23 October 2009

And baby makes five...

Four days after my original post we welcomed our boy, WMunk, to the family! After a 5a.m. wake up in hard labor, a quick bath, and a speedy drive to the hospital, WMunk made his first appearance promptly at 7:33a.m. (3.8 kilos, or 7lbs11oz; length unknown) We were home resting by noon the same day, and the girls met their brother early in the evening. Since then it's been a whirlwind, and this week we celebrated his 2 month birthday.


Finding a chunk of time to sit and write has been a challenge. Seems there's always a babe in my arms, someone needing mama's help, or someone else needing the computer. But tonight with all three of the littles in bed and my darling on the road home from Seoul (or somewhere in the surrounding area), I have time for some uninterrupted, organized thought.

These two months have been a time of growth in my faith and constant reflection and thoughtfulness about my method of parenting. What am I doing with these children and why am I doing it? In the latter days of pregnancy and early days with a newborn, sleep is evasive and it's so easy to lose joy and be short with toddlers who don't always obey right away or remember that loud noises (read: shrill shrieks) can be disturbing or that mama really doesn't want to rise before the sun. It's easy to be lazy and let them be entertained by movies about princesses rather than involving them in what I'm doing. But what is my purpose with these sweet girls? To teach them to love and revere God, to be helpers to their future husbands, to love and train up their own children, to share God's love with those they meet, and to be selfless servants in their community. But how can I teach them these things when I'm merely showing them the model of the grumpy mama? Sure, I could blame my grumpiness and laziness on a sleep deficit, but I'm certain the Bible doesn't say that joy comes from eight hours of good, uninterrupted sleep. Joy comes from our Creator, and from Him alone.

So I've been challenged to make it a priority daily to spend time reading my Bible and praying on my own, in addition to our family Bible times. In the last few days I've been able to notice again the sweetness in my girls instead of the selfishness that comes with toddlerhood. I've been able to notice that they still have cute little voices and their singing is precious. And underneath the sticky peanut butter or rice, they have beautiful little faces and darling smiles. They dance with such glee and they love to share (toys, books, food) with daddy and mama. JMunk is growing into a sensitive, caring little girl who really wants to be a good big sister to her little sibs and wants to please her parents. LMunk is still a baby, though I find myself expecting much of her now that WMunk is on the scene and she seems so much more grown up. She's a power house, but she's tender. She wants to take care of her little brother, but she doesn't yet realize how strong she is and that being poked in the eye and picked up by the neck don't feel so great. She's concerned when JMunk or WMunk cry, and she loves to stroke mama's face and pull close for a kiss. Clearly we're doing some things right with these girls, but I pray for joy and drive to do better. To love them better, and to teach them better.


And as for WMunk, he's still awfully sweet and snugly. The last two weeks have brought so many smiles from him and he's just starting to coo at us. It's so neat to hear his little voice and get responses from him. I pray for this boy that he seldom see the grumpy mama his sisters have seen during the last two months, but rather he see a mama full of joy and energy, showing him Christ's love daily.

In sum, I thank God for these blessings, for this time of trial, for His discipline in my life. And I thank God for restoring joy in my life.

16 August 2009

Waiting

Today, BabyMunk has reached 39 weeks of gestation. Lord willing, in a week's time or less, we'll finally meet the little boy who will make us a clan of five!

When I was pregnant with JMunk and with LMunk, I just knew each one would be born early, and impatience clouded the last weeks of my pregnancies. Since JMunk was born right on her due date and LMunk was born one day early, I've been quite confident this entire pregnancy that BabyMunk would be born pretty close to his due date, too. I never really considered that he might make an early appearance, and until today I certainly hadn't considered that he just might take his time and come a little later than expected. Regardless, it's been a much different experience being at peace about when our boy's birthday will be.

But now we're down to the last week, and we're starting to receive phone calls and messages inquiring as to whether our baby has yet been born. My body is getting a little tired and it doesn't seem possible that there is any more room for this baby to grow. Tiny blue and green clothes are laundered and neatly in their drawers, a bag is packed for the girls' few hours away during the birth, meals are prepared and frozen, DMunk has lesson plans and syllabi ready for the semester; things are in order, and we're ready.

Still, I'm enjoying the quiet times when I lie down and BabyMunk gets busy, and only I can feel him move, only I know he's awake, and it's special. And I wish we could have more and more moments like that. But I'm ready to hold this baby in my arms, to kiss his face, to share him with his daddy and his sisters. I'm ready to welcome him into our family. I'm excited to see LMunk change from being the baby to being a big sister and to see JMunk nurture her little brother as she's been practicing on her dolls.

It's an exciting time in the Munky house, and we praise God for the blessings as we wait.