Making Butter

If you're just "tuning in," scroll down the page to see plenty of posts on the new baby!

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The mother of one of Leslie's violin students told us one day how to make butter from the raw cow's milk (absolutely delicious!) that we get from her.

First, we let a few quarts of this milk (completely "whole milk") sit in the refrigerator until all of the rich cream rose to the top.


Next, we spooned all of the cream off of the top and put it in a small, tightly-sealed mason jar.


And then we shook it.


And we shook it.


And we shook it some more.


Pretty soon, something happened!


And we had butter!!!


We only had to shake the cream (butter) for about five minutes. After a few minutes of shaking, Austin asked if we had to shake it constantly, or if we could stop for awhile.

Ever-poetic Leslie replied with:

"Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night...."

Ah, what would we do without Leslie? She's our "fount of wisdom," our encourager, and now ... our butter maker.

The "Mom Posts"

I finally have the "Mom Posts" up. She still wants me to keep the post "Every Gift of God Is Perfect" at the top, so I have put her posts underneath.

They are:
Thank You!!!
What Is Down Syndrome? ... Some Biology
What Now?
Katelyn Grace Was Created for God's Pleasure
God's "Recipe for Peace"
"Don't Waste Your Cancer"

Thank You!!! ... Written by Mom

Yes, the mother of little Katelyn Grace is now up and running! Well, I don't know about the "running" part, but I am up from my week of rest. I thanked my midwife profusely for ordering me to the week of bedrest after having Katelyn Grace and forbidding me to go down the stairs. It was a time of real bonding with her and a time I will always cherish. I had some internal hemorrhaging, as some of the amniotic sack had not been expelled until the day after Katelyn Grace was born. So after losing a considerable amount of blood, I was rather weak and lightheaded. With drinking an iron tonic and resting, I feel much better now.

I would like to express immeasurable thanks to family and friends who brought meals, visited, sent flowers and gifts, and gave so much encouragement to us. A very special thanks goes to Katelyn's siblings who were absolutely wonderful in taking over managing the home, meals, laundry, taxi services, and serving me so faithfully. They really demonstrated their love for both Katelyn and me in their selfless TLC. They made sure that I had plenty of nutrition and even made me take my cod liver oil a couple times a day! I told them they were going to make me 300 lbs. if they continued to bring me so much food! Most of all, I am especially thankful to our Lord for several things regarding Katelyn Grace's birth:

I am thankful that I was able to have the baby at home using the waterbirth method. This means that the baby was actually born in a circular tub set up for this purpose. The water is heated and I felt tremendous relief from one contraction to the next as I got into it. It speeds up labor and the water makes it easier on the tissues of the mother, eases labor pains, and provides such a calm and gentle birth for the baby. Katelyn Grace barely let out a cry when she came out of the water. I had a great certified midwife who went above and beyond her call of duty. Everything about it beat hospital births, as I had the first four all in the same hospital.

I am thankful that the Lord gave me those first moments of pure joy of a new birth, as I did not realize at first that she had Down Syndrome.

I am thankful that the Lord had me gradually discover for myself that she had Down Syndrome, as I gradually recognized some of the physical signs when I looked over Katelyn more carefully. I am thankful that I did not have to be told.

I am thankful for the way the Lord had prepared us somewhat for a Down's baby by giving us our beloved friends, the Royal family. They have six children with their lastborn having D.S. Christian is 14 yrs. old now and has grown up around us. We have even attended some of his parties with his D.S. friends. Shannon played a lot with him when she was younger, never noticing that he was any different from any other child. The fact that Katelyn has D.S. didn't seem to phase Shannon a bit. She was just in so much awe over a new baby. Christian's parents were here bringing a meal over right away after the delivery and brought two more after that, along with flowers and their usual encouragement and support. They are truly a wonderful family who demonstrate Christ's love to others.

I am thankful for such wonderful and loving children with which the Lord has rewarded us. They have been such a blessing.

