A Time for Blessings

O taste and see that the Lord is good:

blessed is the man that trusts in Him. ~Psalm 34:8

We always have so much to be thankful for but lately it seems the blessings abound and I am compelled to share. God is so good always!

When I was pregnant for Tess I never imagined that I would face the health issues I have since all my pregnancies and deliveries for the most part went great. I had no reason to think it would be otherwise. I have had blood pressure issues in the past but it has always resolved itself after delivery or at least very shortly after. This time around has been different. Along with adjusting to these new health issues (which I'm being told will likely be a lifetime issue for me now) we've been adjusting to a new baby. For some reason every 3rd baby, for me, is hard. I remember having a very hard time adjusting after Gabe was born, swore I'd never have another (haha). I have always said that more than 3 is just one more and adjusted so well with babies 4 &5, it was a breeze really. Tess is a great baby so it's not even that she's hard. It's just the dynamics of having older kids (they're not always easier) school to contend with and just being plain old tired and yes, a little emotional. Throw in the heath issues, which have been scary at times & medicines that have harsh side effects and you've got one mess of a mommy. Here is where the blessings come in...

Not having family close can make it challenging when things like this come up because there isn't a grandma or aunt & uncle to call to come watch the kids when mom suddenly gets admitted to the hospital. It really can be a juggling act to figure out how we'll make things work at times. How many of you have a friend who shows up at your house at 9am delivering  food for your family and who, knowing you were up sick all the night before because your blood pressure was through the roof, forces you to call the doctor and insists on staying with your 3 younger kids so your husband can take you? Well Ashley, I give you a shout out because you deserve it! The blessing it was knowing that my younger 3 were in great hands while I was in the hospital was incredible. She stayed till Ben got the older 3 from school. And then the blessing of knowing that Ben & the kids would eat well because another friend was delivering a meal that night. Then one friend called Ben consistently throughout the evening to make sure he was fine and when he mentioned being out of milk sent her teenage son over to deliver some to him-Blessings!! To Anita, another shout out has to go out because she has been so amazing, offering to watch my kids. Ben was able to drop all 5 off with her today since there was no school, so he could come be with me at the hospital and has also offered to come be with me during the mornings when Ben goes back to work if I need to rest. Another blessing? We had Tess two weeks ago Thursday and the meals have not stopped coming! Our friends are just incredible and we are blessed beyond measure. I had 3 emails waiting for me when I got home of people wanting to know when they could bring a meal, one email had a list of people already lined up through Saturday. And the last blessing I'll touch upon (there are so many more!) is the blessing of an amazing husband. He has taken such good care of me and the kids while I have been dealing with these issues. A lot of men would dread the task of taking care of 6 kids alone, one being a 2-week old, doing night feedings and all but he assured me before leaving the hospital that he was okay with it, they would be fine and I just needed to focus on getting better. I had wanted Tess with me at the hospital but the Dr.s insisted it was in the best interest of my health that I allow her to be taken care of by someone else for the night. I prayed all night (the migraines that came with the first med I was on and that resulted when I was switched to a different med were excruciating) that Tess would go long stretches between feedings for him and she did...5 hours!!! Praise God for answered prayer. I am so lucky to be married to a man who takes care of his family and does it happily and willingly. He gets the biggest shout-out!! 

I really am so thankful to all of you who have been praying & sent us your loving thoughts. You are too many to mention by name but we don't take you for granted. The love and support that our family continually receives from those around us truly is overwhelming and we consider you all among our greatest blessings. God truly can be trusted and He has shown us time and again that when the need is there He will provide the help...We have tasted and seen first hand that HE IS GOOD!