Bringing Home Baby Boy #5

Well, we did it. We tried for a girl. What we got was this beautiful fifth little boy, James Mark Wallace. I won't go into detail about his labor and delivery, but when the doctor handed him to me I literally said, "That's it?" So, yes. This was my easiest one. (I almost said, "Easiest one so far," but this is a far as it gets for us.) In the hospital baby James blinked up at us with his sparkly little black eyes as if to say, "Am I your first born son?" Oh, James. You have so much to learn. We brought him home to his tribe of excited brothers, ages 7, 5, 4, and 2. They haven't stopped swooning.

The two-year-old wants me to put him in his bed every night. "Now go out, Mommy. Turn off the light and shut the door."

If you asked me 12 different times throughout the day how things are going, I'd give you 12 different answers. That's how fast things change when you have little ones. One minute everyone is happy and the next minute everything is chaos. Before I can get off the couch and settle the baby to deal with the mayhem, things are calm again.

The big boys have really stepped up. In this pic the four-year-old is making snack cups for everyone and the two-year-old is unloading the dishwasher. They are anxious to embrace this new phase of life.

There's nothing like a new baby to shake things up a bit. My husband can attest to the fact that I'm not a fan of change. Adding a new little man to our family almost every year has been the greatest honor of my life, while truly testing my endurance. And I am so thankful for it. James 1:4 says, "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." The first few weeks of bringing home a newborn, whether it's number one or number five, feels like watching your old life from the outside. You're home, but you can't mentally or physically engage in things like you did before. It's a time to let go of what you thought was "normal" and be open to God showing you your new normal. 

I have been spoiled by this little boy. He is the easiest baby I have had. He is so content and mellow. But it's still a transition. Every transition involves some growing pains. I love the story "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Each time a new animal crawls in to get warm the mitten stretches a little. A few stitches pop. The yarn gets a little more frayed.

We are warm and cozy in our Wallace family "mitten." My husband reminded me that how we handle transitions will leave a lasting legacy of faith for our kids. What a beautiful thought. When the waves bump up against our little boat our kids immediately look at us. We don't have to spend all of our energy trying to keep the boat from rocking under them. Instead we can spend that energy pointing them to the One who is in the boat with us. To all you mamas who might be bringing home a baby for the first time or perhaps adding another one to your own mitten, it's okay to be tired. It's okay to be emotional. My sister, author Rachel Joy Watson (who knows something about trials) wisely said, "Resting in Christ doesn't mean you stop crying. It means crying in the right direction." Cry out to God for new energy and kiss your babies. When we're running on empty God's power is enough. "For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." Colossians 1:29

Would you like to meet Baby James?? I'll be doing a Facebook live video this week to introduce our newest addition and to do a fun holiday giveaway of an awesome new book written by Summer Lacy! Follow me on Facebook at "The Gospel-Centered Mom - Sara Wallace."