He is Risen.
We are in Cincinnati this weekend enjoying this beautiful weather and time with family. Fred did great on the road trip, and I enjoyed my mandatory Chick Fil A milkshake.
I haven’t had a lot of time or drive to really ponder Holy Week. We missed church last week, but I enjoyed BB’s performance of the St. John Passion.
The passion story always brings me to my knees. It’s the real deal. The most powerful series of events on human history and will only be topped by Christ’s almighty return. His body, broken for us. The fulfillment of 100s of years of prophesy. How do I even comprehend a small part of what this means for me and the world?
And the resurrection. The true hope. Our only hope. The hope for the abandoned child, the homeless alcoholic, the young girl in chains, the murderer in prison, the sin-wrought young(ish) mother in Chicago. If Christ is risen from the dead, there is hope of redemption. If He didn’t, we have nothing.
Father, may I never forget from where I’ve come. Dead. By your sacrifice, raised to new life.
Happy Easter!
Water
Last week I was sick. Some sort of stomach bug completely took me out of commission for about four days. As I tried as hard as I could to replenish the fluids that I was losing, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I take access to clean water for granted. I live at a time and in a place where I can use as much water as I want, whenever I want. It never crosses my mind how much of a luxury that is.
Meanwhile, in the real world, men, women and children walk for miles to access a small amount of clean water in the places where it’s even available. 850,000,000 people do not have any access at all. 4,000 children under the age of 5 will die today from disease that could have been prevented by having access to clean water.
What happens to a person without clean water? A nursing mother can’t nurse her baby. A sick father cannot wash himself before caring for his child, and thus passes the disease on to the young. An ill grandmother cannot flush the toxins from her weakened body. A dehydrated child cannot recover after vomiting.
It’s enough to make me sick again.
The amazing thing about this problem, though, is that there is something we can do to change it. There is water available, but wells must be drilled and access must be gained. Lucky for this generation, there are organizations doing this work and making a serious impact.
If you want to use your resources to provide access to clean water for children in the developing world, you can. My two daring (or crazy) friends, Wendy and Anthony, are putting their life on pause for a year while they seek to raise awareness and lots and lots of cash to fund clean water projects with World Vision. They have committed to running 54 miles (yes, in one day) in South Africa this June and raising $1000 per mile.
The work of World Vision is proven to make a difference in the lives of children. We can decrease those deaths and increase access in our generation. Won’t you join us?
For more information and to donate now:
http://support.worldvision.org/goto/anthonyhalpin
http://justonedaychallenge.org/#/home/
Fred: 2 months
Dear Fred,
You are 2 months old today! Time flies. You are pure delight to your dad and me almost 100% of the time. Sometimes, when you pee on your clothes multiple times in a row (like you did for your dad at 4 this morning), we get frustrated, but otherwise, we can’t get enough of you!
You are growing so much. We had to out away most of your 0-3 month size clothes yesterday. You have the most precious little fat legs and perfect belly.
My favorite time of the day with you is your last nursing before bed. Right before, you are in such a sweet mood. Just starting to get sleepy, but still cooing and smiling. Then, while you nurse in the dim light, you look up at me with your beautiful dark blue eyes. I rub your feet and legs under your nightgown until you fall fast asleep.
You like it when we sing to you and read to you. You usually try and sing along with us. Your favorite toy is still Towely, the hand towel that hangs over the counter where we change you. Your eyes light up when you see it moving above your head. You love the book from Ms. Jocelyn called “I Kissed the Baby.” The pictures keep you captivated. You never mind when Lucy licks you head to toe and even give your fingers a nibble.
Daddy takes you on long walks in the cold, and you always fall asleep. He holds you while he sings, and you stare at him mesmerized. He swaddles you by rolling you into your blanket – we call it the “daddy roll-up.” He makes sure you always get your tummy time, and he is teaching you to stand. He loves to see how strong you are.
You recently found your hands and can’t stop looking at them. You can rub your eyes and suck your thumb now. It makes you look so grown up! You are a very social guy. You love to see other people and be held by them. You love to be naked and hate getting dressed. You smile all the time and are always happy to see me.
You are the light of our lives, and we are so happy to be your parents. Every day with you is a wonderful gift, and I look forward to the next one. You are grunting and waking from your nap, so I better stop now. Here’s a sleepy 2 month old picture of our sweet Fred.
8 weeks
Fred peed on my hair today while I was trying to suck a booger out of his nose. Yesterday, a small spec of poo flew into the air and landed on BB’s face. We have lost all dignity in this house.
We are 8 weeks into this crazy thing called parenthood, which makes me an expert on absolutely nothing except perhaps how to do laundry. Nevertheless, I have learned a few things in 8 weeks.
1. It is possible to sustain two human lives on a diet of coffee, cookies, bananas and pretzels, but only for two days.
2. Four hours of uninterrupted sleep turns me into a new woman. Anything under two hours makes me more tired.
3. I can go three days without showering and not notice it
4. Breastfeeding hurts at first. Anyone who says it doesn’t or shouldn’t is a big fat liar. And yes, I am talking about PAIN, not just discomfort (But it stops hurting, and it’s totally worth it.)
5. The pain of your hips spreading during pregnancy is only slightly worse than the pain of them coming back together.
6. Husbands of postpartum wives should get some sort of medal for coming home every day and not drinking themselves into a coma.
7. You feel super skinny for the first month after giving birth, which was awesome!
8. If you breastfeed, you must hydrate like you are running a marathon. Seriously, it’s nothing for me to drink 4 liters of water a day.
9. Streaming Netflix is the best thing the internet has ever given us besides the weather forecast. The West Wing has saved my sanity.
10. I still don’t understand why anyone in her right mind would do this again.
That said, Fred is amazing and adorable and oh so fun. Here are a few pics for your delight. Thanks for indulging me. I’ll get back to writing about more serious topics when my brain starts working again.
Amanda
Delighted in the Lord 