and this?
We are so blessed to have this baby, and somehow I love him more today than I did the day we met. How is that possible?
Here is this week’s column, which fits the birthday bill nicely.
Dear sweet Henry turns two this week and we celebrated by having his full-body cast removed. We know how to party!
What an adventure these last few months have been. For seven weeks, our little guy was in a cast that started at his chest and went all the way to his knee on one leg and his ankle on the other. We were baptized by fire into the world of broken bones and cast protocol, of recovery times and long waits at the ortho clinic.
The best thing I can say about the spica cast is I’m glad it’s gone. Instead of waxing eloquent about how I grew from that trying situation – and I sure hope I did – what I’d rather say is simply “thank you Lord for getting us through. Thank you for healing Henry’s leg.”
Henry is not quite walking again, but the other day I caught him climbing onto the dining room table; a return to full health is not far behind. Even though Henry was here with us the whole time, having him free from the cast is like having our little boy back again, wholly here, happy and healthy. It is wonderful.
Our baby is two and I’d like to explain just how Henry got here. Nothing in the biological sense, of course, but I want to tell you how God worked a tiny miracle in my heart to get this sweet boy into my life, into the life of his father and his brothers and everyone else who adores him so.
After our fourth boy was born, I explained to the Lord (and to my husband, who agreed with me wholeheartedly) that we needed to take a break from co-creating with Him. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the beauty of this miraculous and generous gift from God, but I felt it was going to take all my energy and focus to manage the four little boys (ages five and under) now in my care.
I daresay that during the first two-and-a-half years of having four boys, I would have very much appreciated if Mother Church had given me the option of a long-term and permanent solution to not having any more children. I wasn’t proud of this attitude, but I suspect other couples might also feel this way occasionally, people who wonder why the Church would mandate something as stressful and burdensome as “no contraceptives.” Where is the wisdom in that, we might ask.
I certainly did, and while I continued to obey the wisdom of the Church and more or less understood it, I didn’t always like it. But we put one foot in front of the other. We got committed to using Natural Family Planning to postpone pregnancy without taking any drastic measures that would permanently close the door to more babies down the road.
And then, suddenly, we were down that road, the road that led us out of those oft- stressful sleep-deprived days of multiple babies and toddlers. And something pulled on my heart, just a bit, a thought that wondered, maybe?
That is the thought that started a conversation that led to prayerful consideration that encouraged more discussion about children and openness to life and what, really, are we waiting for?
There are plenty of times when a husband and wife will have that conversation, the one about having another baby, and they will peacefully and with great fervor agree that now is not the time. A couple might go years with that attitude – and this use of wit and intellect is what the Church requires from each of us. Paul and I operated that way for many years; it is what we needed during that fun but very challenging season of many little ones.
How very surprising, then, to one day arrive at a different conclusion – to find you have turned a corner and entered a new season. Suddenly, the wisdom of the Church and of not closing a door permanently – it all makes sense.
Dear sweet two-year-old Henry is beautiful proof of that.
Great commentary on NFP! I have several friends who are very peaceful about the Church's teaching, and are always open to life. But I have many more (including me!) who have gone through struggles in that area, while remaining faithful to the teachings. We have this exact conversation so many times!! Thanks for so eloquently putting it into words (as usual!) and Happy Birthday Baby Henry!!
You have described my feelings PERFECTLY!! We are still in the "season" of four little ones (ages 6, 4, 2, and 1) and I hope one day I will feel ready and happy to accept another baby. We love NFP and want to do God's Will, and it's tough sometimes to figure out what that is. What a great story of how Henry came to be…Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday Little Henry. God Blessing with you always.
Dear Rach, your honesty and transparency is a blessing to all, even those of us who are not married or cannot, for one reason or another, have more children. May your words continue to reach out to those who struggle, as you have done, with the wise teaching of our Church. And Happy Birthday to that little boy of yours!
Happy Birthday dear Henry!
Happy birthday to your little one! Always an avid follower of your blog and writings, I was pleased since our babies were born just a few days apart! My little guy turned two this past Sunday and we are so happy to have him here. He is our first and we are praying for another. God bless your family, esp. your little Henry!
As is often the case, Brad Paisley captures an analogous feeling.
Photo #1 is such a Norman Rockwell moment. I love that picture of you guys!
An amazing story. Happy Birthday to your little one.
Great post! Great blog! I see that you love Barefoot in the Park. That is one of my all-time favorite movies as well! "I've had a cold for 30 years!" Love that!
You and Paul have built a beautiful family that is a real encouragement, even an inspiration, to so many of us. Thanks, Rach, for your faithfulness and for being so genuine.
Thank you so much for this candid, beautiful description of the "NFP Discussion."
I agree with a previous poster that the first picture is a true Norman Rockwell moment. The expressions on the boys' faces are wonderful! Thank you for sharing, and Happy Birthday little Henry!
Yep, it is hard. And yep, they are loved.
Happy Birthday Henry! Our little boy turns two on the 19th, and I too can hardly believe he's already at this milestone. He is our baby who came after an interlude, and his two big sisters love him so much! I thank God every day for his beautiful presence in our life, for the joy this baby boy has brought into our lives. Even if he is ripping apart the house any chance he gets! I hope this is not the end to our season of children. Thank you for the lovely writing on the merits and difficulties of NFP.
I think we all go through cycles thinking that it isn't fair. I also know that when I was pregnant with our 7th child that I really really hoped that my husband and God wouldn't want us to have anymore. I know that the feeling doesn't last forever. The church really is looking out for our best interests.
Oh, I love picture #1. Not posed, not contrived, just pure joy at seeing their new brother. Beautiful illustration of love.
Beautiful post! And what a great gift the Church gives to us by saying "No contraception!"