An Epiphany of Sorts or Who Mothers the Mother?

Sally Clarkson says in her book Desperate: Hope For the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, "Going at it alone is, without a doubt, one of the most common and effective strategies that Satan uses to discourage moms."

Wow, Sally, where was your book 7 years ago? I certainly needed to read that statement...then.

I am so thankful for the friendships that the Lord had already blessed me with before I had Miss A and thankful for the ones He has blessed me with in the almost 7 years since then.

But I still have moments where I am discouraged. Because motherhood can be a lone ship...especially in America. There's such a culture here to be isolated and to do it on your own.
And it's detrimental to moms and our children.
 
 I had this epiphany recently. (Can I call it that?)
I was talking to my husband about how one of the things I miss about being pregnant is having people always checking on me to see how I am feeling.
I see a group of midwives during my pregnancies. They are so attentive during appointments that sometimes I miss those prenatals after my babies are born! (Okay, full disclosure- I miss those appointments a lot.) This may not ring true for some. But some women might be able to relate to this: I realized what I really missed was being mothered and cared for.
Now like many of my friends in the area, I don't have my mama living close to me. If I did, she would be checking on me all the time...she's the type that will tell me to sit down or rest when she can tell I have been doing too much after having a baby or just being generally tired.
Some of you who read this may have a mama or another woman in your life like that...someone who checks in on you. And some of you may not.
Or your person may just live too far away like mine.

And you may be really sleep deprived right now and running really low on emotional fuel. I love how Sally Clarkson says in Desperate-"He (God) desires to give us the strength to bring life into our homes and redeem them."

He sure does. I find strength from Him when I actually get up before my children wake me and get some time in God's Word.
Or simply by praying before my feet hit the floor.
I also draw strength when I get some time to myself and plenty of sleep.
I am not getting plenty of sleep right now like many moms.
I have been sleep deprived for the past almost 8 months and even before that, if you count the sleepless nights of pregnancy.
I can't do much about the lack of sleep but I am recognizing that I need to take care of myself a little bit more. I know I need to get out and get a pedicure or a massage or just time in a coffee shop reading a book.

Does anyone else need something like that? Or is it just me?

When I notice a need in my own life, I usually get this feeling that other moms might have the same need.
 And then I get this thought that it's time for me to offer that help to someone else.

So are you tired? Are you emotionally drained? Are you just needing a break?
I've extended an invitation to the moms in my church and some moms I know that might need a break.
I want to give the moms a chance to have an hour or two to themselves.

I am offering to watch their children at my house so they can go out and have a couple of hours to themselves.
I hope it will give them a chance to recharge their batteries.
I will certainly be an adventure and a circus in my house.


Last week I watched two little girls that belong to one of my besties while she was in the NICU with her baby. And my other bestie came over to just help out. She has 5 children. So with my oldest at school and everyone else here, we had 9 kiddos here. (Okay, so two of them are babies...so only 7 children actually moving around.)  And it was fabulous. Between that friend and two other ladies who helped out, it was the picture of how I think God designed motherhood. He designed us to be mothering alongside our own mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, sisters and other mothers. He didn't design this to be a lone ship. I've got this theory that many (not all) moms would be less depressed and may even have happier marriages if we had other mothers around us more during our daily lives. Just a theory. :-)

Months: Six and Seven

Our littlest has turned 6 and then 7 months. Is it speeding by for anyone else??

At his six month checkup, he weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces (25-50th %). Height was 25 1/2 inches (25th %) and his head measured 44 cm (50th %).

He turned 7 months old on Christmas Eve. 

I started him on solids a few days before that. After trying my older three on solids before or around 6 months and then stopping for a couple of weeks till they were ready and starting up again, I decided to wait till almost 7 months this time. It was a success. This was the first time any of my babies had actually swallowed the food and not just spit it out. 

He actually leaned forward to taste more food.

This isn't his first feeding but this is a few days later trying avocado.

He can sit up a little straighter now before falling over and for longer now-about a whole 5 seconds. 

He's our earliest with cutting teeth. He cut his first one (a bottom tooth)on 12/29 and it looks like he cut his second one today.

7 months is the earliest for teeth in this house.

Christmas in Pictures

These are just collages of pics from Christmas. There were more pics taken but this. Is. My. Very. Best. Right now. In life. This season of life y'all has left me with not a lot of extra time floating around. 

But one quick thing. This Christmas was awesome and wonderful and amazing. Having my newest baby boy here AND my mama-wow just wow. Double blessing.

Christmas Eve with my mama and my crew at church. I could not have asked for a better Christmas Eve!