One Month Old and a Few More Random Thoughts

Vincent is officially one month old! I agree with my friend Gina's thoughts: in some ways it has gone by really fast but in terms of sleepless nights it seems like his birth was a long time ago. At his one month check-up Vincent weighed 9 lbs. 9 1/2 ounces - a large increase from his birth weight which brings me relief and joy to know that he is growing so well. A few other things to note about little Vince: in certain light his hair has a red hue, almost an auburn color, he has smiled at his mother on at least 3 occasions (no it wasn't gas, it was a true smile, just try and convince me otherwise, I dare you!), he tracks people with his eyes across the room, and he's not a huge fan of the car (what's with the Morlandt kiddos and their dislike for the car!?!)

It's quite funny how Tony and I's confidence in newborn care has sharply increased with the birth of our 2nd child. I guess this is true of all parents. The biggest difference for me, the 2nd time around, is my perspective. With the first, I wasn't sure that I would ever sleep again, get dressed without a screaming child, eat a meal with my husband, have a baby on a schedule, or feel somewhat presentable in my appearance. Now I know that it will all get better: sleeping, crying, dependence. This knowledge has enabled me to become a little less worried and a little more patient in the middle of the night. With that being said, I still offered a prayer of thanksgiving and rejoiced that he slept in the bassinet yesterday afternoon and today. He is also sleeping in the swing at night now which is a huge improvement from sleeping on me in the bed. He continues to sleep in 2-3 hour spurts. I am grateful but looking forward to the day that I can blog: "Slept 5 hours in crib!"

As I thanked God for Vincent's improvement in sleep I began to wonder if praying such small things is really appropriate or theologically sound for two reasons:

1. There are more pressing things to be praying about: disease, world hunger, personal tragedies, etc.

2. Babies sleep longer periods of time, much to their parents' delight, everyday - it's a natural process.

As I contemplated this I was reminded that:

1. Although there are large trials and tragedies of many kinds our loving and personal God cares about even our smallest worries/difficulties as evidenced in one of my favorite scriptures: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7). And since God "perceives our thoughts from afar," (Psalm 139:2) and knows the very number of the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30) we might as well let him handle all the things that are stressing us out.

2. Even though something is common to all mankind but is not commonly acknowledged as originating in heaven, doesn't mean that it's not a gift from God. I think that if something comes your way that is good and even feels like a gift during your day, no matter how insignificant, then the thanksgiving goes to God as stated in James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Sometimes I am tempted to overlook a huge blessing because it's a natural/common occurrence (such as the changing of the seasons) and subsequently forget to be thankful.

So I was discussing these thoughts with Tony and he stated, "I think you're right but I don't think we should go around thanking God every time our ham comes out of the oven tasting delicious." I think he's afraid that I'm turning into one of those "Praise Jesus!" people that can get on your nerves. But I would venture to say that if your ham particularly stresses you out or if your mother-in-law bases your competency as a wife and mother on how your ham tastes (fortunately not the case with my mother-in-law) then yes, because it causes you anxiety, it's worth praising God that it came out tasting like one of Julia Child's creations. Did God actually make the ham taste better? Did Jesus actually turn the water into wine (seems like a trivial thing to ask for in the scheme of things) so that the host of the wedding party would not suffer embarrassment? I would like to think that God does make our hams taste better and our children sleep better at night. That he is the giver of those small blessings during the day.

What do you think: Does God make our hams turn out just right? What little blessing have you experienced today? For me, it was an extra hour of sleep last night and a cold front that blew through creating one of those perfect, cool, sunshiny days.