We brought her home on a Sunday afternoon two weeks ago. It was a gorgeous day. I had been in a hospital room since early Friday morning when she was born. It felt like weeks since I breathed in fresh air and felt the sunshine on my face. Spring was in full bloom as nurse Christina wheeled me outside of the revolving doors to meet Eric and the baby as they pulled up to the sidewalk. I thanked her for everything. She had been our nurse for two different shifts. She answered my thousands of questions patiently and actually took the time to explain things. "God bless you", she said smiling as she turned to wheel the empty chair back into the hospital. I had prayed for nurses like her while I was pregnant. As we said goodbye, I knew she was an answer to all of those prayers.
We were excited and nervous to take this little girl home. We set up camp in the living room stocking it with diapers, wipes and essentials since we would spend most of our time there with her. That first week she decided night would be day. We were exhausted trying to take care of a newborn who had no schedule. I was also trying to nurse her pretty frequently since she had lost a good amount of weight since birth. Sleep, one of my favorite things in the world, became a scarce commodity. Poor Eric caught the brunt of the effects of my sleep deprivation. After a two hour nap, he needed to wait 20-30 minutes before trying to talk to me! Sleep in small doses is better than none I suppose. Our little Sarah is figuring out the difference between day and night now. She is usually only waking up at night to eat! That is still every few hours, but at least she isn't wide awake at 4a.m.
There are certain things in life that you never truly understand until you have experienced them. Being a parent is one of those things. I was given a tumbler for my birthday which was also Sarah's one week birthday. It said, Motherhood is the hardest job you'll ever love. I use it every day to remind myself how important this job is. It reminds me of all of the times I asked God to bless us with the gift of a child. It reminds me that all of the sleepless nights, clothes stained with spit up, thousands of diaper changes and hours spent consoling her when she just isn't happy for some reason, are an investment in this little life. We have been given a job that is more important than any success we have in our careers. It is a job we will have for the rest of our lives that will challenge, tax and encourage us as human beings.
Reflecting on my short time as a mother, I thank God for every single second with this little girl that God knew before time began. I pray for her to fall in love with her Creator and to be a person we will admire one day. As I go wash the dried spit up out of my hair now, I can't help but smile thanking God for these long days that will one day seem so far away. This tiny little blessing is growing fast...faster than Mommy wants. I will cherish every minute. No matter how messy or smelly they may be.
We were excited and nervous to take this little girl home. We set up camp in the living room stocking it with diapers, wipes and essentials since we would spend most of our time there with her. That first week she decided night would be day. We were exhausted trying to take care of a newborn who had no schedule. I was also trying to nurse her pretty frequently since she had lost a good amount of weight since birth. Sleep, one of my favorite things in the world, became a scarce commodity. Poor Eric caught the brunt of the effects of my sleep deprivation. After a two hour nap, he needed to wait 20-30 minutes before trying to talk to me! Sleep in small doses is better than none I suppose. Our little Sarah is figuring out the difference between day and night now. She is usually only waking up at night to eat! That is still every few hours, but at least she isn't wide awake at 4a.m.
Reflecting on my short time as a mother, I thank God for every single second with this little girl that God knew before time began. I pray for her to fall in love with her Creator and to be a person we will admire one day. As I go wash the dried spit up out of my hair now, I can't help but smile thanking God for these long days that will one day seem so far away. This tiny little blessing is growing fast...faster than Mommy wants. I will cherish every minute. No matter how messy or smelly they may be.
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