Thankful To Be A Mother

I remember making the decision to have a child. It was one month and 3 days after we got married. That was the day Baby Walt was born. We went to the hospital to see him and hold him...he was just hours old! Then we went to grab a bite, shoot some pool, and have a few adult beverages. Throw that all in a cauldron and you get "Let's have a baby!". Three months and 5 days later...guess what. I was carrying a gift bag with a tiny newborn outfit and What To Expect When You're Expecting in the house to give Mr. B. (Not a fan of that book by the way. They don't let pregnant women do or have anything! Scared the crap out of me!)

Anyway...then I started crying about everything, became surly, and slowly but surely gained 65 pounds. Yep. That's right. Sixty-five pounds. At the moment, Homeslice entered the world, I asked proudly, "How much does she weigh?!" We were pushing 42 weeks gestation, so surely I had just delivered a 47 lb baby, right? Leaving the other 18 lbs to all that other water weight type stuff chicks have. I'd be able to walk out in my size 6 jeans...I was just sure!

Doc yells back, "Seven pounds, one ounce!". WHAT?! Sheesh. So having a Hardee's biscuit every morning and a milkshake every afternoon will catch up with you. Pregnant or not. Crap.

Then motherhood really begins. It's nothing you can explain. It's nothing you can make somebody else understand. It's being completely responsible for another human...and how they turn out in this world! For cryin' out loud...I was freaked out just naming her. It's a fun game in high school: "I've always loved this name. That's what I'm going to name my baby." But when that baby is hiccuping in your abdomen, it's a little more daunting: "This name may make her or break her." It took us a long time to decide on her name (I'm so glad we went with Homey.) But she was born with a name, and she thrives to this day. Full of sass, surliness, and sweetness.

So, in the spirit of Mother's Day, I'd like to mention how grateful I am to have so many mothers as my friends. Some are family members, some are old friends, some are neighbors, and some are buddies from a very close knit online group. Mothers can get nutty. Especially these days with all the debates about how to keep your child the safest and the healthiest. But I love all my gals because it's left at this: you know your child, you know what's best for your child. It's so nice to have people to go to for advice, to give advice, to vent, to rejoice...all without having to worry about judgment and lectures. In this respect, a lot of moms have it tough by feeling like they're not doing quite enough...or that they're bragging instead of reporting happy thoughts.

So I am very grateful to all my Mommy Friends that support me daily. I'm grateful to Homey for eating like a freakin' champ, sleeping all of the time, and only being surly part of the time. I'm grateful to my husband who helps me keep that maniac in check. And most of all I'm grateful to be a mom. Along with being a wife, it's the only job I ever wanted. And I love it.