He's here! Littlest Brother arrived at the beginning of the month and we are so glad he is finally in our arms. I have pictures to share but not so many words because we are still in the sleep deprivation stage and things like "complete sentences" or "coherent thoughts" are difficult right now.
His arrival was sooner than we expected and rather sudden; I went in to the hospital because of some pre-eclampsia symptoms, and after checking me over the doctor told me I was going to be induced ASAP. Baby and I are both healthy and doing well now, and very grateful for the excellent medical care we received!
As I said, sleep deprivation has a way of erasing all meaningful thoughts from your brain - but one recurring thought over the last few weeks has been gratitude for the many ways our friends and family have freely given of their time, energy, and money to help us out during this time. Finding last-minute overnight childcare for four children is no joke - with all the grandparents out of state and unable to spontaneously drive down! - but we were abundantly blessed by many different friends who took turns watching the kids during our hospital stay. Being in a place of need and asking others for help is uncomfortable and humbling, but our friends were overwhelmingly kind and gracious. You may not believe this - I still hardly can - but one dear friend actually packed up her four children and drove 400 miles with them to our house just so she could watch our kids for two days while I was in the hospital (and it was her own idea - I didn't ask her to do that). Amazing! This is the grace of God in real life.
Along with the childcare, many friends have given us home-cooked meals and gift cards for food, which has been such a help. And, both my parents and my mother-in-law have come for long visits and helped with cooking, cleaning, and giving the other kids the attention they desperately need right now! I don't know if it truly takes a village to raise a child, but it certainly has taken one to survive this first hectic month with baby number 5. I couldn't ask for a better village.
Some people have asked whether the fifth baby is harder or easier than the first few, and right now my answer is both. It's easier simply because - although each baby is different and presents their own unique challenges - we have done this before. It's not a brand new experience, we've got a few tips and tricks up our sleeves, and we have an idea of what to expect and what to try when problems come up. However, it's also harder both because we are older now (yawn!) and because we have four other children who need us. It feels like the stakes are higher when baby has a bad night and I am just surviving the day in a daze, because more people are affected. Four other small people need food and activities and structure to their day, not to mention my attention and conversation and teaching and training. Whew!
Anyways. We are still groggy and fatigued and figuring out our new routines with this new little person, but also grateful for so many answered prayers.
Do we really have five children now? We are rich indeed.
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