Joshua is Eight!

Eight years ago today, our son Joshua was born 5 1/2 weeks early, weighing in at 5 lb. 5.2 oz, our smallest baby at birth.

He spent a week in the NICU, working on getting a little bigger, and has been healthy ever since. He's growing like crazy lately--he usually eats more than I do at meals! God has really taken care of him over the years, and it's fun to see him changing from a little boy into a big boy. (This photo is from last November at the regional park a few miles from our house.)

Here are eight things you might like to know about Joshua...

• He was due on March 18, which was extra-special because it is the birthday of our daughter Jessica, who is in heaven.


• Joshua was born on his uncle Mark's birthday, even more fun now that we live close to them. We're going to celebrate together on Saturday.


• Joshua is really good at sorting out things. I first discovered this a few years ago when we were in a bead store, when we noticed he was picking out the little beads that had gotten mixed into the wrong bins, and finding their proper homes.


• Joshua has Matt's middle name, which is Michael.


• I once had to do the Heimlich on Joshua, when he was 3 years old, just a few days after Naomi was born. Because we had just watched a CPR video in the hospital, the choking sound I heard on the baby monitor was familiar, so I knew instantly what was going on. I ran upstairs and could tell he was choking, did the Heimlich on him, and out popped a hard candy! Whew! I was SO relieved and quite shaky afterwards when I realized how badly things could have turned out if I hadn't had that baby monitor on.


• Joshua asked Jesus to be his Savior five years ago, after talking with David & Marissa, and it's so great to know that he is my brother in Christ!


• He loves to draw, and likes to make lots of creative looking creatures in his drawings.


• Joshua has a great smile and loves to give me squishy-tight hugs. :)

If you'd like, you can read Joshua's birth story here. It was both my most painful *and* my least painful labor (very, very close to a painless labor near the end), and that was without drugs. You'll have to read the story if you're curious! :)

We are very thankful for the gift of Joshua--so glad God blessed us with him as our son!