Wow, it's been more than a month since F was born! Recovery has been very different this time. Not painful as it was with T. Certain though it's been annoying and my activity has been restricted. Throughout this time my husband has been a real trooper. Or perhaps just loyal to his wedding vows.
Isn't married life grand?
I mean it. Seriously. Sure marriage has challenges. But the partnership is invaluable.
When you are ill you aren't alone.
When you are down you aren't alone.
When you are in labor and need to be driven to the hospital you aren't alone.
When you pack for a move you aren't alone.
When you want to paint or rearrange furniture you aren't alone.
When the baby arrives and your activities restricted...
When baby is hungry and older child wants something...
When you need to shower or dress and have a baby or little...
When you forget something at the store...
When you have car trouble you aren't alone...
When you need some adult conversation and can't get together with other friends you aren't alone...
At our wedding we chose to memorize and recite traditional vows. S said to me, "I, S, take you, L, to be my wedded wife, and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving, devoted, and faithful husband in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.
S is a man of his word. He takes his vows seriously. He also takes seriously the commands in Scripture for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. That makes him willing to love by serving his family self-sacrificially when need be. I think how Christ washed the disciples' feet. Peter objected, crying out "No, Lord, I should be washing your feet, not you mine!" Christ explained to Peter about servant hood in leadership. This of course doesn't mean I am to expect S to always do things for me. It's a partnership, and I help him daily too. I made vows as well you know! But when his spouse (I) or family needs something, S shows his love in very tangible ways helping us. That's why he's not afraid to change a dirty diaper in the middle of the night. Love.
Once a few years ago I got so sick I literally couldn't get up from bed without being too ill to walk. My dear husband made sure I rested and stayed hydrated and looked after T on the worst day when I had to - had to- to stay in bed.
After I had baby F and was restricted in activities due to how recovery went my husband jumped in to take my place best he could. He cooked dinner. He did the grocery shopping. He stocked the pantry with lunches that could be microwaved or eaten cold. He hand washed the dishes, did the laundry, helped with middle of the night diaper changes, and helped keep the house running. He ran with T in the evening, giving him the active play with a parent I couldn't during the day (though of course I could do quiet activities and we read a ton too). For the last week or two I've been doing much better and getting back to housework but feeding on demand still can challenge the best of schedules. Today we had T's 4th birthday party (he didn't have a party last year). As best as I tried, nursing on demand kept getting in the way of preparing all the food. He: baked the cupcake (I frosted them), prepared half the 2-layer jello, and finished threading the fruit kabobs while I nursed F. He watched F & T (w the help of a bottle of expressed milk!) while I ran to the store. He mopped the floor too! When I was nursing at the start of the party, he welcomed guests inside. I'm so thankful for his help. Together we pulled off a party for our preschooler with a newborn in the house.
Hooray for husbands!
