Just finished watching Miracles from Heaven in the movie theater with my family.
What a great show. Made me think lots afterward.

The two things that hit me the most were:

When Haley's dad stands up in the Church at the end and reveals that his daughter died, but that he has found a glimmer of faith through the experience and the interaction between his daughter and Anna in the hospital at Boston.

The second thing that caused me to reflect a lot was when Anna's mom, Christy, spoke on how miracles are all around us. I read an article online after we got home that said when Christy Beam started to write the book is when she realized how many miracles had occurred all along their journey. During the ordeal of trying to figure out what was wrong with their daughter and help her find healing, she just kept her head down and put one foot in front of the other. But now, she wishes to say to others dealing with a hardship to keep their head up and look around them at the miracles that occur all around.
There are two ways to live: You can either live as though nothing is a miracle, or live as though everything is a miracle.
I liked seeing that the friend who came over in the middle of the night when the parents rushed to take Anna to the ER, waited until they drove out of sight before opening her car door to take out her little baby. She just didn't want to tell them, perhaps in case it would make them feel bad. The friend was completely selfless and ready to serve and be of help whenever the call came...even if it was inconveniently in the middle of the night. And when the waitress told her employer that she needed the next day off after telling Christy and Anna that she had the following day off and could be their personal tour guide.

A little diddy on Dean...

Dean seems to have darker toned skin that the previous 3 kids. Good. Because the first 3 just burn within the first 30 minutes of being outside in the summer. Maybe Dean won't be relegated to spf 600 for the rest of his life like Trent and I.

I think it's funny when babies are nursing and it's like they forget to breathe inbeween gulps. All of a sudden Dean has to unlatch to catch his breathe...then he goes back in for more...as if that was all normal and commonplace.

Dean came to us with far more hair than any of our other babies. The first 3 were practically bald, and it wasn't until Kyleigh was 2 when I could finally gather enough hair to give her two little piggies. I remember it well....we had just moved to Akron, Ohio and I pulled Kyleigh into our 1 bathroom upstairs, got excited that it finally worked! and took a picture to document the monumental event.

Dean has had baby acne for longer than I remember any of the other kids. Perhaps it's the dry desert air? All the others were born in Utah and Ohio.

I find it so neat how many small miracles and amazing things surround babies. From their conception and growth to how they manage to squeeze through a birth canal. And the latest in my fascination with all things baby, is the protective layer on Dean's lips. It looks like a blister, but it's actually a barrier that forms on its own to protect his lips from getting blisters when they nurse (since they have to eat so much and often).

It's an internal struggle I have daily: I want to hold the guy after he enters his milk coma and while he sleeps, but I know that it makes it harder for him to learn to sleep well in his bassinet after he's enjoyed natural body warmth to comfort him. I usually lay him down in his bassinet or on the couch if I'm downstairs, but I sure like watching him sleep and holding him when I can.

Dean usually wants to eat when I'm about to either cook dinner or eat my dinner. It's a no fail coincidence. Breakfast and lunch do not have this timing problem...it's just dinner. How rude, dude!

Trent and I have observed, and a few others have commented the same, that Dean's feet seem to be extra long...aka: he's going to be a tall dude like his older brother Brenden. B is still about a head taller than everyone in his class and in his Scouting group. I wonder what puberty is going to do to these two boys. (Kent leans more toward the average height spectrum).

I just love love love having 3 boys. It's so cool. I've enjoyed buying blue blankets, church ties and Nike tennis shoes. I like having more bins full of cars, capes and trains than princesses and prince charmings. (Though, I have absolutely nothing against princesses and prince charming. Kyleigh has her fair share of dolls with crowns and gowns).

