Yesterday afternoon Caroline and I went over to hang out with Gulley and her boys. When we got there I walked into her house and noticed immediately that her kitchen was a mess and I was all like, “WHAT UP with the kitchen?”
She explained that she had spent the entire morning and half of the afternoon preparing food to take to one of her husband’s co-workers who just had a baby. And let me tell y’all something, when Gulley brings a meal she doesn’t just show up with some sad-looking tater tot casserole. She goes ALL OUT. I’m talking creamy pork tenderloin, fresh green beans, homemade cinnamon cake AND pigs in a blanket for BREAKFAST the next day.
I would seriously consider having another child just for Gulley’s food.
Anyway, we sat and visited while she cleaned up the kitchen. I asked how the new mama was doing and Gulley said, “She’s just in that raw state of new motherhood”. If you’ve been there, you know exactly what she meant by that. Nothing prepares you for how much you’re going to love that little person, how worried you’re going to be that you’ll do something wrong, and how little sleep you can live on for endless weeks.
It’s RAW.
I remember many a night where I rocked Caroline endlessly while bargaining with God to just please make her go to sleep and please don’t let her have an explosion in her diaper the minute she finally drifts off. There was one especially bad day in those early weeks when my friend Jamie called me and I think I burst into tears. She said, “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but there will come a day when you will be able to go to put her to bed at 8:00 and she will sleep until the next morning.”
I’m still waiting for that day.
Oh, it’s a joke. Kind of.
But that simple statement was like a life preserver at that moment. I just needed to hear something from someone who had been there and lived to tell about it. I needed someone to tell me what Gulley told that new mama yesterday, which was, “You can’t screw them up at this stage. Just love them to pieces and they’ll be fine.”
Anyway, the point is that as we go through different stages of life, it helps to hear encouragement and practical advice. Sometimes you just need to know that what you’re feeling is normal and no one is about to cart you off in a white jacket. (Insert “Saturday Night Fever” joke here.)
Last summer at the She Speaks Conference, I got to (briefly!) meet Marla Taviano. She is a witty, practical, eloquent wife and mother of three girls who has taken the time to share what she has learned about marriage, sex, impending motherhood, and being a mama in four incredible books.
Her most recent book is called “Expecting” and it’s a beautiful devotional book that guides you through 40 weeks of praying for your baby as he/she/they develop.
You can go read more about her books and even some sample chapters by visiting her blog and looking on the right sidebar where it says “Books by Marla”.
And here’s the best part. Marla has agreed to let three lucky winners pick their choice of one of her books plus some gift card action to Target. Mossimo goods and a new book. Who can say they aren’t interested in winning that?
So here’s what you need to do.
1. Go visit Marla’s blog and check out all her books.
2. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know which one you’d like to have and maybe if you thought about leaving your husband with your newborn baby and finding the nearest hotel to get a good night’s sleep.
3. I will pick the three winners using Random.org on Sunday, February 1st.
1st place: Choice of one book and a $25.00 Target gift card
2nd place: Choice of one book and a $10.00 Target gift card
3rd place: Choice of one book4. If you can’t wait or even if you don’t win, you can purchase Marla’s first three books for the stunningly low price of $20.00 on her site.
Y’all have fun and I’ll see you tomorrow with a brand-new Fashion Friday unless some unforeseen circumstances arise.
How’s that for hedging my bets?