I am thankful for my dear husband, who was a terrific labor coach, and is so supportive and loving. He's a wonderful husband and father and I know that we can enter the daunting aspects of the D.S. world together, hand in hand, as we look to the Lord together for His direction and help.

There is so much to be thankful for!

What Is Down Syndrome? ... Some Biology, by Mom

For those of you who are not familiar with Down Syndrome, it was named after Dr. Down who discovered it.

There was nothing we did or did not do that could have prevented it, as it is the result of an extra chromosome, usually showing up in the 21st pair of chromosomes ("trisomy 21" Down Syndrome) as a result of them sticking together during the meiosis process. They don't know what causes them to stick together. Usually there are 46 chromosomes in each cell of our bodies. Chromosomes come in 23 pairs with 1 member of each pair donated by each parent via the sperm (father) or the egg cell (mother).

There are 3 different types of Down Syndrome, differing mainly in where the extra chromosome shows up. "Trisomy 21" D.S. accounts for 95% of the cases. For those who would be interested in learning more about D.S., the book which we are reading now is very informative-- "Babies with Down Syndrome, A New Parents' Guide" by a variety of authors, edited by Karen Stray-Gundersen.

What Now? ... by Mom

We covet everyone's prayers regarding the best treatment program for Katelyn Grace. We are looking seriously at a neurological stimulation program. Mark and I would attend a 5 day course of lectures and demonstrations at The Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, PA.

The program concentrates on brain injured children, - which includes Down Syndrome children, - tapping into good brain cells taking over the bad brain cells. Parents are the key players in a home therapeutic approach that involves providing simple yet intensive neurological stimulation for their children. Apparently the usual local therapy programs just treat the symptoms. This program, if carried out properly has had children often performing even above levels exhibited by most average children. I am going to read about the program on their website and have called them for an information packet. Mark's sister, Sharon, is also doing some research in this area and others.

The expenses of alternative programs are not covered by insurance or Medicaid, so we also ask prayer for meeting financial needs if we feel that these treatments would give Katelyn the best opportunities in life.

We are traveling down a new and different road with Katelyn Grace. Mark and I are experiencing the usual "roller coaster" of emotions that come along with a child born with disabilities, such as the fact that this is something that we cannot fix for Katelyn, or make it go away. We can't slap on a band-aid and "make it all better." We wonder if she will be able to live on her own one day, and if we should gear her towards motherhood since she will naturally want to be like her mother.

Since we don't yet have a detailed diagnosis until we see a geneticist Feb. 21st, we wonder what her cognitive abilities will be, her limitations as well as her accomplishments, her health issues, etc.

I would like to share the following article that was given to us by my good Christian friend, Helen Royal. It puts the discovery of Katelyn's Down Syndrome in perspective and was a great encouragement:

http://journeyofhearts.org/kirstimd/holland.htm

This inspirational article was suggested by several sources. When I read the article, I was struck by how inspiring it was for any one who had experienced a loss. More important it reminds us to not spend a lifetime mourning what might have been, but to look at a loss as an opportunity for discovering something very different, but perhaps also equally wonderful.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley
©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

* * *About the Author
Emily Perl Kingsley is the mother of a child with Down Syndrome, Jason.
Over the years she has done much to improve the ways in which people with disabilities are portrayed in the media. She worked as a writer for SESAME STREET, receiving many Emmy Awards and was instrumental in integrating mentally and physically disabled children and adults into the format of SESAME STREET. Her works with the National Down Syndrome Congress, National Media Council on Disability, as well as numerous publications have earned a multitude of humanitarian awards and special recognition for herself and her family.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND is her inspirational essay which has been reprinted in many languages and in many forms all over the world. Dear Abby runs this piece every October to commemorate National Down Syndrome Awareness Month and it has been reprinted in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE MOTHER’S SOUL. It has been used as the theme for several disability conferences, was worked into a patchwork quilt and is the subject of a series of oil paintings. It was recently set to music as a choral piece by composer Terrence Minogue and was performed at a concert in Sacramento, California.

