Just my thoughts, today.....

Looking back on the road of parenting that, for me, began nearly 7 years ago, it started out quite easy. Many people know that Will is a very compliant child. As a baby and toddler he was easygoing, and content. He never climbed out of his crib, never scaled his closet shelving, never jumped in the bath fully clothed, never took a bath in the kitchen sink without me knowing. When people would ask if he was "easy" I didn't quite know how to respond. I had nothing to compare him to so I didn't really know if he was easy or not. Let me assure you now, though, he was easy.

We welcomed Wyatt into our family just after Will turned two. We all adjusted great and life was pretty smooth. Then, on Wyatt's 4 month bday he had his first real roll. By the end of the day he was rolling across the room, even into other rooms and pretty much getting where ever he wanted via rolling. That should have been the first dawning for me that these two boys were like night and day. At about 5 months Wyatt was happy to army crawl and by six months he was a full-fledged crawler. Life for me became busier, of course, but Wyatt was always a happy baby. He took his first steps at 9 month and by 10 months he was a walker. Gradually we noticed more differences between our two boys. Where Will had always been content to play with his toys and basically do what mom and dad told him to, Wyatt was curious and fearless. We pulled out all the stops including a leash (yes, I used a leash on my child!) and a bungy cord on his doorknob to keep him in his room at bedtime. I spent the following summer chasing Wyatt.....literally....everywhere. Shortly before Wyatt turned two, and I felt like I was able to take a breather every now and then, we found out we were expecting our third baby.

When we found out Anna was going to be a girl, I was so excited. I had visions of me and my 2 year old daughter, happily walking hand in hand together in the store. She would hold my hand and we would shop together, looking at all kind of girly things and she would never once reach out to touch them. (Boy, the hormones must have had me really deluzioned!) I would sit in the rocking chair in her pink and green girly room awaiting the arrival of my sweet, calm, compliant, little girl. Anna arrived and boy was she sweet. She has also grown into a very, determined, spunky, fearless, and strong-willed little girl. As Craig puts it, "she's the girl form of Wyatt".

Here is a typical conversation with Anna as she puts her shoes on, yes I know some of this is her age, but you'll get the point:

M- here's your shoes, lets get them on
A - I do it!! (grabbing the shoes from me)
M- okay, you do it

(Anna forcing her foot into the shoe and having a hard time)

A - Help me!!
M- do you want me to help you (me reaching to gently help her out)
A -No, I do it!!! (grabbing the shoe back)

Repeat that process about 7 times before the shoes actually get on her feet.

And on it goes......

Now, I really don't mean to put labels on my kids. But lets face it, if you have more than one you are bound to notice the differences. They are each unique and I am so blessed by each one. Imagine what would my days look like if I had all Will's (predictable, serious....) Or all Wyatt's (I'd probably be in a funny farm). My point is, I know God gave me each of my kids for a reason. I need to focus more on what I can learn through each of them, in whatever stage they are in, and be joyful in the process. If I am being honest, I have to say Wyatt and Anna are definitely more challenging, right now, and yesterday was a particularly hard day for me. By 6pm I was running on empty, feeling like a sucked dry juice box (a term I stole from my mops magazine, because it is so fitting). Craig wasn't due home until late and I managed to make it through the evening. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Like I honestly don't feel like I can make the right decision, or any decision for that matter, in a given situation. After the kids went to bed I prayed and read my Bible in peace and quiet for a while. Nothing earth shattering was spoken, but I did feel a whole lot better about myself as a mom. The skill of parenting is something I'm sure I will never master. But as long as I am seeking the Master in it, I know I can't go wrong.

I truly thank him for each of my children. I am not at all worthy, but He has shown great love for me in letting me mold and shape these three.