There are moments when you know the Lord is present. Sometimes, things seem to improbable to be chalked up to chance. Stay with me through a long and winding story to see what I mean.
Hannah has been eating and sleeping great! In fact, I am hesitant to admit, she is only waking up one time in the middle of the night.
(Usually around 3am).
(Don't hate me.)
However, while one time up is awesome, in traditional Kitsteiner-style, the eating is s-l-o-w. I am usually awake for at least 1.5-2 hour before babe is put back in her bed as this includes breast and bottle feeding.
At the 1.5 to 2 hour mark, as I crawl back under the covers, I have been finding myself wide awake! Not fun when it is 4:30 or 5am and you know that the first of Hannah's big brothers (usually Sidge) will make his way out of bed close to 6am. While JB often tries to let me sleep until he has to leave for work around 7 or 7:30am, I am still wanting, more than anything, to fall back to sleep during those precious 1-2 hours that I have before my day must begin ... for a second time.
Experts tell you to "sleep when the baby sleeps."
I don't think those experts have three big brothers and sisters who are ready to eat and play and dive into their day like they have been sleeping for twelve hours or something.
So I tell my own live-in expert ... my doctor/husband ... about my inability to fall back to sleep during those precious hours, and he reminds me of good sleep-hygiene. I need to keep light dim during these hours. I need to not be on the computer or watching TV.
Egads!
How can I possibly stay awake for two hours without the TV or computer?
We brainstorm.
Feeding the baby in bed with us? Not really an option. For a lot of reasons. It keeps hubby awake. My feeds often include a bottle. And, well, the biggest reason is that I often fall asleep while feeding in bed which neither of us feel is very safe.
So instead, I always go into the living room, sit in my favorite chair, and, to pass the time, watch TV or browse online. Neither of these are good ideas as the light from these machines is counterproductive to returning to sleep.
He suggests I read.
Read? No way. That's a sure-fire way for me to find myself konked out again.
What to do to stay awake ...
I brainstorm more and do a bit of googling and find the website of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. This is the now 20,000 member church in South Florida that my husband attended before he moved to Kentucky. Pastor Bob Coy is an amazing and dynamic speaker whose messages were sure to keep me awake!
I find the sermon library and begin browsing.
I can listen to him speak with the computer turned away from me. And hopefully, by the time he is done, Hannah will be done, and by that time, I'll be able to slip back under my blanket and fall to sleep quickly so as to maximize my sleep hours!
And here's where the whole "divine intervention" comes into play. Of all the sermons I could have stumbled upon, I pick one that is dealing with infertility and adoption.
It was entitled "Monumental Motherhood." The title seemed like something good for me as a mom. Who would have guessed that it would detail struggle with infertility. That it would include other topics like abortion and adoption.
As I begin listening, I realize that it is a Mother's Day message.
For any woman dealing with infertility ... Mother's Day messages are avoided like the plague.
But this sermon was incredible! Stay tuned. My next post will detail the best Mother's Day message I have ever heard.
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