Silence is Golden!

Ok, so I've been away for a while. But, there is a good explanation for it, I promise!!! You see, we're child sitting, for what appears to be an indefinite amount of time. What started out to be a 3 or 4 day sleepover, has turned into 8 days and still counting. It's no one's fault, and I'm not upset by it, but having 1 more child day in & day out has thrown my 'norm' off a little bit.

A very good friend of mine from MOPS went in for surgery on Wednesday morning (last week). She is the mother of 4 kiddos, so several of us took them so that her hubby would be free to visit her, be with her, or head back out to work after the surgery. On Thursday, something happened, and she was immediately rushed into the ICU. And, there she still is - 6 days later! It's been very hard on her & her husband, but harder still on the kids.

The little guy we're keeping is only 3, so his understanding of what's going on is almost nothing. He just knows that mommy is at the doctor's office. He's not asking about her, not crying for her, not really saying anything about her or daddy - which has been a blessing. That's not to say I'm glad he's not missing his mommy, but I AM! That means he's not homesick yet, which means that his new daily ritual at my house isn't causing him too much heartache. He's been wonderfully easy, and has adapted well to the structure of our household - eating & snack times, waking up early, going to bed early, etc. He even clears his 'spot' at the table after eating, just like my 3 kiddos know they must do after each meal.

The only BIG change (for me much more than him!) has been the fact that I haven't been forcing him to go down for a nap every day. My 3 (almost 4) year old quit taking naps about a year ago. I only force her to bed during the day if her bahavior indicates that she needs some extra rest. But, having Little W around has meant more play time, less rest time! She's loved it! And, really, so have I. But today, I decided to try something. Little W is currently upstairs, where he should be taking a nap. I'm not convinced he's actually doing that since I keep hearing the pitter-patter of little feet up there - I will have to go check on that momentarily. Morgann was off to school today, leaving only Ian & Little W here with me. We had a few friends over for a play date, had lunch, and they left, leaving just Little W up and on his own. And, since I decided that Mr. TV needed to take a break, there really wasn't any reason that he shouldn't go upstairs to, at the very least, rest, and hopefully sleep :)

So, here I sit, in a very quiet house, for the first time in what seems ages! And, as I sit here, I'm thinking about how ready I am to be back to 'normal'. I love having Little W here with us, especially since he's been so easy, but I'm sort of ready for a break! When I offered to help out with Little W, I never imagined that he'd be with us a week later, and maybe even longer! It's hard not to be frustrated with the situation, but I'm trusting that God will continue to give me the Grace to be the extra-mommy that Little W needs right now, that He will continue to bless Little W with Peace, that that same Peace will rest on my kiddos as their lives have be interrupted by a stranger, and that God will be merciful to my hubby, as having another child around is really throwing off our family time! But, I guess most of all, I'm praying that Little W's mommy will experience healing in her body, and that things will balance and regulate so that she can get home to her 4 kiddos that she's missing so terribly!