November already???

It has been raining for about three days, and we are inside enjoying the time together. Jeremiah is at work, I was in the kitchen making applesauce and potato chowder and now the kids are settling in to watch a movie. Samuel is ready for a bottle and nap...oh I can't believe he is 10 month old tomorrow!

We are so used to him being part of our family and can't imagine life any other way. I get questions and comments from friends and family asking how it is to have a fourth child around, how busy we must be, how we handle Samuel's medical needs. To tell you the truth it is more joy than hardship. I feel like once you add child #3, adding more to the mix is no big deal. We love having Sammy to snuggle, care for, love on and play with. The other kids are very helpful to me and are changing diapers (with the occasional whine) and making bottles like pros. The medical needs, while they could be considered severe, seem like no big deal to us either. It is just something we need to be careful of. We look out for warning signs that his shunt is having problems and go to doctors appointments. We will endure some more surgeries with Sammy too. We take him to therapy occasionally and have someone come here for infant massage. I really enjoy play group and the parent support group outings. I know that this is what God called us to do. I feel so joyful to be able to do His work!

Samuel is getting so big, wearing size 12-18 month clothing. He loves to crawl around and pull himself to stand on anything! He has FOUR teeth now! He is also getting more clingy to our family and cries and fusses when strangers hold him, or even friends we see often! He is eating more solid table food now and he loves it! I fed him some chunks of potato from my soup and he gobbled it up! He has such a fun personality and a great smile.