Short Update on Rachelle
To start off, Rachelle is doing well and the babies seem to also be doing well. At 24 weeks, they are technically viable and actually could have some potential for surviving if they were born soon. However, that said, we know that things can change fast and we are still really hoping to get her at least 32 weeks if we can make it.
Bonding with Riley
Riley and I have been bonding over Spiderman, Harry Potter, and baseball. It has actually been very fun and I will miss all the one-on-one time I have been able to spend with him. I recommend that every dad get a good month or two of roughing it with their son.
My Birthday
Last week was my birthday and, at first, it was a pretty bad one. At work, we had a big company meeting where I was ultimately responsible for making the A/V stuff work. It was a bit nerve racking but fortunately, I have some really great people that helped make it a success. Still, it wasn't exactly the most fun thing to do on your birthday. When I got home, the youth in my church congregation all came over and cleaned my house and fixed up my yard. When they originally asked about doing it, I had assumed that it would only be maybe 10 of them. Instead, all 50 or so of them came. I was a bit nervous when I saw how many there were but I think the overall result was positive. When they were done, they all gathered around and sang happy birthday to me which was very nice of them.
I know I almost always write this, but I am still amazed that this has really brought out the best in people. The people from my church are really amazing and I feel like I could ask just about anything and they would help us out. I kind of feel sorry for people struggling with similar issues that don't have what we have with our church.
The sacrifices we all must make to be happy
Another thing I wanted to write about was an article I read about Jane Clayson Johnson, a former co-host on "The Early Show". The article is about a book she wrote called "I am a Mother" that detailed her television career as well as her choice to eventually give that up to be a Mother. The article, which I recommend, is here:
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/books/070420Mother.html
There was one part in particular that really struck me in this article. It was a quote from someone named Jeffrey R. Holland, a leader in our church, that said:
In those crucial moments of pivotal personal history [we must] submit ourselves to God even when all our hopes and fears may tempt us otherwise. We must be willing to place all that we have — not just our possessions…but also our ambition and pride and stubbornness and vanity — on the altar of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away.
-Jeffrey R. Holland
I tend to believe that all of us, at one time or another, will have to do just that. There are times when we have to throw logic aside and put our faith in a higher power. I believe that our future happiness depends on it. The peace Rachelle and I felt when we decided to go against conventional logic and do whatever we could to have these babies, was wonderful. However, I also know that making those choices and placing everything "on the alter of God" does not mean our lives will be easier. Putting your trust in God often means volunteering to go through the "refiners fire". The only real guarantee you get is that when you come out of it, you will be something more than what you ever thought you could be. This is the hope that I will continue to try to remind myself of when I am sitting there in the NICU praying for my babies, listening to them scream at three in the morning, and eventually helping them work out bathroom arrangements as teenagers.
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