I got the wonderful news that my little sister is expecting her third child, due later this year. My kids are jumping for joy to welcome another cousin into the family. I spoke with my dad yesterday, and he shared with me, “I’m sure glad Heidi is having another child. I was afraid she was going to choose not to have any more.”
I seized the opportunity for a bad joke. “You have extreme kids, Dad,” I said. “With Heidi you hope she has more kids, with me you hope I don’t!”
That actually was really funny, and we laughed almost to the point of tears. You’d have to know our relationship, I suppose, to see the humor in that. My folks are about the coolest people you could ever sit down and have coffee with. They love life, love people, and love their family. But, you know, I’m the odd-ball kid who has 15 children. I realize that’s odd, and even though they love me and all their grandchildren (3/4 of their grandchildren come from 1/4 of their children), there is this skeptical worry in their eye that begs, “You sure you know what you’re doing, Chris?”
Our convictions to have children are from God, that’s for sure. Our book Love in the House goes into explaining much of this, how we struggled with the temptation to leave God in a box, and how years ago we almost refused to trust in the calling He had for us. Wendy and I hear from other parents who have in-laws who judge them harshly. That’s sad, for we all need encouragement to move forward in the story God has for each of us.
Speaking of stories, I received more wonderful news from a friend of mine who wrote a really good book, When God Writes Your Love Story. Eric and Leslie Ludy are having another child! They are ones who have struggled with fertility and have only one natural-born child. God’s story for them revealed two adoptions for a total of three children. God kept writing (a humorous twist that will make you laugh out loud!) and blessed Leslie with pregnancy. Her blog announcement brags, “Four kids, four and under!”
I emailed Eric this morning: “Wahoooo! The Jeubs are high-fiving you, doing back flips, and cheering for the Ludys! We are so incredibly happy for you. Four kids 4 and under? No sweat. With God taking care of the Ludys, anything is possible.” I gave him the P.S. that Wendy is due in 2009, too.
His response:
Thanks, Chris, for showing your exuberance. It’s always right when we are beginning to feel overwhelmed that Wendy gets pregnant again and puts everything in perspective.
Pass on our congrats to your amazing wife! That’s incredible! We are cheering you guys on!
It looks like a good year to have babies. Remember, the year is still young. There’s still time, if you’re not expecting, to fit a child in. (Ha, I can hear my dad groaning at that one, but deep down he loves it.)
About Chris & Wendy Jeub
