No He Isn't: Thanksgiving

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving. It has been quite busy around the Hess house with little baby Lincoln and with our families in for Thanksgiving and you know, trying to figure out when to shower...

Today's post is a little about our Thanksgiving, but I know many of you are awaiting Lincoln's birth story. Don't worry, I'm trying to put it into words. It's just a little harder this time around, because his birth was only the beginning of this little guy's life, not the end like Hannah's. Somehow the story seems less significant, because I can tell you so many stories about his life afterwards. 

But I am working on it. His birth was a most incredible, indescribable day. But today, here's a little about our Thanksgiving.

November 27, 2014

Today was a most wonderful Thanksgiving.

Because of Lincoln's impending birth we made our Thanksgiving plans a little differently this year. We decided not to travel as Lincoln was due right around Thanksgiving and under no circumstances did I want to be stuck on the side of the road having a baby.

So this year our family came to us. They came for Thanksgiving and many of them came to meet Lincoln for the first time. Both of our families poured into town into our little home for Thanksgiving. Yes, I had been a little stressed about all the events and visitors and food preparations.

But it was perfect.

It made my heart smile to see my brother laughing with Kyle's sister and her husband. It made me happy to see my family playing board games with Kyle's niece and nephews even though it meant the rules constantly changed in favor of the younger player. It made my heart so very full to see my sister and Kyle's niece skipping around the house together like the two 'baby sisters' that they are.

We filled our garage with long white tables and folding chairs. We had paper plates and plastic utensils to make things easier. We had numerous crock pots cooking Thanksgiving dinner because we just didn't have the oven or stove space to cook everything otherwise. I would have pulled in our ping pong table to eat off of had we needed it, because yes, it felt very perfectly Charlie Brown.

But just a few minutes before we sat down to eat, one little guy said something that filled my heart more than he could ever comprehend.

Kyle's sister Rebekah's oldest son was holding our little Lincoln so very carefully on the couch. His younger brother and sister surrounded him, as if they needed to be less than a foot from Lincoln to love him best. I was explaining to them how although Lincoln is not the first grandkid on 'their side' of the family, that he is the first on ours, the oldest like Rebekah's oldest on 'their side'.

And then our little nephew looked up at me so very matter-of-fact and said,

'No he isn't.'

'Because Hannah.'

And as my heart swelled I looked at him and said, 'yes, that's right.' Those were all the words I could get out without crying the deepest tears of joy.

It is Thanksgiving, and our family was together, all of us remembered. Thankful for a home full of love, our little Lincoln, and our sweet Hannah.

Happy Thanksgiving. May you be thankful for all the blessings the Lord has given you, even the ones that may not seem like blessings to the world outside.

Thirty Six Weeks: Happy Birthday Lincoln

November 4, 2014

Thirty Six Weeks

Little Tiny Human,

Happy Birthday.


I've been waiting.

I've been praying.

For longer than you know I've waited to hold you in my arms and I've waited for your eyes to look back into mine.

And today, today you woke me up so very early in the morning. And without words you told us you were coming. Last night your dad and I talked about the month to come as we imagined the next four weeks waiting for you. But you came today.

Today I held you in my arms and I fell in love with you.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy, you are everything I've waited for, everything I've prayed for, everything I pleaded with the Lord for in the months that have seemed like years of waiting.

I'm not sure you'll ever understand how many places you fill in my heart. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to explain the healing you have brought to our home. You will forever be Hannah's little brother, and that means more to me than you will ever be able to comprehend.

"In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
2 Samuel 22:7

I called out to the Lord and he heard my cry. You, sweet Lincoln, just like your sister, you are picture of God's goodness and his grace, his never-ending never-failing all-consuming love, his perfect plan.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I have prayed without ceasing, and today I cry out to the Lord in thanksgiving. For I have spent months rejoicing in my suffering, and now I rejoice in the life that you have been given, the opportunity that I have been given to love you every moment of every day.

I pray for you today, sweet Lincoln. First that you will know the Lord, that you will know his great, great love and that you will accept his love and salvation and spend your life following Him. Second, that you would be safe, that I would never lose you, that you would live a most healthy, long life, and honestly that I would never have to bury you. I don't think my heart would make it.

I pray for the wife you will someday fall in love with and marry. I pray for the friends that will influence you more in your teenage years than I ever can. I pray for your summers in Colorado, that you would enjoy the adventure and not hate us for taking you from your friends every summer.

