It's a good time to remember Ecclesiastes 3, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."
I'm back in the baby and toddler stage again. It is so very different this time around! In some ways it's easier because I have so many willing (usually) helpers. Yet, it's harder in a lot of ways because there's more juggling. My days consist of constantly assessing which need to address first. It's a blessing to be needed by so many people, to hear, "mama, I need..." or "mama, can i..." But honestly, its hard too. Many needs means a lot of noise. It is tiring to the body and the brain! Obviously, a hungry newborn comes first. And a stinky or needy toddler is next. Some of the older kids are better than others at understanding that their schedule is subject to change depending what the little ones need! I guess in a way I've created monsters with my normal way of scheduling. They need to realize that schedules are useful, but that we aren't slaves to them, but must be flexible! On that same note I probably need to let go of the guilt that tells me I'm not doing a good job staying on top of school right now. This is a sweet time to enjoy. I want to hold Anneliese and just stare at her while she's little and that often means there's something else not getting done. I know that I need to be okay with that because I'll never get this time back. And I know that in the fall I'll be spending less time nursing, I'll be getting more sleep, and it will be all around easier to manage things. That's what I need to tell myself when I feel like I'm dropping these balls I'm trying to juggle.
It's a good time to remember Ecclesiastes 3, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."
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The night before Charlotte was born Peter hit the back of his head on his nightstand and ended up in the ER getting staples in his head. Apparently Silas wanted to "celebrate" a new sister the same way. Yesterday evening he fell of a chair and got a little gash in his head in exactly the same spot that Peter has his scar. Thankfully Pete hadn't left yet to get groceries or I wouldn't have had a way to get him to the ER. Along the way we stopped by a friend's house to see what she, as a nurse, thought of whether or not we should take him in. After looking at it she said she would so we kept driving to the hospital. By then he had stopped crying and was jabbering away. We were afraid we'd wait forever- you never know with hospitals! Thankfully the doctor took a look at it within 30 minutes. He explained that he'd put a couple of staples in and that heads heal very quickly. Since the little room was crowded with Pete, Silas, Anneliese and her carseat, and me, (and since I knew Pete would be better at handling the whole stapling business) I decided to take Anneliese and go out to the waiting room. As I sat there I prayed that our little man would be brave and not have too much pain. A little while later when Pete came out with him he was cheerful and it turns out that through the whole thing- scrubbing it clean, stapling- he didn't cry at all! And he thanked the doctor when it was over.
The whole thing was overwhelming for this postpartum mama. I am not good at being brave right after I have a baby. Hormones, lack of sleep, the responsibility of caring for another little one- all these things just make me wish I could put everyone in a bubble of safety. At this time I need to be more diligent in praying for the Lord to help me to trust in His care for us. When worry creeps in I need to fill my mind with scripture, meditate on God's goodness and His sovereignty, and rest in His promises. These babies all belong to him and in life they will have pain. I can't protect them from every hurt, sadness, or trouble. And so I must entrust them into the care of the One who made them and loves them even more than I do. It's crazy to me that this handsome little guy is going to be 2 at the end of the month. He has brought so much delight and laughter to this family. Thankfully the older kids all really enjoy him. The novelty of a baby again after so many years didn't wear off as he grew. They love to play with him, teach him things, and just help with him in general. One of the older girls is always willing to give him a bath, help him get dressed, make him some lunch and clean him up. Being number 7 definitely does not mean getting less attention around here! As he becomes more little boy than baby, I'm thankful for glimpses of his little-ness and also his developing personality.
He still thinks mama's kisses are magic for owies. He has only a handful of words (unlike all of our other kids at this age) but he says mama 5 million times a day. He is a creature of habit and knows after we read his morning Bible story we go upstairs to brush our teeth and I dry my hair. He's good at picking up and likes things in their proper places. He loves to wrestle with his big brothers and doesn't seem to notice that they are quite a bit bigger. He loves to sit and look at books and he also loves to run around like a wild little thing and do things to make us laugh. He's tender hearted and has quite fallen in love with his baby sister. She's here! Our little girl, Anneliese Jewel, was born at 2:30 pm on April 2. She is a healthy 9lbs, 13 oz (but delivered like an 11 pounder, according to my midwife, due to being posterior). We are so thankful to the Lord for this sweet blessing, for the opportunity to love and train up another one of His little ones.
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December 2017
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