When You are a Mom...

You will appreciate the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. All the stress of pulling off the perfect Christmas is behind you and most of the hosting of dinners and parties have passed. You have a week to relax with your husband home (hopefully) and your child(ren) have all the new toys they could possibly need to keep them entertained. Christmas decorations can be left up until New Year's Day without anyone questioning your ability to keep house.

Ahh...vacation!

Are We All Idiots?

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I just have to laugh when I read news articles like the one that hit the news wires on Monday: A man stole some money from a gas station and went looking for a getaway car. Upon trying to carjack the victim, someone came to her aid and hit him over the head with a frozen turkey. He still managed to get away, but was having a hard time driving after the incident and was arrested shortly after but with a head injury. Imagine being this guy and explaining to the doctor in the emergency room how you got your injuries. Quite embarrassing if you ask me.

As I read news articles like these (and there are a lot more out there if you need a good laugh), I wonder what kind of an idiot am I sometimes. I have 3 sisters and I'm sure they could all tell you stupid things I did growing up (like when my sister asked if I knew how to spell "idiot" and I answered, "Yes, e-d-i-t "). I know I've done dumb things as an adult (like the time I overdrew the checking account because I was too lazy to write down my withdraws).

But how does God see us? We constantly are told to do or not to do this or that by God's Word. We've memorized it. We teach the dos and don'ts to our children, yet we continue to do these stupid things over and over.

We are all idiots. We all do things we smack ourselves in the head for later. I guess we all need a measure of grace.

This poor guy who got hit with the turkey is probably smacking himself in the head repeatedly right now (that or his mother is). I'm sure he feels like a complete moron. I hope someone in his life is helping him learn from his mistakes and giving him the tools to help him not repeat them.

God forgives us for our short-comings. I'm sure he'll forgive the guy with the bump on his head from the frozen turkey if he just asks.

Lord, help me to learn right from wrong just as I teach my daughter right from wrong.

On Becoming a Mom

Everyone has heard the clichés about motherhood:

• My whole world has changed.
• Once you see that baby, nothing else matters.
• You’ll never knew you could love someone so much you just met.

With my baby now approaching her first birthday, I feel like I’ve got some “motherhood” experience under my belt and with authority I can tell you--all the clichés are true.

My whole world has changed. Who would have ever thought I’d care about how snug the straps on the car seat are with each and every trip? Where did I lose my ability to sleep in with ease on days I am not working and replace it with an uncanny ability to provide excellent nutrition to those in my household? (Well, not for me, but for my kid!) Where did I become the official “safety inspector” in each and every situation where my precious child ventured? Why do I suddenly get brave in a room full of strangers who have their eyes on me--oh, their eyes are on my baby! Even better! Somewhere in the last year, I have lost parts of the “me” I knew and replaced it with this cliché you call “Mom.”

Once you see that baby, nothing else matters. It is 3 am. My dear, sweet husband who is a much lighter sleeper than I am brings me a screaming, and apparently starving, baby. I wake up, sit up, latch this starving little child on and breastfeed. I’ve done this countless times today. I’ve multi-tasked while doing it. My e-mail is always returned on time. My TV shows are not missed. The phone rings, I talk. I used to prize my sleep above all else. On many days, I still do. But somehow I find myself looking at this baby, who has just interrupted my sleep, contentedly eating a meal. She looks up at me, grins, and goes back to her meal. It is as if the entire world has stopped and it is just she and I sitting there in my bed sharing a special moment. Nothing else matters.

You never knew you could love someone so much you just met. I learned the reality of this cliché before we left the hospital. String Bean had a problem digesting and did what most babies do--she spit up. Not only did she spit up, but with such force that the spit up went into her sinus cavity. I was holding her at the time and felt completely helpless watching this 2 day old baby turn purple as she was unable to breathe on her own. My heart sunk in my chest, I screamed at my dear husband to call the nurse for the love of my life (sorry husband you’ve been replaced) was not breathing! Don’t worry. The nurse took care of business and I later learned that babies do this a lot and it’s nothing to get all worked up over. Easy for you to say crazy pediatrician! I am a new mom! I have pregnancy and post partum hormones racing through my system. This little helpless, defenseless baby that I have completely fallen head-over-heels for has only me, ME! to help her, guide her, love her. I mean, my husband is there, too, but give me a break--like I said, hormones.

God truly gave us a gift when he gave us motherhood. Children are a blessing. Shame on me for forgetting that God gave me this special blessing. Shame on me for getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and not enjoying this little life to the fullest.