Uggghhhh.... Shots!

I have discovered one of my very least favorite "mommy jobs." Taking Carter to get shots. I had to take him to the doctor yesterday for his four month check up. I've been dreading this appointment for weeks, and as yesterday afternoon wore on and his appointment time approached, I felt waves of nausea overcome me with every thought of my precious boy getting shots. It seemed all I could think about was the shots. I felt like such a traitor as I drove my sweet, smiling child to the doctors office. The office was completely full when we arrived, so we had to sit in the waiting room for a full 45 minutes before being called back. Guess what I thought about for 45 minutes? Shots... As silly as it may sound, the thought of causing pain to enter my child's life grieved me. In my head, I knew that it was in his best interest to get these shots and that the pain would only be temporary but my heart just broke thinking about my little one hurting.

They finally called us back and the doctor examined Carter. He's doing great and has grown like a weed. He weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds 12 ounces and has grown a full 6 inches in length since he was born. Carter smiled and laughed at the doctor for most of the examination. The doctor left the room, and the dreaded nurse with the shots came in. We laid Carter down on the bed, and she proceeded to give him three shots while I tried to distract him and keep myself from falling apart. My sweet baby cried quite a bit but calmed down as soon as I picked him up and held him close.

This whole experience got me thinking. I wonder if the experience of Carter getting shots can be likened to some of the painful circumstances and situations we experience in life. Carter didn't know what was about to happen to him, and while it was happening he couldn't understand that the pain was temporary and for his own good. I'm sure he looked at me and thought "Mom, why are you letting this happen to me?" Aren't we like that when "bad" things happen to us? We're right in the middle of the situation and often don't realize that it is temporary. Even if the situation lasts the rest of our mortal lives, as believers we have eternal life, free from pain and bad situations, to look forward to. When experiencing a bad situation we may look at God and ask, "Daddy, why are you letting this happen to me?" but we don't realize that it's for our own good. Even when we don't understand all the "whys" we can rest in the assurance that He knows all and has promised that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." It does make me wonder though, does God's heart ever break as he watches us go through painful circumstances just as my heart broke watching Carter get shots?

More Baby Mess

It never ceases to amaze me how God teaches us lessons is such a variety of ways. God recently re-taught me a lesson in a humorous way. Carter was sitting on the couch with my mom and Micaela yesterday afternoon. Everything was calm so I stepped into the restroom for a minute. When I came out, everyone was scurrying around like mad. It turns out that there was a leak out the leg of Carter's diaper and we now had "baby mess" all over the couch cushions. All I could do was laugh, it was pretty funny. I pulled the cushions off the couch and tried to clean them up the best I could, however I think we now have a permanent reminder that all of our material possessions don't matter. It's people that matter. God is good to keep reminding us of what's important, and I'm sure thankful that sometimes He chooses to deliver those reminders wrapped up in a package of laughter.

Surprises!!!

I love Fridays! I get off work an little early, and get to start spending my weekend with my boys. We had Justin's family over this past Friday night to play games and spend some time together. It was a great time. They left around 10pm and I was ready to go to sleep. As I finished getting ready for bed, Justin asked if I wanted to go lay on the couch with him. He said he was wide awake and wanted to watch TV for a while. So, I said okay and we headed for the living room. I fell asleep almost immediately and woke up around midnight. I asked him if we could go to bed but he said he was really "in to" this show and wanted to finish watching it. I had just closed my eyes to go back to sleep when my cell phone rang. I saw on the caller ID that it was my mom calling. I immediately thought something was wrong. Why would she be calling this late at night? I answered the phone and it was my youngest sister calling. She said, "will you come unlock the front door? I need to go to the bathroom." I said "What?" She repeated her question, and thinking she was confused and calling the wrong person, I said "Micaela, this is Kristi." She said, "I know. Just go unlock the front door." I made my way to the front door, and imagine my surprise when I saw my mom and sister standing on my front porch. They had driven 16 hours to come see us! Okay, who am I kidding? They drove 16 hours to come see Carter, and since we happen to be Carter's parents, they get to see us too! We had a wonderful weekend together. They get to stay with us for a few more days and I am going to take a few days off work while they are here. My whole family is such a blessing and I'm so thankful that my mom and sister made the effort to come and see us, even if they really only wanted to see Carter! :-) Thanks mom and Micaela!!!