Musings on motherhood

Last year was my first Mother's Day, but this year's celebration has been more meaningful. A year ago, I did stand up in church when they asked all the moms to, and I took home a flower like the other moms did. I didn't have much of a belly at the time, and even though I definitely was a mom, it didn't feel as real because I figure most moms know their children's names and birthdays. Now that baby D is here and has been for 7 months, the day has greater meaning for me. And not just because we had her formally dedicated at today's service.

The more D grows and changes, the more admiration I have for my own mom. Every stage D goes through brings different challenges and delights: when she was a newborn, I loved how she smelled, and how much she slept, and how she only cried if she needed a feed or a change; I wasn't a huge fan of not being able to put her down, even for a few minutes, without her crying (a swing remedied that situation). When she was a bit older, I loved her first smiles and giggles and noises, although it was really tough getting her to sleep in her crib- she hated being away from us and screamed for up to an hour. Now, she's in a really awesome stage: she's loving solid food (but I do still nurse her several times a day), she babbles a lot (and I know it's way too early to read into this, but she does seem to say mamamamama when she looks at me and dadadada when she looks at her dad), she can sit and is very close to being able to crawl. At the same time, she still isn't great in the car, and has been waking up a lot in the middle of the night lately.

Being a mom, I've learned, is a pretty tough job. You don't get sick days, but you can sleep in and take naps when needed. You don't have as much free time, but you get to see your kid grow and change every day. (And I really love being there for all of her milestones.) You have to learn how to prioritize and multitask like never before. You have to intentionally ask for help and make time for yourself, not to mention time for you and your partner. You have to be willing to share your child, but in return you get to see the people you love, love your kid. You sing silly songs and make ridiculous faces just to elicit a toothless smile or a sweet giggle, and you get to see others do the same.

Mom, I have no idea how you did this with 4, but I'm looking forward to finding out. For the moment, though, I have my hands full with one.

My mom, her mom, D's mom and D.