It's all about Balance

When we got married we realized very quickly that we had to put the others needs before our own. It wasn't just about me anymore. Being married is a constant effort by both people to make the other one happy. So that was a big challenge that took time for both of us to learn. After 3 years we decided we wanted to try for a baby and God gave us Jacob.
My world changed then and I was balancing my role as a wife and mother now. A newborn baby requires a lot of attention but so does a marraige. I always felt like I was forgetting about Chris because my world revolved around the baby and feeding times. Not to mention I was always exhausted. I wanted to be a good mother but I couldn't forget my role as a wife. After 2 years I felt like I had figured things out so we asked God for another baby and He gave us Jaron.
Jaron was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate which means he couldn't drink a bottle normally. So that meant more attention than my first baby. And once again my strings are pulled in different directions. I want to be a good wife and mother to Jacob but I needed to do so much for Jaron it wasn't easy. After 3 surgeries and lots of therapy I felt like I was ready for another baby so God gave us Jonah.
Having 3 children to me wasn't much different than having 2. I mean by now I was so used to running around doing for everyone else I just took turns with each one. It wasn't easy but I knew with God's help I could do it (cause I'm supermom). My boys took most of my time but we always had a set bedtime so Chris and I could have our time to talk and relax together as a couple. It all seemed to become normal and I was comfortable in my role as a mother and wife. I thought I didn't want anymore children. And one day God changed my heart and said "This is who you are....a mother. You are doing your best and of course you could handle one more as long as you keep Me first in your life."
So we tried for one more and we got Justus. Our precious little baby who hardly ever cried. He has been more sick than any of the other boys at this age but I guess it's to be expected with 3 big brothers who pass around all their germs. Now having 4 children is definately a challenge and it's non stop laundry but I love it!

I love my role as a mother and a wife. I am right where I always wanted to be~at home with my children. We have settled into a routine and we love it. We have our good days and our bad days but it's so worth it. I cannot imagine my life without my boys.

And my husband....well I love him more today than I did the day we married~seriously! I know him more and I am closer to him than I was then. We can read each others minds. We still make time for ourselves everyday to sit and talk and reconnect. I think that is what's kept us together.
Terri Cote