Mom of Two

It´s official...I´m a mom of two.

My life consists almost entirely of feeding, bathing, playing with, cuddling, reading to, singing to, comforting, teaching, dressing, and refereeing children. I almost always have at least one child attached to me, on top of me, pulling on my leg, cradled in my arms, or climbing on me. I never sleep alone, eat alone, and rarely ever get to use the bathroom alone. I have to plan my whole day perfectly to get a shower. And even the most perfect planning does not guarantee success. And don´t call me on the phone...I won´t be able to hear, listen to or focus on more than 10% of what you´re telling me.

I also had the joy of once again recovering from childbirth, which apparently does not get easier with experience. I will spare you the gory details, but I think I was a card-carrying member of Childbearers Anonymous because going to the bathroom suddenly became a 12-step process. Which was great, since I have approximately 4.7 seconds in the bathroom before my toddler barges in, or before my infant starts crying to be nursed, or both. I had hot flashes, mood swings, pain, and constant trips to the bathroom, not to mention extreme exhaustion.

As a mother, I have now faced every kind of bodily fluid in such quantity that they no longer gross me out. You will have to do much worse than pee or vomit on me if you want me to be impressed, let me tell you. I have done the all-nighters, dealt with night terrors, insomnia, night-feedings, nighttime vomiting and bed-wetting, and the getting up the next day to do it all over again. I have held crying babies and tried to soothe them without knowing what is wrong. I have been driven to the point of desperation one hundred times in a day.

And if you think that´something (which you won´t, if you´re also a mother), let me introduce you to every mother´s constant companion: mommy guilt. That constant voice in your head telling you that you are doing everything wrong, that your children are going to be scarred forever by your tremendous failures as a mother, and would probably be better off being raised by wolves.

But here´s the kicker, ladies and gentlemen: I LOVE THIS STUFF.

Yes, it´s true, most days my to-do list only grows, and I feel overwhelmed by the quantity of things I have yet to get done. But then I think about all of the things I did get done. I (hopefully) showed my daughters patience, love, kindness, consideration and grace, teaching them slowly but surely how to do the same. I (hopefully) took time to listen, to play, to cuddle, to kiss and hug, to dream, to sing, to dance and to eat imaginary cupcakes. I (hopefully) taught my daughters the value of motherhood, by choosing to be their mother over other things that I could be doing. I (hopefully) showed my girls how to set good priorities, teaching them that people are more important than laundry, dirty dishes, and *gasp* even ministry. Because they are my ministry. They are my mission field. They are the most important role God has given me.

I am thankful for every role that God has given me. I´m thankful to be a missionary, a wife, a woman, a daughter, a leader, and a sister.

But most of all, I am so thankful to be a mom of two.