My baby boy is now nine months old and yet again I fall victim to thinking that just because he is coming into the same household as my other two, somehow that will make his personality an exact copy of his brothers. He is not.
We had a little floor swing that my sister gave me. Brennan, my shy guy, loved it so much, he would sit in that thing and try to swing even when the motor could not handle his weight anymore. I was confident that the baby would love it, too. Actually, it just makes him cry.
I used to love putting Baby Einstein movies on and my boys and I would sit and laugh and smile at the toys and puppets. It was key to me being able to fold a pile of laundry or pick up the toys in the living room. Already I can sense that the baby thinks it's just a little juvenile.
Yes, he is a tough cookie. I have had to get resourceful and find new ways to keep him busy and interested because my old standbys that worked with my older boys are just not cutting it. He's not wild about taking naps, he still doesn't sleep through the night totally and he gives me grief in the high chair. People would love to hold him but he is so attached to me he just cries! Oh, I could go on!
Could, but I won't. I think I've gone on and on about this enough. I realized that anytime anybody asked me about how the baby was doing, I just rolled out a huge line of complaints. If I wasn't complaining about the BABY, then I was complaining about the HOUSEWORK that isn't getting done because of the BABY. Needed to write a new BLOG POST, but I couldn't because of the HOUSEWORK that still isn't finished because of the BABY. I wanted to start reading a new book, too, but couldn't do that either because first I had to finish the BLOG POST that I couldn't get to because of the HOUSEWORK that never got done because of the BABY.
At this point I think I could write a Dr. Seuss book. "Things Mom Can't Do, Because of Little You-Know-Who!" But WHO would read it? Not mom, she is too busy with the BABY. Wasn't this baby supposed to be a blessing to me? Didn't GOD make a way for me to quit my job and be home so I could enjoy this little thing?
Is the problem really the baby, or me?
Oh man... Don't you just love (hate!) when the Holy Spirit reveals something in you that you didn't even realize was a problem? It's always right when you're doing it, and you just can't deny that he's right. Caught me red-handed- I complain too much!
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:14
I've determined I am not going to complain about this baby anymore. He is already crawling! I don't want to wait until the day he graduates to wake up and realize that I've complained away my blessing. The joy of my children is in caring for them and discovering what makes them unique. If nothing else, this guy sure is teaching me how to be resourceful!
I want what God has for me. I want to shine like a star in the universe and not be a black hole of bellyaching!
