Friday, March 6, 2009

Furthering His Kingdom Fridays...

... are sponsored by Kelly at www.thebarefootmama.com, because, as she says "motherhood ain't for wimps."

Well today that sure is true for me. After finding out our great news yesterday (see previous post), I was on cloud nine. That is, I was on cloud nine until about nine p.m. last night, when my 2 year old started vomiting. Anyone who has had a 2 year old knows that they don't throw up nicely into a bucket like older children do. 'Nuff said about that. Anyhow, after going through about 4 pairs of jammies, 2 sheets, and a variety of towels and washcloths, he finally fell asleep around 11 pm. I went to bed around midnight. About 45 minutes later, my 5 year old came in crying that she had been sick and that it had gotten on her sheets, jammies, and precious "Baa-Baa." (It was also in her hair although I refrained from pointing that out ....) SO, I started my 3rd load of laundry for the evening while Chad helped her clean up in the bathroom. I knew we were in for a long night although at least 5 year olds can aim for a bucket! To make a long story short, between the two kids we were pretty much up ALL NIGHT. I slept ten or twenty minutes at a time between calls from the kids. I kept lying there waiting to get sick myself!

Of course, today I am totally exhausted. It is 3 pm and I am still in MY jammies! What's worse is ... Mr. Carter threw up on his paci last night. I washed it thorougly and gave it back but he now refuses to take it. Well, I know that I've been hoping to wean him from it, but this afternoon he cried and cried and would NOT take a nap ... the nap I had been looking forward to all day, so that I could take a nap too! Maybe it will ultimately be a blessing as far as ditching the paci, but when he wouldn't sleep this afternoon, I just started BAWLING. I am just SO TIRED! Motherhood definitely is NOT for wimps. However, my only choice at that moment was to just surrender it to God. I know this will pass. I know God will walk through this difficult day with me, and help me to endure (at least until Chad gets home)!

"Furthering His Kingdom" may look different on a day like today, but I am reminded of the verse that says "whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done it unto Me." It sure isn't glamorous (in fact, it is pretty downright gross) to take care of sick little children. But I am thankful that God has given me these kids, sick or not, to take care of today. So Lord, please give me the strength and kindness I need to make it!

Tomorrow is another day ...

6 comments:

Mary Anne said...

Hi Amy,

I found your blog on The Barefoot Mama. I participated in Furthering His Kingdom Friday too;-) I am so sorry to hear about your little ones being sick. That is one of the challenging parts of motherhood, I know;-) I will say a prayer for their quick recovery and for added strength and energy for you!

Blessings,

Mary Anne @ Marigold Manor

Unknown said...

Ahhhh....(big sigh) hang in there.
Kelly

Karen said...

I am so sorry. I surely hope they didn't get it at my house. I truly know how you feel. Hopefully you are in bed right now and the worst is over. It is the weekend and rest assured Chad will be there. Holler if you need anything. PLEASE!!!

Anonymous said...

Ahh! Oh no! I pray that they're all feeling better...that's so sad about the paci, LOL! I had Grace pee on me today, so I can feel the pain of things "spewing" out at you. Oh, your poor littles! Many prayers!

And CONGRATS on your little girl on the way...and too cute and funny about Carter with the princess backpack. :o)

Have a wonderful weekend, county neighbor!

Chris Ann Schultz said...

Sorry that everyone is sick. That's not fun. Ralph knows how it feels to clean up after me and didn't even tell until after Chantel was born and I was home. Note to self, always get the anti-nausea meds after having a c-section, the meds will make you vomit.
So far we've been lucky, Chantel has a spit up when she coughs, but she doesn't get all the upset stomachs and other illnesses I got at her age, difference in being breastfed? (I wasn't as a child.) I praise the Lord, she was sick 6 days this past fall and this time of year other than a cough or cold, seems better, praying it continues, so I don't lose more days.
Hope the rest of your pregnancy and weekend improves. Sorry you didn't get any sleep, that would be horrible. The worst days with Chantel were every 2 hours and breastfeeding about 2 times. Otherwise she's always let us sleep 4-5 hours at a time minimum. Hope all stay healthy and get there soon.

ErinOrtlund said...

Oh no! That doesn't sound fun at all. Is Chad's schedule at all flexible or does he work set hours no matter what?

I think it's great to remind yourself of verses like "Whatever you do for the least of these..." I was just reading some Elisabeth Elliot articles on her Gateway to Joy site. She was talking about the privilege of being a wife and mother, and even the privilege of doing laundry and dishes for your family. I realized how often I walk around under a cloud of feeling like my daily tasks are somehow demeaning to me, given my education and experience. And even though I'm glad to live in a time where women are encouraged to develop their talents to the full, I think something has been lost too. Anyway, not sure if that resonates with you, but just to say--there is great purpose in washing up vomit and comforting sick children in the night. There's nothing more important we could be doing right now. :)