Baby Girl and Little Man call out "Mommy!" approximately 74 times an hour
to show a booboo they just discovered
to ask for help, or food, or water, or "up pease!"
to say something very important like "that man is mowing his lawn!" or "sometimes I call Otis a good puppy!" or "me NOT tired!" or "grandma has a garage at her house!"
Each time they call out "Mommy"
they mean me
and not Her
And when they see Her they call Her "mommy", too.
And the truth is
I am their mommy
who wipes their tears
rocks them to sleep
encourages them to eat their vegetables
sits in the waiting room again and again and again and prays that the surgery will go well
comforts them when they are missing their brothers
lovingly corrects their mistakes
teaches them manners
gets hugs and kisses and "I love you!"s from two of the world's sweetest babies
makes mistakes every day but is doing her best
I am their mommy when someone does a double take at my shopping cart full of groceries and children and says, "are they all yours?!"
and they are
and they aren't
And the truth is
She is their mommy
who carried them for 9 months in her belly and cried tears of joy when they were born
tried her hardest to keep them fed and clothed and safe
holds her arms wide as they run to her at their visit
cries as she straps them into my car when their visit is over
eagerly gives me her phone number so that she can talk to her babies
gets hugs and kisses and "I love you!"s from two of the world's sweetest babies
makes mistakes every day but is doing her best
And we're not that different, she and I
because we are both loved and cherished mommies
because we are both loved and cherished daughters of the King
because no sin is greater and no person less worthy of His love
So today I will treasure the two precious lives that She bore but that He has entrusted to me for this time
and at the same time I will pray for their "other Mommy"
because I am the one who gets to
tuck them in
And we're not that different, she and I
because we are both loved and cherished mommies
because we are both loved and cherished daughters of the King
because no sin is greater and no person less worthy of His love
So today I will treasure the two precious lives that She bore but that He has entrusted to me for this time
and at the same time I will pray for their "other Mommy"
because I am the one who gets to
tuck them in
answer their questions
hear their sweet baby voices
watch them grow and learn and change
Because without Her
I would not be their mommy for now
