Sacrifice
I recently read a post on Desiring God's blog about the sacrifice that comes with being a mother. It's so true... you sacrifice your career, your body, your cleanliness (hopefully I'm not the only one who is lucky to get weekly showers?), your talents and interests, your time with Jesus, etc. I feel like I truly am being obedient to God by staying home with Chief and any future children we have. But I have not fully turned my life over to God by honoring this calling.
For the last couple of nights, Chief has woken up hourly wanting a snack... meaning he eats for about four or five minutes before falling dead asleep. So I put him back in his little bed thing that's right by my bed (I don't know what it's called... it's some kind of baby holder that keeps their head elevated... a friend loaned it to us) and try to fall back asleep, only to be awakened forty-five minutes later by his "I'm starving, Mom!" cries. So, frustrated, I give him another snack and then put him back in his "bed." I don't try to soothe him, just put him back in there. Naturally, he gets upset and I get upset.
Last night, a frustrated husband of mine took Chief from me and swaddled him and laid him on his chest and pat his back until he fell asleep. "You're being lazy," he said. "He wants to go back to sleep but he needs to be swaddled and calmed down."
Husband was wrong, however. I wasn't being lazy... I was being selfish. I was putting my sleep over the well-being of my child. True, he hasn't been sleeping well at night or napping much during the day unless he's being held (though right now we're going on about thirty minutes straight of sleeping NOT in my arms... praise Jesus!)
However, I feel very strongly convicted that I am to stay home and that my job be a full-time mom. And, just like any job, you have to be flexible with changes. My sister is a journalist for a newspaper and they're always having her do random things at random times and she just does them. Because it's her JOB. Just like this is my JOB. I am Chief's mom. So, if he needs a snack at 3:30 AM and then to be changed and re-swaddled, that's what I'm doing at 3:30 AM. And if he wakes up at 4:45 AM wanting to start all over, well there I go again. It's a call to sacrifice. And I must, by the grace of God, be obedient.
On a minor note, I've made a lot of granola lately which is fun. I also made this AWESOME baked mac and cheese with broccoli in it... http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/skinny-baked-broccoli-macaroni-and.html
It was super yummy and I already had most of the ingredients on hand. Joy!
For the last couple of nights, Chief has woken up hourly wanting a snack... meaning he eats for about four or five minutes before falling dead asleep. So I put him back in his little bed thing that's right by my bed (I don't know what it's called... it's some kind of baby holder that keeps their head elevated... a friend loaned it to us) and try to fall back asleep, only to be awakened forty-five minutes later by his "I'm starving, Mom!" cries. So, frustrated, I give him another snack and then put him back in his "bed." I don't try to soothe him, just put him back in there. Naturally, he gets upset and I get upset.
Last night, a frustrated husband of mine took Chief from me and swaddled him and laid him on his chest and pat his back until he fell asleep. "You're being lazy," he said. "He wants to go back to sleep but he needs to be swaddled and calmed down."
Husband was wrong, however. I wasn't being lazy... I was being selfish. I was putting my sleep over the well-being of my child. True, he hasn't been sleeping well at night or napping much during the day unless he's being held (though right now we're going on about thirty minutes straight of sleeping NOT in my arms... praise Jesus!)
However, I feel very strongly convicted that I am to stay home and that my job be a full-time mom. And, just like any job, you have to be flexible with changes. My sister is a journalist for a newspaper and they're always having her do random things at random times and she just does them. Because it's her JOB. Just like this is my JOB. I am Chief's mom. So, if he needs a snack at 3:30 AM and then to be changed and re-swaddled, that's what I'm doing at 3:30 AM. And if he wakes up at 4:45 AM wanting to start all over, well there I go again. It's a call to sacrifice. And I must, by the grace of God, be obedient.
On a minor note, I've made a lot of granola lately which is fun. I also made this AWESOME baked mac and cheese with broccoli in it... http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/skinny-baked-broccoli-macaroni-and.html
It was super yummy and I already had most of the ingredients on hand. Joy!
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