As moms we all have those moments when we just don't know what to do or how to react. Or those moments when we know how we want to react but have to take another breath so we make a better decision. Or those moments when you just think, "Is this really happening?" Seems like I've had several of those lately, brought on by the addition of a third child, the winter cold keeping us indoors, and just general growing pains for toddlers. If you're wondering what I'm talking about I'll share. I hope that you get a chuckle out of most of them, just as I have (although not in the moment).
That moment….
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When you are changing a poopy diaper on a
squirmy toddler and somehow, as you’re wrestling him, your sweater catches the
sticky part of the dirty diaper and starts to pull it toward you.
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When you are rocking your infant to sleep and
he’s almost there and you hear your 1 year old walking around the house yelling
“Mommy where are you?” Do you answer and risk him coming in and ruining the
effort, or take your chances and stay silent?
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When you’re lying down with your two older kids
for nap and they are just about asleep and then you hear the infant start
fussing in the other room. If you get up naptime is jeopardized, but if you
stay there the infant may get out of control crying.
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When you are nursing the baby and your almost 2
year old throws something at your 3 year old.
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When the baby falls asleep at 7:30 after eating
at 6:30 and you have to decide whether to put him down now and risk him waking
as soon as your head hits the pillow, or wake him up to feed him (big no no,
waking a sleeping baby around here).
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When you’re on the road, baby is just getting to
sleep good and you hear from the back seat “I have to go Tee Tee” or “Momma,
dropped milk cup.”
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When you’re so tired of disciplining kids and
they disobey one more time.
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When you are looking forward to going to town
after three days cooped up in the house and the appointment you were going for
gets cancelled, now that you are in the mood to go and havent gotten anything done at
home.
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When the baby
is fussing and the almost 2 year old wakes up from his nap super grumpy and
screaming in your face, not knowing what he wants and unable to get control of
himself.
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When all three kids are crying at once and
you’re still 2 hours from Daddy being home.
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When you’ve stripped and washed the sheets on
both beds and then, due to diaper leaks, both beds are wet again.
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When a child goes out the back door while you
are nursing and you’re not sure if Daddy closed the yard gates when he left
that morning.
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When you get supper ready and plates fixed for
the toddlers and one loses his mind because you gave him the wrong
plate/cup/fork.
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When you have a cute outfit for the kids to wear
and the 3 year old picks some ‘comfies’ instead. Worth a fight?
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When your toddler, who’s sharp as a whip and
remembers like an elephant, starts quoting less than desirable phrases from
commercials (such as ‘that’s freaky!’) or asks “What’s life’s bleachable
moments mean?” when he sees the commercial about a kid pooping his pants
(pretty sure he already knows the answer)
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When you are occupied with something and
suddenly realize it’s eerily quiet in the house and both the boys are still
inside.
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When you arrive at the grocery store and have to
get a baby in the wearable carrier, the boys in the basket and not lock your
keys in the car or forget the list. Or when you finish shopping and have to get
them all back in the car and home.
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When you’re burping the baby, feel a big bad
burp coming up and realize your burp cloth is 2 feet away.
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When you’re sharing a public bathroom stall with
your son and he comments loudly “those are pretty underwear mama”…. “Thank you,
now turn back around please!” is the only reply I can whisper, knowing for a
fact that there are others in the restroom.
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Or in the same situation when your toddler
unlocks the stall door before you are ready for him to... “Nooooo!”
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When you go into the boys’ room to find that
they’ve pulled every single book off of their bookshelves and they greet you
with guilty but oh so precious smiles.
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When you leave the boys outside for just a
minute while you get the baby and when you go check on them one has climbed
over the fence into the pasture and the other one is at the top of the fence
yelling “mama, mama!”
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When you invite friends over for a play date and
spend the entire time disciplining the children because they are being too rough
with the guests or being selfish with their toys.
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When I’ve messed up again by snapping at one of
the boys instead of gently talking to him and showing mercy.
And then there are moments when….
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You look in their room and they are both looking
at books with each other or playing in the sand box, pushing dirt around and
sharing the toys.
- They are chasing each other around in the yard playing
‘hide and seek’ laughing so hard each time they run into each other that I can’t
help but smile.
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I’m snuggled up between them in bed reading
books to them, or even better, reading Bible history (not stories, because they
are true ; )
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While snuggled between them I get hot and ask
Cooper why he’s so close to me and he replies “because I like to snuggle close
to you Mama.”
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The boys huddle around Tucker and give him
kisses and tell him they love him and Cooper tells me thank you for giving him a new
brother.
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Everyone is at the table for supper laughing
about the day and enjoying the meal and Cooper and Ace say their own original prayers that end with “thank you most of all for Jesus.”
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Tucker and I are all alone in a quiet house at 3
in the morning while he falls back to sleep on my chest and all I hear is his
sweet breathing in and out.
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Our bed is overcrowded at 6 in the morning
because Cooper and Ace wanted to come see us and we let them in to 'snuggle down.'
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I hear giggles from the bathtub as the boys play
and call each other ‘bubble heads’
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The boys squeal with delight as they see Daddy’s
truck pull into the driveway and they run to meet him at the door
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One of the boys gives the other one his toy without being told to.
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The boys belt out a worship song in the car on
our way to church, even if it is too loud and off key.
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Cooper makes up jokes and new words to songs he
knows just to entertain us and make us laugh and
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Ace dances around to music and looks up at me
with those puppy dog eyes, begging for me to dance too.
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Tucker smiles at me from his bouncer, showing
off those dimples and bright eyes.
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Cooper tells the pastor about the Christmas
story at Christmas Eve service and I realize that even though my attempts at
instilling Biblical truths are not organized or always successful, the Spirit
takes my shortcomings and allows the boys to learn His truth anyway.
All the boys are napping at the same time.
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All the boys are on their best behavior in
public and remind me that it’s all going to be ok and we're going to make it.
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I remember just how amazingly blessed I am not
to have one healthy and happy child but three, and I remember not to take that
for granted.
These are the moments that mean the most…the hard ones remind me that I can't do it on my own and it's only by God's grace that I can do this, and the good ones reassure me of just how wonderful God is to give me so many blessings and moments to treasure. And I have to always remember that this motherhood thing is a calling, one that I have from God….a high but oh so fruitful calling if I persevere and don't give up!
"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2
