Hello to all my wife’s bloggers!!
Kyla Victoria Crawford, weighing in at 7 lbs 10 oz., 21 inches long, was born at 12:04 p.m. October 6, 2007. Both Mommy and babe are doing well. Kelly had the easiest delivery ever – I almost had to deliver … or should I say catch Kyla. The nurse literally told Kelly not to sneeze or laugh too hard or else. About a minute and a half later she was here, beautiful and strong. We were surprised at her size – all of our other angels have been over 8.5 lbs. Thank you all for your prayers.
Pictures will have to come after we get home. We are having technical difficulties with the hospital’s network.
In Christ’s Love,
Aaron (Kelly’s hubby)
Because I love words, I love quotes…words, properly put together, can wield more power than a sword.
For your pondering pleasure….
The phrase “working mother” is redundant.
~Jane Sellman
Women’s Liberation is just a lot of foolishness. It’s the men who are discriminated against. They can’t bear children. And no one’s likely to do anything about that. ~Golda Meir
If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?
~Milton Berle
The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests. ~Author Unknown
That best academy, a mother’s knee.
~James Russell Lowell
With my delivery so close, I guess I have pregnancy on the brain 😉
But over the weekend, a friend was relaying to me what her OB/GYN had told her. He was discussing breast cancer, and explained that the fewer times a woman ovulates in her lifetime, the less her chances of developing breast cancer. (We’ve all heard similar findings, but I think it’s interesting to really think about this.)
Isn’t that interesting??? Kinda makes you think God does know what He’s doing after all, huh?
(Remember in the OT, when God gave instructions on when a man and woman were to resume intimate relations following menstruation? He said they were to refrain during her cycle (7 days), and another 7 days after that, which makes the likelihood of their coming back together pretty strong on the 14th day–the day she would most likely ovulate! I think He’s a big fan of having lots of babies.)
So I looked up a few things and found the doctor’s statement to line up with the current medical statistics. Below were a few facts I found interesting:
Pregnancy-Related Factors that Protect Against Breast Cancer
Some factors associated with pregnancy are known to reduce a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer later in life:
The younger a woman has her first child, the lower her risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime.
A woman who has her first child after the age of 35 has approximately twice the risk of developing breast cancer as a woman who has a child before age 20.
A woman who has her first child around age 30 has approximately the same lifetime risk of developing breast cancer as a woman who has never given birth.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/pregnancy
Here is another finding:
Having more than one child decreases a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer. In particular, having more than one child at a younger age decreases a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer during her lifetime.
Although not fully understood, research suggests that pre–eclampsia, a pathological condition that sometimes develops during pregnancy, is associated with a decrease in breast cancer risk in the offspring, and there is some evidence of a protective effect for the mother.
After pregnancy, breastfeeding for a long period of time (for example, a year or longer) further reduces breast cancer risk by a small amount.
This article went on to say the more pregnancies, the less the chance of developing cancer.
http://www.womenfitness.net/ovarian_cancer_inner.htm
And the general finding in several articles like these, was indeed, that the more times ovulation is suppressed (pregnancy), the better her chances of not developing ovarian or breast cancer.
The more I learn about the perfectness of God’s design, the more I’m baffled when forced to explain to those around me why I have chosen to let my body do what He created it to do! We serve an awesome Creator…let us glory in His omniscience!
Wal-Mart always does it to me….leaves me stunned, appalled, and broken–hearted.
Maybe it’s only the Friday night trips…
But if the youth represented there represent the trend of the culture…HOW DID WE GET HERE?
I’m accustomed to being around young ladies who are feminine, love their parents and siblings, graciously look to the needs of others, and generally wear a graceful countenance.
I’m accustomed to young men who open doors for ladies, carry things for them, and show a respectful distance from girls their age.
I know that’s not the norm, even though I believe it should be (and once was!), and maybe that’s what creates such the stark contrast as we “venture out into the world”.
But our trip this weekend was so disheartening. Girls–young girls, 13 or 14, wearing skin tight shirts, baring bellies, skin tight shorts baring other things–including some message blazed across the rear-end for added attention.
