The Bonus Round

Not long after our youngest son was born, we felt quite sure that he was meant to be our last child, and shortly after we moved last summer, John volunteered to take one for the team and underwent the 'procedure' to ensure that our family of seven would remain such.

Over the last year, we've eagerly viewed each moment through the rosy lens of a rapid exit from our extended baby phase of life.  Diaper-free days were now within view.  We've cherished the idea of soon being able to go on family vacations, hikes and bike rides without the required 200+lbs of baby gear and essentials. 

We shed baby clothes, maternity clothes, and baby gear faster than you could count to one.  We purchased all manner of paraphernalia (Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, etc.) in groups of five.  Last year John splurged on the perfect Mother's Day present, a Mother's ring set with the five birthstones of each of our five littles.

We mapped out our future: high school graduations, possible college graduations, retirement, and all the major milestones a family of seven might tackle in the foreseeable future.   (We're engineers.  A love for detailed planning goes with the  territory, and we unabashedly profess it.)  We relished in the symmetry of our boy-boy-girl-boy-boy birth order and the room-sharing and bunking capabilities it provides.  (Symmetry makes my heart happy.  Did I mention we're engineers?)

We prepared to store away the baby crib, gnawed nearly to mulch in places by five babies that apparently each experimented for a short time with a diet consisting primarily of wood, and we raised our hands to the heavens and praised The Almighty God above that John would never again lose days of his life sanding and refinishing said crib to remove evidence of aforementioned experimentation, as he had so dutifully done with our last four children.

We found ourselves unable to introduce our small train of children unless promptly followed by the phrase, "And that's it for us!".  And when asked if we were done, we emphatically responded in the affirmative, and our response gradually progressed to include the phrase, "Unless God tells us, 'Surprise!  That didn't work!'"

Well...SURPRISE!  THAT DIDN'T WORK!

If you'd have asked me a decade ago how many children John and I would have, I would have told you that we'd have two, maybe three.  I would have laughed you out of the room at the suggestion of six.  Six kids didn't mesh with our priorities at that time.  Let's face it, if you like nice things, it's best to halt production on the miniature demolition crew that you are creating and turning loose in your home. 

Big families are rare these days, and don't get me wrong, I get it.  There was a time when I myself thought that anything beyond three kids was Crazy with a capital 'C.'  Kids are expensive.  They're destructive.  They're messy, and sticky, and smelly.  They're loud, and whiny, and time-consuming, and exhausting.  And I wondered why any sane person would continue to add to the level of chaos that I considered acceptable.

The truth is, there are few roles more sanctifying than parenthood.  If you'd like to have your patience tested, or to see your flaws and insufficiencies thrown in your face daily (hourly actually), then parenthood's for you.  But the truth that follows is that there are also few roles more rewarding than parenthood.  Unconditional love, unmerited grace, and unbridled joy flow from children unhindered.  Kids are exciting.  They're loving.  They're funny, and cuddly, and giggly.  They're cheerful, and insightful, and honest, and entertaining. 

And above all, they're priceless.  They're invaluably unique.  Never has there been, nor will there ever be another child just like this one.  NEVER.  Children are a testament to the boundless and unfathomable Creator who has seen fit to design every person from the beginning of time with love and care and purpose.  No mass production, no cookie-cutter stamp outs.  Just irreplaceable, matchless blessings that (literally) scream of individuality.  They're worth every penny, every mess, every drop of sweat, and every ounce of energy.  

And so we land on the truth that this child was meant to be, woven with purpose and intended to bless.  We planned for five, but God gave us a Bonus Round!  So our baby phase of life has been unexpectedly extended, and sometime around early October we'll be breathing in the scent of a sweet-smelling newborn once again.

And praise Jesus for translational symmetry because....