  John Macarthur in defense of Credo-Baptist (believer's baptism) vs. R.C. Sproul in defense of  Paedo-Baptist (infant baptism). This debate can also be found on YouTube, for anyone who would rather listen to it, instead of reading it.

Anyway, Matt has had his heart set on a full immersion baptism for a number of months.  Martin Luther's preferred method of baptism was full immersion, specifically for infants.  When Matt approached our pastor with the idea, he was very enthusiastic.  I wasn't so sure.  Matt showed me this video of an Orthodox full immersion infant baptism.  I have to say, I still was not convinced.

So last Wednesday, Pastor came to our house so that we could have a practice session, as he had never done an infant full immersion baptism and Matt and I had never been involved with one either.  Things went fairly smoothly.  Joseph only sputtered a little bit.  Pastor, Matt and I settled on a plan.  As for me, I just committed the whole thing to the Lord.  He, as always, was faithful.

On Sunday, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and friends came to church to witness Joseph's baptism.  God saw to every detail.  Before Pastor baptized Joseph, he gave a very nice explanation of how well a full immersion baptism illustrates Romans 6. Joseph probably fared better than his mama did during the baptism.  I believe God was glorified. God, through water and the Word, accomplished His work, as only He is able to do.  It's all His grace.  He is truly rich in mercy.

 

Matt and I asked our three oldest children, Grace, Elizabeth and Paul, to be Joseph's sponsors.  They will be responsible to come alongside Joseph, to pray for him and to help to instruct him in the Christian faith.  In the event that something should happen to Matt and myself, they would be also be responsible for ensuring that Joseph would continue to attend regular worship services.  As a baptismal gift, the kids gave Joseph a cross to hang above his bed.  All of Joseph's siblings have crosses hanging above their beds, so the kids wanted him to have one, too.

We ended the day with lunch at our house.  It was so nice to have a fellowship time with family to celebrate such a joyous occasion.  The Lord is worthy to be praised.  Here's the video:

Baby Joseph

 

 

Baby Joseph Update

Baby Joseph is doing very well.  He was back up to his birth weight at his first visit to the pediatrician on Tuesday.  So far, he's a very even-tempered baby, which is nice in a house that is already full of activity and noise.
Joseph and I are still in the process of negotiating a sleep contract.  He insists his nutritional needs must be met at least every two hours, sometimes more.  He brings powerful tools to the negotiating table--the most deliciously kissable chubby cheeks and little blue eyes that study my face very intently.  So far, he's got the upper hand and I've been willing to oblige him on all that he asks in the negotiation process.  Oh well, sleep is overrated, at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Today, as I was reading my Bible, I prayed that the Lord would show me how to be loving and patient with my family.  So many times Jesus is recorded in the Bible as having been very weary, yet He still willingly and lovingly met the needs of others.  I prayed for the strength to do the same today and in the days to come.

On another note, I'm adoring the new muslin swaddling blankets a friend and my two older girls sewed for the baby.  I first saw a swaddling blanket like this last summer, when I went to visit my friend who had just had her baby.  When I saw her little one, all snuggled up in white muslin, I said, "Oh! He's all wrapped up in a tea towel!"  She laughed and explained that muslin is the new thing in receiving blankets.  So she made Joseph three blankies and my girls made him two (they're outrageously expensive online).
Matt wraps the baby so tight in these blankets that he looks like he belongs on one of those Russian maternity ward baby carts that I've seen in documentaries.  Daddy says Joseph likes it that way.  He probably does.  Even Daddy isn't immune to Joseph's persuasive negotiating skills.  We're both totally, head over heels in love with our little baby boy.  (So is the rest of the family.  The biggest arguments Matt and I have to mediate are over whose turn it is to hold the baby.)

Joseph is Here!

 

Born July 31st at 4:30 pm.

8.4 pounds, 20 inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflections on Baby

I've been spending a lot of time in prayer in the middle of the night.  The house is quiet then and my mind is settled enough that prayer comes more easily to me than it does during the day.

As I feel the baby moving in my womb, praise pours from my lips.  A year ago I was pregnant, but I knew that something just wasn't quite right.  After several doctor's appointments, my suspicions were confirmed.  The pregnancy was not viable, yet I would have to wait nearly a month for that pregnancy to end.  It was an agonizing experience, one I certainly wouldn't wish on anyone else.

According to my medical records, I'm of "advanced maternal age" and I am a "habitual aborter" (a term which I abhor, as I did not "choose" for four pregnancies to end prematurely).  So this baby that is now in my womb is a miracle--God's miracle.

I have to admit that when I first found out I was pregnant with this child I was terrified.  I convinced myself that I would miscarry again and according to my calculations based on past experiences, the miscarriage would take place right at Christmas time.  And then every one's Christmas would be ruined.  Misery upon misery.

I sat down one day in December to help the kids with their BSF lessons and I read this:  After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Gen.15:15  

The peace of the Lord overcame me.  I knew that no matter what, whether or not I miscarried, the Lord would be my shield.  He would protect me and walk with me through whatever lay ahead.  Two days after Christmas, I had my first ultrasound.  Matt and I wept when we saw the teeny tiny heartbeat of our child.

When I found out at my twenty week ultrasound that the Lord had blessed us with another boy, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to name him Joseph, which means "God shall add another son."  

