Intentional Living, Beautiful Moments, & The Art of Being Present
Motherhood isn’t glamorous.
It was never intended to be.
No, far deeper than glamour, motherhood is sacred.
A high and holy calling. That's what I see when I peer into these eyes.
And I dare not underestimate a single moment. Now, or ever.
Happy 4 months to my tiny girl. ;-)
"Hey Pappy, there's something on your... on your face..."
"...it looks kind of silly and feels funny!"
"No, no! I don't want to touch it!"
"No, no, NO, not my face!"
"Oh. That wasn't so bad...maybe just, maybe just let me touch it one more time, okay?"
"Oh I can yank it! Is that what it's for? For Everyn's to yank on??"
"It is! That's what it's for! To YANK on! It must be."
"Oh now I like it, Pappy! I like it a lot! Just don't put it on my face again, ok?? That's kind of scary..."
*A Pappy isn't a Pappy without a beard. In all my 30 years I've never seem him without it. This was a major mile marker in Ev's life: acceptance and celebration of Pappy's beard. Success!*
I can already tell she's not a laid back, 'let's just hang out and chat' kind of girl. *sigh* I knew it. I knew that'd be too easy. Thanks, God. Further refinement. You betcha. I'm all over it. ;-)
Nope! Not this one. She's a 'let's go, let's play, let's do this' kinda girl! All. The. Time. Totally flies in the face of my slooooow, Sabbath-practicing life style. HOWEVER. This particular characteristic does make for a fantastic travel buddy! And that, my friends, is excellent news.
I have about a thousand photos from Colorado to post, but haven't quite finished sorting thru and editing them all. Should have them finished very shortly, but until then how abouts I leave you with this:
Bet you're smiling, huh??
Our tiny girl hit the 3 month mark yesterday. It's so terribly bittersweet witnessing the weeks fly by. I desperately want time to stand still and speed up all at once. My heart feels entangled in a thousand different emotions. It's the plight of every Momma on the planet, no doubt. I can't think about it too much or I'll seriously start weeping...
So! To celebrate we're headed to Colorado in the morning for a week with the family. Technically it isn't to celebrate Ev's three months, but then, sure it is! Why not? I'm all about celebrating. In fact, Josh and I stopped by Whole Foods tonight after driving by our new house to make sure it still had a roof. (Did you hear about the CRAZY hail storm that hit our area a couple days ago?! Wow. It was no joke. My car had $8000 worth of damage! Thank goodness for insurance.) ANYway, as we were walking out of Whole Foods I was feeling all jubilant and announced to Josh, "I'm in a celebratory mood!" "Me, too!" he declared. "Let's celebrate!"
Neither of us had anything in particular in mind, so we just decided to celebrate a whole host of things: Everyn, just because. That fact that it was Friday. A week off. A little dream cottage awaiting us when we get back. Barbecue for dinner. God's goodness. A new flavor of kombucha. The Rockies. Family. Potentially a new car?? Ya know, whatever sounded good. That's just how we roll... ;-)
So here's to... all of that! Happy weekend, friends. I'll be back soon with a slew of pictures!
Joy.
Sudsy feet. Her first laughs. Morning stretches. Hymn singing with the family. Joy.
So content cuddled tight to her Moma. Music with Kristen, a tiny first lesson. Soothed by her Pappy. Cuddling with her Daddy. Joy.
~
The first days are sacred, and they're not to be missed. They're to be witnessed, captured, savored. Everything else can wait, because right now these moments are the only ones that matter. They're the only ones that count. And I assure you, they'll count for eternity.
They slay me, these moments. They overtake me, silence me, provoke me to seek out truth. I want to love her the way she is meant to be loved, they way God would have me to love her, the way that He loves her. And that isn't panning out the way I'd always envisioned. It's requiring more. More and more and more of me. Being her Moma has already begun to refine me in ways I cannot yet fully express. In 2 short months, she's already made me better. And this is just the beginning...
So the phone can ring. And ring. And ring. Emails can go unanswered. Laundry and dishes can linger longer than normal. Because I refuse to miss them, these moments. In missing them I would miss her. And she is my calling. She is my purpose in this hour. Loving her, teaching her, caring for her every need. Right now, save God and my husband, she is all that matters.
She was meant for me. I was meant for her. She is my heart. And it would be a profound tragedy to miss even a moment,of that.
Extraordinary. Extraordinary moments. Don't miss them.
There was treasure hunting, a blissfully quiet drive with my husband, time with my Moma just being together. There was endless smiling at a proud 12-year-old Aunt Tirzah toting around her "she has no idea how much I love her" niece. There was laughing with and at the overall brothers (that'd be my dad and uncle in case you aren't aware) as they sifted thru piles of flea market junk like women a shoe sale at the department store. There was joke telling, sweet tea, and shameless adoring of a smiley baby girl over a barbecue lunch. There was a tear provoking card from my husband, a gorgeous arrangement of peonies filling a ceramic pitcher, conversations laced with fun plans for the future: projects, trips, a new home. There was a long afternoon nap, just me, my love, and my tiny girl. There was a quiet evening made so much sweeter by a baby sleeping on my chest...
Today was absolutely lovely. Filled with all the things that matter most in life. It was a beautiful, simple day. It was exactly what I wanted. And though it was full of people and places and things that thrill me, what trumps all else and fills this new moma's heart to the brim...
...is her.
What did you do for mother's day??
