Pondering Things in My Heart

There are a few things I've been pondering lately as we celebrate Christmas...

I've thought a lot about what it would have been like to raise Jesus. A literally perfect child. If you were his parent, would you feel unnecessary? Was he a perfect baby? Is "Away in a Manger" right when it says, "No crying he makes?" Did he learn everything easily and early? I would assume he never whined or fought with his siblings, right? Did he seem odd to his parents? Did they wonder what to do with him? They knew he was Jesus--angels told them at conception, then announced his birth to shepherds, then a star led wise men to find their Baby King. Did they know what that meant? Did they doubt its truth on those days when Jesus was just acting like a regular kid? Did they have a clue what pain awaited them--and him? He sounds like both the easiest and most difficult child to parent to me. I wish I could have known him and seen what it was really like.

I loved Third's Christmas Eve service and the reminder it offered that Christmas is only the beginning of an amazing, sacrificial chain of events that led to our ultimate redemption through one perfect God-man, our Savior Jesus Christ. It's unfathomable that this tiny baby born in a stinky stable to a 12- or 13-year-old girl would be God's entrance into our world. Christmas is so much more than one day or a short season in our year. It's part of The Story. A Story we all get to be part of thanks to Jesus arriving as a baby in a humble stable.

And I've just been feeling pretty grateful. Our last year hasn't been without its pain--whose has? But we are blessed. Our whole family has kept their jobs all year--my mom even found a new one and my sister has been able to keep working some, even though she lost her job last year. I have a husband I truly love being with and sharing life with, and I love him. The awesome thing: he loves me too, unconditionally--boy, am I thankful for that! I have a son who delights me. He's healthy, energetic, full of life, funny, smart, sometimes naughty, and being his mom is the favorite role of my life. We have a warm home, small but cozy, and best of all, it feels like home. I have a baby growing inside me, a healthy pregnancy, and the excitement of adding to our family. I have friends that stick by me, even when distance or busyness separates, friends who encourage my faith, laugh with me, cry with me and love me when it is undeserved. I have a job where I feel valued, I enjoy what I do and I am not only encouraged but challenged in my faith. I don't mean to get sappy. Sometimes I just need to say it outloud, you know. Gratitude is a powerful thing.

That's all for now. I'll keep pondering...

Funny Mason-isms

Here are a few funny things Mason has said over the past week:

• For Christmas last weekend he got a new "remote patrol car."
• His Thomas trains connect to each other with "magmets."
• We watched a Christmas movie on Sunday night--the "Polar Getspress."
• Santa lives at the "North Cold."
• We sat down for lunch yesterday. Mason looked at Brent and said, "So, how was your work?" Wonder where he's heard that before?!

Bye-Bye, Bah!

Today is the day. It's the day that Mason's "bah" is gone forever. His beloved pacifier that got us through those baby days, was always enjoyed upside down, and has continued to accompany Mason faithfully at naptime and bedtime for 3 years must go. We've been prepping him for this day when he would be three, a "big boy," and wouldn't need it anymore. And thankfully so far our big boy is handling it all like a big boy!

This morning I got out the envelope and wrote the address for the Pacifier Repair Shop on it. Mason excitedly told me that he would go get his "bah" out of his bed. He did. Then we wrote a short letter to the repairman, asking him to make the pacifier new for our new baby and to get it back to us by June so our baby could use it. We also were sure to note what a good big brother Mason was being by taking good care of the baby in this way.

Mason stuck his "bah" in the envelope, retrieving it just once to put it in his mouth one last time. Then he dropped it back in, said "Bye-bye, bah!", helped me seal the envelope and promptly said to me, "Let's go play in the living room, Mom!"

A little later he did decide it was a good idea to take it to the post office and get it mailed. He was disappointed when we got there and it wasn't the pacifier repair shop, but I told him that the repair shop is too far away, so we'd have to ask the mail lady to deliver it for us. That was okay, though he did mention his desire to visit the repair shop a couple more times. My sneaky post-it note filled the mail lady in on what was going, so she took our package with a smile and promised to deliver it. No comforting needed. We quietly and proudly left the post office.

We went to the bakery for a treat after that, which Mason actually wasn't interested in eating...still no comfort needed, I guess. We also went to a few stores, and that's when Mason found his desired replacement for "bah." We had mentioned to Mason that maybe he could pick something new to sleep with when it was time to get rid of his "bah," but he really hadn't been too interested in the concept. However, when he saw Waddles the Penguin at Hallmark, he changed his mind. "Mom, maybe this could be what I sleep with now," he said. For $7, I eagerly agreed that it was a great idea. We have been playing with Waddles pretty much since the moment of purchase. He apparently really enjoys being thrown.

So, all has gone amazingly so far. Not a tear shed, not a fit thrown. But, let's be honest, the real test is whether he will sleep without his "bah." But naptime went seamlessly. He jabbered and played for awhile, which is normal, and now all is quiet. I'm in shock about the ease of all this!

I'm so grateful that Mason has seen this as an exciting milestone rather than a terrible punishment! I thought it might be a major punishment for me, too! He has made me proud with the way he has handled it all. My big boy.