Surprise!

No, we’re NOT pregnant! :)

Nick had a fun surprise last week at work. The OB here gave him a C-section to do on his own after doing his quota of supervised ones. Per ultrasound, the mom was expecting twins! Nick delivered one, then two, and went to deliver the placenta. He was surprised to find yet another hand down there… “Don’t leave me in here!” the third baby waved. The mom was beyond thrilled. Niger, for some reason, has one of the highest rates of multiple births. 

The kids and I went to meet the mom and babes last weekend at the hospital. My guess is if a mom in America found out at delivery she was having not twins, but triplets, she would need some serious time to adjust her expectations accordingly before she was legitimately excited for what lay ahead. This mom, and the grandmother, were thrilled. There was no hint of “Wow, we have a lot of work ahead of us.” Triplets were cause for major celebration! The same celebratory reaction came from our house help, Anna, when I told her about Nick's surprise delivery.

I may wear glasses tinted with “I’m-a-mother-of-two-small-kids-both-in-diapers-and-my-husband-is-busy-and-I’m-really-ready-to-fall-apart-the-minute-my-kids-fall-asleep,” but I definitely get the feeling in America people tend to have something similar to pity on mothers of small children, especially mothers with more than one. “Wow, you must be busy!” or “Get ready, it only gets busier!”

When people see me with kids here, their sentiment seems nothing but congratulatory. “Wow, you are so fortunate! Look at those kids!” In the mornings, Moriah and Charlie and I are accompanied by our dear friends. The youngest, Jonathan, is with us most of the morning, and his older sister, Sarah, after kindergarten gets out. The more kids I have with me, the happier the reaction from Nigeriens who see us. Maybe it’s a cultural difference due to an expectation that children will provide for parents in old age. Maybe it’s due to the fact that so many mothers lose children to malaria, typhoid, or other illnesses. Maybe life is pretty monotonous, and kids are one of the few distractions from the daily grind… even if they add to it. 

Whatever the reason, being in Galmi is a fun reminder that so many people do see children, and lots of them, as a huge blessing from the Lord (or whatever their understand of God is). In the thick of potty training and weaning my almost 18-month-old who still nurses like it’s going out of style, I’m so not ready to start nursing and diapering all over again. We have loved adding a couple of (potty-trained!) kiddos to our house in the mornings though. I am seeing how my kids thrive with more playmates. Moriah and Jonathan are nearly inseparable. Even in evening hours if they see each other outside, they quickly run to each other and pick up their game of shooting lions with sticks. (Yes, our diva princess Moriah is picking up some boy adventure games…) Moriah’s pretending has sky-rocketed to a whole new level as she learns from Sarah who is great at playing house and directing the toddlers in games. 

Here is Moriah telling Jonathan and Charlie about how to play store in the “cantry” - 

she can’t quite figure out the “p” sound in this word.

We’re actually having so much fun I have had some fleeting thoughts of having a mock pre-school with some of our friends when we get home. Maybe we’ll try adding another one to our family instead… much to grandmas’ delight. Or maybe I’ve drank too much coffee and as soon as the kids wake up from naps, I’ll regret even writing this ;) 

Children naturally bring fullness to family life. Busy fullness, yes, but fullness indeed. And, really, that’s what I crave. Not ease, not simplicity necessarily, but fullness. I still really like when our table is wiped off and our floors are clean and our toys are put away. But more and more, I like watching my kids be kids. And I love watching my kids grow in their love for God and others. Moriah sometimes gets freaked out by wind, even gentle wind. We had a nice breeze today, which scared her, but she really wanted to go outside to a new “adventure” spot and have a tea party. So after she packed up her things in her bag, she says, “Okay, Jonathan, let’s go! And let’s pray to Father God to keep me safe from the wind so we can have our tea party!” Melts my heart…