Redeeming May // Celebrating our Boy

It was a special weekend, and one which marked a lot of anniversaries... The first wedding anniversary of my sister and her hub, the one year anniversary since our building work started, and a certain little man's official due date finally came round.

Yesterday Elias hit 40 weeks gestation.

And with that date I breathed a sigh of relief. At last I am in chartered territory, and Elias looks, and feels, like a newborn now. This is a road I have walked before - three times. 8lb babies are my comfort zone - so much less fragile than the 5lb 4oz he hit at his lowest weight.

And when I look at him, I no longer see skin and bones - I see life growing, cheeks filling out, scrawny legs beginning to fatten.

He is perfectly made. He always was. But seeing that little body growing and thriving brings so much joy to my Mama heart.

And so we celebrated him, yesterday, in the way we have always celebrated our newborns when we have brought them home. Elias has been home 4 weeks already, but in all the drama and trauma, we thought we'd hold off until things had settled down, and celebrate the due date instead.

And that we did in style.

Of course, a certain little man slept through the entire proceedings! But not before being smothered in love by his siblings!

It has been a May full of joy, and progress and thankfulness... And it was only as I stood in church this morning and sang the words...

                                                        Turning tragedy to triumph

                                                          Turning agony to praise

                                                      There is blessing in the battle

                                                   So take heart and stand amazed

                                    Rejoice! When you cry to him he hears your voice!

                                                      He will wipe away your tears

                                                   Rejoice! In the midst of suffering

                                                            He will help you sing!

And that's when the penny dropped.

For the past four years, May has been my month of horrors... Full of the memories of a nightmare. A long, dark month in hospital with our tiny, and dangerously sick, baby girl. And as each May has rolled around, I have been filled with a sense of foreboding and dread.

Not so now. 

Those memories of dark hospital days with Heidi will forever be etched on my mind, but they no longer hold May hostage.

Instead I see my little girls running round the garden with their little brother, while their littlest brother snoozes in the background.

Welcome back May. We are ready for good memories.

And thank you Lord for redemption... On the wonderful, epic scale of the cross, but also on the smallest scale... Even as small as redeeming the month of May.