That time I had another baby…

  

Yup, this week I had another baby.  Not out of my body.  Not through adoption.  Through a vacation!

My girlfriend and her hubs took a much deserved trip to Vegas to celebrate a family wedding.  They have 5 kids and we took 2 of them for 4 days.

Wow.  Little did I know how stretched I would be this week!

But she’s always been helpful!

  

Thank God for Calista who managed to get a bottle into the little guy (11-months old) today so I could get the dishes done.

  

And for Elam who is always a ham, but particularly when babies are around.

XS did great too, but just don’t have pictures.

As I am strolling through days filled with swim lessons, dentist appointments and the typical challenges with a baby, I am struck that although Jesus is enough for my spirit, my body and soul seem to need some basics to deal with the challenges of parenthood.  Seriously, I did campus ministry with some great and some rotten students for over 10 years and nothing, I repeat NOTHING is more challenging than having little people to lead and discipline and love 24-7-365-365×18 (you do the math please.  I haven’t slept much this week.)

1.  I need exercise.  I saw almost every hour on the clock Sunday night.  I heard every scratchy move in that pack and play.  I stressed if I made the slightest noise, afraid I’d wake the baby.  But Monday morning, I was at the Y, running a few miles next to a good friend (who lives exhausted) and then killed an Anna McGhee class with more sweat than I should have been allowed to spill on the floor.

Today it was a balmy 30 degrees, the roads were covered in ICE and the wind was whipping across Woodland.  I pounded 6 miles and smiled when a man strolling on the sidewalks told me around mile 5.3 that I should “be careful.  It’s icy today.”  I wanted to say “no kidding Sherlock?!”

2.  I need music.  After dinner tonight Brian took Elam to get new swim goggles and I did bath for 3 kids.  The baby wasn’t having me so I cranked some 80’s music and head banged to the 1987 Heart song, “Alone.”  I changed the lyrics to “How can I get you to sleep?!”  It was epic.

There is something about singing (sometimes it can be worship music that speaks of Jesus, sometimes I can worship with a Simon and Garfunkel song…).

3.  I need food.  Lots of it.  If any of my working out friends read this, don’t tell anyone.  I ate 2 breakfasts today before 9:30.  I ate lunch.  Then I came home and snacked.  Then I ate like an 18-year old boy.  Unless I edited that last sentence, I would have just said I eat like an 180-year old.  What would an 180-year old eat?  … hmmm…

I need to eat fun food (Jimmy Fallon ice cream for breakfast dessert anyone?).  I make these PB and carob chip energy bites that are seriously my staple.  I eat edamame, brown rice and quinoa too.  I snacked on pea pods while warming up dinner tonight.  But I eat my fair share of bread, pasta, butter and chocolate.

4.  I need friends.  A good friend, but one I rarely see, has 4 kids and we met at the aquarium today.  Do the math: 9 kids, 2 moms, 2 strollers.  We seriously took OVER a bathroom.  Then we made our way to the otter program and then I heard “Momma” in Elam’s voice.  He was up the stairs.  I smiled at him and then he informed me that I had forgotten him in the bathroom.  Upstairs.  Alone.  He was pooping and I guess he thought we’d wait for him outside…

He gave me grace and patted my back tonight when I laughed so hard that I cried about this tonight.  How did I lose my kid today?  How did I head bang to Heart tonight?  How did I eat so much today?  How did I skate through my 6 miles today?  How does my friend do this every day with 5 kids?!

I need my friends to call me for an aquarium date even if I lose a kid.  Thanks Katie!

So much more I could write about but suffice to say It is time to hand this thing over to a kid who has gotten more sleep tonight.  Which is why when I asked her to get XS his bottle tonight she went to get his bath ready instead.

Life as an Asker…

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