“Momma! Momma! More bubba, Momma!”

I rolled over to look at the clock on my phone, and the bright light blinded me with the time of 11:30 p.m. We haven’t been getting much sleep in the Kromer household lately. I got up and went to re-fill her bottle with more water. I saw the exhaustion and frustration in Aria’s baby blue eyes. 

She was trying so hard to fall back asleep, because her recent diagnosis of hand-foot-and-mouth disease made her uncomfortable and restless. My heart broke for her, but all we could do was wait for the storm to pass. 

For those of you who don’t know what hand-foot-and-mouth disease is, it’s a virus that young children are most susceptible to. It spreads through coughs, sneezes and saliva. Bumps form usually on the hands, feet and mouth which turn into soars. 

Thankfully, Aria only showed bumps and soars on her buttocks, hands, and feet. The most discomfort occurs when the soars appear in the mouth which makes it difficult for children to eat or drink. According to the pediatrician it takes 7 to 10 days to pass. 

The third time I tiredly walked to Aria’s bedroom, I brought her Tylenol to try and soothe her discomfort. The soft lullabies and ocean scenes circling her ceiling didn’t succeed in helping our little one fall back asleep.

I turned to leave the room once again after giving Aria a good-night kiss when screams we don’t hear very often came from small lungs like a lioness roar. I was so over this night as the clock now shined 1:00 a.m. I turned around with slumped shoulders and asked Aria what she needed.

She patted the crib mattress, and sighed “Momma here.”

I knew where this was going from past experiences. I knew there was a 1 percent chance she’d fall asleep peacefully next to me in the crib, and the remaining 99 percent chance she’d toss and turn all over eventually getting a burst of energy to party.

So, I did what any momma would do. I climbed in her crib and layed down next her small body. I prayed over her for God to remove this rash as soon as possible. I prayed she’d be able to get some rest and relief. I prayed for all of the others babies and children in the world who may not have families or a comfortable place to sleep.

Then, something surprising and heart-warming happened.

Aria sat up, folded her ten fingers together, and asserted “More” with a big smile.

I asked her who we should pray for, and she shouted names of friends, family and animals like she didn’t dare leave anyone out. Aria and I said about 30 short prayers during those early morning hours all following a “more” after “Amen.”

In that crib, in that moment, in that God-given time together as mother and daughter I realized the most important job I have as Aria’s mother: To instill in her the love of Jesus and her relationship with God. 

I need Aria to know she is never alone, and even during the darkest, darkest times God is always with her. I want her to feel God’s love and to have a personal relationship with Him.

I had no clue that hand-foot-and-mouth disease would create such an experience as this one. One late evening that turned into an early morning lead me into my daughters crib, speaking to God, the both of us leaning on Him for comfort. The both of us praying for loved ones among soft lullabies and ocean scenes circling the ceiling. 

 It is a morning I will never forget.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Jessica Kromer

Jessica Kromer is a freelance writer and mother. She is smitten with parenting along side her husband, Joel, and experiencing life together. Of course, a lot of coffee, outdoor activities and Netflix help keep the Kromer family afloat. These days Jessica's time is filled with helping her daughter Aria grow and writing about all the experiences of parenthood. 

A Big Family Can Mean Big Feelings

In: Faith, Kids, Motherhood
Family with many kids holding hands on beach

I’m a mother of six. Some are biological, and some are adopted. I homeschool most of them. I’m a “trauma momma” with my own mental health struggles. My husband and I together are raising children who have their own mental illnesses and special needs. Not all of them, but many of them. I battle thoughts of anxiety and OCD daily. I exercise, eat decently, take meds and supplements, yet I still have to go to battle. The new year has started slow and steady. Our younger kids who are going to public school are doing great in their classes and...

Keep Reading

Motherhood Never Stops, and Neither Does My God

In: Faith, Motherhood
Daughter kisses mother on cheek

I’m standing in the shower rinsing the conditioner out of my hair with a toddler babbling at my feet, running through this week’s dinner menu in my head. “Hmm, this meal would be better suited for this day, so what should we do instead?” or “Maybe we should save that for next week since it’s easy and we will be busy with baseball starting back up. I can work something in that may take more effort in its place.” Being a wife and mother, running a household, it’s about the small moments like this. There’s something about it that is...

