Children...what a gift, what a blessing

Well this past week has been quite interesting and the Lord has brought many things to mind this week.
Let's talk about babies!! I have tried my best to be in the most positive, loving and stress free environments, that I could possibly be in while pregnant (Believe me with all these boys it does not come easy!) The reason for this is so that the baby, who by the way is already developing the very important feeling of trust, would know and feel safe coming into this world. The baby would know that he/she (in my case 5 hes) will come into the world and feel safe and trust those loving parents who will cuddle, hold, feed and protect over the next 18-20 years! Wow what an important feeling to nurture and all that even before birth. Wow we mothers and fathers, our jobs start as soon as conception begins! Now for me personally I made a choice to be as nurturing and loving as I could be, long before I even had children. It was just a thing I had always thought about. Obviously the Lord had put this in me a long long time ago. I am by far a perfect mother and have my flaws, but we iron out the wrinkles and keep on going.
As infants I decided to breastfeed my boys, well my oldest boy I didn't I wish I had but that was a decision I made before I knew better. My second oldest I breastfed for 2 1/2 months, now he could eat 24/7, and no I am not exaggerating at all! Dan, he lasted 8 mos, Noah 18mos, and My baby boy well he is still feeding....he will be 19 mos this month and he is still going. Well I have been having these feelings, which I decided this week were selfish, that I want myself back, if you get what I mean...lol Well My husband said to me "Dear you are the ONLY one who can give him what he needs and wants, cherish this time with him." That really opened my eyes. I have been pondering those words my husband spoke to me over the last few weeks. It is true, I am the only person who can give him this, and this time with him is our time, just me and him, and yes I must cherish this time with him because this time will soon be over and we will move into something new. So I have taken hold of him and just sit with him while nursing, running my fingers through his hair and telling him how much I love him. Mothers and Fathers think of yourselves as guardian angels who have been blessed with these wonderful children to watch over.
Another decision my husband and I have made for our children is to allow them to sleep with us. It makes them feel secure and know that we are there for them close and never very far away. I have had many "BOOK" Parents tell me how horrible it is to sleep with your children, well I must tell you truthfully, IT HAS BEEN GREAT. They tell me oh your children will have some sort of anxieties, or problems sleeping later as they grow up, and the list goes on and on. Well you know we have slept with the 3 youngest and we have had almost the same experience with all of them. Sooner or later each one of them has moved out into their own beds when they were ready and it wasn't very long for any of them to all do this. We feel it is an important part of our nurturing and making them feel safe, secure, loved and trusting. These times are to be cherished and held dearly in your hearts. They need us.
My thoughts lately have been on my family.....and I have come to realize that this part of our life won't last for very long and we must hold this time close to our hearts. We must stop being so busy and so tuned into the world and having all the things of the world and just love and take in each precious moment, we are blessed to have these times with our children. I think about the fact that our oldest is turning 13 this year!! Seriously, where have the last 13 years gone? It seems like yesterday when we were sitting down holding him and marveling at his sweet little smile and his big chubby cheeks. Now he is coming into becoming a young man and in just a few short years he will be ready to be on his own!!! The time of our children seems so short yet we somehow think it is so long. The world has come to see this time as dreadful! I see a pattern that has developed in the ways the world looks upon different stages in a child's life and it makes me feel sad. At the age of Two the are "Terrible" then we have the "Trying" years from 5-9, then the "Pre-teen" or Tween years from 10-12 and then OH MY GOODNESS THE DREADFUL TEENAGE YEARS!!!! Now come on, I have to say I have had my moments with my children but none have been so awful that I would call them terrible or awful or look forward thinking it will be dreadful. Each moment and stage is so amazing and the LORD has given us the duty of carrying them through times of turmoil and walk with them through times of happiness. You know the "Footsteps" Poem (My favorite) think about that and how the Lord is always loving us no matter what!! That is how he wants us to be to our children, after all we are all HIS children.
Well I don't know if I have gone all over the place with this post but I truly love and have a great passion for my children and my husband and of course our families. I feel that the Lord has planted these important thoughts in my mind to help guide me through mother hood and us through parenthood. I am so thankful for these insights!!
Well I need to go to bed, I will be posting some of our weekend adventures, with pictures, tomorrow.
God Bless