Hot Mess Hannah

Here is a recent video of Hannah demonstrating her talking and signing.

Here is another fun video of her and in her high chair making me smile.

It is just like God to make sure you stay humble. 

You think you got this parenting thing down? 
You think you have figured out how to take many kids to one place and get them to behave? 
You believe you can leave a sharpie out on the desk without proper supervision?
You think you understand how to effectively pile in and out of the van without losing a child? 
You think you don't need to childproof your home?
You think you can attend an event and keep all your children close without one of them running away and forcing you to choose between abandoning three for the sake of finding one?

Think ... again.

Hannah has changed ALL the rules in our house. She is by far and without a moment's wondering, the most difficult of my four children at this age. Sometimes I start to think it is just me. Sometimes I think I am aging and that I am tired and that I am no good at this thing called motherhood anymore.

I wonder if I am losing my touch.

I wonder if I forgot how to do this.

I wonder if I am doing something wrong.

I wonder if I just can't remember how to make them obey.

And then I take Hannah somewhere. Church for instance. She is one of seven little brunettes in the nursery. They are all about her age. They all look very much like her. They are wearing their cute outfits and bows and tights and wandering around the room playing.

And the teacher hands me my Hannah and she says, "Now this girl must keep you on your toes."

"Yes," I say! "She does!"

"She is so ... BUSY!" the teacher replies.

And I am not angry. And I do not feel offended in the slightest. In fact, I smile really big and nod and say, "Okay! So it isn't just me you mean, right? I mean, you think so too? You think that she's a little bit harder than all these other little identical looking girls?"

The teacher nods.

And I feel so ... relieved.

She is ... hard.

She is absolutely wonderful of course. She is snuggly and silly and fun and chubby and scrumptious.

But she leaves me simply scratching my head in disbelief. Here are some facts:

I have lost her, inside of our own home MORE THAN ALL MY OTHER CHILDREN COMBINED.
She has damaged our home (like with pens or markers or ripped books) MORE THAN ALL MY OTHER CHILDREN COMBINED.
She has tried to plug something in or out of an electrical socket MORE THAN ALL MY OTHER CHILDREN COMBINED.
She has run from me when in public MORE THAN ALL MY OTHER CHILDREN COMBINED.
I have lost her in public MORE THAN ALL MY OTHER CHILDREN COMBINED.


I truly believe she is God's way of making sure that I continue to relate to all moms in all ways at all times. Just when you think you have it altogether, something reminds you that we are all as strong as the savior who is holding us up.




I love you Hannah!