As disturbing was their demeanor. Loud, boisterous, ungraceful carriages, many of them hanging onto the shoulder of some disheveled boy with several body piercings. They randomly blurted out profanities, unashamed of who heard them, with no regard for anyone within earshot.
And no parents in sight! These children were completely unsupervised.
Isn’t it amazing, in how little time the youth of our culture has lost all respect for themselves and for those around them? Isn’t it amazing, how the parents of our culture have lost the desire to raise up respectful, others-honoring children?
I am encouraged by all of you out there who are raising up a godly generation of young people.
I am encouraged by all of you who even understand how receiving all the children God gives you will increase the impact on our culture.
I am encouraged by your vision.
May God be praised as we anticipate a revolution!
OK, I’m going to step out on a limb here. I’m sure I’ll be accused of stretching Scripture, even though that’s not my intent. I just want to challenge you to think about something…
I’ve enjoyed your recent comments on the last post. I mentioned in that post that I would discuss the “offense” we are doing to children by not being bold enough to say that Mom has a serious obligation to her home. Bear with me as I flesh out another tragic and urgent situation as a result of mother’s forsaking the care of family and home…
You are all familiar with the frightening passage of Scripture in Matthew 18:
“Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever
shall offend one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for
him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of
the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe
to that man by whom the offense comes!”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought of such heinous things as child-molesters and such when I think of this passage. But as I thought more about it, I wondered if offending children can happen in much more subtle, non-intentional ways. So I looked up both the Greek meaning of the word “offend”, and the meaning in the dictionary. This is what I found:
According to the Greek word, “offend” simply means to “trip up or cause to
stumble”.According to the dictionary, “offend” means “to cause difficulty,
discomfort or injury. Offend need not imply an intentional hurting, but it
may indicate merely a violation of the victim’s sense of what is proper or
fitting.
Isn’t that interesting? Have you ever seen a baby ripped out of its mother’s arms by a “stranger” who will be caring for it the rest of the day? Talk about a “violation of a victim’s sense of what is proper”!
Without saying it emphatically, I am wondering what your thoughts are on the possibility that women who choose to leave their children with someone else while they pursue a career might be offending their little ones?
How could leaving a child in the care of someone else cause offense? What if that someone else is a grandmother or a sweet, caring daycare worker?
Without opening every scenario possible (i.e. “if it weren’t for my grandmother, I would have not been taken care of, etc.), let’s suffice it to say that a basic principle we have overlooked (and women are being convinced to supress) is that when a child is born, there is an innate need within him to be with his mom–a lot. He needs to be nursed from her breast, fed from her hand, cuddled in her arms, sung to by her voice–he needs her to care for his basic needs and this creates a sense of security that is otherwise diminished.
And when the child is just a few months old, that child can be actively trained…trained to be quiet, to be still, to control his crying, etc. These early training sessions are CRUCIAL. They pave the way for more character training that is so missing among most children today.
(And as a personal note…I left my first-born son for two years while I taught school. When I quit my job and came home, this two-year old had so much anger, I believe, because of the mere insecurity of constantly-changing expectations. It was a nightmare, and I still grieve over the damage done to him.)
This training is tedious, and time-consuming. Very few caretakers (even most grandparents) are going to take the time and energy to engage in this difficult work. And even if they do, it is still starkly different than that of a parent’s training. Because if this child isn’t learning, early on, what is expected from him by his mother, there is an absence of honor that will prevail. And that absence of honor, dear friend, is an offense indeed!
To fail in this area, in my opinion, is to cause tremendous stumbling in the character and life of a child. If he misses these early lessons in discipline, self-control, and even just missing the security of home and a mother’s love, he ventures on into life impaired. Just observe children who are entering the adult phase of life, who have missed this training. They make lousy employees, lousy students, and lousy citizens. They are an offense!
Now I’m aware I’m making some blanket statements, as I must when addressing “issues” as opposed to individual circumstances. We all know children who didn’t have parental involvement growing up, who grew up to be fine individuals. Grace often overcomes the direst of circumstances. (And I would hate to ignore the mother who feels trapped in her circumstances, with no option but leaving a child with someone else.) Again, we are addressing the cultural trend that says Mom should be free to leave home and pursue a career if she wants, and the abiding notion that she is not doing any harm in the process. The overall effects to our society of children whose training is being abandoned cannot be denied.
