Declan!

When I refer to the last year being one filled with peace, joy and God's teaching, it all starts with Declan. Declan is our third child and his arrival brought us peace.

As mentioned earlier, we were planning on having more children, but the timing was not good. Alex was still working a lot, and I was afraid to go through another pregnancy without him around to help. We were getting ready to move (another incredible God story), and Alex's company had cut most of his benefits so our health insurance was terrible.

Well, Alex and I both felt God was telling us that he wanted to send us another baby. We both heard it separately, talked to each other, and agreed to continue preventing until after the move. We told God we heard him and were open to whatever he had for us, but could not make that decision yet.

Well, haha, when we had that conversation, I was already pregnant.

After an extremely difficult pregnancy with Eden, my pregnancy with Declan was surprisingly easy. It was still challenging, but I felt protected and helped the whole time. Alex's job was steadily getting worse, and things were hard there... but we moved to our dream property in the country, and God was active in our home.

When Declan made his entrance into the world, it was quiet and calm. I had a fast, uneventful labor and delivery, and an hour after he was born, I was alone with him feeling great. This was amazing after the two previous deliveries being bizarre and scary.

The week following Declan's birth was the most refreshing week of my life. It was quiet and full of joy. Alex was home all week, and we had a week of all five of us resting at home together. We gardened, got baby chickens, and snuggled a lot. When it was over, I wished we could loop the week and go back and do it over and over. But it lead us into a peaceful summer. Declan was calm and sweet, but had a little colic. We all learned to be quiet and soothing around him. Every evening he would cry, and I would spend an hour or so walking around our property singing to him, or swinging on the porch swing with him. His presence changed the whole environment of our home.

Even now, Declan has a powerfully peaceful affect on people. He has brought joy to every member of our family. He is such a gift! And having been through two previous babyhoods, Alex and I fully appreciate how fleeting this time is. Our focus this year has been on sucking up every ounce of baby joy we can get ahold of.

I think we all know that the trick to being joyful is living in the season you are in with gratitude, not wanting what is not here yet, but just enjoying what you have... well, Declan took this thought from being empty knowledge to a full experience for us.