Katelyn Grace Was Created for God's Pleasure ... Written by Mom

Soon after Katelyn was born, her Aunt Sharon (Mark's sister) sent a very meaningful and encouraging reminder that meant so much to me as I found myself reading it over and over again. She wrote:

"Katelyn Grace will lead you to places you have never gone and to people you would never have met without her. A little child shall lead them.

When praying for her, I believe that she will be the cause of these contacts coming to know the salvation of God. God created her for His pleasure. 'Thou art worthy to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' (Reveation 4:11) Little Grace is a creation of God for His pleasure and I like to think for the highest purpose of bringing others to the Savior. One day in heaven she will be whole and will sing praises with the ones redeemed because of God's Grace.

It wasn't until the Lord showed me this that I could stop crying for her."

Thank you Sharon. Katelyn's middle name, Grace, took on a new meaning. These words were a great gift to me and they are from someone who has gone through much physical suffering herself, learning and living out the true impact of this message in sharing the message of salvation with those with whom she comes in contact.

Then I came across this verse which goes along with this:

Psalm 29:2 - Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

It is our family's desire to give God the glory through Katelyn Grace's life.

God's "Recipe for Peace" ... by Mom

The book of Psalms has been especially a comfort to me during this time. I've always encouraged the kids to claim Psalm 37 when worries enter their life. I call it "God's recipe for peace". Please pray that we heed it through every step with Katelyn, one step at a time.


FRET NOT (vs.1)
TRUST in the Lord, and do good. (vs.3)
DELIGHT thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (vs.4)
COMMIT thy way unto the Lore; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. (vs.5)
REST in the Lord, and ... (vs.7)
WAIT patiently for him. (vs.7)
FRET NOT (vs.7)
CEASE FROM ANGER (vs.8)
FORSAKE WRATH (vs.8)
FRET NOT thyself in anyway to do evil. (vs.8)

Then the Lord gives some precious promises as we follow the above steps while reinforcing some of them at the same time:

vs. 23,24 - The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he DELIGHTETH in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

vs. 28 - For the Lord loveth justice and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever...

vs. 34 - WAIT on the Lord, and keep his way; and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land...

The ending result: vs. 37 - Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is PEACE.

vs. 39,40 - But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; he shall deliver thee from the wicked, and save them, because they TRUST in him.

"Don't Waste Your Cancer" ... by Mom

Another friend of ours also sent an article which Lauren has mentioned, entitled "Don't Waste Your Cancer" (by John Piper and David Powlison, who both were diagnosed with prostate cancer).

The word "cancer" can be substituted with any trial that one may be going through. It is our prayer and desire that Katelyn Grace's Down Syndrome will not be wasted.

The following are the ten main points along with some of the comments given in the article:

1. You will waste you cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

"What God permits, He permits for a reason. And that reason is his design ... he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design." David Powlison encourages us to personalize Psalm 28 in prayer to God.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

"Psalm 84:11. The blessing comes in what God does for us, with us, through us.... In the testing ground of evils your faith becomes deep and real, and your love becomes purposeful and wise: James 1:2-5, I Peter 1:3-9, Romans 5:1-5, Romans 8:18-39."

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

"The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7).... The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him."

He mentions 2 hymns--"Be Still My Soul" and "How Firm A Foundation" and says, "We are 100% certain to suffer, and Christ is 100% certain to meet us, to come for us, comfort us, and restore love's purest joys... You are certain to pass through grave distresses, and your Savior is 100% certain to 'be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress.' With God, you aren't playing percentages, but living within certainties."

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

"Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2, Psalm 90:12, I Corinthians 15."

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that "beating" cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

"Satan's and God's designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God's design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. (Philippians 3:8, 1:21) Cherishing Christ expresses the two core activities of faith: dire need and utter joy."

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

"For every one sentence you say to others about your cancer, say ten sentences about your God, and your hope, and what he is teaching you, and the small blessings of each day. For every hour you spend researching or discussing your cancer, spend 10 hours researching and discussing and serving your Lord. Relate all that you are learning about cancer back to him and his purposes, and you won't become obsessed."

