declare my word

we have had rough day today after spending the better part of the day in the hospital. everything has checked out and we are so relieved, thrilled, blessed... doesn't even begin to describe it! both the baby & i are in good health and recovering smoothly at home. still some concerns to get ironed out, but we are encouraged by faith.

for whatever reason, i have found it difficult to believe that God would be so good as to give me a fourth totally healthy, happy, beautiful baby after already blessing me with so much. i feel so greedy expecting His goodness & blessings. so i came to this seemingly simple revelation. God is good all the time. His goodness doesn't have a limit or boundaries or consequences. it is boundless, abundant & excessive. i could never do anything to earn His loving kindness nor could i ever thank Him enough.

another revelation that became flesh to me today was the importance of declaring God's word. the doctors gave some pretty terrible forecasts today and then the word of the Lord came to us... who's report are you going to trust? it's not that doctor's are bad people, they just tell you what they see. there is nothing wrong with that... it just isn't in line with God's supernatural plan, that's all. i had printed out these scriptures a while ago to pray over the kids before they went to sleep. but today i am going to declare them over this beautiful baby as the promises of God that they are and i will continue to pray them over this baby once i am cuddling it safely in my arms.

psalm 91:9-16

Our children have made the Most High their dwelling place. No harm will befall them; no disaster will come near their tents. For He will give His angles charge over them to guard them in all their ways. They will carry them so that our children do not dash their foot against a stone. They will tread upon the lion and the cobra; they will trample them underfoot. Because our children love You, You will deliver them, You will set them on high. They will call upon You and You will answer them, You will be with them in trouble, You will deliver them and honor them and with long life You will satisfy them and show them Your salvation.

psalm 103:2-5

Thank you Lord that our children won’t forget His benefits. You forgive all their sins and heal all their diseases. You redeem their lives form the pit, and crown them with love and compassion. You satisfy their souls with good things so that their youth is renewed like the eagles.

isaiah 24:13.14 and 17

All our children shall be taught by the Lord and great will be their peace, their health, safety, protection and prosperity. In righteousness they will be established. Tyranny will be far from them; they will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near them. No weapon

formed against them will prosper.

and some extra additions to this list for today...

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Luke 17 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

God is so abundantly, excessively, limitlessly & powerfully good! so i'm going to stick that in my pipe and smoke it! thank-you Lord!

the power of raw goat's milk

after recently finding out i was pregnant, my breast milk supply suddenly diminished. i had breast fed davith until he was 13 months while pregnant with the twins and was attempting to do the same with the twins. i can still nurs
e them quite effectively, or to where they feel satisfied, but when i need to pump to leave milk for a babysitter, i am fresh outta luck. i usually only need to pump one feed a week so i didn't really want to start an expensive formula.

and then i remembered some advice a good friend had given me while in the hospital with the twins. she suggested that if i was having difficulty nursing them to supplement with goat's milk. i recently began to research a little bit more and here is what i found:

" Most of us know that almost all commercially produced cow's milk based formulas are pretty nasty (think high fructose corn syrup, mono and diglycerides, inositol, choline bitartrate, sodium ascorbate, alpha tocophyeryl acetate, naicinamide, calcum pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, phylloquinone, etc.), and soy based formulas are not a lot better (children receiving soy formula as their only food take in the same estrogenic equivilant as 5 hormonal birth control pills per day.) But we also know that not everyone is able to or desires to breastfeed, so what can be an alternative? Afterhuman breastmilk, what is best?

Unlike cow's milk, which takes hours to digest, goat’s milk takes just 20 minutes to digest due to smaller fat molecules (about one fifth the size of the molecules in cow's milk.) Goat’s milk is also alkaline, like human breastmilk, whereas cows milk is acidic. It has higher evolved carotene (Vitamin A) which is preformed and easily absorbable, does not form phlegm in the body, is easier on the gut and liver, is more easily absorbable by the brain and body due to lower levels of cholesterol, and is milder in taste (though in my own experience, goats milk tastes stronger the longer you leave it- you can taste a difference even the day after it's been milked.)

Goat's milk is so readily digested by infants that in a number of cases that, where the breast milk supply has been inadequate, full strength, unsweetened goat's milk can be given as an alternative. Studies have found that infants of working mothers have thrived on a midday feed of goat's milk, welcoming the return to mother's milk at the other feeds. This may not be the ideal, but the alternative use of cow's milk preparations have often resulted in refusal of the breast at the next mealtime.

Human breast is best, and after that it’s just about what feels good and works for you and your babe. " Doula Right Thing, blog

i wholehearted believe that you need to decide what is best for you and your family. i just thought this was a really neat alternative and so far it has worked really well with the twins. you can introduce goat's milk as early as baby's first feed. i was also surprised how accessible goat's milk is. i just picked up a carton of organic homogenized goat milk at loblaws in the health food section. so take what blesses you and ignore the rest! i just love finding little tid bits of information at exactly the right time so i thought i would share.

and then there were four...!

and so... we're pregnant! by october we will have four beautiful children age 2 and under! and we are absolutely thrilled to bits!

although i've been quite sick (hence the break in blogging), i just couldn't be happier! it is so strange with this being my fourth child that i could be this excited. you'd think i'd be used to it by now... but i guess you never get too used to miracles! some people may think we're crazy but i just feel so blessed. i know there will be challenges, but i am full of expectation, faith and adventure!

God is SO good!