12 months vs. 1 year

It's almost midnight and we just got home from a day filled with leis, palm leaves, pineapple, hawaiian music, and lots of people. We had Isaiah's very first birthday party today - although his actual birthday is Monday-and it was such a blast (pictures to come)! Now both of my boys are fast asleep and I'm left with my thoughts so I thought I'd write them out as a way of clearing my head.

Tomorrow will be the first time in a year that I will have the opportunity to sit through an entire church service without having to take Isaiah out to be fed, changed or to play. He's now old enough to go to the 1 year old (the age that our nursery starts) class room in children's church.

It's got me thinking about how at first people describe their child's age in weeks and then that eventually changes to months. For example, I think I started saying Isaiah's age in months somewhere around 14 or 15 weeks. Instead I would just say 3 months. Nobody ever says, "He's 64 weeks"...and if you do, please stop.

I remember when I stopped talking in weeks and how it felt like the end of something so sweet in his life as a baby. So now I feel faced with whether I will say Isaiah is 12 months or 1 year. I know some people continue talking in months for awhile, but eventually that will stop too and their once teeny tiny 2 month old will be described in years for the rest of their life.

I'm kinda doubtful that many other people think about stuff like this, but I guess I'm saying that I'm not quite ready to give up months yet. The "months" phase of his life has been so sweet for me and I can't say goodbye to it right now. Isaiah is now 12 months. He's only 12 months. He's just 12 months. He's still very little.

These past 12 months have been precious to me beyond what I can describe with words....but you know. I love my little boy and have truly loved watching him grow into an adventurous, energetic, busy, inquizative, funny, flirtatious, smiley, beautiful, healthy 12 month old. This year has been a gift from the Lord is so many ways. I have to say that it started with much fear, uncertainty about our finances and whether or not we could afford for me to stay home, and nervousness about being responsible for another life.

Oh how God has met me! What grace He's poured out on us so freely! I have never seen God provide so clearly in circumstances where we truly couldn't have made it any other way. This year has been a Red Sea for me, and I saw God part the waters...mainly in our finances. I needed to see Him do that....fulfill His promises, provide for our every need and equip us for the task He was calling us to. Not that He hasn't always done that, but this time there was no place for us to pridefully try to take credit. The numbers simply didn't work out on paper, but every bill was paid and we never were close to hungry. I'm still in awe of what He did and fight the urge to go back and try to figure out the numbers again as if there has to be a concrete, logical explanation.

I'm sure more Red Seas are to come and now, I'm sure more than ever, that God will again part the waters.

So, I'm grateful for the last 12 months....the first 12 months (~52 weeks) of precious Isaiah's life that have given me greater joy, happiness and assurance of God's faithful love to us than I ever expected last August.