Mom!

Caleb & Mom on Easter Sunday!

  Yes, he's a cute baby.

  But I'm not here to talk about Caleb.  I want to talk about Rachel and her (relatively) new identity as 'mom'.

  I was thinking the other day about how, when I grew up, my dad always referred to mom as 'mom', rather than by her name.  It never struck me as odd until we had a child and I started thinking about our own family and what title I would use when I told Caleb to go find his mother when I inevitably cut my finger off with my miter saw.  I realized I wouldn't tell him to go find Rachel--I'd tell him to get mom.  (I'll be honest and say Rachel spends a good deal of time taking care of me, too.)  It's not because I don't love Rachel for the wonderful and independent woman that she is--but she has become a mother, and the role has beautifully transformed her.

  It's hard to put it into words, but having a child has changed Rachel in an amazing way.  (It's changed me, too, but she handles change with far more grace than I do.)  She's completely focused on the role of being a mother, of caring for Caleb and expressing her love for him in so many different ways.  When she comes home from work, she instantly sheds the role of accountant and takes up Caleb into her arms and something incredible happens before my very eyes--the woman I love grabs hold of the chance to raise a child, to love him and care for him and help him grow.  Her focus is so intent on Caleb--she worries about him, cares for him, watches every little motion, all while encouraging him.

  It's not that she's forgotten about me.  She does all this while still being a great wife and offering me encouragement and love.  It's that she's added this new role, and she loves it in a way that neither of us could have expected.  When she was pregnant, we knew we were excited to have this new little man to focus upon, but I don't think we realized how incredible parenting was.  It's been such a blessing to have him in our lives, and we see our lives differently now--it's not about us.

  I'm probably not expressing this very well, but it's fun to watch Rachel and Caleb.  She loves being a mom, and she handles the difficult and exhausting parts of it so well because she sees the bigger picture.  It's changed her in ways I can't describe, and it's been a treat to be a part of it all, to see Caleb change our lives and to watch him grow into the man God has called him to be.