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepening your relationships with manifest affection.

"Philippians 2:2... That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don't waste you cancer by retreating into yourself.... You will bring huge blessing to others by living openly, believingly and lovingly within your weaknesses."

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

"I Thessalonians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 5:8, John 15-17"

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

"Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination -- all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack.... Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are.... Suffering really is meant to wean you from sin and strengthen your faith. If you are godless, then suffering magnifies sin.... If you are God's, then suffering in Christ's hands will change you, always slowly, sometimes quickly.... Of course you'll fail at times ... but he will always pick you up when you stumble. (Ps. 25)"

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

"Let your light so shine as you live in him, by him, through him, for him. One of the church's ancient hymns puts it this way: 'Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger' (from "I Bind Unto Myself the Name").... Philippians 4:19"

And Then There Were Four!!!

Yep! Four girls in our family now!




She's prettiest when she's sleeping. But then, she's absolutely adorable when she's awake.





Mom's post[s] will be posted tomorrow!!! They're all written out, and only wait to be informally edited and broken into four parts. Till tomorrow then!

Sunday Morning "Church" and Evening Family Time

Sunday morning, Grandma and Pop came over for a brunch and church. We've been home-churching now for a year and a half, and it has been - and continues to be - a wonderful experience.

Our "service" looks something like this:

Prayer
The Doxology
"Message"
Prayer
Singing

Now, our "message" is somewhat different from what most people might think. Instead of a pastor getting up and preaching for thirty-five minutes, ours looks more like a discussion/study period, led by Dad.

Sometimes Dad prepares a study on a section of Scripture (i.e. something in Hebrews) or a certain subject (such as forgiveness) and we go through it together.

Sometimes Dad picks out a chapter in a book (sometimes Ekklesia) to read through and discuss.

Sometimes we listen to a message on CD (many times from Vision Forum) on a subject that we would like to learn more about.

Sometimes we go through a video series (on ... say ... presuppositional apologetics).

Yesterday, Dad read an article called "Don't Waste Your Cancer," which was given to him by a good friend. We discussed how it applies to us and looked up the Scripture passages that were cited.

Dad hopes to write some articles on home-churching on this blog sometime in the not-too-distant future. Mom would like to share some things from Don't Waste Your Cancer with you all.


Yesterday evening, our whole family sat down in the family room to start on the third - and last - book of the Crown and Covenant series, Rebel's Keep. These books have been a tremendous blessing to our family. Anytime you have Christians (Scottish Covenanters, in this case) "waring" against non-Christians (King Charles and his minions), the subject must be treated with extreme care. Douglas Bond does a fabulous job of portraying the battles faced by the Scottish Covenanters in a Biblical and historically-accurate light. (Although the relationship between the Covenanters and Cromwell is pretty confusing!)


These family reading times are so special, and we all appreciate that Mom and Dad are willing to take the time to read to us ... even though we can all read for ourselves now. : )

A typical evening of reading begins with Mom saying, "All right. We'll sit down and just read one chapter. It's already late."

She then reads the said chapter, which (hypothetically) usually ends something like:

"Angus caught his breath as he saw Turner and his men descending swiftly on the unsuspecting gathering. He had to warn his family! Eyeing the distance between himself and the bluff, he calculated whether or not he would arrive before the horsemen. Looking back at the cloud of dust which marked the location of Turner's dragoons, he realized that there was no time. The sweat stood out on his brow and ran in trickles down his face. He couldn't just watch as Turner surrounded and then destroyed the faithful Covenanters. Could anything be done? Then, something caught his eye in the distance on the moor."

And so ends the chapter. (Hey, maybe I should write my own series!) There is a moment of silence in the room, and then the words, "Oh, Mom! We can't end there! Please just read one more chapter!" Mom willingly agrees, especially when Dad chimes with the cry of, "Just one more chapter!"

And so it goes until we have met with a chapter that has an actual ending to it ... a characteristic normally possessed by about one chapter out of four.

Family time is special.