Where do babies come from? And other difficult questions

Julia's Grown Up Questions

As many of you know, especially if you've read my blog for awhile or you know Julia personally, she is quite the character...she has wisdom beyond her 5 years.

In the last year she has asked us some really really hard questions.  Just last night John had to explain the Trinity again to her with diagrams and all because she was asking these awesome questions about the God-head...they were up from 9pm til 10 pm talking about it.  She really doesn't want "easy, kid" answers like, "Oh honey it's just a miracle."  She want's scientific evidence or facts or diagrams so she can truly understand it.

During the holidays we had some really hard questions from her about the birth of Christ.  She wanted to know if Mary was Jesus' mommy and God was Jesus' father then did God marry Mary?  I tried to explain how it was a miracle, how God didn't have to marry Mary because he was God and how God wanted Jesus to be born on earth to a woman on earth...and then the baby questions started coming, "Well how did the baby get in Mary's belly?"  And, "Where was I before I was born in your belly?"  "Was I in heaven with God?"  I tried to explain how we all start from a seed in our mommies belly and how when a mommy and daddy get married the seed grows into a baby (I am not saying egg and sperm to my 5 year old yet...trust me she will bring it up all the time if I did!)

Then I tried to explain that God just has all the babies in heaven until they are born here.  Nope she didn't buy that one, "Mommy that is just too many babies in heaven!"  I tried to explain that birth is just a miracle.  "Mommy, I don't understand!"  Then the tears would come.  If I don't give her book like answers she gets very frustrated with me, and yet I am trying to only answer things slowly and not as detailed to protect her.  I don't want to explain some of these things yet!

So what does she do?  She corners John when he gets home right at the door she goes, "Daddy, where is the baby before its a baby?"  Somehow his answers are always better than mine.  He gets into these long drawn out seminary answers and she just soaks it all in.

But last night was the toughest question of all and I knew it was coming... 

Julia: "Mommy, how is the baby going to come out of your belly?  Is he going to rip open your stomach?'

All I could do from laughing was to bite my toungue, smile and give the Abraham to Isaac answer...

Me: "God will provide a way honey, and no it will not rip open my stomach."

Julia: "Mommy I don't understand!!!"

Me: "Well...it's very hard to explain my love.  I can't explain it right now in the van while I'm driving."

And thank goodness by the time we got home she forgot about it...BUT she must've had more questions about God and the Trinity because poor John got all those hard questions.

So, my question is for you parents out there...how would you explain birth to a five year old????