New Baby Time

“God comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ

flow over into our lives,

so also through Christ

our comfort overflows.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

I’m not suffering too much these days. At this moment I’m doing a lot of rejoicing – for a decent rest last night; for a healthy baby; for a month of surviving a newborn! I’m so glad that at this moment I can be writing. I think if I had a day to myself, I could spend the whole thing writing - for as long as I could stay awake. J

But alas, these days writing is a bit farther down the list than I’d like it to be. Nursing, bathing, and sleeping are at the top of the list and in capital letters. If I’m lucky I might also be able to function enough for a load of laundry or dishes. It’s not a complaint, just the way life is these days. Conversation with my husband is hard to come by, there is always picking up that needs to be done, and my 3 year old is getting the raw end of the deal when it comes to spending time with me. These are just facts, and it’s ok. They will not last forever and we will all cope. We are living and learning and happy to be a healthy family.

Edwin is growing and growing. His skinny legs didn’t last long and he’s blown right past his newborn clothes now. I’m anxious to see how much he weighs. He is more alert these days and seems to be interacting a bit with his sisters. I still haven’t gotten a real smile from him, but at least our eyes are meeting more. I’ll take what I can get.

The house is coming along bit by bit too. Brad has been roofing in the evenings after work. He doesn’t have as much daylight to work with and that will get even worse soon when the time changes. But outside work is coming to an end, and then he can hook up lights inside and work after dark. After the house has a real roof, the garage will need a floor and a door. That will take us indoors – I’m very excited about that.

The girls continue to adjust to life these days. Clare has her good and bad days. If I wasn’t so tired I think she would have less issues. She tells me sometimes, “I’m just havin a rough time, today, Mama.” I know, baby-girl. I know.

But Sophie is doing pretty well. At school she is a star and we got a glowing midterm report recently. Her teacher wrote that she “has a love of learning and books. She is a joy to have in class.” Mimi read it and said, “Be still my beating heart.” J

We’ve had lots of support from family and friends the last few weeks and it has me thinking more about how I can be of use to others. My devotional time has suffered for sure, and I’m sad about that. There have been times when I’m nursing and I can reach my Bible and I know I should grab it for a few minutes of nourishment. Sometimes I do, but often I have felt like I’m too tired. I don’t bother trying to read when I think I’ll probably fall asleep mid-sentence any way. Or get to the end of the paragraph and realize I recall nothing. It’s like I’m too tired to make an effort in my relationship with my maker.

It’s a crappy feeling.

Yesterday was day 3 of an especially “rough” time. Exhaustion and headaches kept me confused and barely functioning. And at some point I was reminded – this is how it is for new moms. It’s not just me. This is how it is. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a devotional for the first 30 days or so, that could uplift new moms and give them that comfort that they need? Offer them a connection to their God, that lets them know it’s ok that they are tired and barely here – cause God is close by and He gets it.

I’m sure something like this exists. But I’m thinking about – someday in the future – maybe working on something like this.

So help me do some research. How DO moms of new babies find a connection with Jesus when they are exhausted and in survival mode? Has someone given you some really good advice for surviving those first few months? Or how bad was it? For example, for the last 2 mornings I will confess that I woke up with only 10 minutes to get my 6 year old up and ready for school before we needed to leave. This was not ‘the plan,’ by any means; by the grace of God did I get out of bed at all! Not a mom-of-the-year moment for me. You probably have these stories also. Sharing them can be of comfort to new moms who are overwhelmed with the drastic change in their daily lives. What is it that new moms need to hear?

Time to share, class! J How has God comforted you? What can you share to comfort others? He comforts us “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”