In just three short months, life has completely changed for the Umbehr family. A "little" 9 lb 8 oz baby Maximilian Keen was born to us on April 20th at 4:21 a.m. Now he's a smiling, drooling, cooing, whopping 19 pounder who loves his baths and likes to sing with Mommy at Mass and have talks with Daddy. So we're no longer just two married people. We're now parents, responsible for the health, nutrition, safety and salvation of another human being. It's a tall order when you let it sink in.
My prayer is that we can glorify God by fulfilling our little mommy and daddy duties. While Kelby's off and working hard to support us, I stay at home with our sweet baby boy. In these past three months, I've been working on wrapping my mind and my heart around my place and purpose in the world right now. Obviously God has handed me one of his precious children to care for and I see great purpose in that alone. But my first vocation is as a wife. Part of what I had in mind when I married Kelby was making him dinner every night and rising with bright eyes to make him breakfast, packing him his lunch, then cheerily kissing him as he heads to work. This image, though already a little difficult to attain when it was just the two of us, pretty much deteriorated once Max joined us. As you can imagine, the dinners were more like take-out meals or frozen pizzas. Bright eyes in the morning were replaced with puffy eyes and a jungle for hair and the breakfast 9 times out of 10, he ate alone. All of this isn't painting the most beautiful of pictures is it? Well, I wasn't too happy about it either. Honestly, Max wasn't the one to blame at all. I wasn't looking at my life through the proper lense. My reason for wanting to do all those things was misplaced.
The change started to slowly come when I decided to read the book my mom got me for Mother's Day. It's called A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. The author, a mother of 5 living in Canada, talks about the way she brought order to her home and how, as a result of that, brought happiness and peace to her life. Not even half-way through the book yet, I've been given a new perspective. This is my vocation! Making the bed because my husband is accustomed to it and appreciates it is a way in which I live out my vocation not a repetetive, pesky chore. Cooking dinner and having it ready to go when Kelby gets home from work is giving glory to God. Changing a stinky diaper is unglamorous but pleases the Lord because it is taking care of the gift He has given me. The point is there is a point to all the little things and just because I'm not off working and bringing in money, my "job" is higher than any career, it's a vocation, a calling from God. Now, breakfast is still an obstacle of mine and sometimes it's noon before I make the bed, but slowly, my life is taking a celestial turn.
To sum it all up, I want this blog to serve as, of course, a means for showcasing our beautiful little Max, but also for giving an insight into motherhood and the vocation of marriage. May God be glorified in everything we do.
Thanks for your love!
Christine
Baptized on Mother's Day. Here with all the Hickerson aunts and uncles.
It's good to be alive!
3 months and loving it!
Found your blog via CampPatton.... Just wanted to say that I enjoyed A Mother's Rule as well! Holly had some great thought provoking points about the role of a mother, wife, parent.
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