When we were getting ready to have our baby, Brian's work asked him about taking a paternity leave. I had heard of father's taking a leave and I thought it sounded funny and a little absurd. Why does the father need time off? He didn't just give birth!
Then I realized, good grief, I'm going to have a baby plus two little boys who are not the most independent of God's creatures, to put it mildly. Of course he needs a paternity leave! He needs to help me! And we are going to take every bit of what we have coming!
So Brian took two weeks off, which included the time in the hospital. Then he went back for two and a half weeks, and then COVID19 gave me my husband back! I had him home for the rest of the school year! He set up an office of sorts downstairs, and did some virtual instruction. While I tried not to disturb him or depend on him too much in the crazy moments, I relished in the fact that he could eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us. There was no commute! I enjoyed even loading a snack tray and bringing down food and drink to him. I was so happy to have him home!
I remember June 2019, when I took my pregnancy test and shared with Brian our news, my first words to him were, "I'm terrified!" I knew taking care of my two boys plus a baby was going to require a new level of strength on my part and a level of sanity I doubted I had.
Yet, God, in all His goodness and sovereignty, perfectly arranged this for me. Who would have known one year ago that Brian would have a long absence from work due to a pandemic? I was scared and didn't know how I'd manage, and God had it all worked out.
Now, of course, Brian is getting ready to go back next week, and life must go on. I still scratch my head and wonder how in the world I'll make it. I simply have to deal with things mamas don't normally have to deal with, and it is hard (understatement of the century). Yet, these months have shown me how much God orchestrated the timing of my baby's birth with a pandemic to give me my husband's help when I most needed it, especially in those bleary-eyed early days.
I'm not sure how things will go on my own once again, but I am more than grateful for the time I had with my husband. He had extra time with Anna in her early months than he did with the boys, and it was a sweet time for all of us to be together, and getting used to being a family of five.
Now, the next obstacle: how to overcome the issue of alarm clocks while rooming with a baby! Lord, help us! She wakes up if I breathe wrong, never mind an alarm clock!
