Sibling Love

One of the questions I'm often asked is how are Eden and Josiah getting along with the baby. This is probably the greatest aspect of the pregnancy and Titus's life so far. Eden and Josiah love him so much and so deeply already that Titus's fit into our family has been easy.

Throughout the pregnancy, Eden would pray for the baby in Mommy's tummy each night. We spent a lot of time preparing her for her role as a big sister and Mommy's helper. Her baby dolls got lots of practice being mommied as she would act out what her role would be. We talked about Titus often over the pregnancy So she was thrilled that he finally arrived. Her "real" baby was finally here. She loves to hold Titus and has done a great job being a helper. I love watching her take the role of big sister and protector so seriously.

Josiah.... well how do you prepare a two year old for an upcoming brother? We talked about Titus as my lap continued to shrink during our nightly cuddle time. I think he finally understood when we put Titus's crib up in Josiah's room. He might have had some idea of his new brother coming. The thing I didn't expect was the humor that would come along with it. Anytime Josiah sees Titus he says, "hi ya fella!" We're not sure where he picked this saying up from but it's cute. And each morning Josiah plays a game of hide and seek looking for baby Titus. He still needs to work on the "soft touches" aspect of having a new brother. Josiah is ready for a playmate/ wrestling buddy already. But I'm excited that he has shown lots of love towards Titus.

Here are a few of our first glimpse pictures from the hospital when Eden and Josiah got to meet Titus for the first time. You can see Eden's joy at being a big sister and a little of the fun Josiah anticipates with being a big brother.

Oh the joy of sibling love!

First Glimpse

There are moments in life when time stops and you capture a glimpse of beauty, your future, a deep moment of love and it one of those perfect moments in time. The first time I saw Titus was one of those moments.

 I spent most of my time during Eden's and Josiah's pregnancies thinking about how they would look, who they would favor. Would they have Larry's eyes or my freckles? I spent most of Titus's pregnancy praying for his health. I was so worried that my sickness would negatively effect him. I really didn't spend a lot of time thinking of his eye color or freckles. I continually prayed for a healthy baby.

The first time I laid my eyes on him I couldn't stop crying. He was perfect! He cried with strong lungs and was so pink and healthy looking all my fears began to subside. The doctor and nurses all agreed he was healthy, his apgar was 9.5. I had been mentally preparing myself for something to be wrong, yet as I saw him, I praised God that he was healthy, not only that, he was so beautiful! He was a perfect mixture of Eden and Josiah, which meant he was a perfect mixture of Larry and I. He was God's gift to our family.

Then I thought about the names we had picked for him. Titus is our Biblical name. It means defender and strength. We knew we wanted our son to be a defender of our faith. The biblical aspect of it was meant to be strong in the faith, I was praying for physical strength as well.

Simon is our Family name. My Grandfather and Father are both named Simon. Both men are heroes in the Faith and wonderful examples of the godly characteristics that we desire for our children to develop. Having our son carry their names is an honor.

The first time I got to see Titus.

                                                            Larry's first look at his new son.

                                                     Yaya and Grandma looking over Titus

Pawpaw, Simon Abe, Holding his namesake.

Welcome Titus Simon

It's with great joy that we introduce Titus Simon Gilbreath. He was born a day earlier than expected and things went a lot faster than I remembered them going with Josiah. I went to bed Monday night thinking that I was in labor. I woke Larry up Tuesday morning and sent him for the test and X-rays he needed. I thought we would go to the OB office  and that we would probably be sent home.Thankfully they admitted me, my contractions were between 3-7 minutes apart.

Many of our nurses were the same nurses that we had when we had Josiah. I had been praying that Pat would be one of our nurses again. She took AWESOME pictures of Josiah's birth. You can imagine my joy when she popped into check on me as they began to prep me for surgery. She also took pictures of Titus's birth as well. It is such a blessing to have pictures of the birth. I'll share some more in the next few days :)

 Titus Simon Gilbreath

8 lbs 4.5 oz 20 inches long

Contractions, IV's and Giving Thanks

This has been one of those challenging times in motherhood. Yesterday, I wound up at the OB office getting IV's and medications to help with being dehydrated. I got very sick and was having contractions. Not the good contractions that signal labor is starting. These were sharp and inconsistent and the doctor believed were due to the dehydration, It seems my body and this little boy just can't get along with food. I'm so thankful that I have a great doctor and many nurses that are very caring. I am also blessed with a wonderful husband that tried to keep me smiling and laughing through the pain.

Yesterday my mind kept going back to Haiti, There was a woman who came in that was pregnant and dehydrated. She seemed so very sick, she stayed with us most of the day receiving IV fluids. When it was time for us to leave, she was doing better, but still looked very ill. Her family helped her return to her tent or where ever it was that she was staying. She went back to a harsh life with very little comforts.

It's hard to ignore the contrast in the lives that we have. I wonder what happened to that woman and her baby. I think of how blessed I am to be able to have medical care, in air conditioning. My baby will be born in a hospital that is staffed with lots of people to help make his birth as safe as possible. I wonder why it is that God has blessed me so abundantly  yet that other women suffered harsh environments and circumstances to bring her child into.

Then I keep thinking back to our Jesus Storybook Bible stories. At the end of each story it point every situation back to Jesus.No matter what the circumstance or event, it can all be viewed through the lens of Jesus Christ and His purpose. I love that about the Bible, everything points back to Jesus! So in times of difficulty when pain is part of life, when life doesn't seem fair or just. I have to keep my mind focused on Jesus. Knowing God is in control and weaving all things together for His glory. When I keep my thoughts on Jesus it helps me keep my mind on His Truth not my circumstance. It helps me trust and persevere.

The song Give Thanks keeps coming to my mind.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give Thanks because He has given
Jesus Christ His son

And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord
Has done for us.


 

20 days to go!

It's hard to believe in less than 3 weeks we will welcome our new son to the family. There are so many things running through my mind right now, things I want to do, things I need to get done before he arrives, plans I need to make for the other children.... so much in the mess I call my mind. Most days, I seem to get some things accomplished, but never as much as I hope too.

 Larry came home yesterday trying to figure out why I was defrosting the deep freezer, and planning on cooking a turkey. He was afraid the freezer was broken. Nope, I just thought it needed to be done and how was I ever going to be able to do that with a newborn??!! Pregnancy brain is not the most logical thing :) Turkey in July.... But that's what I want! And sweet potato casserole :)

People keep asking how I'm feeling. "HOT! Very HOT!" Is my response. I continue to struggle with being sick. After 36 weeks of it, it just becomes part of pregnancy that I have adjusted to. I've gained some weight, which I am excited about, those were hard fought for pounds. The challenging thing now is keeping up with Eden and Josiah, especially during these hot days. I feel bad when Eden ask to go outside to ride her bike, but with temperatures around 95, Momma can't handle the heat. So we've tried to have our outside time early in the morning and late in the evening. I waddle just as fast as I can after them. 

One of the best things is that Eden seems to enjoy the idea of having a new baby. She prays for him each night and talks about all the helpful things she can do as a big sister once he arrives. Josiah doesn't seem to understand it, though he has started to rub my belly and say "Baby." But he's watched Eden do that, so he might just be mimicking her.

So we're all in the wait and see what's going to happen, and we will have a mini thanksgiving while we wait :)