When JJ was born (January 2, 2008), I wrote him a lullaby. I have memorized it, and I sing it now to all of our sons. I had thought that I would be able to write each of them a lullaby, but I have just adapted this one to fit them. It is pretty much the same lullaby. Either way, it expresses my heart in life and fatherhood.
**NOAH’S LULLABY**
Hush little Noah don’t you cry
Daddy’s gonna sing you a lullaby
I hate to see you crying red-faced with tears
Let me tell you ‘bout us in the coming years
The joy of rearing you can make this grown man weap
Right here in my arms you can fall asleep
& I’ll stare at your face & kiss your chubby cheeks
Watch you start to grow in the coming weeks
God gave you a great mother who takes care of you
In love together we will teach you what’s true
two big brothers J & E you can look up to
You become like them, yes I hope you do
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
Son, I wanna teach you to throw and catch a ball
& I can hardly wait until you learn to crawl
We can walk to the park & I can push you on the swings
Raise you up right so you’ll appreciate things
I wanna teach you about pets like cats and dogs
And how to catch lizards, turtles, & frogs
I’ll show ya how to catch fish & how to bait a hook
And how to treat a girl and how to read a book
And how to play with kids and not be weak
Playing outdoor games like hide and seek
I wanna teach you about bruises, scars, and scabs
And how to play wrestle and throw left-hand jabs
I’ll teach how to ride a bike & how to climb trees
I‘ll teach you about caterpillars, birds, & bees
I wanna pick you up when you fall & scrape your knees
Teach you how to pray, and say “yes ma’am” & “Please”
& we can walk to the creek, I’ll show you how to skip a rock
I’ll show you how to play sports & how to wear a jock
I wanna teach you how to not get upset by jokes
& how to be grateful & respect your folks
Noah, I wanna teach you how to love your mom
& how to read the Bible, a daily Proverb & Psalm
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
Son, I wanna teach you how to be a man
How to look ‘em in the eye & firmly shake their hand
How to keep your word & always work real hard
How to pay your bills on time & how to mow the yard
I’ll teach you how to keep a job & not be lazy
How to speak the truth in love and not be hazy
I wanna show you how to love & how to be a friend
And when to compromise and when to take a stand
And how to apologize and also how to forgive
Son, these are simple lessons on how to live
And life is not easy, it can be quite hard
Keep your eyes on Christ & don’t be caught off guard
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
These first several pictures were taken just a week or two before we welcomed little Noah into our lives! Our dear friend Emily took these pictures of us up at Jefferson Memorial Forest. Even in the womb, we knew our little Noah was going to be a good-sized baby and we were delighted to feel and see him move and squirm so much...just eager to get out and meet his expectant family! :)
On Sunday, October 10th, 2010 (10/10/10) at 10:51am, Noah Morris Greene was born. He weighed a surprising 8lbs 15oz (we knew he was going to be pretty big, but we didn't expect him to be that big!:). Noah went through a rough first several days...similar to his big brother Eli. Noah had fluid in his lungs which gave him a little difficulty in breathing. Therefore, he had to be given a little oxygen, antibiotics and he had to be well monitored for several days. This of course is never easy to accept, but we look back now and only have gratitude in our hearts for how the Lord brought him through it all and our little Noah is now a strong, healthy boy with good reports from the doctors. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!
Above is mami's first kiss to her little boy. Below is an overjoyed mami to see her sweet son doing so much better and close to going home!
Abuelita, Mami and Noah. What a blessing it has been to have my mom by my side on all three of my deliveries and a week after! She, like the rest of our families, is always such a help, which just makes it so difficult to say good-bye. We all can't wait for Pika to come back!
Proud grandparents- abuelitos for the third time! (Papaw and Mamaw were with us for the delivery and to take special care of the two big brothers during the hospital days. We are thankful for them, and ready for them to come back and really enjoy some Noah-time now! :)
Noah in Abuelito's arms...
Tia Natalia was able to make a quick trip to meet her nephew Noah. Though quick, it made such a difference to have her around then!
A happy and proud daddy with his third little "arrow" :)
Big brothers JJ and Eli waiting to meet their new little brother...
Always having fun...even in the hospital hallways!
Sweet baby boy ready to go home!
First introduction-- JJ and Eli are wonderful big brothers. They always ask for baby Noah, tell each other to be quiet because he's sleeping, always want to kiss him and hold him, and get so excited when Noah comes into the same room they are in! We are blessed beyond words with these 3 little boys!
Grateful family of 5 heading home sweet home!
Asleep on the ride home
Big brothers interacting with little brother :)
Baby face
Cute little mouth
Noah has long fingers and feet!
Biiig yawn
Wide awake...rare moment these first several days/weeks.
Sweet slumber
Mami kissing her little man, while enjoying a beautiful fall day.
Noah in mami's arms.
The 4 Greene men-- my boys! :)
Our fall baby
Sweet little sleeping face
More of sleeping Noah
Big eyes...curious to see if he will keep the light eyes (like our other two boys) or if they will change and get dark (as most would expect with the Ecuadorian genes involved:)
Our new, growing family. God is good! Thank you for all your prayers and for rejoicing with us on the arrival of our third little blessing. We can't wait to introduce him to you all soon!
