Slacking...

You're right, all y'all who are looking for a little more consistency in my posts. How embarrassing for the queen of all blabber to get caught not saying anything! But the bottom line is this: I babble ~ on voice mail AND in writing~ so lengthily that I don't want to take the time to sit down and write, because I don't want to miss out on Caleb time. Once I start writing, it's extremely hard for me to stop. (Grandpa Gene says, "She's talking, and she can't shut up!")

So! My little one is sleeping. Let's get caught up, shall we?

First of all, last week, I did one of the things I was trying so hard to avoid. We co-slept with that gorgeous baby. Basically, I was so tired that I couldn't face staying up for another twenty minutes while he ate for the umpteenth time that day, so I laid down with him. Next thing you know, mommy and Caleb are both down for the count, and Jonathan decided to leave us there. That booger slept for more than FOUR HOURS! No wonder people rave about it!

Still, it's not good for me, because even though HE slept that long, I wasn't resting very well, worried about squashing, smothering or otherwise smooshing him. Plus, after not eating for that long, he ate four more times in four hours, so it still balanced out to be a five feeding night!

BUT! In jumping ahead in time a week to last night, he slept for almost SIX HOURS STRAIGHT! The world - mostly the world inside my head - rejoices! He only woke up one more time in our normally scheduled evening, and we ended up staying up after four o'clock in the morning. So if you look at it a little skewed, he only got up ONCE last night! Light at the end of the tunnel indeed!

Monday was the true test of mommy-hood. I experienced the unholy trifecta of baby-dom. Yes, the three P's. I was pooped on, peed on, and puked on all in one day.

And lived to tell about it! After a month and a half, I feel like a real mom! I didn't freak out, I didn't say, "That's it, I've had it with parenthood." Nope, I just laughed my butt off, and thought, Gosh, I've got to write Unholy Trifecta in my online journal! Yes, it took me three days to do it, but I was thinking of it long before now.

Being a mom still continues to be the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire life. (Okay, second coolest. Those of you who have known me for a while can probably figure out what the absolute coolest is.) I can't tell you the joy it brings me. It puts Christmas in a whole new light, too! Okay, let me get all theoretical for a minute, okay? This isn't inspired, it's just my thinking.

Mary was probably fifteen or younger when she gave birth to Jesus, according to most historical theorists, right? She didn't get the benefit of "What to Expect When You're Expecting," or take a Lamaze class or anything before this kid was born. I'm guessing the people of that era didn't even have a very good concept of the in utero development of children either. All she knows is that an angel (which she hadn't seen before, either) shows up and tells her that she's going to be the mother of the Messiah. I felt guilty when I forgot to take a prenatal vitamin - think about the pressure this lady is under!

She gives birth to a baby WITHOUT an epidural in a STABLE. Yeah. It makes my experience seem a little smaller, but honestly, don't you think God gave her SOME perks for being Jesus' mom? She probably didn't need an epidural - it might have even been a pleasant experience.

The first time I looked at my son, my heart melted. Absolutely MELTED. I knew immediately that he was one of the biggest reasons I was put on this earth. I was meant to be this little man's mama. But think of how Mary felt! Not only does she now hold a baby of her very own, but he is God made flesh. I don't suppose she could be accused of being a mushy biased mom - her son really WAS perfect!

That first Christmas was maybe no more magical for Mary than any other woman's labor and giving birth-day might be. I think the same feelings ran through me on Caleb Zakai's first moments on earth. But what makes Mary special is that her experience gives me something incredible to celebrate. Not just at Christmas, but throughout my life. I admit, Mary has always been kind of a background person in the story in my mind. I've been more worried about the wise men, the shepherds, Herod, and even the animals who got displaced in the barn by Jesus' birth. But I'm overwhelmingly happy to have a new perspective on the story.

Okay, I told you I wrote too much! My Caleb will be waking up soon and need to be fed. Being a mom is exhausting and messy, but so far, I'm having the time of my life. That pretty much sums up the last month and a half. The end!