BLeach

Anything for My Wife

Great weekend!  Yesterday was the highlight as Leah turned 30!  The church was so encouraging to her in the morning.  And then last night we had a celebration at my parent's house.

The news is bound to get out, so I guess I'll get ahead of the story.  It's true.  Psalty the singing songbook made an appearance.  If you don't have any idea who Psalty is, don't worry about it.  (Feel free to ignore the rest of this post).

Psatly came back from the future, where he's made quite a comeback.  In fact, he told us that last week he was the opening act at the VMA Awards.  Apparently, he's good friends with our daughter Gabriella.  So he utilized the latest in time travel technology to visit Leah's party and read a letter that 25 year old Gabriella had written.

Leah loved it.  And at the end of the presentation, she even got a kiss from Psalty--on the lips!  Scandalous!  I'll see if we can get the video posted later today.

Nothing beats pleasing the people you love the most!  Leah, I love you.  Happy birthday!

One Month Old Today

Life's 2 Great Questions

Got these pictures in an email from my mom today.  They sum up life at the Leach home these days:)

Life boils down to two great questions:

Should we get a dog, or...

Should we have children?

 

But while life's a little crazy these days, I also realize there's light at the end of the tunnel.

One Week Ago...

It was exactly one week ago right now that Leah's water broke. I'm thinking of dumping a bucket of water on her head to celebrate.

 

The First 56 Hours

The last two and a half days have been packed with unforgettable moments.  Leah and I appreciate all the text messages, blog comments, and Facebook notes.  So encouraging to hear from so many of you!  Most of all, thanks for your prayers!

Now for some random updates:

• Leah's water broke about 4.45 pm on Monday. Contractions started right away. Gabriella Faith Leach was born at 12.21 am on Tuesday.
• Most of our family was at the hospital. Nate and Ashley (Leah's sister and brother-in-law) drove the furthest- from Washington DC. They actually felt impressed to leave at about 3.00 pm Monday, even though Leah's labor hadn't actually started. They ended up driving into the hospital 20 minutes before Leah delivered.  Samantha was texting them in from the delivery room!
• Leah made both of her sisters happy by waiting twenty minutes into Tuesday to deliver. Ashley was able to be there, and Samantha won her office pool (she picked Tuesday:)
• Gabby's birth may have been the most overwhelming thing I've ever seen in my life. When her head emerged, followed by the rest of her little body, I immediately began to cry. A moment I'll never forget.
• Gabby knew my voice!
• Leah's mom was a huge help during the delivery process. She was able to add another level of comfort for Leah. My job was to rhythmically count to ten with each push! Felt like I was spotting someone at the gym without having to do any reps myself.
• My mom and sister were also in the delivery room. Betsy's doctor was on call and actually ended up doing the delivery.
• We declared the week before Gabby was born to be DTWWBATDFA (do things we won't be able to do for awhile). Most of our friends without kids told us to go out alot. Most of our friends with kids told us to sleep.
• Should have listened to our friends with kids:)
• I've been having alot of "conversations" with Gabby. I enjoy these conversations, since she listens well and seems to quietly agree with everything I say.
• So far we've talked about several things, including boys, theology, and sports.
• I started our sports conversations with basketball, for two reasons. First, it's my favorite sport to play, and the Pistons are my life-long favorite team. Second, it's the least controversial since Pittsburgh doesn't have an NBA team.
• I moved from basketball to baseball, since the Pirates aren't good and Leah has given up on them.
• I eased into hockey. I did inform Gabby that the Penguins just finished a good season and won the Stanley Cup. I want to be truthful with her and present a balanced view of things. I then informed her that the Red Wings have won more Stanley Cups, and that the best Penguins players eventually decide to play for the Red Wings for less money.
• I think it's too early still to bring up the Lions. She just looks so fragile and innocent.
• I do keeping reminding her that she's beautiful. I tell her that right now we want her to gain a little weight every week, but that some day she may not like the idea of gaining weight. Then I remind her that even if she does gain some, she will be beautiful because real beauty flows from the inside-out.
• My love for Leah climbs every hour! She was amazing in the delivery room--thanking the nurses and thinking of others in the midst of her own tremendous pain. She was so gracious, beautiful and strong.
• She's an incredible mom. No one has sacrificed more for our little girl. My inconviences don't even come close! Not a single person has asked her to do a single thing for Gabby. It all comes from within her. And she does it with so much joy. I love you baby!

I'm still searching for the words to describe how all of this is impacting my understanding of God. His love is coming alive to me. I've almost memorized every curve in Gabby's face, and when I look at her I can't imagine a single thing that could diminish my love for her. Makes this verse seem so real. The love of our Perfect Father really is wider, deeper, and higher than my imagination can go.

We're Taking Her Home!

I Think She Looks Like Leah

Love Your Kids by Loving Your Wife

Hope you enjoyed a great Father's Day weekend! I admit, I was hoping to welcome Gabriella into the world, but she seems to have a mind of her own:)

I did have opportunity to pray for dad's in our church while reflecting on becoming a father. Just thought I'd share one thought that's been challenging me.

We love our kids best by loving our wives.

Leah and I know it's possible for a marriage to be reduced to the single goal of providing a good life for the kids. The irony is that if we neglect building a great marriage, we're automatically limited in the amount of blessing we can pass on to our kids.

I'll make it even more specific for pastors. Jesus commands us to love our wives like He loves the Church. Interestingly enough, he never commands us to love our churches like He loves the Church.

The Church is His bride--not ours.

As fathers, we all have the privilege of selflessly serving our own brides. As we do, we give our kids something far more valuable than toys, square feet, or a college education.

I can't wait to start putting this into practice any day now! Thanks for your all your emails and calls. We appreciate the prayers!

Help Me Catch Some Foxes

 

Had a great time this morning preparing for my message this Sunday.  We're getting into chapter 2 of Song of Songs, where the poet compares the marriage relationship to a vineyard.  Like a vineyard, a marriage also takes care, cultivation, pruning, watering, investing, and careful attention to detail if it's going to blossom.  So the Song gives this advice:

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.

These little foxes would sneak their way into the vineyard undetected where they'd gnaw on roots, eat fruit, and create destruction. 

So here's my question as I prepare for Sunday. 

What foxes have you had to catch while cultivating your marriage?

Leave me a comment and I may even quote you on Sunday!

My First Pink Post...

...is in honor of my daughter!

That's right.  Leah and I are having a baby girl!

That means that my re-education has begun.  I've been asking Leah all kinds of questions about little girls.  And the more I think about it, the more my heart warms to the idea.  Pretty soon it will completely melt.

Just a few things I'm excited about:

• She has all her fingers and toes
• We can now focus in on selecting the name
• A little girl with Leah's eyes
• Holding her for the first time
• Figuring out what little girl's like to do
• Teaching her to dribble a basketball
  
• Adoring her and teaching her that she is beautiful
  
• Taking her out on her first date
• Taking her out on her second date
• Taking her out on her third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh dates
  
• Leah will have to do the sex talk
• Interrogating her first boyfriend (he gets the 73rd date)
  
• Walking her down the aisle (amazingly enough, this thought is already making me sad)!

It's official.  I'm toast!