Keep Reading

So God Made a Sunday School Teacher

In: Faith, Living
Woman sitting at table surrounded by kids in Sunday school class, color photo

God looked around at all He had created, and He knew He would need someone to teach His children. So God made a Sunday school teacher. God knew He needed someone with a heart and desire to teach children God’s word. God knew the children would act up and made Sunday school teachers with patience and grace to guide them when they step out of line in class. He also made Sunday school teachers with a touch of discretion to know when the stories of a child may be real or imagined. God knew this person would need to be...

Keep Reading

But God, I Can’t Forgive That

In: Faith, Marriage
Woman holding arms and walking by water

Surrender is scary. Giving in feels like defeat. Even when I know it’s the right thing, yielding everything to God is scary. It also feels impossible. The weight of all I’m thinking and feeling is just so dang big and ugly. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes I cling so tightly to my fear I don’t even recognize it for what it is. Bondage. Oppression. Lack of trust. Oh, and then there’s that other thing—pride. Pride keeps me from seeing straight, and it twists all of my perceptions. It makes asking for help so difficult that I forget that...

Keep Reading

Dear Dad, I Pray for Our Healing

In: Faith, Grief, Grown Children
Back shot of woman on bench alone

You are on my mind today. But that’s not unusual. It’s crazy how after 13 years, it doesn’t feel that long since I last saw you. It’s also crazy that I spend far less time thinking about that final day and how awful it was and spend the majority of the time replaying the good memories from all the years before it. But even in the comfort of remembering, I know I made the right decision. Even now, 13 years later, the mix of happy times with the most confusing and painful moments leaves me grasping for answers I have...

Keep Reading

God Redeemed the Broken Parts of My Infertility Story

In: Faith, Grief, Loss, Motherhood
Two young children walking on a path near a pond, color photo

It was a Wednesday morning when I sat around a table with a group of mamas I had just recently met. My youngest daughter slept her morning nap in a carrier across my chest. Those of us in the group who held floppy babies swayed back and forth. The others had children in childcare or enrolled in preschool down the road. We were there to chat, learn, grow, and laugh. We were all mamas. But we were not all the same. I didn’t know one of the mom’s names, but I knew I wanted to get to know her because she...

Keep Reading

God Has You

In: Faith, Motherhood
Woman hugging herself while looking to the side

Holding tight to the cold, sterile rail of the narrow, rollaway ER bed, I hovered helplessly over my oldest daughter. My anxious eyes bounced from her now steadying breaths to the varying lines and tones of the monitor overhead. Audible reminders of her life that may have just been spared. For 14 years, we’d been told anaphylaxis was possible if she ingested peanuts. But it wasn’t until this recent late autumn evening we would experience the fear and frenzy of our apparent new reality. My frantic heart hadn’t stopped racing from the very moment she struggled to catch a breath....

Keep Reading

My Husband Having a Stroke at 30 Wasn’t in Our Plans

In: Faith, Living
Husband and wife, selfie, color photo

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) This verse in the book of Jeremiah has long been a favorite of mine. In fact, it’s felt relevant across many life events. Its simple, yet powerful reminder has been a place of solace, perhaps even a way to maintain equilibrium when I’ve felt my world spinning a bit out of control. In this season of starting fresh and new year intentions, I find great comfort in knowing...

Keep Reading

She Left Him on Valentine’s Day

In: Faith, Marriage
Husband kissing wife on cheek, color photo

“Can you believe that?” Those were the dreaded knife-cutting whispers I heard from across the table. I sunk deeper into my chair. My hopes fell as everyone would forever remember that I had left my fiancée on Valentine’s Day. Maybe one day it would just dissipate like the dream wedding I had planned or the canceled plane tickets for the Hawaiian honeymoon. Some bridesmaids and guests had already booked plane tickets. It was my own nightmare that kept replaying in my head over and over again. I had messed up. Big time. To be honest, if it made any difference,...

Keep Reading

God was In the Room for Our Daughter’s Open Heart Surgery

In: Faith, Motherhood
Child's hand with IV

I’ve had a strong faith for as long as I can remember, but I always felt bad that I never had a “testimony.” I had never gone through something that made me sit back and say, “Wow, God is real, He is here.” I have always felt it to my core, but no moment had ever stopped me dead in my tracks to where there was no denying that it was God. And then, that moment happened to me on December 5. After five months of fervently praying for a miracle for our daughter, the day came for her heart...

Keep Reading