Helena's Babies

Happy Monday, friends!

We had an exciting, yet sad, week last week: Helena's babies  arrived on Thursday afternoon. We noticed signs of labor about 11:00 am. Things continued until about 1:00, when labor intensified and Helena was definitely in focus mode...

After several minutes of pushing, a little buckling arrived first -  in a breech position. I immediately began cleaning the amniotic sac off his face so he could breathe since Helena was concentrating on cleaning off his rear end.

He was big, strong, and healthy. The children immediately named him Socrates.

He is a cutey, isn't he?  :)

 

After a few minutes, Helena seemed to be going back into labor, so we knew that another kid was on the way. But this baby was delivered while Helena was standing up. I caught the baby; she was breech, also. But, sadly, she was stillborn, and very, very small. She was beautiful: solid black; her fur was almost velvety. So we named her Sierra, which means velvety black. We buried her at the edge of the woods under the big cedar tree and put a marker on her grave. 

Between losing Fiona, and losing a brand new kid, my children have experienced more loss than we would like.  And since the loss of my Dad last summer, it seems as if I can't shield my children from death, no matter how hard I try. It keeps coming and coming.

So we are learning that death is a part of life, this life at least. But there will be a day when there will be "no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.." ~ Revelation 21:4.  And we long for that day.

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" ~ Revelation 22:20