It's A Girl!

Rachel and Adrian are expecting a new baby girl in August. 

Josiah Ray Rink

June 24, 2014

1:58 pm

8 pounds 7ounces

21.5 inches long

My senses are heightened when a newborn is near, but when it's my first grandson, it's overwhelming.

• Those smells... Baby lotion, milky breath, burbs, diapers
• That skin... How can it be described? A rose petal? Sooo soft 
• Those sounds... Uh, uh, uh....mew, mew....phht, ppphhtt, phht....snort, grunt

God is always so good and worthy to be praised. Today, I am thankful that He allowed a quick delivery and a beautiful, healthy baby to be born to us all.

I got to be a part of their family devotions.

Announcement!!

Please watch this! Obviously, it is so exciting to us all.

Etiquette Changes for Changing Times

Growing up, I always heard that you don't have a baby shower for any of your babies except the first one. "You wouldn't want people to think you're asking for presents." For each of my children, we were in a different situation and friends insisted on giving a shower if some kind. I always felt bad for letting them do it, but they really seemed to want to.

Lately, I've had a change of mind on that little rule of etiquette. I think every baby should be celebrated no matter how many children the parents have. Life is precious and if we Christians don't celebrate it, who will? In our day and time, with abortion rampant, we need to be very vocal about the precious gift of life. There doesn't have to be a huge par with lots of presents, but some celebration seems to be very appropriate.

In the past couple of months, I was so happy to participate in celebrating with two different moms that was each having her fifth child. One is my sister-in-law, Anna, who gave birth in May to her fifth boy. We celebrated Eli's birth by going out to lunch with all of the sisters and getting pedicures just before she gave birth.

The other shower was a friend in church. The hostess had a book shower. All the decorations, food, and gifts were about children's books. It was creative, fun, involved all of the children and paid proper tribute to a new life. I love this picture of Desiree surrounded by lots of children, some her own, some were not.

Happy Birthday While You're Joyfully Waiting

On Monday night Rachel was admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure, but was allowed to go home on strict orders of bed rest. The doctors have been concerned and want to induce labor very soon. We are all very excited to meet the newest baby girl that God has blessed us with. Today is Adrian's birthday, so we would all be thrilled that he would get to share his birthday with his firstborn.

Ray's sisters hosted a baby shower for Rachel a few weeks ago. Everything was so pretty and she got some beautiful things.

Megan, Amy, Rachel, Anna, Robin, and Me

They decorated with Rachel's first baby doll and frilly dress.

The food was delicious AND  beautiful.

Abigail sitting and waiting to be admired.

I loved this picture of Rachel and Anna enjoying pregnant life together.

It's a Girl!

Decorating for the gender reveal party, I was overwhelmed with joy and ending up teary eyed all day. It was a sweet time for me to pull out some of Rachel's baby things and remember as best as I could remember how amazing life was when she was born. (I really wished I had thought ahead enough to have some of Adrian's baby things for them too.) Having a grandchild coming to our home is different than our own baby. As I have heard, it's all the joy without all the responsibilities, and the baby hasn't even been born yet.

Since children are a heritage from the Lord, I thought it would be fun to use our old things to decorate with. The baby doll is Rachel's first baby, the Tonka trucks and puppy squeeze toy is Ray's and the blanket was mine.

The wreath had a newborn picture of Rachel and of Adrian with ribbons for everyone to cut to tie on and make their guess - boy or girl. The Raggedy Ann and Andy was mine and more trucks of Ray's.

We hung up a few of Ray's and Rachel's baby clothes. I also put Abigail's baby sweater on the line because I love it so.

The Rink family Skyped in to get the big announcement at the same time.

Here are the teams wearing their ribbons. As cute as the boy team guessers are - no cigar!

They had this sweet dress wrapped in layers of pink and blue tissue paper to reveal the gender.

Baby Shower

Our church gave my friend Natalie and me a joint baby shower. I was overwhelmed with how beautiful everything was and the effort the ladies went to to make it special. What a blessing to have enough diapers to last for a very long time!

My girls went crazy and bought way too many gifts, but they had so much fun doing it. I had been going through my old baby clothes so they also knew exactly what I needed. I never tire of baby girl clothes. It is so fun to get out all of the girls baby dresses that they wore and remember how sweet they were.

The gift that made me cry? This sweater. Natalie started hand-making this for me before she knew what she was having. Even after she found out her baby was a girls too, she still gave it to me. her sacrificial love is a definite testimony! And the sweater... it will be a treasure for this baby forever.

Waiting.......Again

I've been here before. It isn't a place I chose to be this time, actually I tried not to be here, but in God's providence- He has chosen for me to be here. I have five amazing, wonderful, beautiful, terrific daughters. I've had too many miscarriages, I didn't think I should ever be pregnant again, but here I am - pregnant and waiting. Pregnant - feeling all the usual symptoms, only magnified in my forty-three year old body; waiting - to see if my body will be able to carry this precious little life.

