I think I first suspected that moms had super powers when I was just a kid. My mom was always right (don’t tell her I admitted to that), and I knew there had to be some reason she had all of the answers. How did she know where my toy was before I even knew it was lost? How did she know when I’d needed to wear a sweater? I never actually SAW any eyes on the back of her head, but I know she could see what we were doing even when she had her back to us.
I’ve been a mom for almost two and a half years and have two children of my own. You’d think I would have figured out by now that mom’s really do have super powers. How have I gone this long without realizing I’m a super hero? Well….my standard excuse for everything these days is sleep deprivation…so we’ll go with that ;)
I’m still discovering my super powers. Sure I can kiss away owies and boo boo’s. I have the ability to find favorite toys before my two year old goes from zero to tantrum in sixty seconds. I can leap small toys (and small dogs…and small children) in a single bound. I can move as quietly as a ninja to avoid waking a sleeping baby. I have the super human speed needed to stop a toddler from falling off of a chair…or couch...or play structure….or whatever it is that he’s climbing on at the moment ;) I can sense when a baby is about to spit up. I can be up all night with a teething baby and still function the next day. I can carry a baby in my arms and pick things up off of the floor with my feet...I mean, come on people....that has "super power" written all over it!
So if you’re a mom feel free to wear a cape and/or spandex the next time you leave the house. You are a super hero, after all. You can function on little or no sleep. No sickness or injury can stop you from performing your motherly duties. You can hear a baby crying in the middle of the night before the baby even starts to cry! You brought a life into the world, and that should be more than enough to give you super hero status.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A Fresh Perspective
I knew that becoming a mother would give me the chance to see the world in a new way. I couldn’t wait to introduce my first born to all of the beautiful things the world has to offer. What I didn’t realize is that I would start to see everything differently. That being a parent would change my view of so many every day things.
One of the great gifts afforded to those who dare venture into the land of parenthood is being able to see the world through a new pair of eyes. A pair of eyes that are younger, less jaded, and considerably more amazed with the world around them.
I’ve noticed recently that a little of my two year olds perspective has rubbed off on me. Things that were once annoying and frustrating are now a treat. In my pre-mommy life getting stuck behind and then having to pass a big rig on the freeway was a pain. Now it’s an adventure. I can practically feel my son’s excitement radiating from the back seat. A truck! Could there be anything more exciting?
Lately I find myself going out of my way to take a route with road construction if I can. I cross my fingers and hope against hope that we will be lucky enough to be stuck in traffic. I pray that we will be held up long enough to get a good look at the construction vehicles working on the road.
The ultimate treat comes only when we are fortunate enough to see a train while we are out and about. Will the arm go down before we get to the train tracks? Will we be able to sit here and watch a train go by? Will it be a long one? I used to HATE getting stuck at the train tracks….especially if it was a long train. Now it can be the highlight of the day.
Even little things that I never thought twice about before have turned into an event. Every Friday morning the garbage truck comes to take away the trash. