I am With Child

Now before anyone gets too excited about my title line, I better explain myself. I think the bible was first in using this term to describe a pregnant woman. In the NIV version of the bible, it first uses the term in Genesis and uses it seven more times throughout the bible to describe pregnant women.

But anyone with preschoolers knows that you are more WITH child after they are born. In the grocery store, I am with child. In the bathroom, I am with child. And even in the middle of the night, I often wake up with child...child wanting water, needing the bathroom or to be tucked in.

So today I thought I'd share some of the fun and funny moments of being with child - a 4 year old child.

Friday at the grocery store she saw these tiny bananas. She exclaimed "Look at these baby bananas. They must have just been born." Ironically, when I looked for the tag to tell you what they are called, they were indeed labeled Baby Bananas, but they are also called oritos.

A few aisles later, I was checking out the canned goods, with my eyes off of her for no more than 3 seconds, when I hear a loud crash of breaking glass. There she stands in front of the biggest glass jar of applesauce they make, which is shattered on the floor.

"I didn't mean to do that." she calmed stated. I simply found one of the cashiers, and I kid you not, I looked him right in the eye and said "clean up on aisle 3." He saw that I was "with child" and just turned on his microphone and announced "Clean up on aisle 3!" (I did apologize as well).

Here are some other funny quotes and mis-quotes that come from being with child:

When I told her to behave she answered "I am being hav."

Singing: "Who built the ark? No-one No-one" (the actual lyric is of course: Noah, Noah)

"I obey myself." - She just piped up with this one from the backseat one day when we were driving down the road.

"I have a little dog barking in my heart." This is another original thought she just piped out with. I have no idea why. She then said "I like little dogs."

But my favorite quote was when we were driving home from preschool one day and say said to me, "Mama, Jesus came into my room last night." I responded "He did?!" and she said "yes, and he stayed with me all night so I wouldn't be afraid of the dark."

I believe Jesus did just that. Matthew 11:25 says "At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.' " Jesus speaks of having to be like children to get into heaven, and not hindering children from him. I believe on that night he gave comfort to my little girl.

It is never a dull moment, when you are "with child." I often think I am learning as much from her, as she is from me. But, I'm still not sure about that little dog barking in her heart.