Week 5, Day Five

Wake Up Laughing: Offbeat Devotions for the Unconventional Woman
by Rachel St. John - Gilbert
Chapter 11 "Wake Up and Smell the Baby"
Babies and Disillusionment

Before my first child was born, I remember older, wiser women saying things like, "Enjoy the time you have to yourself before that baby comes!"

At the time, I wasn't thrilled with the time on my hands due to the weight on my bod and the anticipation of seeing the baby in person. I couldn't wait to play dress-up with my real live baby doll. Diaper and formula commercials sent me into La La Land, day-dreaming about holding my bundle of joy. I especially liked the ones in which a buff-bodied daddy peeks into Junior's crib in the middle of the night, picks up a porcelain-skinned baby, and nuzzles him. (Notice how the babies are either sleeping or smiling in these propaganda pieces.) I know that's what I had in mind- a studly husband and a picture-perfect baby bonding at 2 A.M. in the Ralph Lauren designer nursery while I'm sawing logs in the next room.

But my daydream images became fuzzy with the arrival of baby and the relentless longing for a few hours of uninterrupted shut-eye. My cowardly friends who went before me to baby boot camp didn't clue me in to reality, and I wanted to wring their necks. I ended up with not only a newborn who never slept but also with engorged breasts, each the size of a Goodyear blimp. This turned out the be doubly bad news when I heard the lactation specialist's declaration: "Now remember, the baby's stomach is about the size of an avocado seed." From the looks of things, my baby would need a tummy roughly the size of a water tower to give me even a smidgen of relief.

And what of hubby turned new dad? Well, he discovered talents he never knew he had. He had the uncanny ability to sleep through our baby's cries. So, while he sawed the logs I could only dream about, I cradled my gargantuan mammary glands in my arms and waddled down the hall to the Wal-Mart-decorated nursery, bonding with Junior at 2 A.M.... and 3 A.M.... and 4 A.M. I did enough bonding that first year to be the prototype for human superglue.

And I would love to know where the television producers found that porcelain-skinned infant. I quickly became acquainted with the oxymoron "baby acne." My newborn would have been a shoo-in for a Clearasil commercial. I was so self-conscious about it that I made excuses to strangers in line at the grocery store. "Yes, I try to keep him away from colas, chocolate, and potato chips, but you know how newborns are...."

If you're a mom, I'm preaching to the parental choir. First comes love, then comes marriage, and on the heels of the baby carriage comes disillusionment. Of course, we do experience precious moments with our babies that we will forever hold dear. But on the whole, children are needy and can wreak havoc on your housekeeping, sleep quota, and love life.

When we're knee-deep in diapers, it's important to put things into perspective by reviewing two facts. Fact #1: This is an intense time of life. Fact #2: Babies grow up quickly, and as they do, things get easier. These are time-tested truths- just ask any mother with older children. If you're a relatively new mom or know someone who is and have had a particularly exhausting day (or week or month!), ask God to help you put things in perspective. He may just help you see that beneath your exhaustion is still a heart brimming with gratitude for you priceless, albeit tiring, gift of children.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Psalm 127:3.