Are we offending them? Are they growing up to stumble because of their lack of self-control, lack of honor for authority, lack of discipline in the behaviors of life, and an overall insecurity that impairs their entire outlook on life?
Having a millstone hung around the neck before being thrown into the depths of the sea is no small matter…should we reconsider this issue more deeply?
“Honey, don’t look now, but the kids have found the baby powder…oh, my, and they’re using it to ‘clean’ the floor…”
Love is patient, love is kind…
“Wow, how beautiful your children are…and they’re so well-behaved!”
Love does not envy…love is not boastful….
“Brooks, when you’re at the table, you chew with your mouth closed. That’s because other people are sitting here too, and we want to be considerate of them.”
Love is not rude…
“Mom, Avi grabbed the biggest piece of pizza and she’s not the biggest.”
“Guys, if we consider each other before ourselves, we wouldn’t be concerned with getting the biggest piece, nor would we care if someone else got it. ‘Let each esteem others better than himself’.”
Love does not seek its own…
“Ashton, just because he took your pencil, doesn’t mean you have to speak harshly to him. Simply ask him, in a kind voice, to give it back.”
Love is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.
“When someone gets in trouble, we don’t laugh or let ourselves be glad…we are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Love does not rejoice in inquity, but rejoices in the truth.
“Guys, thank you so much for the way you’ve helped around the house while Mommy is so big and tired carrying your little sister.”
Love bears all things…
“Mommy, is God going to heal our friend?”
believes all things…
“Heavenly Father, we come boldly before the throne of grace and bring our concerns to you because You have torn the veil that separated us, and called us into your holy presence…”
hopes all things,
“Yes, it’s 103 degrees outside, so we’ll have to play together inside all day…again….and Daddy’s going to be late.”
endures all things.
“Mommy, can I play with your hair?…I can’t wait to hold our new baby…I hope she’s as fun as Mallie is…thank you for having us….will you have any more children?”
Love never fails.
Motherhood….it’s a full time job…a chiseling away of ourselves, and a slow, painful death to our own lives…yet, ironically, so full of joy and a heart always ready to burst…only God could do that.
“Number seven”…I smile while the stranger
scrambles for her words.
“But why…but how…bless your heart…better you than me…”
The chain of impulsive words ring little louder
than a faint hum in the background…
Because a different conversation is taking place.
Your gentle kick, then sweet hiccups–
“Mommy I’ll be in your arms soon.”
I smile at the gentle reminders of the life I carry inside.
Pregnant again? Yes, praise God!
Why?
God’s own reminder to me of His opinion
that the world needs another new,
fresh, radiant possibility…
And maybe just to say He loves me.
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I loved the following post about wearing skirts that a fellow-blogger wrote. It has nothing to do with dress codes, or what is right or wrong about wearing pants….it’s just a practical observation she made that I think we would all do well to ponder. In a feminist-controlled society, we, as women of God, should desire to celebrate our femininity…to exercise the “power of the skirt”.
Most of us do not even give it a second thought; some of us actually rebel against “feminine dress” because it’s what we’ve always done. But we can’t deny the power, a nuance, if you will, about a woman who humbly, but confidently embraces her femininity. She is treated differently…more respectfully. Below is an excerpt…be sure to click on the link below to read the whole post!
“There is something about wearing a skirt that makes me feel powerful in my
femininity. Call me crazy, but I act more like a lady in a skirt. And I think,
although it may be my imagination, that I am treated better when wearing a skirt
or dress. And let me tell you, going out with the five kids, I could use all the
extra courtesy I can get!” -Gombojav Tribe
P.S. I don’t think it is your imagination that you are treated better! I challenge my readers to experiment with the “skirt phenomenon”…(I’m sure many of you already dress femininely, and can already attest to it!) Purpose to dress more feminine, and let me know if you sense a difference in the reactions of other people (your husband included!) And be sure to include how you feel as a result!
Read the rest….
http://gombojav.blogspot.com/2007/07/behold-power-of-skirt.html
I would love your comments on this fun topic!