Tender Mercy

Yesterday went something like this: Miles had two HUGE poops that leaked out everywhere and he wouldn't hold still for me to change them. Not five minutes after changing him into his third outfit, he threw up all over his shirt. Everyday lately seems to be a constant battle of "Miles, don't hit mom, it's not nice." Or, "Miles, please don't throw your toys(or whatever is in your hand) when you're angry." "Miles please stop crying and use your words, tell me what the matter is." And here's one my dad would appreciate, "Miles not so loud, please use your inside voice." Lately he yells "MOM" increasingly louder every time until I say, "What Miles" then he just smiles as if to say, "nothing mom, made you look."

Eli must be starting the teething process.... swollen lower gums, tons of drool, and my once good sleeper now wakes up every three hours throughout the night, and has done this now for two weeks. He too yesterday had a huge blow out.

I'm about 10 loads of laundry behind and it's all piled up on my closet floor. After getting both the boys down for a nap I came into my closet to tackle some of the laundry, tripped over one of the piles and hit my toe directly on the closet door. OUCH! At first I thought it was broken but now I think it's just badly bruised and swollen. It's actually a prettier color purple today. Yesterday it was black.

So to sum up my day yesterday: Poop, poop, more poop, throw up and a broken toe. By the time John got home a little after midnight, I was completely exhausted and almost in tears.

This morning at 8:30, as John was getting ready to leave I said to him, "I can't do it today, I just can't do it." And I truly felt that way. "How am I going to make it until 6:00 tonight when John gets home?" Well, here's how....The Lord showed me his tender mercy. It was 4 degrees in Ann Arbor when I woke up this morning. Eli went down for a nap just before noon and I knew this would be one of his longer naps (1 1/2 hours instead of 45 min.) It was sunny outside so I checked the temp and it was 22 degrees. I bundled myself and Miles up and said, "let's go". We walked to the park, which is practically in our back yard, saying a prayer along the way that Eli would be ok for a little while. Miles had a blast!! We ran in the snow across the field. He went down the slide a BUNCH of times and we wondered through the woods picking up sticks and poking holes and drawing trains in the snow. We were wet and cold and we loved it! When we got back, Eli was still sound asleep. We had chicken noodle soup for lunch, then Miles went down for a nap. I had time for a quick shower before Eli woke up. It's amazing how a hot, steamy shower can make you feel so much better, pampered almost. John got home at 5:00 instead of 6:00, YEAH!!!! Then we went to the mall. While John was looking for some new church shoes, Eli, Miles and I headed for the play area. And this moment was the icing on the cake. No, this was the mother of all desserts that have ever been made..... I was watching Miles play from across the play area. He and another little girl bumped into each other and they both fell down. When they got up Miles gave her a kiss on her forehead and said, "sorry." I'm almost in tears just re-thinking about it. That 10 seconds of time made my yesterday all worth while and completely validated me as a mother.

Summary of today: We went to the park, played in the snow, Miles was happy, dad came home early, Miles kissed a girl to make her feel better and mom feels like she's doing something right:) Thank you Heavenly Father!!!!

Tomorrow is another day:) -wendy