... To Prepare for the Days we are In

Last week Jenn and I welcomed our son Asher Curtis into the world. He arrived weighing 9 lbs. 3 oz. and measuring 24 inches long! Asher is our third child, and we are embracing and loving the evolution that is going on in our home along with his birth.

We completely savored those years when it was just our daughter Gabbi. She received the sum of her two parents attention. Then five years after Gabbi's birth, we welcomed our son Chantry into our family. We were more 'relaxed' with our second, for after all, we were now 'experienced parents.' Our naïve confidence was much higher than with our first! Then our confidence met with the reality that it was now a 'boy child' that we were parenting. We have recently been practicing the discipline and celebrating the challenges of the seemingly endless energy of a two-year old male.

And now, alas, our third child is here and we are experiencing that all the clichés are wonderfully true! It's now 'zone' defense and the days of the 'tidy' two kids, five years apart are ancient history. Now it's two in diapers, and often in the middle of the night, two of our three are in need of a comforting parent. It's an exciting time in our home. We are not wishing for the next season; we are enjoying the one we're in - a season of enormous adjustment accompanied by a lack of sleep.

In the weeks and months leading up to the big day, Jenn nested - nested big time! She made lists - long lists of things to do. The hospital knew we were coming. The nursery was painted. Infant diapers were stacked perfectly in their place. The crib, which had been well used twice before, was adjusted back to the new born stage. The baby gear was dug out of storage to be disinfected and well placed. We coached Gabbi and Chantry on the welcoming of Asher. We nested - nested big time!

WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT WE DID ALL WE COULD DO
TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS WE ARE IN!

In the weeks to come, we are about to welcome our new church North Way Sewickley Valley into the world. This community is going to be the third 'child' born to North Way in the last three years. North Way's Worship Cafe Community and Oakland Campus are the older 'children.' It's an exciting time at North Way as we all prepare for the changes to come. It's time to be 'nesting' - nesting big time!

My prayer and hope is that a few months from now,
we will look back at the launch of our new church and say

WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT WE DID ALL WE COULD DO
TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS WE ARE IN.