Our Seven Month Old Twelve Pounder

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake,

I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

Today is Mercy's SEVEN MONTH birthday!

Happy seven month birthday baby girl!

She's about 4 1/2 months adjusted and developmentally, but chronologically she is seven months old and we can't believe it!

We really loved our extended newborn stage with her, she was so sweet and really AWESOME, but it has been so much fun watching her grow and learn new things. Still sweet, still awesome, plus so much more! She is so close to sitting up with no support from us or from her own arms and we still think she'll be walking before she's crawling, she just loooves to be on her feet!

So last week I was talking to a mom at church who had her little guy while we were in the NICU... He was born about a month after Mercy. I found myself totally jealous of him! So silly, I know that Mercy is developmentally behind 2 1/2 months and that she will catch up after a year or so and I'm ok with that, but I looked at him sitting on the floor all by himself with no help and was totally jealous.

The thoughts flooded my mind, "Mercy's not doing that yet... Is she ok? Is she behind more than she should be? Am I doing enough to help her? What's wrong???"

Oh yeah... Calm down, she's fine, she's awesome, she's right where she should be.

I guess it was the first time I saw a baby younger than Mercy doing something she couldn't do yet and I forgot... Mercy should be a month or so younger than that little guy. Their lives in the womb included, she is a month or so younger. Everything is ok... but it didn't feel ok in that moment.

It honestly caught me off guard how off guard it caught me.

Then I had an entire week that caught me off guard in a completely different way as almost every day I was reminded of how grateful I am for Mercy's birth story and for her first couple months in the 'outside world.'

The mom I met at the Salad Station, she was the best. I watched her walk through the door with her three kids and couldn't wipe the smile off my face, they were too precious, so sweet. A little bit later I met her in line and she asked how old Mercy was. "She'll be seven months on Sunday." I saw the look that I have learned to LOVE and she said, "My oldest was 1lb 10oz. He's five years old now!" We talked briefly about the life changing experience of the NICU and she reminded me in such straight forward words that made me completely forget the jealousy I had experienced. Her simple words that have repeated in my head all week: "Isn't God's grace sufficient?"

Over the course of the week I was reminded through even more knowing eyes and understanding hearts of the moms I meet so often who look at Mercy and know... because they've been there with their own, they've cried similar tears and celebrated similar triumphs of SATS and X-rays, grams and ounces. They've experienced the sufficiency of God's grace in their times of greatest need, and they smile with me as we recount our stories of our sweet miracles... We smile, we laugh, we know... and I'm reminded...

I was reminded during our trip to Sam's just yesterday. Each person who asked how old she was, "She'll be seven months on Sunday." "Oh, she's so tiny!" God is so sovereign, isn't He? I love these opportunities, I love sharing her story, seeing the smiles she receives, the thank you's for getting to meet a sweet miracle, the "I love you's" she hears from complete strangers. It bring tears to my eyes seeing how her presence, her smile and her story are so moving to others who are just meeting her. We so enjoy these brief moments we're given to share the awesome testimony of God's all sufficient grace... and, again, I'm reminded...

The question continued to repeat in my head over the course of the week... "Isn't God's grace sufficient?"

Yes, mama at Salad Station. Yes it is.

So grateful for my sweet seven month old twelve pounder, just learning to sit up unsupported, playing catch-up with the other babies, revealing God's grace to her mama and daddy, and our families and communities in bigger ways than I can even comprehend.

Just love her so much!

Easy to love, watch this:

She loooves that bouncy seat, she loooves to kick her feet, and this is random, but she REALLY loves gymnastics! She belly laughs every time she sees someone do a cartwheel or stand on their hands! She's doing so much and we're having fun watching her, we love her so so much!

Thanks for keeping up with us! We love YOU so so much, too!