Friday, January 31, 2014

It Happened to Me

A friend of mine just recently wrote about a few things she learned while cleaning up her son's vomit and while reading her blog post I thought that I was lucky because Sariah had never vomited. Sure, she spit-up after nursing for months, but the clean up was minimal and normally only required a change of onesie or bib.

But today, it happened to me. I mean, it happened to Sariah and so it happened to me as well.

That is right. This post is about one of those not-so-pretty parts of parenthood...

After a few dark and rainy days, I woke up excited that the sun was out and we could finally go on a long walk. I got ready, we had breakfast and I had just changed her diaper, put on her jacket and shoe when she started coughing and I knew more was to come. Sariah vomited all over herself, all over me, all over the carpet and as I rubbed her back and told her she would be okay, I kept thinking: What am I going to do?

I hate vomit.

I have not vomited since I was a small child.

The sight of vomit makes me gag. Really, the thought of vomit makes me gag.

I didn't know what to do, so I prayed aloud.

I took off all my clothes and all her clothes and pilled everything on top of the dirty carpet and proceeded to take care of my little girl.


I am often amazed at the ways parenthood brings me to the feet of Jesus because I cannot do it on my own. It took prayer for me to get over my "I hate vomit" moment and I am so glad that I can pray about big things and things that may even sound silly, like vomit.

Vomit happened all over me today, and as a result I happened to find myself at Jesus' feet asking for the kind of strength I cannot come up with on my own. I praise Jesus that I was somehow able to take care of Sariah and clean everything up without crying or dying.



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Mommy and Baby Time

Have I mentioned that I love being a mother?
Well, I really do!

Spending time with this little one is such a gift!

John took these photos - which I love - shortly after we woke up and neither one of us had brushed our hair yet. I hope these candid photos will help me remember the little moments of everyday life that are so precious to me.






Friday, January 17, 2014

Sixteen Months









Sariah...
  • Likes to push books on shelves all the way to the back...I am pretty sure librarians don't like us
  • Has a favorite new word: NO
  • Loved spending time with family and friends over the holidays
  • Discovered pomegranates and cannot stop eating them 
  • Enjoys watching a few minutes of Curious George now and then
  • Is learning to build things with Legos
  • Likes to give kisses and hugs
  • Has expanded her vocabulary: thank you, up, down, done, baby, bye bye, hat, one
  • Can almost jump up and down
  • Loves being with lots of people 
  • Swims in the bathtub
  • Can reach the door knobs and opens doors
  • Loves dance parties 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

She's Worth It

I have an almost 16 month old who does not stand still for more than two seconds. My little girl has an adventurous spirit and enough energy to climb Mt. Everest. She explores all day long and she likes it when I explore with her.

So, what do I do all day long?

I spend most of my day exploring this world with her.

We go on walks: pick up sticks, leaves and rocks, we say 'hi' to all the kitties and doggies we see, we color, we empty the dishwasher together, we read books (she flips through the pages before I can finish reading one sentence), we dance and we sing, we build towers with Legos and wooden blocks, we fold laundry, we eat yummy things, we play chase, we practice going down the stairs, etc. We do a lot together.

Whenever I leave Sariah with a family member or friend I always come back to hear the same question: "How do you get anything done? She never stops moving!"

The answer to that questions is always: "Well, I don't get much done during the day."

With Sariah's help, I can get a few loads of laundry done, I can load and unload the dishwasher and I can even vacuum at times...but in general, I am not super productive when she is awake and I am okay with that!

You see, I was used to being SUPER productive before I had a baby. I loved writing a To Do list for the week and crossing everything off as I got it all done. I had time to do what I wanted (even though I wished I had more time to do this and that). When Sariah was born, a part of me felt like my life was over. I was frustrated and ashamed to feel that way; after all, aren't mothers supposed to enjoy spending time with their newborns?!?!

I loved being with her from the minute she was born, but I couldn't get anything done that made me feel stressed and useless.

I wanted her to be happy sitting in her bouncy chair so I could clean, cook dinner, finish a photography session, write a few cards, read a few pages, etc. But all she wanted was for me to hold her...and I couldn't even reply to an email when I was holding her.

It didn't take long for me to realize that my desire to be productive was leading me to being frustrated with my baby all day and night long. It was in the middle of a very frustrating moment when I decided that I din't want to be just a mother, I want to be a great mother; a mother who enjoys being with her child. A mother who is able to put the To Do list aside in order to soak up these little years. So I stopped trying to be productive and started enjoying the time I have with my daughter.

I try to get as much as I can during nap time and after bed time, but my home is not as neat and clean as it used to be, the emails sit in my inbox longer than I like, our meals are simpler, I wear make-up for special occasions...but she's worth it! My almost 16 month old will not always want to explore this world with me so I choose to enjoy every minute we have together until then.
Related Posts with Thumbnails