At night I quite often pray that you'll sleep well. I pray that you'll stop crying. And then in the silence I pray that you'll make a little noise so that I know you're still breathing.

Today I fought for you. I became your mother and I made sure the doctors and the nurses were taking the very best care of you. When they wouldn't let me hold you I held your tiny little hand and when they wouldn't let me feed you I begged to be a part.

I'll always be there. I'll be there so much for you that it'll be embarrassing sometimes I'm sure, but I can't help it.

I'm your mother.

I'll always want to hold your hand and be a part of your life. I pray, even today, for the day that I'll have to let you grow up. For the day my heart will break just a little because you won't be my little baby anymore.

But today's not that day. Today is your birthday. And I won't let you grow up just yet.

Love always, more than you will ever know,
Mom

Thirty Five Weeks: Skelly in the Belly

Our sweet little Lincoln arrived early on Tuesday November 4th. Oh we are so in love. While I'm away staring at my baby while he sleeps, we'll catch up to birth day with the weekly posts. With him coming four weeks early, we have a bit of catching up to do!

October 31, 2014

Thirty Five Weeks

Little Tiny Human,

Happy Halloween!

Everyone has been asking what I'll 'be' for Halloween this year. Since I work at the school we do a little dressing up. This year the kiddos dressed up in their costumes and I contemplated making a new costume this year.

But I still had my shirt from last year.

Last year when I decided to keep my costume, never did I think I would be able to wear it again the very next Halloween. So I decided that it was perfectly fitting. So yes, your first Halloween costume was a 'hand-me-down' from your sister and it was homemade by your mom.

That's Hannah on the left and you on the right. Such a resemblance...

So this morning I put on my skeleton shirt and I smiled back at the people who would see my little skelly-in-the-belly and smile. I'm just so very proud of you, you know.

Happy Halloween, I'll try not to eat you too much candy.

Love you,
Mom

Thirty Four Weeks: Little Tiny Giant

Our sweet little Lincoln arrived early on Tuesday November 4th. Oh we are so in love. While I'm away staring at my baby while he sleeps, we'll catch up to birth day with the weekly posts. With him coming four weeks early, we have a bit of catching up to do!

October 21, 2014

Little Tiny Giant,

Let me start by saying that I'm glad you're healthy. I'm so grateful that your umbilical cord works and that it gets you all the nutrients you need. I'm so blessed to see you bouncing on the screen and doing cute little things during the ultrasound.

But also,

You're a giant.

Today we went for your growth scan at the doctor's office. Once again they say these measurements can vary in weight. With you 'weighing' approximately 4.25 pounds three weeks ago, and with the average baby gaining half a pound a week at this point, do the math. You should measure about 5.75 pounds this week right? Or you know maybe the scan three weeks ago was off and said you were heavier than you really were so maybe you'll measure even less then that...

Nope.

I paid a bit more attention this time to each individual measurements...

Your head, which means your skull, is quite large (and you have hair!). If we based your due date off your head alone you'd be due about November 15th, which is like two and a half weeks ahead of schedule. About the 98th percentile...

Your abdomen, which I'm assuming is more the size of your chest, is also quite large. About the 98th percentile as well. Due date just based off of your chest would be more like November 12th, which is you know, only 3 weeks ahead of time.

Your femur, which the sweet ultrasound lady refers to as your thigh bone (which would make way more sense to you until I turn you into a nerd), is sort of normal size, I didn't get a chance to look at all the numbers for your femur because they all of a sudden calculated your overall estimated weight based on these three measurements.

You weight six and a half pounds!

At thirty four weeks!

That's like the 97th percentile little baby. That's like if you add on the estimated half a pound you're supposed to gain every week and even still you get delivered a week early, you'll be nine and a half pounds! But if you keep up your rate of growth from the past three weeks which is 0.75 pounds per week then you know, you'll weigh a nice 10.25 pounds at birth.

Your dad was ecstatic. I am thrilled you're so healthy. But this just means you need to be streamlined and ready to go when delivery day comes. None of that breech baby or posterior stuff okay? If you need me to I can give you a lesson on what it means to be ready for all this okay.

Let's just say that the doctor moved onto a different subject during our visit and then glanced at her computer again and said 'I just can't believe how big your baby is!' and told me that her first baby was smaller at birth than you are now.

But don't worry, I'm very proud of you. I hope you come out huge and chunky and squishy and cuddly. And your dad homes you come out a lineman. He's already bragging to the world about how big you are.

We love you, you little tiny giant. Keep growing strong,
Mom