Introducing

Josephine Rose

Born Friday, January 22 at 9:26 am

7 lbs 13 oz

20.5 inches

Oh my goodness, it has been quite a week.  It started with many long walks, very few signs of labor, and what had become my longest pregnancy yet.  And then somewhere by the end of the week, one acupuncture appointment and many natural labor inducing techniques later, she came to us, gently, quietly, on her own time, in a tub in our bedroom.  Perfect timing, just like always.

I cannot tell you how curious I have been to meet this person, to look at her and hold her, and what absolute bliss it's been to be able to do exactly that for just about every minute since she's been born.  When her siblings streamed in after her birth to meet her, I was struck with the fact that this little one is being welcomed into a whole community of love.

Everyone, from Zosia, who prides herself in being allowed to carry the baby in a sling, to Lily, who has always had an intuitive knack for babies, to Hugo, who proudly announces "Newborns are the best!  They let you hold them, and hug them and kiss them.  Not like my two year old sisters, who say 'No!'" to Clara and Dorothy, who are absolutely obsessed with this baby.  They kiss her and bring her books and practice putting newborn diapers onto one another just in case they might need to lend a helping hand.  And then there are so many more family members and friends and all I have to say is that this is one lucky baby.

It has been a really wonderful week, one when I feel joy and relief and accomplishment and such very deep gratitude.  And I think for the first time since we moved from Virginia I had zero reservations about living somewhere else, because I have no idea what we would have done in that snowstorm!  Yikes! Instead, we had a California baby on a balmy January day, here in the city of Saint Joseph.  Our very own sweet Josephine.

Friends

We had some good friends visiting last weekend from Seattle.  Friends whom we hadn't seen since their wedding five years ago, which is sort of a crazy amount of time, considering that during that time their family grew by two daughters and ours grew by one daughter, one son, and then now two more daughters.  Close friends we came to know when we were all living in Boston, and who have known our family since it was just me and Ben and a great deal of yearning for something more.  I think at that time the yearning was for a bunch of kids and a farm.  I think we can check the bunch of kids box, much sooner than we ever imagined, actually, and our farm dreams have subsided for the time being, so there you go.

Since those Boston years, Rachel and Sean have gotten married, pursued their calling on a different coast, and chased their own dreams, such as living on a tiny island in the Puget Sound.  Doesn't that sound so magical?  They are both ministers, and have such a thoughtful and authentic presence.  We spent time together talking about parenthood and marriage, and faith and our hopes and dreams for the future.  It is such a comfort and joy to be in the company of good friends, and they are not easy to come by.

I loved seeing our kids discover one another in play, and watching Rachel and Sean parent their daughters.  Isn't it incredible to see friends transition into such a unique and intimate role?  And when I rolled out of bed one morning to see all five kiddos sitting around a long table eating oatmeal with Sean, it made my heart so full.  For friendship and love and all of this abounding new life in our midst.

And thanks for the cow costume, guys.  Hugo has been wearing it since you left.

And as always whenever anything good is happening, I majorly forgot to take pictures, but we did take a meandering walk down to the creek with Rachel and Junia while Miriam napped and Sean made some dinner.  Ben wanted to take my picture to prove that I do sometimes leave the house.  Sometimes.

A Parade

Zosia led the Halloween parade this morning at pre-school, and my favorite moment by far was Lily running up to her. Both girls were screaming out of excitement at seeing each other (Lily the loudest). And then Lily held her hand and walked along with the parade for a bit. It's always such a joy to realize how much these two girls love each other (yes, even amid sparring for toys and all that). They love each other! It's amazing how such a simple realization can warm a mother's heart.

I believe it will be a weekend full of ladybugs over here. And hopefully pumpkin pie, pumpkin carving, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Ooh, I love fall!

Fledglings

Zosia tucked two walnuts in a nest we found in the backyard. Ben found the nest, "eggs" and all, when he was tidying up the deck after the babies were asleep-- a little remnant of our eldest's creative play-- and I couldn't stop smiling at the discovery. It's just perfect, isn't it?

And here we find ourselves, each member of our little family, flying from our nest in our own different ways.

Ben, with his new job.

Zosia, running into her preschool class fearlessly with a smile on her face ("your daughter is very delightful to talk to," her teacher informed me. And I smiled, because I do know that to be true).

Me, standing in front of a room of forty elementary children who call me "teacher," struggling to remember the words of the creed and having to really think about what it means for the first time in my life (and realizing, for all of those "we believe"'s, there sure isn't a lot about the life of Jesus... why is that?).

And Lily, delighting in time with just her mama when she can cook and walk by herself on walks around the block, and do funny little things. She put a sock puppet on her hand this morning and ran at me making a unidentifiable animal noise, and just couldn't stop laughing. She was delighted at herself, and the idea, and her execution of it. It was this hilarious little play she put on. Oh, the two of us laughed for what was easily 15 minutes, it was that good.

And two months ago, I couldn't have imagined any of this-- the jobs, the independence, the play. So many journeys, transformations, flights.

I am only left wondering, what nests will we fly from in the future?

Energy in the Air

We're well. Thank you again for your sweet thoughts and prayers. And just like that, Lily is walking (with sure footing, too), and it feels like spring. Sometimes I feel like sickness can do that... usher in a new season. Today marked some fresh sand in the sandbox, the first kite-flight of the season (that's me running my heart out trying to get some height), and the first bike ride. Something in the air just seems to carry energy.

Yellow Tulips

I always walk by the cut flowers without so much as taking a second look... I think I can count the number of times that I have purchased flowers on a single hand. Ben will bring some home from time to time, and I always love having them around: they're joyful, bright, fresh. So this morning when I walked by some bright yellow tulips, I decided that they would bring their worth plus more in joy around our house and I picked up two bundles: one to give away, one to keep in our home. I'm hoping that I can remember to pick some up (or just pick some while we're out and about in the warmer months) every month as a reminder of the bounty that we're surrounded with.

What are you doing to cultivate joy?