Kent has battled a cold all winter long. It seems forever ago when the poor kid didn't need to blow his nose a few times a day. Well, it got worse and today I took him in to see Dr. Duddy after he was holding his ear and saying "Owww". He has a double ear infection. We got his meds, he's drugged up and fell asleep on the couch (first time that's ever happened!) because he was waiting for me to finish putting groceries away that needed to be refrigerated and frozen and visit the 'John'. He must have been exhausted because he was out cold in no time at all. Thus far, Dean has been able to escape getting infected....and I pray that the blessing of full health and strength continue with baby Dean. It's so hard on these babies when they get congested...difficult to nurse and since they're on their back all day, the post nasal drip is a serious problem. I've done my best to keep the two boys separated as best I can...especially since they're both home all day long with me. I've tried to place Kent on a different couch if I'm nursing or distract him with something outside if I need to hold Dean. Otherwise, I can be with Kent easily while Dean sleeps in the comfort of his bassinet. It's just a cat and mouse game Moms play to try their best to protect and keep the newborns as healthy as possible. There is so much growth happening in the first few months, it's nice if it has no impediments.

Dean is a growing boy. He usually wakes me up every 2 hours at night. He goes roughly 2-3 hours during the day, but 2 hours is the norm for him at night. I've had a few stretches here and there of 3 hours, and a fabulous 4 hour sleep stretch, but overall, I'm always looking for a cat nap after spending so much quality time with Dean during the hours from dusk to daylight.

Kyleigh and Brenden continue to be great older siblings to their new little brother. They're very helpful to grab a diaper, a blanket or rock him until I can finish up and get to baby Dean.
Kent has been very sweet to his little brother. He says, "Baby Nee-nah." and then smacks his lips together like a kiss. I lean over and present Dean's head, Kent gives him a quick kiss and then smiles in contentment. That's one of my favorite things.

Kent was definitely pushing boundaries and going through terrible twos, but after Dean was born, instead of keep trying to get away with stuff, he seems to have gone the other way and likes to please us. We ask him to do something and he says, "Oh-kay, Momma!" He looks up to Trent and I when we praise him and flashes the best toddler grin. It's pretty darn angelic when he knows he has done good and we're praising him for it. Dean brought something special into our home and it's permeating even the 2 year old!

Siblings can make the best of friends

Couple things I wanted to remember about the kids lately. 

Monday morning Kyleigh was in a grumpy mood and came down the stairs piping mad that B was using her fruity pebbles cereal that she felt was "hers" (because she picked it out at the store when we purchased it). There would only be a couple spoonfuls left for her after B poured his bowl. She pouted and stomped to the stairs when she realized that she couldn't do anything about the situation. B was already down in the kitchen and had poured his cereal before she came downstairs...the battle was fruitless and she had lost the last bowl of Fruity Pebbles. 

I leaned close to B and semi-whispered, "How do you think Kyleigh will feel if you give her your bowl of fruity pebbles and pick another cereal? It's up to you, bud. You can choose to keep the cereal or give it to Kyleigh." I wanted the choice to be entirely up to him, with no force, so that he could enjoy the good feelings that would come if he took the unselfish route. 

He didn't take very long to decide. He pushed his bowl aside and went into the pantry to find a new box of cereal. I called to Kyleigh to come over and see what B had just done. 

When she saw that the fruity pebbles was hers, a grin slowly crept into the corners of her mouth, then grew until she couldn't hide her pleasure anymore. She went into the pantry and gave her brother a hug from behind. No words. Just happiness and gratitude being expressed. 

As B ate his Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I'm not sure he was bothered that it wasn't fruity flavored. 

And, if that wasn't cool enough, the good feelings lingered into the next morning. Kyleigh forgot that she had the very last bowl of fruity pebbles and asked for them that next morning, but I reminded her that her brother gave her the last bowl, and she once again had a big smile dominate her features. 

I love it when the kids love each other.

Kent was coming down the stairs, stopped at the landing and spotted something amiss and tried to have me correct it immediately. :)

He said, "Mom! B. La-Lee. Baby Neena." 

He was worried that B wouldn't want his La-Lee soiled by another person. (Because to Kent, NO ONE is allowed to play with or use his la-Lee. So, naturally, B would feel the same.) 

