JustDad.Blog

My youngest born, Lizzie, stands apart from her siblings. Not because she is more loved or somehow my favorite… but because in this season of her life she needs more love and affection.

I used to think Asher would be the one who stood apart. When he was super young he was like a love sponge. He needed a lot of extra affection. He didn’t even want to sleep on his own…

His first three nights home from the hospital: I literally didn’t sleep between the hours of 11pm and 5am. I just held him in my arms and about once every 5 minutes I would see one of his eyes flutter open… just to make sure Daddy was still there. We solved this sleeplessness on mommy and daddies part by putting a side sleeper bassinet right next to Jordan’s side of the bed.

Thank God we received Asher before Lizzie. He taught us how to give extra affection. He set the bar for sleeping pattern stuff so we didn’t have to address that all over again with her.

She also sleeps right by her Mom…. But due to the prevalence of germs in this pandemic/post-pandemic age:

We have had a separate issue.

Lizzie has been sick on and off for a majority of her short 9 month life. This journey outside the womb has been full of coughs, runny noses, and more.

She caught a cold from her sister upon her arrival from the hospital… then a couple weeks later caught the case of RSV that just wouldn’t heal… and then… and then….and then.

Several doctors visits, ER visits, and one hospital stay later we found out that the RSV had given her asthma. A normal pediatrician can’t diagnose this, so we took her to see a specialist. The specialist looked at the X-rays and told us exactly what was going on. He also helped prescribe some medication that helped her breathe better and consequently made our lives a little bit easier.

So…. Now we come to the rub. Because of her asthma and difficult life…she finds herself needing more attention than either of the other two… and because of her asthma, we are more loathe to let her cry….

So she spends a lot of time on Daddies lap. A lot of time sleeping on Mommy. Any parent here knows that this can get hard after a while. Jordan and I both have physical touch on our list of love languages. However, Some nights we go to bed and need a break from touching, even from each other.

This girl really needs to learn to self soothe! Self soothing is something we taught the older kids through sleep training… Lizzie’s sleep training is going to have to look a little bit different. If we get up to four uses of her inhaler in any given day: we have to take her to the ER… we really really don’t want to go back to the ER.

Tonight… after much deliberation and also caution we intend to let her sleep in her own room. So you can be praying for us this week. Pray for our daughter. Pray that He would heal her of asthma. Pray that God would calm our fears.

This journey with Lizzie has reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep and the shepherd.2 Jesus claims to be like a good shepherd who will leave his 99 sheep, who are fine, to go after the one who really…is not.

I make sure my other kids know I love them a lot: both in word and action…. But Lizzie… at least right now…. Gets the most outward, visible affection… because she really needs it.

Let me tell you something about my little love sponges… I thought it wasn’t possible to meet someone who smiles and laughs more than my son Asher… remember I told you he needed a lot of love early on…. Well he got it.. and now he gives it like crazy…..

Lizzie even more so. She is still young and can’t really do a lot… but that girl smiles and laughs like nobody I have ever met. She rewards our persistence with joy and I have a feeling later in life it will be even more than that…

I don’t expect anything of my children… other than what is given to my charge by God. To love them well, raise them well, discipline them well, and encourage the type of heart and consequent behavior that brings joy to both God and parent alike.

But I have seen a vision… one I believe to be very much from God… of a family that loves Jesus, loves one another well, and takes in widows, orphans, and anyone who fits the description of lost sheep. My small little brood is slowly being transformed into an army of love.

Haddie loves being a big sister… she takes care of her siblings well… I see a time in the future: where Lizzie and Asher are helping take care of her, as she takes on the world in some way. (Skies the limit with this girl!)

Though I would never EXPECT this of her… I have a feeling Lizzie will sow back into me more than a hundred fold of anything I could give her.

So do you want to know what Sam has been up to lately?

I’ve been holding my baby, feeding my baby, loving my baby, and reminding her (along with the others) that their Daddy loves them SO MUCH.

---

So may YOU be reminded that YOUR Heavenly Father loves you SO MUCH. He would in fact move heaven and earth for you if you let him. He already has has: His son, our elder brother, died a gruesome death on a cross, became sin, so that we might have his Beautiful life of goodness. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were in full agreement in this plan, and shared in the Son’s pain.

They did this… so they could have you.

The road may be hard… but the road is good.

Love you all!

Footnotes

*I address the intent behind my grammar here in this post: Behind (Daddies’) Tales

2. Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7 (also see John 10:1-17)