7 days, 6 hrs, 45 min

Today at 11:04 p.m., Silas Jair was with us longer than his big sister Eden Lanay. With that thought in mind, I can't help but compare and contrast the experiences between our firstborn daughter and son.

At birth, Eden was purple and never made a sound. Only with help from the doctor and a respirator were they able to make her pink. Silas was crying the moment his head emerged from the womb.

Soon after, Eden was put on machines and monitored closely. With Silas, they wiped him off and minutes later I was wheeling him down a hallway with no monitoring whatsoever.

Within minutes Tina was breastfeeding Silas. Eden only had a chance to enjoy her mother's milk through a feeding tube.

Silas was brought to our room and we spent the next five days getting to know him and introducing him to friends and family. With Eden, we were alone in the room and had to go to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) to see our daughter. Due to strict restrictions, only a few people ever had the opportunity to meet her.

We only had a few chances to hold Eden and learned to cherish each opportunity. With Silas, we can hold him anytime and for as long as we want.

There are too many differences between the births of our daughter and son to mention here.

I guess it would be easy to assume Silas' first week was a success and Eden's was a failure, but nothing could be further from the truth. We love all our children equally including Selah, the daughter we lost due to a miscarriage 8 months after Eden was born. We've tried to cherish each moment with Silas as we did with Eden knowing life is short regardless of the number of days or years we have on this earth.

The Bible seems clear that children who die before the age of accountability will go to be with Jesus in heaven. Those who trust in Jesus as their Saviour will be there too, so I am certain I will see my two daughters again someday. We may be blessed now with Silas growing older and I continue to pray for health and safety, but there will come a day when he will know right from wrong and be accountable for his sins. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It will be important for me to teach Silas about sin and a perfect God. This sin separates us from Him. Therefore, He sent His son to die for us, in our place. I will teach him that if he confesses his sins and believes in his heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, he will be saved. This gift from God is no good to us unless we receive it. We can't receive it unless we know we need it.

My heart would break if Silas grows up healthy, wealthy and wise and yet dies without knowing Jesus Christ. I want my entire family to be with me in heaven. I also want all my friends and enemies to be there too. If you haven't received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, please do so today. It is the most important decision you'll ever make and it defines your life as being a success or failure.

Many people prayed for us while we cared for Eden. I would ask for you to please pray even more for us with Silas. We praise God for a healthy child, thank Him each day for this miracle, pray that we can be godly parents and that Silas will grow to be a mighty man of God.