Archive for the ‘Children’ Tag
The truth about Twelve
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: God, Children, Grace, Hope, Be the change
Leave a Comment Twelve is nine weeks now and a joy to all of our lives.
She will undergo open heart surgery in just 28 days.
I spend a lot of time just rocking her.
Six asked me if I ever got bored doing that.
Sounding a lot like Seven I said, “what…showing her God’s love?”
Maybe Seven is rubbing off.
At another time in my life I probably would not have had the time to spare for her…too many meaningless meetings to attend and so-called important memos to write.
But the truth is three other families considered taking her into their home and then turned her down.
Too much work?
Too much risk?
A ship is safe in harbor – but that’s not what ships are for.
God is in the business of saving lives.
We are in the business of helping God save lives.
But here’s the question…arr we saving Twelve…or is she saving us?
From selfishness?
From not caring?
From a wonderful to show the world the love God has shown us?
To be that conduit of God’s love?
Yes…yes…yes…
Touching moment recognized
Filed under: Memories | Tags: Blessings, Children, Legacy, Love
Leave a Comment So Ten says to me, “Dad, when you hold Twelve and make her go to sleep…it’s pretty!”
Blown away by a six-year-old’s observation.
It’s good for your daughter to see a man in a tender situation.
I’m glad she saw…glad she recognized tenderness.
I hope she files that away until the time she starts looking for a man of her own.
Isn’t life good?
Best way to nap
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Children, Grace, Together Time
Leave a Comment Everyone has their opinion about the best way to nap.
Some define best by the position…prone or in a chair.
Some rank their naps by the comfort of the chair, couch, hammock or whatever.
Others rate their naps by the time of day.
Still, some people consider whether the nap is a stolen time…like while their wife is out shopping.
But I think the best way to nap is with a baby on your chest.
I’ve had the privilege of doing this for 27 years…never getting tired of it…pun intended.
For one thing they (babies) smell great (except when they have a dirty diaper).
And somehow, you or they sync your breathing.
Then they make cute little noises.
Best of all…you usually don’t get chastised for napping because you are also baby sitting.
Often I’ve been sentenced to baby holding with the words, “Twelve is crabby…see if you can get her to sleep.”
Throw me in the briar patch.
My best job description
Filed under: Reflection | Tags: Legacy, Children, Big Family, Boot Camp for the Real World
Leave a Comment I’ve had many job descriptions over the years.
They were usually a far cry from reality.
But this Father’s Day I received a Facebook message from One that read, “Happy Dad’s day, father! Thanks for always fixing stuff, cooking stuff, paying for stuff and takin care of business. Love ya!”
Fixing stuff…cooking stuff…paying for stuff…and taking care of business.
My job description…for better or for worse…right-on reality!
The best job description I’ve ever had because it is the most accurate.
Put on my tombestone…fine with me.
The only part that’s vague is the taking care of business…hopefully that includes helpful life lessions.
Big family defined by Seven
Filed under: Reflection, Seven | Tags: Children, Big Family, Grace, Blessings
Leave a Comment Seven related a conversation he had with a girl in his high school summer school class today.
She asked him what it is like to be a part of a big family.
These stories always scare me because you never know what Seven will say, being autistic.
Then again, Seven’s comments have been fodder for good posts, term papers and even college entrance essays.
So Seven told her, “it’s like a place where you are loved no matter what you look like or what’s wrong with you.”
Choke…sob…he did it again.
Maybe I will write that novel, only as the ghost writer for Seven.
He went on to say that coming from a family like ours it is easy for him to easily accept other people he meets.
Sleep…who needs it?
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Children, Big Family, Blessings
Leave a Comment 
She eats at 12:30 am…and again around 3:00 am and again at 6:00 am.
So do our teenagers!
Only difference the teens don’t need us to feed them.
You could say this is the downside of bringing home a newborn at this age.
I say it is a small sacrifice to experience this amazing journey one more time.
I feel like the guy who paid once to get into the theater but has sneaked into half a dozen other theaters for a freebee.
Or like the guy who bought one train ticket but hasn’t gotten off the train for days.
Now we are seventeen!
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Children, Big Family
Leave a Comment We brought 12 home from the hospital on two days ago.
So wierd.
We just walked in, Seven and me, washed our hands and told the nurse we were here to pick up Twelve.
She was all packed up and ready to travel.
Showed my driver’s license and carried her out to the car.
Like picking up a piece of furniture only this pick-up is priceless…a perfect work of God…a living baby human…come to live with us.
How long?
Who knows?
For now we are seventeen counting kids parents and significant others.
Great fun at holidays…not often invited to other people’s gatherings…we’ve been told…sometimes nicely…that there are just too many of us.
Who cares…its our legacy.
Just wait till we have grandkids!
Better by the dozen
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: God, Children, Big Family, Blessings, audacious
Leave a Comment Our new Twelve is coming!
I met her today.
Twelve is just five weeks new…a sweet little girl…with Down’s Syndrome and a heart problem.
The heart problem can be fixed just as soon as she reaches the ten pound mark.
Or as Eleven put it, “we’re going to open her heart and pour in love so she she can get better!”
Pretty accurate.
You never remember how small and helpless they are…but I’m going to have the opportunity to live through every day, Lord willing, for this starfish.
Like I often say, God has given me a wonderful gift…the chance to re-live the best days of life here on the planet again and again.
Like the movie Groundhog Day but starting from good and getting better.
She is an amazing gift…she makes us rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Life is good…God is good…God is audacious!
I’m very thankful.
A reminder of the fragility of life
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Blessings, Children, God, Grace
Leave a Comment So we were in Lincoln Park scoping out Four’s possible new digs for next year.
Seven called from the back of the car…”Ten doesn’t look so good!”
Yikes – she was having a siezure!
We had only seen this once before…about three years prior…and that was scary!
I still have the image burned into my brain of a small three-year-old on a gurney in the ER with 14 doctors and nurses anxiously hovering over her.
Three days later she was ready to go home but we knew she would forever be prone to seizures.
Three years is a long time…time to be lulled into forgetting about bad stuff.
But just when you think everything is going smoothly…when you are half way through your TO Do list…the unexpected pops up.
This was a reminder of the fragility of life.
Not something that could be hugged away like a oowieee or a loose tooth.
She needed professional medical attention and fast!
But we were in traffic in the middle of nowhere.
Not exactly the middle of nowhere…that DMZ between downtown Chicago and the ‘burbs.
What kind of hospitals do they have around here?
Then Four sprang into action.
She jumped into the back seat and began talking softly to Ten while relaying her condition to me.
I pulled a fast U-Turn and floored it for Children’s Memorial.
Four kept Ten awake and her brain focused.
The longest 12 minutes of my life!
In the ER she came to life the minute they stuck her with an IV. Thanks God!
Two hours later we were on the way to McDonald’s to get her favorite meal.
Thinking about the days events as a dozed off, it occurred to me that we saved her life today. We know God saved her life but we get credit for an assist.
What a reminder of the fragility of life and the role we can play in each other’s lives.
We’re watching each other very closely and carefully right now but I’m sure we’ll start taking each other and life for granted in a few…
But I hope we don’t!
So long 71
Yep…71 went bye bye.
He spent about five weeks with us and now he is back with his mommy.
Funny, in my new reality, I think I’ll remember him more than most.
Not because he screamed for about three hours every day…but because I was the primary care giver for this one.
71 may be one of the lucky ones.
He went home to mom.
Many did not.
Like all the others we prayed that he would come to know Jesus one day and that he would bring glory to God through his circumstances.
Now we’re waiting for #72.