I waited several months for Matt to agree to the name.  It wasn't that he didn't like it, it's just that he had lots of other names he liked as well.  We both agreed that all of the Josephs in the Bible were exemplary men of God--stronghold men.  From the Joseph of Genesis who declared, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Gen.50-19-21, to the ever obedient Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, to Joseph of Arimathea, who buried Jesus in his own newly hewn tomb.  

So we finally agreed that Joseph should be this little one's name.  His middle name will be Athanasius.  Athanasius was an early Church father who unwaveringly insisted on the deity of Christ.  Though Christ was fully human, He was also fully divine and  is not a created being of the Father (a heresy of the day).  This doctrine is crucial, for if Christ was not fully God, yet fully man, He could not have been the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins.  

Soon, should all go as we anticipate, Matt and I will be holding Joseph Athanasius in our arms, exactly one year after we found out about the loss of another little one who is now in the arms of Jesus.  We are both in awe of what God has done.  Truly, He is good.

 "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." Job 5:9

Projects, AKA Nesting

The last couple of months, Matt and I have been working on "his" and "hers" lists of household projects we'd like to get done before the baby comes.  We've made quite a bit of headway on those projects, as well as a couple of others that popped up along the way.

Matt completed the shell of what will be a new shed in our backyard.  He bought the parts of an old fireworks stand off of Craigslist and retrofitted them to make a small shed for gardening supplies and all the the kids' bicycles.  He then roofed it.  It still needs siding, a door and paint, but will function for its intended purpose as it is for awhile.

 Another project Matt completed was the installation of a hand rail on our front porch.  My mom has been bugging us to do this for several years.  We found a hand rail we like on Etsy and had it shipped to us.  When it arrived, the paint was damaged due to heat during transport.  The business owner offered to replace it with a unpainted version or to refund us half of our money.  We opted for the latter option.  My mom loves the new rail and so do I.  It's been well used in these last few weeks of pregnancy.

Matt replaced three ceiling lights in our front entry and down our hallway.  A boy who shall remain nameless broke one of the lights about a year ago when he was testing a catapult with a marble.  The bases of the original fixtures were covered in large drips of paint from a lazy-effort ceiling paint job done before we moved here.  I looked for over a month at yard sales for new lights, but came up empty handed, so Matt and I went to Lowe's to look at their selection.  I didn't like what they had to offer in our price range.  A couple of weeks ago, I went to a yard sale down the road and found exactly three fixtures that the seller had taken out during her house remodel.  Score!  I found what I wanted for dirt cheap!  You know me and bargains.

Matt also replaced the master bathroom exhaust fan.  The old fan made a constant click-click-click-clicking noise when it was in use.  It drove me nuts.  The new fan is so quiet I sometimes have difficulty knowing whether or not it is on.  

I repainted two exterior doors and five interior doors.  Little boys and their toy weapons and shoes (kicking to get into rooms) leave a lot of marks and scratches on doors.  Try as a might, this habit has been hard for the boys to break, but they are learning--finally.  Mama doesn't like to repaint doors.

I also touched up the paint on the kitchen cabinets.  This is a constant issue and really should be done every few months.  I try to hit it once a year.  Matt put new hardware on the two pull outs underneath the sink so that I'd have a place to hang kitchen towels.  So handy!

I decluttered all round the house.  The school room was my biggest project toward this effort.  I worked for several days.  I got rid of five boxes of duplicate and twaddle books and ancient used curricula, two bags of toys, a doll house and several bags of garbage.  I also culled the bookshelves in the master bedroom, which is always a difficult task for me.  I organized and decluttered several closets.  The older girls have been bitten by the decluttering bug and have gone through their bedroom and dressing room.  I've dropped so much stuff off at Goodwill that the guy recognizes me now.  "Boy!  You sure are busy!"  Yeah, I'm pregnant.

We've tackled a lot of other tasks, too, but I'm most proud of the fact that Matt has repaired our refrigerator (which wouldn't hold its temperature), our washing machine (2 times--the drain kept getting clogged) and our dishwasher (it wouldn't stop running).  These repairs have saved us a bunch of money and time we would have spent without the ability to use the appliances.  Cause stuff can never break on a weekday.  It has to break on Friday night after you've just had a birthday party for your sister and the dishes are stacked high on the kitchen counters and you have a big freezer cooking session planned for the next day.

Swimming Party

Our kids have taken swimming lessons every summer for the past ten years at the same swimming pool.  It's a private pool, owned by a Christian couple.  The class sizes are small.  Our kids have all learned to swim well, which for safety reasons,  is very important to Matt and me.

This year when I signed the kids up for lessons, the deck manager at the pool told me that she and the owner wanted to bless our family.  She proposed a private swimming party, with short lessons, water games and free play.  She wanted us to invite Matt's brother's family as well as his sister's family.

The much anticipated day of the party finally came.  When we arrived at the pool, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Dianne were there.  Apparently Grandpa Bob had already been in the pool, impressing the staff with his beautiful butterfly stroke.

Soon the pool was full of seventeen of the nineteen grandchildren (Matt's sister and her family weren't able to make it).  The owner of the pool asked me if our families get together very often.  I said that yes, my mother and father-in-law organize a big family dinner monthly so we see each other at least that often, sometimes more.

One of the staff members commented, "I can't imagine what Thanksgiving and Christmas are like!"

It was really neat to see all of the cousins swimming and playing together.  We gathered everyone for a group picture before the party ended.  We thanked the staff and owners for a fun time.  We were blessed by their efforts.