Blessing Day

Yesterday was a good school day. Our son who lives with SPD (sensory processing disorder) had a good day after several really hard ones, so I was very grateful. Daughter G wrote another really good paragraph using the IEW principles. Now that I have a handle on it, I'm so excited to continue using this wonderful writing program! Son G is almost done with his Math U See workbook, and son C is almost done with his "Get Set for the Code" phonics workbook. They always LOVE to finish workbooks! I started reading a new book outloud that everyone is enjoying very much (The Matchlock Gun). We made a big Sam's Club run so now we have lots of food!

We were able to wash some large bedding at the laundromat for our "illegal" friend who is being deported soon. I was happy to do this for her, as I have been unable to help much until now. When I took the bedding to her last night, she was having a hard time getting her 2 year old to settle down to sleep. So I offered to hold the fussy newborn while she laid down with the 2 year old. For about an hour I did my "baby whisperer" thing (that's my nickname in the church nursery!) while she rested. She had had a hard night the night before with hardly any sleep and had a bad headache. Her husband is still sitting in jail, waiting for the necessary paperwork to be completed so they can be officially deported, while she is juggling the demands of two school aged children, a busy 2 year old, and a little newborn not quite one month old who is up several times in the night. Bless her heart! I found out she is just 24 years old. Definitely young enough to be my daughter (yikes!). My motherly instincts took over and I asked if I could stay the night and help her with the baby. She was much relieved. I am so grateful to my husband for giving the gift of his time, so that I could bless this family. It is doubly meaningful as he is working on a huge deadline this week. Thank you honey!

I spent the night last night either holding a precious little new boy, or sleeping on the couch 3 feet from him, or scraping my fingernail along the bottoms of his feet to keep him awake while he nursed in the night (it sounds worse than it is!). He slept very well between feedings and his mother got a solid 2-3 hours of sleep inbetween each one. But I could tell she was still exhausted this morning, so after getting her two older children off to school, I brought her 2 year old home with me for the morning so she could nap.

He has been here nearly two hours and so far it's going very well! He and my 3 year old Little Man are confined to our living room/dining room playing with trains (thank goodness I still have baby gates!) while the rest of us are doing school at the kitchen table. We are having several interruptions, but I explained to the children this morning that this was Blessing Day. We have an opportunity to bless this family and this tired new mama in a small way today, and they are helping play with him and being very kind and gentle. My son with SPD even asked me if he could say the "jail" word to our little friend or if he shouldn't talk about it. I was so proud of him for thinking ahead like that! I love my kids.

If you feel led, please keep this family in your prayers. They are in red tape limbo, with no fixed date for when they will be reunited and able to leave the country together. We are grateful for more time to help this family get packed and ready to leave, but the longer they are here, the longer the father is separated from his family. The wife has such a wonderful attitude though! I am so proud of her, and so grateful to the Lord for helping her come so far in just a few weeks. God is good. All the time.