So...it's almost been 6 weeks since Nate was born and things are starting to settle down. By settling down I do not mean that we've got things figured out and things are going perfectly, just that we are settling into a "routine." And by routine, I don't mean a schedule. I wish things were that easy. No, I've just come to notice some consistency in Nate's everyday routine. Like, for instance, his most alert times are in the morning-usually 6am-9 or 10am-and in the evening-10pm...just when I want him to be winding down...
(But actually, last night wasn't so bad. He only got up once and I got 4 consecutive hours of sleep! I feel like a new woman right now!)
Another exciting thing is that Nate is becoming a lot more animated and is smiling, cooing and very alert; eyes wide open, checking out his world. So fun! Unfortunately for my "to do" list, since Nate is a lot more active and alert (and wants to be held more...), I can't get anything done! And, to be quite honest, I'd much rather be holding and playing with him anyway!
And that brings me to my realization: being a mother is a full-time job! As I was preparing for Nate's arrival and looking forward to spending 12 weeks as a stay-at-home mom, I came up with a very extensive list of things that I wanted to get done. You know, since I would have lots of free time...
Among the "to do list" was to complete several scrapbooks that I've been meaning to work on, complete Nate's baby book, do some decorating around the house, put together a cookbook full of my great grandmother's recipes...and the list goes on... It's been almost 6 weeks and do you want to know how much of that list I've accomplished? NONE. In fact, at this moment I haven't showered in 3 days. And please don't judge, I've gone on two runs in that time (thanks to Austin watching Nate for awhile so I can get out to the trail), so I'm probably due for a shower but every time I get a few moments to get some things done, there are other things that seem to be more important.
My mom was (and still is) a stay-at-home mom (in fact, she home schooled me and my four siblings), but I always kind of admired women who worked full-time and had kids. I mean, they have so much on their plate. They must be superwomen! But now, I am starting to realize that I don't care about being a superwoman. I want to be a super-mom to Nate and any other children that the Lord may bless us with. Staying at home, being a wife, and taking care of an infant isn't easy and I can imagine that it gets more difficult and time-consuming as the number of children increase.
So if the Lord gives me the opportunity to be a full-time stay-at-home mom I will accept it happily. Right now I have to work part-time and I realize many women are faced with the need to work outside the home and there is no shame in that. I also realize that some women choose to work instead of staying at home, and that's fine too. I'm just saying that women should not look down on other women because they choose to be a stay-at-home mom or because they choose to work outside the home. It's a personal choice and for me I hope to be able to choose to be a stay-at-home mom sometime in the near future.
So, "Hats off to moms everywhere," being a mom is the most important job I can think of!
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