Time To Eat

Isaac has started to eat. He began his entrance into the world of solid food with baby cereal. He won't eat a lot at one time but we think he likes it. I wanted to wait until six months to reduce the risk of developing allergies (that he'd get from me), but he was so interested when everyone else would eat that I started feeling guilty! We started rice cereal at five months and two weeks.

Peace

I'm doing a Beth Moore bible study on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). This week's teaching was on peace, and there were so many awesome truths shared that I had to pass on.....

The increase of peace accompanies the increase of Christ's government (Isaiah 9:6-7). This means allowing Christ to rule in our lives results in uncontested peace. To the degree we bow our knee, we have peace.

The sinful nature actively resists peace.

God promises peace like a river, not a pond, because he knows the pace of daily life.

Proverbs 14:30 says "A heart at peace gives life to the body".

When Peter was walking toward Jesus on the water (Matthew 14) and became afraid after taking his eyes of Jesus, he sank and the waves threatened Peter's life. "Immediately Jesus" came to him, not parting the sea like He'd done before, but bringing peace in the midst of the storm, walking on top of the circumstance, not changing it. This means peace comes with authority, not with the answer! Praise God we don't have to wait til a situation has resolved to experience peace.

Sometimes peace takes a sword, cutting us away from some thing or someone.

There is a vast difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. A typical peacekeeper often attempts to keep peace at any cost. Ironically, this brand of peace is primarily a false peace. Jeremiah 8:11 says "they say 'peace, peace' where there is no peace." (Note: RB, that was the verse I was telling you about and trying to remember where it was in the Old Testament, that same morning before bible study!) This is like thinking you have a garden of Eden, but there's a tiger and alligator in it!

One of the primary definitions of shalom is "health", therefore, unhealthy peacekeeping is an oxymoron.

There are opponents to peacemaking. The opposite of "peacemaker" is "friend or lover of contention".

Keepers of false peace are motivated by fear and distrust. The fear of losing a relationship causing peace keeping brings misery.

Lovers of contention are motivated by misery, power, and lack of discipline. They like to keep the environment in an uproar, control the house.

Outside Play

God's Grace Continues

Wow! This past week has been FULL of God's GLORY! So much goodness and so much joy.....



Sunday I celebrated being a mother. A mother of four. A new mama to a new baby. The queen with four little princes to love. The kids surprised me with a coffee mug with Isaac's footprint and Joshua, Caleb, and Noah's thumb prints. So sweet! Charity came and "borrowed" the babies for an hour so they could make this special gift for me at a local pottery shop. My boys and Stephanie's girls created a lovely indoor picnic lunch for us after church. Then I inked up all the boys feet to get their footprints in my scrapbook. I washed their feet in a big bowl, which they loved. Since I used ink instead of paint, I couldn't get it all off! (Hope it's faded by now, kids.) Later that day, Joshua gave me his gift, a lullaby he'd written and recorded for Isaac. It is so beautiful. I'll post it when I can get it uploaded to my computer.



I also celebrated being a daughter. While my biological mother has abandoned me, another has stepped in and shown me agape love. I will see my 'new' mom in a few weeks and I can't wait. I miss her so much.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

Psalm 27:10

Another celebration on Sunday was (another) baby dedication. This time our entire family was present as we participated in a formal parent/child dedication, and offered Isaac back to God. The other babies were sweet but Isaac was THE CUTEST by far and his picture in the church newsletter was THE BEST (thanks, Heather :).

Monday, we celebrated Caleb's birthday. We went out to eat and had a good time. It's harder for me to get excited over Joshua and Caleb's birthdays now because I know that their time under our roof is growing closer to ending and their journey into adulthood is so quickly approaching. When they were little it was okay, I knew in a year they'd still be little. Now there is a little sadness in the mix. But, they will always be my babies and they know that.

