Are you a good baby?

It's a common question asked to new moms...whether it is her first baby or second or third baby...
 "Is he a good baby?"
This question has been poking me lately. Poking me with lil' pangs

pangs of guilt...so Malachi is my third baby and so i have two other children to compare him to when answering this question. And with all the family and friend Christmas gatherings I have cousins and other moms to watch as well. Oh all this comparison just makes me feel guilty for thinking maybe he isn't that good of a baby or maybe it is just my parenting or my diet affecting my breastmilk or...maybe he just likes to cry and burp and spit and is having his own pangs thus far...but seriously, what mommy wnts to acknowledge or believe that her baby isn't good?

pangs of wonder...since pondering of Jesus' birth at Christmas, I have thought much about having this conversation with Mary: I imagine approaching the stable just days after Jesus was born and just before they are going to leave their 'hospital'. "so Mary is he a good baby?" Would she answer with reflections of when the angel came to her with the news that she would become pregnant through the power of the Spirit and have God's son recalling her humility and acceptance of this calling on her life? Or would she respond through the more immediate realities of her sore body from child birth, her engorged breasts and possible sore nipples from the newness of breastfeeding, her exhausted state after being up all night and all day as if there wasn't a difference, and her less then adequate physical environment of a barn where the echo of a baby crying could be piercing and earth shaking...? Can I be like Mary and not compare when I know that the creator of the universe has been so good to me and woven together so delicately my 3 blessings? Can I have the humble perspective that life is so much greater than me and that finally my career has changed from daily collection calls that impact not to a life of daily mothering with discipline, fun, hugs, and lots of creativity to guide and guard 3 precious lil souls and hearts straight back to the only savior Jesus Christ who was once a good baby Himself. Isn't he amazing to become just like one of us?!

pangs of discouragement...even now as I sit to write this blog, my precious lil' Malachi (messenger of God) is crying to be held and now I am typing one handed...seems life with a good baby is full of cuddles, bouncing, walking, standing, and a large flannel blanket that I call a burp rag.

pangs of inspiration...yet I have been inspired these days; inspired to take this question to the Lord. Facts are that I feel like a baby these days. With all the changes in my life, i find myself wanting my mommy... And then I realize who I really need is my creator God Almighty himself. I need Him when I feel lonely in the midst of playing with laundry baskets as if they were motorcycles and minivans. I need Him when I don't wake up before the kids and so I miss my opportunity for quiet Jesus time and a possible shower. I need Him when the cereal and juice spill on the floor for the 2nd time and I see no fruit for my labor. And sometimes I need Him to catch my tears as I cry in my exhaustive state because life is overwhelming when my selfishness starts to drive my life...selfishness that just wants the kids to be sleeping early enough to enjoy a game of pinochle with my hubby, selfishness that longs to just be still and soak in the word of God, and then the selfishness to want my friends that I left back in Minnesota...
So for today I am probably not a good baby peacefully resting in the arms of God. But I am so thankful that it isn't my goodness that God is counting on. My verse for today from the verse cards in my bathroom reminded me of whose goodness life depends on - Psalm 31:9 "your goodness is so great!..."
and that is enough for me at least I am asking God to satisfy me because my baby is crying once again, my 2 year old spilled again, and my four year old said she needs the iPod because she doesn't have any good toys to play with...oh baby! Thankfully God is good and I know it!