I know this will sound obvious to seasoned moms. Moms who've been there. Who've gone through all of this before. But sometimes, I'm just amazed at the amount of energy it takes to raise kids.
Potty training is going well. Some nights are dry, some nights are wet. Sometimes they go when we're out in public. Sometimes they demand to hold it until we get home. Sometimes they refuse to go until they wake up in the middle of the night a few hours later. Perhaps they'll make it to the toilet. Perhaps they won't.
And yet, the morning comes. And life goes on. Boys cling to their mommy. Shriek with excitement at their successes and get frustrated when they fail. But they expect Mommy to remain the same. Undaunted by the lack of sleep (even though Daddy is the one getting up for most of the nighttime bathroom breaks) or the fact that the majority of my energy is being devoted to that of another life. I am their mom. That's all they know.
I took this picture the other night of the boys before bed. They were especially huggy with eachother, grabbing at his brother's neck and giggling like crazy. It was a frustrating night. The boys were constantly wrestling, pushing and touching eachother, much to their brother's frustration. But when Andy and I saw how cute they were, I asked him to get the camera. Sometimes you just have to give in. So glad I did.
This morning was another frustrating morning. They didn't get a lot of sleep because we were out late for a birthday party. They wouldn't leave eachother alone, knowing perfectly well what would drive them crazy. They gave me a hard time about going down for a nap and I had a lot to get done. I wrote my husband a text after they finally went down and asked if we could trade them in for another set. Glad he knew I was kidding... but he did come home early ;)
And then I look at this picture. Look at those eyes. Those dimples. Those smiles. I can hear their laughs. Sense their spirits. And my heart swells with love. How could two little boys bring me so much frustration and yet so much joy?
That, my friends, is the very essence of being a mom.
And I know you understand exactly what I mean.
I know exactly what you mean! Some days the frustration wins out. I hate those days. But when I have them I try to sneak into their rooms at night and watch them sleeping. The sweet smiles on their faces and the long lashes remind me of how precious they are.
ReplyDeleteBTW...I had no idea you had a blog, Mindy! I found it because I've been feeling like God wanted me to start a blog (which I did just a few days ago) so now I'm checking out some blogs and I was on Lisa Littlewood's page when I saw the link to yours. Your site is beautiful :)