Some days you just put one foot in front of the other.
You don’t run, you simply walk, and it’s brave even when it might not look that way from the outside. Some days you take a newborn to your dentist appointment and when she starts to cry you just smile and tell him, “Better work fast, doc.” Some days you sit in a parking garage and change a baby on your lap, with a facecloth and a bottle of water because you forgot to pack the wipes.
Some days when you thought you’d treat yourself to Starbucks you end up getting a mouthful of Novocain instead so you just keep driving and suck on the pop tart your son left behind after “breakfast.” Some days you end up being on time when you thought you’d be late and you feel like a super hero because of it.
Some days you let a friend into your home without tidying up first and it feels wonderful. Some days the two hours you spend laughing with her over diaper blow outs, nursing faux pas, and the wonder of losing 20 pounds thanks to one tiny baby is more precious than all the laundry she folds for you while she’s visiting. But dang, if that folded laundry ain’t miraculous too.
Some days are long, but full of beauty – if only you are willing to find it in the most unlikely of places. Like in an empty laundry basket, a full fridge, and a clean stove. Like in a pile of little boys’ socks, a husband who walks home from the train station so you don’t have to come out at night, and the blog comments from strangers whose stories are so achingly familiar they reach through the computer screen and wrap themselves tight around your heart.
You.
I mean you.
You with the honesty and laughter and living room that looks like mine. You with the battle zone for a playroom and the sense of humor that never quits. You with the ability to see wonder in a pile of diapers and joy in a two am feeding.
Thank you so much for being part of my some days, these days.
I would so have you all over for chocolate cake and coke floats if I could. Here’s to you!
Cheers !
Hi, though I’m a new follower, I think you’re pretty cool, too :)
Oh, it’s a hazy, cloudy walk, those first few months with a newborn in the house. Thanks for reminding me to look for the sunshine (and making me crave Coke floats!) :)
bless you! This was great.
Perhaps He’s allowing me a little postpartum sympathy blues for you. Not at all that you’ve had those! But I am sappy crying over here!!! All emotional after reading this and oh so thankful for you! For YOU! I flipped back in my Gratitude Journal to find it. YEP! There it is! #228 Gypsy Mama. Thank you, Lord, for Gypsy Mama. I might go eat something sweet now and pretend we’re together.
…sigh. I’ve been gone for quite some time and I’m just getting back into the bloggy world. I read this post and remembered again why I follow your blog.
It’s good to be back.
Love your blog, sweetie. This season is precious. :)
Cxx
It is a wonderful gift to have gratitude for small things and even bigger things too. Family,
Friendships, and Faith is all we really need to worry about. The rest will just take care of itself. From a grandma in Oregon who reads your blog and prays.
Just wanted to drop you a quick message in between wrapping presents for my 6 year old little boy’s birthday today, and my third load of laundry… :) I want to thank you for your transparency and honesty! It’s always reassuring to me that I don’t always have to have it all together, and life will still be ok! Not sure how I stumbled onto your blog, but God knew I needed it to get through these long Michigan winters! Lol Blessings, Crystal
Ah, that photo! I miss you like crazy cakes. :)
May God richly bless all Mommies of new babies, toddlers, tweens, and teens. Been there, done that and they are wonderful years. Enjoy those piles of laundry, dirty diapers, crummy kitchens, and tosseled houses because that is real living, His living.
That was a beautiful post and I’ve had so many of those “days.” :) Btw – what’s a coke float?
Oh I want a coke float now! Brilliant idea. I recently discovered cherry coke floats – heaven on earth. I may just have to have one tonight, in your honor.
There you go again, makin’ me feel all smiley, as if we’re best buds, even tho we’ve never met face-to-face…
So glad you had a joyous day despite the dental thing (owee!). Nothin’ better than the sisterhood of a girlfriend who can love you right where you’re at!
Happy Thursday –
Teri
I’ve never had coke floats! Looks yummy! :) Enjoy.
Just today, I thought about how much refining I would not have had if I hadn’t had children. Unfortunately, my oldest had to bear the brunt of my perfectionism. It took me having 2 kids, 18 months apart, in order for me to learn that it is okay to not be okay. So, now, I live to be vulnerable, at least on my blog, so that others see that it is okay to not be okay sometimes.
Your link was shared with me on twitter as I was trying to find out what Fiveminutefriday was. Are you an author? This post totally captivated me, seriously my kids are sleeping so I should be, my stomach is growling and im hunched over my laptop on your blog. Reading this post made me feel as if we share something; I haven’t a clue what. I know that ability to connect with people is what makes a writer great.
Heres to you *clinks your imaginary glass and my real glass*
Yep! There you have it, well stated and it seems like something my own head could’ve thought. Reminds me of why I loved my kids first pediatrician so much. Every time we’d go in for an appointment she’d say, “You’re doing a great job! Everything is normal. Baby is healthy and happy. Don’t worry, and remember, you can call me at home every morning between 7 and 8 if you any questions or concerns.” So, your doing a great job! I’m really impressed. If I had a new baby, I don’t think I’d touch my blog for about 6 months. And I’m so glad you do!
I loved this post. Yes, those new baby days are hard, and so are others, and its so nice to look around this great big blog world and realize that we’re not alone. That there are other moms out there with hearts as big as our own that really want to make the world a better place, even if they have applesauce in their hair and their dishes haven’t been done yet. There is so much encouragement, for me, in knowing that other women have “those days”.
Your blog is an awesome place, and I appreciate you. <3