7 Quick Takes

I'm a bit late to the game and not even sure I can type these babies before my actual baby wakes up but what the heck, why not give it a shot? Apologies for the rambling and incoherency!

 

- 1 -

It's funny what goes through your mind when you're holding a flailing, wailing baby. There's the obvious How is it possible that someone under 30 lbs is practically overpowering me right now? or There's no way that the piece of paper in your mouth was that delicious! But then something absurd occurred to me - I used to teach parenting classes... once a week for over a year and a half at the crisis pregnancy center I stood in front of a room full of real parents telling them what they ought to be doing (or not doing as the case may be). When I started out I was single; not yet dating my future husband and with nary a child of my own. Please feel free to laugh - I certainly did yesterday.

- 2 -

My go-to line when a client would ask me "Do you even have kids?" was either "I've babysat a lot" or "I've spent a lot of time with my nieces." It was a question that was usually asked with a lot of attitude, especially when it came from a client who was considering abortion. At the time it made me feel very defensive and even annoyed. I mean, how hard could it be? How different could it be, parenting versus babysitting? The only real difference is that you're around the kids longer, ya know? 

Before you whip out your brass knuckles please let me assure you - the "teacher" has been schooled! Believing that babysitting prepares you for or is the same as parenting is kind of like a kid who thinks he's ready to have a puppy because he's kept his Tamagotchi alive and happy.

There ain't a button for the real thing, kid

- 3 -

Before we got to hold him :)

Pregnancy in and of itself had a huge impact on my approach to counseling and I am so glad that I worked at the crisis pregnancy center during that time. Nausea sounds so doable when it's hypothetical. Or at least it did to me. Then it hit and man oh man, God only knows how many times Ben and my coworkers heard me say "I'm going to die" during those first two trimesters!!! It wasn't even that bad as far as "morning" sickness goes - I'm just a wuss (Ben will back me up on this). I can only imagine what it will be like to experience all of that with a little one around. At least I hope and pray that I will get to experience that because as tough as it is, what on earth compares to feeling your child move inside of you? Sure it can get annoying (especially a hard kick to the ribs at 3 AM) but it's pretty freakin' cool all the same!

- 4 -

 

I'm not even going to touch on the issue of labor and delivery (YET! Leo's birth story will venture into that special territory). For now suffice it to say that the books I read and movie(s) I watched did not quite prep me for the real thing. Shocking, I know. On the upside I am almost looking forward to going through it again at some point (if God blesses us with another little one) so that I can try and do a better job! Ben was a little horrified when I told him that and asked for us to please change topics.

- 5 -

So yeah, pregnancy and delivery weren't what I expected or what I told clients to expect (wince). As a result I guess it shouldn't have come as a shock that motherhood would be so different. It was and it is. During pregnancy I kept telling Ben that I did not want us to be like most first-time parents - I wanted us to be eclectic, relaxed, and just figure things out as they came. It turns out that you can't not be first time parents. When your baby gets sick it's probably gonna freak you out a lot little. You may or may not make an unnecessary trip to Urgent Care. You may or may not clip too much of your baby's nails and draw blood, thus convincing you that you are the worst parent in all of existence. The thing is that I don't think you can really know what kind of a parent you are going to be until you are one. Maybe you'll be the parent you envisioned and handle things with grace, wisdom, and sanctity. Or maybe you'll be a little bit more like me. In a recent post Jen said

It would be awesome if your kids could have a mom who had the holiness of Mother Teresa, the energy of Mary Poppins, and the domestic skills of Martha Stewart. But if you’re not there yet, saying “I love you guys and I love Jesus and I’m doing the best I can” works too.

- 6 -

Here's to the moments when we feel like we supermom. Maybe it's because we cleaned the house, made an awesome dinner, kept the baby entertained and happy all day, and have a nice evening lined up. Or maybe it's because you kept your cool in the midst of that surprise poop explosion that took place fifteen minutes into a long car trip. Whatever it is, whenever it is - celebrate!

- 7 -

With his first birthday approaching I think it's safe to say that I will spend the rest of motherhood discovering how little I know and how grateful I am for God's grace, my incredible husband, my amazing little boy, and the wonderful life I have been blessed with!

~ Happy Friday ~