A friend brought dinner last night (very yummy burritos!) and we were comparing notes on having a new baby. She has a 3 month old and has 7 children totoal, we have a 1 month old and 8 kids total. Yes, she is amazing to be bringing me dinner!
I was telling my friend that life is rather hard right now. She agreed. New babies are very stressful. I make a point on my blog of talking about what a blessing the children are. They ARE. They are wonderful gifts from the Lord. And I am aware of how blessed we are to have a healthy little baby boy when I'm an "older mama" of 42. We have a friend whose daughter in law is pregnant with a baby who has been diagnosed with Trisomy 13. It is usually fatal before birth, and the ones who survive birth almost all die by their first birthdays.
So yes, we know that Daniel and all the children are gifts from above. But still, it is hard not having enough sleep, and recovering from a roughish C-section, and dealing with massive hormonal changes. I am guessing some people look at us with 8 kids and think we have this "baby" thing down pat. Well, we don't. It is still a struggle for us to act in a godly way towards others, especially other family members. We are still tempted to be grumpy and irritable.
A few days ago, our 6 yo daughter Miriam asked me, "Mom, why didn't God make it so babies will sleep through the night when they are born?" Good question. The answer I came up with is that God uses babies to help us become less selfish. We have to sacrifice a lot being parents. Each stage is wonderful, each stage is challenging. A newborn doesn't talk back and doesn't sin openly and doesn't hit his siblings. But a newborn needs lots of care day and night, and cries a lot, and is very needy. That's Ok. God uses this testing to help me flush out my own selfishness that tempts me to focus on my own wants.
So say a prayer for us if you would, that Kevin and I would communicate well, that we would be wise about what we try to accomplish right now, that we would remember that "this too shall pass". I said a few days ago that Daniel slept 7 hours one night. Well, that hasn't happened since, and that is Ok, but I'm still hopeful he'll be sleeping through the night by 2 or 3 months. We'll see. At any rate, we will someday go back to a life where we get enough unbroken sleep, praise God :-).
1 comment:
And even if you don't get a whole night's sleep for years, that too can work out.
Our children were poor sleepers and when they got older they had nightmares. I was very tired. I should have taken it easier and rested more during the day, especially after spending a night hopping from one child's bed to the next.
Do make sure you rest enough. God gives his beloved sleep, remember.
May God bless you both and give you all you need to serve him joyfully.
Blessings,
Annie Kate
http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.com/
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