God, grant me patience!

My "big" boy is making a serious leap forward but unfortunately for us, he's attempting this all at once. This last weekend he's crawled out of his crib, went potty on the big-boy potty, and we are in the process of weaning him from his beloved "gee" (pacifier). Sounds great, right? It is really - except for when you're 5 1/2 months pregnant and already taking care of a 4 year old and 2 year old AND your husband owns his own company so it puts a lot of the parenting duties solely in your hands!
I am SO super proud of my little man though. It's amazing how in just a few short months, he's grown so much. I love to hear him talk and as mentioned in a previous post, he's got such a big heart!

Back to last weekend -
This mama is tired. Sunday night I had *maybe* 4 hours of sleep in total. Bryce and Skylar were both up and down all night and just when I start to fall asleep, the alarm goes off! Boo. Monday I was tired, emotional, cranky - all of it and I remember praying (crying, really) God, please get me through this day and give me patience!!! After many more tears and potty messes and "mom, I'm hungry" - I just happened to check my email. I noticed that I had an email from Carla McDougal (great Women's Bible study leader) and I was tempted to just pass it by. But something prompted me to open it and I'm so glad I did! The title of her blog post was The Parenting Marathon - who wouldn't be tempted to read that?! In there she describes about how emotional new transitions are because she happens to be in a different stage of parenting. The "empty nesting" stage. But there was one part of her post that really spoke to me and just what I needed on this sleep-deprived, patience-trying, emotional day.

 -"I feel the need to rehydrate—from a physical and spiritual standpoint. Confusion clouds my mind. My stride weakens with each step. Thoughts of quitting spoil my concentration. Within seconds these words resonate within—Come on, you can do it! I recognize this inner voice of encouragement spurring me forward… the tenderness, the Lord’s perfect timing. All of a sudden, adrenaline kicks in and I pick up the pace. Reaching this mile marker ignites a sense of excitement, accomplishment, and sadness rolled into one emotion.In the midst of these tangled thoughts comes a soothing whisper… a sweet voice eases my confusion. Remember, my child, to lay aside every weight, and the sin, which so easily ensnares you, run with endurance the race that is set before you. But, God… No excuses, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. These words wash over me like a cleansing spring rain. In the blink of an eye my vision clears. Refocusing on God’s Word brings clarity to the goal. This drink of living water rehydrates my body, mind, and soul preparing me for what lies ahead."

Like I said - she's sending her last child to college so for her it was a different stage in parenting - one of letting go. For me, I was feeling so weak and venerable. I was beginning to have doubts cloud my mind thinking - can I do this? Can I really take care of 3 children? Look how bad I'm struggling with my first two and all I want to do is cry and SLEEP! So reading this was such an encouragement that no task is too big for God. "Remember my child, to lay aside EVERY weight, and the sin (in my case fear and doubt), which so easily ensnares you, run with endurance the race that is set before you."

At that moment, I took a deep breath and said a little prayer and no kidding - I instantly felt better. Undoubtedly I was still tired beyond belief but I felt a reassurance that I could get through this day and I could do it without losing my patience - well, minimally! :)

I leave you with one quick photo of my big boy sporting his batman underoos! He's cute, right?