Getting Older

Today is my 44th birthday. It seems like only a couple years ago I was 22yo and eagerly awaiting for the birth of my first child. Now I am the mother of 10 children.
When I was 22yo 44 seemed very old to me. My mom and my MIL were in their 40s and they were both old. Looking back, I know they were probably not as old as what I thought at that time. But in ways, I still feel they seemed older. Neither one had had a baby in over 20 years. They both talked about their "female troubles" and their aches and pains.
I feel like my children are keeping me young. Old women don't have babies, right?? I don't have "female troubles", I think this is due to my female organs being used the way God intended, rather than artificially kept barren after a certain number of children. I don't have time to think about my aches and pains, I wonder if I even have as many as my mom and MIL. I would think being busy with all my babies keeps my body in better condition.
My older daughters make sure I don't look like an old lady. If my eye brows get a bit too furry, they will point this out to me, even if we are in the middle of the grocery store when they notice. LOL! Sometimes, I let my eyebrows go a bit, just to check to see if they will notice. They notice.
They also make sure I stay on top of my gray hair. This is easier now that I have a daughter in beauty school. She also makes sure my hairstyle is not old lady-ish. Although, she enjoys getting me in her chair and styling it like an old lady, just for laughs. She doesn't leave it that way, of course.

In some ways, my teenaged daughters make me feel old. I'm not dillusional, I see the wrinkles on my face and the lumpy body that has birthed all these children. I know my blond hair now comes from a bottle. But they also keep me sharp. I enjoy talking with them and with their friends. It keeps me from becoming stagnant and stuck in my ways.

My husband took me to dinner last evening. We had Trinity along with us, as I do not leave my nursing baby behind. The waitress asked if we were babysitting. I need a reality check from time to time. This keeps me humble. I know that 44yo is not the typical age for a woman to have a 10 month old baby. We explained to her that Trinity is the youngest of our 10 children. She exclaimed, "Wow, you look great for having 10 children." I'm not certain this is a compliment or not. What is a woman with 10 children supposed to look like?! Does anyone from our current era even know?

Forty-four finds me with much to be thankful about. Ten healthy children. A husband who still loves me even though I'm 44yo:) Jesus as Lord and Saviour of my life. Just naming the important ones.