Honor to Whom Honor is Due

I have learned from more godly men than I what it is to heed the biblical instruction of "give honor to whom honor is due" (Rom 13:7). We live in a world where we know what it is to give honor, respect, and to some extent even admiration. All desire it and many will go to great lengths to obtain it. However such is not the case for the selfless. Moms are those selfless love-motivated people in life that rarely recieve the praise they deserve. They seek not the acclaims of others, nor do they labor for the approval of men. Obedience to God's Word would demand that men everywhere rise up and call such women "Blessed" (Prov 31:28). The writing of this post seeks to accomplish just this. For those of you now confused please let me explain.

Over the past eight days the Grubbs family has experienced first-hand, through countless tangible ways, what it is to be loved by a mom. As my lovely wife Natalie seeks to find her way into the role of mother she has recieved the love and support from a polished veteran--her own mom.

Pamela "Mumsy" Dowd, has in exemplary fashion ministered to my wife over this incredible week and for this I am grateful. She knows (and even willingly participates in) all our sleepless nights and changing of diapers, as wells as those tireless attempts to comfort a crying child. All this she has done with joy and more. Dishes, laundry, words of encouragement, grocery runs, meal preparations, and at times the offering of invaluable motherly wisdom. I could not have imagined what a blessing Pam would have been through this process. I am grateful to God and now seek to praise her in the company of those I love. Thank you Pam.

Home Sweet Home

July 4th 2007 will always be marked as "the day that Lawson flew the coop." Needless to say, Natalie and I were excited to take our new son home from the hospital (we were literally packed for hours before the hospital finally handed us our departure papers). We were both eager to be in a place that was familar and looked foward to enjoying him in the place that has become home.

• Lawson was excited to be home as well. Afterall, home is the only legitimate place one can lounge around in his underwear.

• This is dad trying to figure out what to do with his new little man.

• This is mommy excited about her new little man.

• "Lawson, meet the changing table." No magazine needed for this little guy. Lawson would be making frequent visits in the days ahead (messy visits I might add).

• Some of us (okay one of us) gets lots of sleep at the Grubbs' house.

• The rest of us have to settle for catnaps when we can.
  

Lawson at the Hospital

God was of course gracious with Natalie's labor and Lawson entered into our family with great ease (okay sort of). Our hospital stay was filled with joy as we couldn't stop staring at our little boy. "I can't believe he is ours!" must have been repeated every five minutes (it's still sinking in).

• One of the great blessings enjoyed during this whole experience was that some of Natalie's closest friends were able to assist in the delivery. Bethany, Lawonda, and Rachel were wonderful and I am grateful for their ministry and friendship to Natalie.

• Lawson was calm and peaceful throughout the remainder of the 3rd. When most newborns are sleeping like rocks Lawson was busy taking in his new world with great eagerness. He was wide-eyed for the majority of the day, giving mom and dad hours to take in their new role as parents. Things would drastically change on the 4th of July. It would be a 4th for the books.

• In came the nurses and doctors. Lawson would not be a happy camper as the medical staff of Glendale Adventist Medical Center would ensure that he was in good shape to join us in his new home.

• The 4th of July for Lawson was filled with check-ups, blood work, and lots of crying. Did I mention lots of crying?

• The hospital food was almost enough to make us cry. Good thing we were riding off the excitement of having a son. Natalie and I were beaming with pride as we soaked in those first few hours with our Lawson.

• On the afternoon of the 4th, just thirty-six hours after his birth, we recieved the news we had been greatly anticipating, "Wade and Natalie, you may take your son home." We were able to dress him in his own clothes, and man did he looked sharp. Natalie cried he was so handsome.

• It was time for us to hit the road.

• More posts to come detailing our first few days at home.

HE IS SO KIND!

Every song has a theme. Over the last forty-eight hours the Grubbs family must have sung, cried, and prayed the phrase "He is so kind!" over a thousand times. This rejoicing began on Tuesday, July 3rd at 5:37 AM when our God expressed His kindness to us through Lawson Jacob Grubbs.

He's my son! All 7lbs 11ounces of this blonde haired blue-eyed little person is our son. Family and friends, meet the newest addition to the Grubbs household (a more informative update follows the pictures).

The delivery was smooth--God was again kind. Labor lasted a total of 11 hours and Natalie pushed like a champ!

Dr. Frields has become a close friend to the Grubbs family. During her time at Glendale Adventist hospital, Dr. Frields was one of Natalie's favorite doctors to work with. He is a godly man, fellow Grace Church member, and a treasured family friend. We are thankful and God is kind!

Came as two and leave as three.

Male bonding

Suprisingly, this is one of the rare moments that little Lawson actually slept during his first day of life. For the most part he was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.

This is Lawson's favorite person to be with (mine to).

Our little man! Takes after his mom.

Natalie already holds the title of "Super Mom." She is truly wonderful and has my respect and admoration. Both her and baby are doing well (feedings, sleeping, schedules, etc.). The entire Grubbs family would like to say thank you. Your prayers and comments have been an encouragement and a joy to read (they kept us distracted during labor). Thank you for stopping by.

Additional posts to come.

A Road of Development

The day started off with a beautiful wife commenting "I can't believe this day is finally here." For those of you unaware (trust me, 'unaware' is one thing we are not), today-June 29th 2007-marks the due date of our first child. Over nine months ago, on Wednesday October 18th 2006, Natalie and I received the joyous news of a baby soon to come. The time between that moment and present has been filled with wonderful memories:

• Running marathons, baby showers, graduating seminary, sisters getting married, growing bellies, and the meeting of our new church family in Fayetteville GA (Berachah Bible).

Many of you have prayed for us during this time and for this we are grateful. Our God has been gracious and kind. We give Him praise as we await the next coming hours. This blog is to keep you, the ones we love, updated on what is going on in our growing family. Please visit often for updates, pictures, and prayer requests.

Love you all,

Wade and Natalie