We Take Care of Each Other

Last week, I was overwhelmed with the chaos around me.  "Quiet time" had just ended abruptly while I was plugged into the wall pumping and everyone needed something all at once.  I went to a happy place to block out the noise so that I could buy an extra few minutes to have enough milk to satisfy the babies before I took off running upstairs to start retrieving children one at a time.  I dumped a now diapered and clothed Hannah and her 15 baboos on the couch and thrust a bottle of milk in her hands (she's like a caffeine addict who can't start their day without a cup of coffee, only with milk, and it happens in the morning and after naptime.)  Attempted to soothe a whiny Emmy, plunked a screaming James in his jumperoo and went after my Juju. Finally, after grabbing the fresh milk bottles, I sank into the couch to start feeding Juju.  It took me a second to realize that the house now felt calm.  I looked over to see Hannah sitting before James in his jumperoo, and they were just looking at each other contentedly.  Under his chin rolls was a balled up burp cloth.  He's known for having eyes bigger than his stomach and spits up with great regularity.  I called to Emmy, who was now immersed in her legos, asking her if she'd wiped Jamesy Boy up, with the intent of thanking her for her help.  To which she said, "No, Mama, that was Hannah."

Even typing those words just now, tears well up in my eyes.  My baby taking care of her baby brother.  My Emmy has such a nurturing heart, and is constantly helping me care for her siblings, whether it be running to get things for me, offering a bottle to the babies when they are crying before I can get there, or sitting with them, making them laugh, when they wake up and I am busy tending to something else.  Now my Hannah, saw an opportunity to help her little brother who couldn't help himself, and stepped in without being asked to do so.  One of the greatest prayers I have for our children is that they have a servant's heart, and it's moments such as these where I am overcome with gratitude knowing that God is molding our babies to do His work.

Luckily for me, my camera was within arm's reach.  I want to remember this moment...