one evening not too long ago, as we sat in bed reading, chris shared a bible verse with me that was obviously dear to him. he read aloud to me from the second chapter of proverbs…
"a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day."
haha. we laugh together. good thing chris doesn't have one of those for a wife! no, no, we have a good marriage. we are happy. blessed. that verse was clearly written for someone else.
fast forward a few months.
having been deprived of sleep for going on 3.5 months now, i hear my voice sounding all too often like a constant dripping. i am crabby. austin and graham are sleep deprived as well. and crabby. and our trips to target looks like this.
you can't see me, but i am crying, too.
we know how challenging life can be with a newborn, so i don't know why we are caught off guard each time.
the story is always the same. chris & lauren have a baby. chris & lauren are so happy with their precious angel. chris takes his turns getting up with the baby. family and friends visit and bring meals. and everyone loves the baby. weeks pass. baby is still not sleeping. but we shrug, laugh about skipping showers, and coo at the baby. months pass. baby is still not sleeping. the adrenaline surrounding a new baby has worn off. chris is tired at work and no longer wants to get up. lauren is tired and can't nap. no longer is anyone bringing meals, no longer is family is offering to come help while we nap, and we no longer think it funny that we can't get a shower. and the baby is. still. crying.
but with or without a good night's rest, it is no excuse to be a dripping faucet. getting through the challenges of life with joy are what separates the good, the bad, and the ugly. because taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic. ~Rosalind Russell
this period of sleepless will pass. and if it takes years, everywhere i look are three very. big. reasons. to choose joy.
and within another year or two we'll have entirely forgotten the challenges of infant. and the chances are good that we'll want a baby. again.
