Thoughts regarding Infertility and Mother's Day

I just read an excellent article written by Dr. Russell Moore titled Mother's Day and the Infertile.

Moore writes regarding Mother's Day:

It is good and right to honor mothers. The Bible calls us to do so. Jesus does so with his own mother. We must recognize though that many infertile women find this day almost unbearable. This is not because these women are (necessarily) bitter or covetous or envious. The day is simply a reminder of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good.

However, Moore goes on to say that:

...almost every congregation is filled with previously infertile people, including lots and lots who were told by medical professionals that they would never have children! Most of those (most of us, I should say) who fit into that category don’t really talk about it much because they simply don’t think of themselves in those terms. The baby or babies are here, and the pain of the infertility has subsided. Infertile couples need to see others who were once where they are, but who have been granted the blessing they seek.

My eyes welled up with tears when I read that article because I understand.

I understand the pain of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good and right.

I understand the pain that comes when everyone around you is having babies, but you are not.

I really do understand.

I am on the other side of things, now. Our babies are here, and the pain has subsided. God has granted us two little boys, and we are more than content. This article helped me realize that even though I am no longer walking through the valley, I can still be an encouragement to those who are hurting because I have been there, too.

To 4H and Beyond

To my 4H Girls:

Hard to believe it has been nearly seven years since I left West Tennessee. This time in 2005, I was newly married, was finishing up at Martin, and we were all waiting for Grace's big wedding day to arrive. I remember even after I had gotten married and moved out, I would still come up to the 4H dorm to eat lunch and visit with Chelsea and the others between classes. That was before the new apartments were built. Did any of you end up living in one? I remember seeing the models for the new apartments, and they looked awesome compared to what we lived in. 4H was a fun little place, though.

Remember when we first moved in our sophomore year, and you all threw me a surprise birthday party? And then we all got written up for being too noisy! And we were just folding BCM newsletters or something. I was so scared I was going to have to talk to the head of housing or something, but nothing ever came of it. Lacey and I were talking about that experience a few years ago. I think she actually mentioned it in a game we were playing at my baby shower with David. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It makes for a funny story.

You may be wondering what's up with this blog post. Well, I got to thinking that maybe I should tailor some posts to certain groups of people. This post is obviously tailored towards my old roommates and other friends I knew from college. Other posts later on may be directed more towards family or high school friends. I just thought I would change it up a little. I feel like I've been in a blogging rut lately, and I think these letters are just what my blog has been needing.

Oh, and feel free to copy my idea on your blog. I'd love to read some of the things you remember from our time in 4H.

Love you all!

How a creme pie helped me remember...

It all started when I raided my mother-in-law's pantry for snacks to eat on the way back to Louisville after our long weekend in Tennessee. I grabbed a few packs of crackers for the boys, some snack bars and one oatmeal creme pie. There's nothing worse than being hungry on a car ride, so after making sure the snacks were within reach, we started to head up I-65 towards home.

Oatmeal Creme Pie

It didn't take long before the boys started asking for food, so I gave them some crackers and then quietly started to open the oatmeal creme pie ... so as not to alert the cookie monsters in the back seat. It had been awhile since I had eaten an oatmeal creme pie, and I was going to enjoy this one all by myself.

Much to my surprise, instead of sweetness, that first bite of oatmeal cookie brought to my mind a flood of powerful memories. You see, I had forgotten, but when Austin was a baby, those Little Debbie cookies were our favorite NICU snack. It's amazing how food can suddenly trigger memories that have laid dormant for years.

I can't remember the last time I bought oatmeal creme pies, but back in 2006, Joseph and I went through boxes of them. I don't remember who it was, but somebody brought us a box to the hospital right after Austin was born in case we needed something to snack on. They tasted so good to us at the time, we just kept buying them. They were part of the fuel that kept us going those long weeks and months...

I remember...

Easter Eggs and Tonka Trucks

Spiderman and a Ninja Turtle with Easter eggs in the back end of their truck

David's two favorite things these days are action figures and beep-beeps (cars, trucks, trains, etc.). Since we've been to a few Easter celebrations lately, there are also quite a few plastic eggs laying around the house.

Oops, they got cracked.

When I saw this Tonka truck sitting in the middle of the floor, my first thought was- "How cute! Where's my camera? This will make the perfect blog post."

Bye boys!

So, I got down on the floor with my camera and tried to take a few pictures. David thought it would be a fun time for a horsey ride, which made it very difficult to keep my camera still.


And this is what David was doing while I was taking pictures...

 Well, I finally got a few pictures, and then it occurred to me that David was in underwear.... that he hadn't gone potty in awhile... that he might possibly be wet... Oops

This is the part where I realize David has wet underwear.... oh, the joys of being a mother :)

Pretty good blog material for the day, I'd say.

Reading

I added some helpful information to my Learning to Read page. Austin is doing very well with his reading, so I thought I would share some of the resources I have discovered.