Yesterday

This face could pretty much describe my day yesterday. Everyone tells you to cherish the moments, sleep when he sleeps, rest when you can... what if your child takes no naps during the day and makes this face at you?

Needless to say it was a very tough day. His worst time was right around 5-6 and he could be consoled by being held but after a long day of no naps and 3 visitors, all I wanted to do was close my eyes. By 8:30 I was crying out to God for just a short break, just 5 minutes of peace. Not 10 minutes later He answered my prayers. With a jingle of keys at the door, my husband rode in on his noble steed, kissed me on my tear stained cheek and sent me to bed telling me he would wake me at 2. My heroic husband who had just worked two jobs was willing to take the next two feedings so that I could get some sleep. With no arguments from me I shuffled upstairs to get as much sleep as I could.

I woke up at around 1:30 feeling much better and came downstairs to see how things were going. I swear my heart catches in my chest every time I watch Jesse hold our son close. He looked up at me and as I waited to see his exhaustion or frustration, he just smiled at me. He said our son had slept beautifully from 7 to 10 and then again from 10 until right then. He finished that feeding and I through tears tried to explain to him how much it meant to get those few hours of sleep. He just shook his head and said that God loves us so much and because of that it was his joy to help me out. I sent him upstairs to get his sleep before the early alarm went off telling him to get to work and I finished changing Elijah and swaddling him for bed. A few minutes later I could hear Jesse coming back down the stairs. I asked if he had forgotten something as he seemed to be on a mission and before I knew it I was swept up in the most incredible toe-curling, end of the best chic flick, butterflies in your stomach kiss. He told me that I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and with that went off to bed.

I sat down on the couch dumbfounded. Me? Beautiful? I don't remember the last time I showered. I know my shirt was covered in formula and gripe water and desitin and let's face it, your body one week after a c-section is a disaster and yet my romantic and incredible husband wanted to remind me that he still thinks I'm beautiful.

With those extra hours of sleep and that sweet moment, I felt like Scarlet O'Hara shaking that carrot or turnip or whatever it was at the sky, swearing that I could do this. I could take on another sleepless fussy night with a smile. I immediately thought of Ecclesiastes 4:9- 10, "Two are better than one because they have good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up." I know these verses can be used for many situations, but I have to wonder if God was thinking about late night feedings with a newborn when He inspired these words.

I was falling and my companion without hesitation lifted me up and our return for our labor was a happy sleeping baby who slept in almost 4 hour stretches all night! We have so many blessings to be thankful for but today I want to thank God for my partner, my best friend, my husband. I would be lost without him.