Thursday, Heather delivered Ivy and I was blessed to witness and photograph another Ristau baby being born. The big praise here is that the heart and kidney abnormalities that were detected in Ivy's prenatal tests were completely resolved (as in God healed her!) before she left the hospital. The midwife was sure she would be born premature, but Heather carried her for 39 weeks and she was almost eight pounds!

Thursday night, Noah graduated from preschool. There was a sweet graduation program and I cried the whole time. Noah has been at this school for three years. He has learned a lot and made great friends. He sang a cute song about peanut butter and hugged his teacher when he got his diploma.

Today Isaac learned to roll over, from front to back. He also will pull himself back up to standing after he falls forward into my chest. I will have to get this on video and post, it's so cute and he smiles so big because he's proud of his little self. Oh, did I mention, he can SIT UP now too?! He also gives me kisses by sucking on my face.

I'll post pics later in the week from all the celebrations. I may even do a photo story. Here's a family pic from Mother's Day.

Ivy Elizabeth

Ivy Elizabeth Ristau

May 15, 2008

1:31 pm

7 pounds, 15 ounces

Baby Time

Heather is scheduled for an induction tomorrow morning. I am so excited and can't wait to meet little Ivy, and capture her first moments (and her mom's hard work) on film. It's an honor to be invited into the delivery room and I am thrilled to be able to share in this family's joy! Will post pics.....

Happy Birthday Caleb

Today is Caleb's birthday. He is FIFTEEN years old. It's hard to believe. Seems like it was just a few days ago, I was searching my closet for a dress big enough to fit my huge pregnant belly so I could go to church for Mother's Day. I gave up and stayed home, waiting to go into labor. I never did. My midwife induced me when I was a week overdue. Once my contractions took off with Pitocin pumped into my veins, the doctor overseeing my midwife came into my room and suggested that I be taken to the main hospital for a cat scan. Not of my brain, but of my abdomen to measure my pelvis and the baby . While in the cat scan machine, I panicked and the nurses pulled me out. I said "I can't do this, I'm in labor". Apparently they didn't know that little tidbit. They assured me if I'd lay back down they would do the test real fast. So I laid down and recited Psalms 23 while a nurse held a cold washcloth to my face. It was soon over and I was wheeled back to labor and delivery. My doctor soon came in with the cat scan results, "we think your baby is 5,000 grams". I'm thinking "what does that mean?" He explained, "You are carrying a child that weighs between 10 and 13 pounds; if you want to deliver this baby naturally it's your own risk, I won't help you." So, I consented to a c-section, God's provision for Caleb to be born without any birth trauma, and delivered a 11 pound 12 ounce butterball baby boy. We broke the record for the biggest baby, both for the doctor and the hospital.

So, here we are now, fifteen years later, and my butterball baby has grown into a handsome, sensitive, loving, and super-smart young man.

I'm proud of you Caleb Christian.

I love you.

Happy Birthday.

All Giraffed Up......

My bouncing baby boy

I'm bouncing. I'm sleeping. I'm bouncing.......

Heather and Ivy

Heather will deliver Ivy soon! I am honored to have the privilege of sharing this experience with her, and photographing the birth, as she did for me with Isaac. I pray that I will get awesome pictures that will touch her parents' and brothers' hearts for years to come. Time has flown by; it was just eighteen months or so ago that I was with Heather as she delivered Tucker, her third son, now about to be a big brother. Here is the photo story I did for little Tuck-Tuck......

Can Luke sleep over????

Yesterday I was talking with Noah in the car. We came to a stop sign and Noah said, "Mom, the ghost is clear". Then we began discussing the afternoon plans to have his friend Luke come over after preschool for a playdate.

Noah: Can Luke spend the night?

Me: No honey, I don't think Luke is ready to spend the night away from home yet.

Noah: Why?

Me: Because he would miss his mommy and daddy.

Noah: Well, they could come too.

I laugh under my breath.

Noah: His mommy and his daddy could sleep in my bed. Luke and I can sleep some other place. Maybe on the floor, we won't mind. Let me think about it.