Hurry Up and Wait-an Adventure

The Military life and Motherhood can be such an adventure...a hurry up and wait adventure. We have uncertainty at all times as far as what the next day, week, month and year holds, and we live in uncertain times. We can be certain of one thing...or person rather- our unchanging God who holds in His mighty hand our expected end, if we are His children who are saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. When things get difficult, trying, and uncertain, this constant is such a blessing and comfort if we will just pause to think of it.

Well, this last week was not as exciting as some weeks, but it was draining all the same. For me, it included recovering from Brian working about 80 hours last week due to duty and an inspection. In the midst of this, your Monday (our Tuesday), Lily got sick and kept complaining that her tongue hurt. I saw that she had some white spots on her tonsils so I had her drink some water and then looked again. Yep, red, swollen, white spots,..gotta do it...gotta call the Dr. The schedulers told me that she needed to be seen *that day*, and so began yet another Yost adventure.

I decided to give Brian a call at work on the miraculous possibility that he might have been able to meet me at the hospital to sit with the kids while Lily got checked....or perhaps they could sit with him in his van at work? No way...not a chance...the inspection, you know. OOOk...that means I get to take allll my little darlings in to the Dr myself :) I was laughing already...seriously. So, I woke up Ayden from his nap...and Lily. They were practicing their crying as I got them buckled in their seats. Brianna and Anjolie behaved perfectly -sensing my stress I am sure.

We have had these adventures before, and you just never know what may happen. I may lose my keys, lose a life necessity-(pacifier), bust my tires on some random curb...Ayden may decide he wants to change his own diaper, someone may throw up in the van on the way (t.m.i.)...what would it be this time??? Praise the Lord none of those things happened---again.

No, this, in comparison to some others, ended up being a pretty mundane trip, but an adventure all the same-as is every day. We were stuck in traffic a bit so that put us in a crunch for time to make the appt. When we arrived to the parking lot of the hospital, I quickly put Ayden in his stroller and discovered that it had somehow warped to where the front right tire would not touch the ground when the other three wheels did. "Of Course"...I thought to myself and laughed at how ridiculous the stroller looked. Ayden was screaming and flailing his little appendages in anger as it was extremely offensive to him that I would momentarily release him from the bondage of a car seat only to harness him again in a stroller...and a broken one at that. I focused my attention on the 3 girls and explained to them that they were to behave, as always yadda yadda yadda-- all the while Ayden is half hanging out of his broken stroller, wailing. I glanced at the time...I had 5 min to make the 15min check in early time...so we were off...

Lily stood on the bar in the back of the warped stroller and Brianna and Anjolie held hands running behind me to keep up. We made it to the counter after a few comical episodes of me getting the stroller through the door etc ...I finally settled on the "pop a wheely" position in which both front wheels were up with Ayden's wailing face peeking over his feet and Lily hung on for dear life on the back. I got many a fun look from the people passing by...I passed an expectant mommy or two...and had to chuckle. "LOOK HOW FUN KIDS ARE!!" we seemed to scream. It was funny.

We made it to the check-in counter on time and a little out of breath. Ayden and Lily resumed their crying when they realized they were in the dreaded Dr's office. As I stood there amidst the whirlwind of events, I secretly promised myself a treat after the ordeal was over. A nurse tried to give Ayden various toys to calm him...all of which became airborne immediately. I told her she should just ignore him and his flailing. She insisted on giving him a sticker *sigh* I know she was trying to help, but all that did was create even more of a tantrum when he could not get the sticker to "fly" like the other toys. He screamed and shook his hand, screamed and shook his hand trying to get that sticker off. When he tried to use the other hand to get it off...it only stuck to that hand...there was a momentary pause at this phenomenon...then the process started again scream, shake, scream shake. Believe me, I know the wailing 18mo Ayden needed some pronto training, but I was busy holding a flailing 2yo Lily who does not want to get weighed or touched or looked at in any way. I *needed* to pray for Grace and better judgment...note to self...NEVER...unless the child's limb is dangling by a strand or the child is in danger of certain death...schedule an appt during nap time.

Back to getting control. I told Lily quietly to obey or she would be corrected. Suddenly it clicked in her mind in a very simple way that her obedience would overcome her fear...or something like that. It helped the flailing..though she was still crying softly -which was fine. Ayden needed a couple or hundred training whacks, but there was no way to do it in this situation- and I am consistent, even if it means interrupting a conversation to do it. This would have to be just more work at home in Ayden's training. Brianna and Anjolie stood quietly by the door watching- I shot them my look of thankfulness and then a plastic grin that said in a clenched teeth way "See, everything is.just.fine". I was truly thankful that noone had to go potty yet or had an accident on the floor yet *ahem* again.

The nurses managed to somehow to get Lily's vitals etc...and then again, we waited. I caught my breath and waited for the drama of seeing the Dr. I kept reminding myself how worth it this was if she had strep. and would get some antibiotics to get her well...."just hang in there...it's worth it", I thought.

So, we finally headed in to the exam room. I had time to calm Lily and talk with God while holding a now happy-to-be-out-of-my-stroller Ayden. The Dr was very good with Lily, and she was not afraid-Lily that is. The Dr then, decides no throat swab is needed...Lily is wheezing and needs a breathing treatment. UGH!!!! I wanted to protest. I had brought her in for strep...not some breathing issue. The Lord is so good though, and I am ignorant of His plan to keep my children safe. I remember thinking, "How long was THAT going to take?". I know that sounds insensitive and awful, but seriously...I was going to be needing a breathing treatment if they didn't get us out of there so I could just take my sick children home and soon. It had been over an hour so, I knew it was coming....Anjolie had to go potty, and so did Brianna... I started to panic just a tinge, but relaxed when I remembered the bathroom was just down the hall. I held Ayden as Lily got her breathing treatment and stepped into the hall to watch Brianna and Anjolie. Just breath, just relax.

The breathing treatment lasted about 10 minutes and I was thankful to be almost finished with the whole ordeal...but it wasn't over. The Dr came in and listened to Lily's chest, Lily started coughing...nope she needed another breathing treatment-she was still wheezing. For a moment, I wanted to just break down into a mental *sob*. Surprisingly, my mind thought panicked thoughts, but my heart felt at peace. I needed to just look up and see the Lord at work in my little situation which was so small yet important to Him.

As I forced myself to count my blessings, I noticed that we were almost the last appt that afternoon and there was no line at the bathroom, the Navy corpsmen and NAs were more relaxed and willing to wait on me since they knew their day was almost over ( it was the Lord of course). Everyone was smiling and not irritated at all that I had my whole crew with me...which I try to never do, but I let them know ahead of time that this would be the case since I could not get a sitter at such late notice. His Grace was around me I just had to be willing to look away from the distractions to "see" it.

Lily had to go potty by the end of her last breathing treatment and Ayden was squirming, but I felt so relaxed and at peace that I barely noticed these as even *wrinkles*. Ayden squalled at his return to the brokedown stroller and we must have looked pretty funny on our trek up to the pharmacy for an inhaler and steroids for Lily...then back down (Ayden squalling the whole way) and out to the car, but I was smiling. Just another little adventure in motherhood.

The adventures may change, but they will never go away. The Lord will help me to keep smiling and laughing along the way and He will be there for the tears as well. Whether it be hurry-up or wait...He is there with me the whole time. God is so good even in the smallest of trials. Life's trials will be uncertain, but His grace is my constant!

Picture from allposters.com