I thought it was cute that Kent was looking out for the goods of his older bro. :)

We were having Family Home Evening, Kyleigh and Brenden were in charge, and put on a skit for Trent and I on Loving one another. It was cute. They pretended to run into each other, then had a dialogue to make sure the other one was alright. I had forgotten to relay to Trent the nice thing that Brenden had done for Kyleigh with the cereal, so I told them I had a story to share about loving one another. After recalling the cereal experience, I remembered another thing B had done that showed love to another. 

We were at DQ for free cone day. Steph, her 2 girls, Mom, Dad, and my crew of 4 kids. After the kids finished their ice cream, they played while adults talked. Suddenly, we heard Maya cry. Her arm was stuck in an empty arcade/toy game. She could not wiggle free! Luckily Poppy was there and held her, spoke to her on what to do with her hand to get free, and called out orders for us to find a spray of water or oil. With all the commotion, I see Brenden running to the door. He opens it, I call out, "B! Stay inside! Don't go out there!" Luckily, I had the sense to trust him when he called back, "Mom! I have to do something important!" 

I watch as he takes one knee, bows his head, folds his arms. He prayed for his little cousin, knowing that's the only useful thing he could do to help. I was taught by my son. I hadn't even thought to pray, yet it was the first thing that came to his mind. And he tried to find a quiet place outside, but also wasn't afraid that the two big guys with beards and tattoos were watching him from the other side of the window. Had I not relayed the incident to Trent, I'm not sure anyone but me would have known what B did...it's as if it was just the only right answer in that situation in his mind and done instinctively. 

Then, to make sure Kyleigh didn't feel bad, Trent said, "I've seen Kyleigh do nice things like that, too." I hadn't paid attention to put together something I had seen Kyleigh do as something that shows love to another in the same manner as B...until Trent said that. So I shared with Trent and the kids how Kyleigh doesn't jump out of the car when we get to our destination like others do. She thinks about her brother, Kent, and that he's stuck in a car seat and unable to jump out like the others. So she works on his buckles as much as she can to get him free...at least until I'm able to come around to that side of the car with Dean. 

Sharing all these instances of love and goodness between the kids that I witnessed, made me think....how grateful I was to see them all first-hand. Also, that I was glad we held FHE, and that the kids thought up that specific topic which sparked my memory of these happenings so that I could relate them to their Daddy. I might have forgotten otherwise, and that would be sad. Trent would have missed out on being able to praise his kids for the good they did for one another. 

It was a great day.

Pregnancy and Child Birth

Pregnancy and child birth are such strange and wonderful things. It draws strong emotions...and sometimes their polar ends within minutes of each other. I love the feeling of growing a baby, giving all the nourishment and physical elements he/she will need once they leave the womb. But, it requires a high toll on the body. Everything from foods becoming suddenly unpalatable to expanding waistlines and extra water retention...making the toes and ankles look swollen. Back pains and sleeping problems. Bending over and sustained work loads are slowly minimized as the months pass and the time of baby's debut creeps closer.
But, how nice it was to be reminded at Women's conference last Saturday that although all these things are "true" about having babies, it's not necessarily the "truth" about having a baby.
The truth about being pregnant and child birth is that it is a necessary, utterly needed, component to God's plan: "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". Immortality cannot come to pass without mortality, which is not possible without pregnancy and child birth. So, yes, pregnancy is long and not without pain. Those things are true, but it's not the truth about pregnancy and child birth. The truth is that women are allowed to be partners with God in one of the most essential pieces to his plan. What a privilege. Is that part of the awe that we feel as we gaze into their eyes (albeit mostly closed eyes) as they lay in our arms?
The 'truth' about pregnancy and childbirth is more enduring than whatever may be 'true' about it. Pregnancy and the bringing forth of a new babe is of such incredible importance that it is the one time that man/woman on earth may share in God's literal powers: that of procreation. We share in the power that is perhaps one of God's particular favorites.....is that why he chooses to be called Heavenly Father?
I sure like this position I hold as Mother. Good thing it lasts this life and into the next...