The moment I knew I was pregnant this time I became scared, I know my history of miscarriages in the past ten years. I know those odds of advanced maternal age. So after a few days of crying and worry, Ray had to remind me of what we've told many people before. What we know about God is true and we have to live that ourselves. God is sovereign over these things, He gives and He takes away. As I sat in the doctor's office and he reassured me that all we can do is wait and see what God will allow, I was reminded again that only God knows. I am thankful for a Christian doctor who recognizes that even though we use the best medicine possible, only God can truly sustain life. I have a few "issues" for which I am taking a handful of vitamins and hormones, but in the end I know I must wait on God.

When the nurse asked me which number of pregnancy this was, even I had to be surprised - eleven - really? Possibly? So, for my own benefit, I often recount the pregnancies and think of what could have been.

• 1st - lost very early, if that is actually what happened. The doctor thinks so, but has no way to prove it.



• 2nd - Rachel - amazing, confident, strong faith, sees a need and gets it done



• 3rd - Hannah - my little rainbow, full of life and adventure, sees the world through her own song



• 4th - Sarah - my sunshine, strong, peacemaker, listener, quietly works her way through



• 5th - Mary - the sweetest little "pie", giver, creative, detail story teller, so very thoughtful
  


• 6th - lost at eight weeks



• 7th - Lydia - oh my Lydia - passionate, hilarious, you know what she's thinking! and oh so loving



• 8th - lost very early on, not ever fully confirmed, but the doctor is sure that's what happened



• 9th - lost at eight weeks
  


• 10th - lost at twelve weeks, tons of tests to find out "what happened" (and that this was a boy), only to find out we aren't really sure. Lots of medical terms that say, it could have been this or it could have been that, but mostly, another reminder that God is control of life and death.
  

I often think of the lost babies and my heart is grieved for women who haven't or can't have any children. It isn't uncommon for me to tear up at the sound of an infant crying, even if I don't know or see the baby. But looking at my "list", I am so very blessed. I haven't ever held some of my babies, but the ones I have held are far more precious than I could have ever imagined. God has blessed me with children beyond measure and for that I am thankful.

Now as I walk though this time of waiting with my ever faithful and kind husband beside me I know I will get through to the other side. During these times I am so very thankful for my husband who walks and waits with me, he grieves with me and holds me when I can't hold myself. And he does this because he loves God and trusts Him too.

At nine weeks along, I have heard the heart beat and seen tiny feet kicking on the ultra sound. I am wondering who this little life will be like. Will he chase balls through the house or will she sit quietly under the trees in daydreams? Where will I put a crib? Can I start dreaming of baby names and colors for a nursery? So many questions flood my mind, but I am resolved to wait - wait for God's leading in my life and the life of the little one I carry so close to my heart.

Big News

A while ago I started a blog about how far behind I am and how frustrating it is. No need to publish that since we are all in the same situation. We have to take what God has given us and use it in a way that would be pleasing to Him. (Can we ever be pleasing to Him? That's another story all together.) And I don't mean that we should approach life with, "Ho hum, God, is this what I have to do?" I am as guilty as anyone by thinking thoughts like that. I often approach some of my duties as something I must endure. There has to be a different attitude in my heart. I have to know that God has given me those tasks for my own good. -Romans 8:28.
One task that God gave me that has been an amazing source of joy is motherhood. Sure the girls disappoint me sometimes, and I'm sure I disappoint them even more often. There is sweet satisfaction in the Lord when one of them come and squeeze me for no reason at all, or when I read a note of praise to God written by one of them, or when they are laughing with each other uncontrollably. The recent Mother's Day weekend was another reminder of what great children with which God has blessed our home.
All that to say that God has given our family another blessing in the way of children. I am ten weeks pregnant and looking forward to seeing how God will use this new baby in our home. We had wanted more children all along, but had given up hope. I had even set goals in February that would not be able to include a new baby. Now instead of learning to play the piano soon, I'll be listening to the joyous sounds of a newborn and instead of running a marathon with Ray, I'll be chasing a toddler for the next few years. I've had struggles carrying babies past five weeks, but this pregnancy seems to be going great. Even though I am almost 42 years old, the doctor is pleased with my progress and thinks we are looking forward to a healthy pregnancy. God is good all the time!

Thanksgiving

What a glorious holiday Thanksgiving is. This year we were blessed to be with a lot of family and friends. Our church celebrated on Monday night with the traditional fare of turkey and dressing and everyone had the opportunity to say what they are thankful for. On Wednesday night, our family went to see my family at my mom's house. It was nice to be there with my sister and her family. We read Scripture and really enjoyed Papa's giant pot of homemade soup.
On Thursday morning we went to Ray's family home. This year I cooked the turkey and dressing, which is a big deal. Ray's family is very serious about their dressing. It turned out okay and everyone seemed to live through my dressing even though it will never be as good as Nana's. The best thing about that day was that everyone in the family was there. Nanny, Aunt Thelma, Granddaddy, Nana, both brothers, all four sisters and all spouses and all 14 grandchildren, and even a couple of friends.
When you have a family you have a lot to be thankful for. When the family is close and supportive of you, then you are truly blessed. At each of our celebrations we shared with each group of the blessing that we are expecting our sixth child. Our families and friends shared our excitement and are looking forward to a new addition to an already abundantly filled household.