Observations

1. I am so glad that God's plan involves families.  I would know nothing without my family that I grew up with! I have realized that 18 years is not nearly long enough to learn all that I needed to know.  I'm still struggling with temporal things like how to keep white things white in the laundry.  Why didn't I pay more attention to how to do that?!

2. I used to think that when I brought a baby home from the hospital I needed to give special attention to the child just older than the baby, the idea being that if I could make them feel extra special, the transition of having a new sibling would be much easier.  I have finally realized that it's not that child that you need to watch and give extra attention to, but the child just up from the used-to-be-youngest.  (Boy, that was clear! Nolan, in this case.) The second-up-from-the-baby seems to sense that a baby is going to arrive before they even get there, and begins to regress and have behavioral issues.  They get lost in the shuffle for awhile, and, while they used to get lots of attention, they somehow don't get as much from anybody for awhile, as they develop their new niche in the family. I think the whole family subconsciously begins treating them like they are older and more independent and they (also subconsciously) begin trying to hold onto their younger ways and strive to get attention whether it's positive or negative. Funny that I can look back and see that in each child that has had that position in the family, yet it never clicked until this time around. I wish I could back-track about nine months and do an experiment of extra love and attention to see if it helps.  But then, too, it's probably a healthy part of growing up? Hard for parents to watch, though... So for now, forward we go, doing better every day!

3. I don't pay attention/notice all of the blessings that I receive. From time to time, I really become conscious of this little/HUGE fact. I am convinced that all of us are receiving blessings all of the time that we don't even realize we are receiving. Here is my most recent example: One night, shortly after going to bed, Pace woke up, and upon going to feed him a bottle we realized that we had left the formula at Shawn's parents house.  We hunkered down for a loooong miserable night with a hungry, screaming baby, as there would be no stores open until 6 a.m. We were really praying that he would just sleep all night.  Well, he didn't.  He still woke up just as often, but I would pick him up and hold him and he would go right back to sleep - faster than if I had had a bottle to give him.  First thing in the morning, Shawn ran to the store. Pace woke up and was as happy as could be for another half an hour!

.....I had things figured out - I told the kids that Pace DID NOT need fed during the night anymore...HOORAY!!

The next night when he woke up, I tried to hold him to get him to go back to sleep.  He fussed and screamed for half an hour and WOULD NOT go to sleep without a bottle.

...I had things figured out - I told the kids that my prayers had been answered after all- just in a different way than I had prayed for.  Pace still woke up, but it was not the loooong, miserable night I had been dreading.

I have since been more aware that I receive many blessings like that every day, and I know that all of you do, too.  What an ingrate I often am not to be more observant of them! I think I need to start giving prayers of thanks, more often, for all the blessings I receive that I haven't even noticed...just to cover the bases.