Happy Love Day!

Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day as you celebrate the unconditional love of God for you!

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love." - Jesus (John 15:9)

XOXO,
Katherine

Starting Over

When learning the skills of caring for a baby, I discovered that some new rules apply.

The first is, The old rules don't apply.

Or, forget what you know.

I found it difficult to accept that, although I had a college degree, various ministry experiences, 7 years in the corporate world, and 3 years of marriage behind me, I was in a new "classroom."  And little of what I had learned or experienced in those settings applied.  It was like going back to Kindergarten with a huge new syllabus awaiting me.

Welcome to Motherhood 101.

When you are in your 30's, have gotten married, and experienced a career, you may begin to think you have found your way in the big, grown-up world.  You are on your feet.  You aren't living under Mom and Dad's roof.  You commute.  You know your way around the kitchen.  You host houseguests.
 

You don't expect to go from having your ducks in a row to feeling like a chicken with your head cut off overnight.  But it can happen!  It felt like starting over in a brand new world, this caring for a new little person.  There was so, so much to learn.

Did any of you feel this way after having your first baby?

{In my next post, I will share the biggest, sanity-restoring secret I discovered in the whole process.}

Welcome to Motherhood

She's here!

Our daughter joined us on June 27, 2010, and our life is forever changed!  She has her Daddy's eyes and her Momma's spunk, and she lights up our hearts in a million ways.  We praise God for his precious gift!!

Mommy Blog?
As proud of a Mommy as I am--and oh, so in love!--this blog will not become a "Mommy blog" in which I keep you up on my growing baby girl's milestones with pictures and stories.

Instead, I will use this space to open my heart and share with you the challenges, revelations, ah-hah moments, and the pure joys of motherhood.  A journal revealed, a journey shared.  Shall we?

Much More...
Let me dive in by saying that motherhood is so much more _______ than I could have imagined.  More wonderful, more inspiring, more challenging, more demanding, more emotional, more fun!, more overwhelming, more everything.  It is from the Lord; it is a high calling.  It is a Gift, a roller coaster, a treasure, a J-O-B, and it is not for the faint of heart!

Baby Girl is seven months old, and I am now ready to step back and process what on earth just happened!  When the reality of motherhood dawned, I felt like I had been dropped into the deep part of the ocean with onlookers on the shore waving and shouting, "Swim, girl, swim!"

I wanted nothing more than to swim.  But I didn't know how.  And even if I did, I would never make it to the far-off shore.

Learning Curve
Before Baby Girl's arrival, I had researched extensively, read a variety of books, taken a 12-week childbirth class, and asked questions of other mom friends.  But with the arrival of my newborn, I found a steep learning curve.  In spite of my efforts, there was actually no way to fully prepare for the experience of being a new mom, except of course, to become one.

Sleep schedules, breastfeeding, swaddling, bathtime, baby clothing management, visitors, diapers, and frequent crying.

For me, there was childbirth recovery, roller coaster emotions, and the challenge to squeeze in a shower and get dressed everyday.  None of these things existed in my life before baby.  All were new!  Even the small things like trimming baby's tiny nails and not drawing blood!  Where is a nurse when you need her?

Sink or Swim
The reality hit.  These things and more (which I'll share in days to come) made for a challenging adjustment period.  But if God has shown me anything during this time, it's that my only options are not to swim all the way to shore or drown in this sea of change.

What I didn't realize is that I was created to float.

(to be continued...)