in october, grace grew up. she's walking! eating "harder" foods like pretzels (with tons of supervision!), sorting and throwing toys, hanging out in the kitchen while i cook (she's no longer banished to the pack & play while i make dinner -- it doesn't work!), talking (she says "hi" practically on command), and she's getting her 1st year molars -- yikes. and, she is an artist. at the beginning of the month, i started letting her color "pictures" in her highchair with crayons. she loves doing it, even though every couple of minutes she tries to eat the crayons. :)even in the past 2 or 3 days it seems like she's "coming into her own." everyone tells me, "enjoy her now, she's going to grow up so fast." you can't really understand this phrase until you have your own child. somehow breastfeeding turned into finger foods, wearing onesies turned into sophisticated shirts and jeans (i love toddlers in jeans), knit booties turned into sneakers from payless. and, what a talker. grace loves to talk. (i can't imagine where she gets this from!). she looks at us often, with these "profound" thoughts of hers, just babbling on. she even sings to herself (quietly), mostly when we're in the car or taking a walk. i'll sing one verse of a song, and then eventually, she chimes in with her own version.
i know that in a short amount of time, her babbles will turn into significant questions. and all of a sudden, being a stay-home Mom takes on much more significance. it's only been 14 months: i'm so excited to see what i'll know about motherhood by the time i'm 50. for now, i'm learning that there's more to being a Mom than just cleaning the toilet or wiping a runny nose -- although admittedly, some days, it doesn't seem like it. on these days, which are frequent for me, i ask God to help me value the things that He values, and the role that He has given me (as a gift!).
in reading parts of the book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper, i've read that my home is like a university. kind of puts a whole new spin on being a stay-home Mom.
"Our homes are the universities where our children learn about the world and how to live. What kind of basic 'courses' are we offering them?" . . . (pg. 43)
another truth i've been chewing on in the last two days comes from proverbs 14:1. "The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down." in the book, Love that Lasts by Gary & Betsy Ricucci, betsy elaborates on this verse (i'm paraphrasing) -- she is often tempted to think that she's not doing "much" on an average day; caring for her kids, babysitting for her neighbor, making her husband's favorite meal. so, proverbs 14:1 is her go-to verse. nope, she may not be performing brain surgeries, but as she reviews the verse in proverbs 14:1, she knows that she is doing what God calls her to do: she's building her home by caring for her family. making meals and cleaning a house or caring for a child is not always glamorous, and i won't be put in the limelight for it, but by God's standard, (the only standard i need to be concerned about), i am doing valuable work.
in many ways i feel that i'm "coming of age" as a homemaker. i wrestle with this stuff every day, (just ask bill or any of my close girlfriends) -- yet God is giving me so much strength, so much support from my family and friends, and so much insight into His Word. i do love my job. i cherish my husband, i love my daughter, and i am thankful that i get to work at home for them.
