We've closed out Ben's week of paternity leave and he went back to work today. Fortunately, he is pulling half days for a while in order to ease us into the transition. Day one of me with the kidlets is officially under our belts. While it was a bit of a classic first day nightmare (giant spiders and nose bleeds included,)  we've done the hard work and it's behind us. Praise the Good, Kind, Faithful Lord.

Last week, I made mention that I would love to set up our little tripod and have a go at taking  a few pictures of all of us while we have a newborn. Ben, being the forever good sport he is, went for it. By now he's quite accustomed to me always wanting to snap a few pictures. We grabbed the marshmallows and chocolate chips to bribe the kiddies into thinking it was fun and managed to get a few sweet shots in between breakfast and snacktime.

For yet another DIY, they're precious to me. Especially considering how fleeting and tender these days are. Their little feet has me feeling all the tender feelings.

While everything feels a bit crazy right now as we adjust to this new dynamic, I couldn't feel more grateful. I've definitely pulled a few weeping minutes just thanking Jesus for how deeply beautiful this little boy is. While I ache in the grief we've experienced with losing children, when we then get to be surprised by this little soul-it just feels all so tender and miraculous. It was a very big kindness, him letting us get this little man.

Thank you Jesus for this precious family of mine.

Rowan Benjamin :: It's a BOY!

On June 2nd, at 10:13 in the morning our sweet baby BOY arrived! My mom and sister (and nephew, Cyrus) drove down at the crack of dawn to be able to help watch the kids while we stayed in the hospital. When our boy, Rowan was born he was having trouble breathing. Being born 5 weeks early translates to lungs that didn't get quite the amount of time they needed. He ended up living in the nursery for the next 4 days, and 'rooming in' with me the night before we were discharged. I had to leave after 48 hours, meaning a long and emotional week going back and forth from the hospital for feedings.

But we're here! We've survived a rough week, and with the incredible help of my sister and mom, everyone is alive and well. We aren't sure how we would have made it without them.

Our mr. Rowan is proving to be quite the peaceful little man. While some of it is still newborn, the contrast between Elias at this stage and Rowan at this stage is vast. They're quite a bit different. Elias was a hard baby from the start. Rowan, on the other hand, already seems far easier. Or perhaps we're just pros now? ;)
Thank you to everyone for the prayers as he made is early entrance into the world. While this past week has been a bit of a crazy one, we've been carried and been very aware of God's kindness to us.

Welcome to the world, little Rowan. We all deeply love you.