Our third child is due in just under three weeks. It is getting very real for us at the Coffman household. We have a bigger gap between our second and third child than we did between the first and second. Our kids now are older, more put together. Potty-trained. Sleeping through the night. Slowly growing out of that subrational state of toddlerhood and infancy. Well, to hell with all that! Back to square one for us.
We've been trying to treasure these last few weeks where it's just the four of us. I want my kids to remember this as a special time of anticipation but also joy at being together. The other night we did two things we almost never do: we ordered pizza and watched a movie. Pepperoni and Cheese. Hot wings. Swiss Family Robinson. Caramel corn. Regular popcorn. It was a banner night for the Coffmans.
As we tucked in the kids after the movie I prayed and thanked God for the time that we have had as "just the four of us." Owen stopped me during my prayer. "Dad, there are already five of us. Beckett is right there in Mom's tummy." He then went over to hug his brother, such as he can, and kissed the belly cradling his life.
Apart from being touching and cute and all of that it was also remarkably wise. I wrote last week about being moved by the 9/11 Memorial and the addendum "and her unborn child" added to the remembrance of pregnant mothers who died in the attack. This was another and profound pro-life statement in my week. Even my five year old son knows that it's a baby in there, that it has always been a baby in there. His brother. My son.
Again, drop justification, philosophizing, the talking points of Planned Parenthood and NARAL and this is what you have: a five year old dropping truth bombs as the obvious statements of fact that they are. Plain enough for children; obscured only by adults.
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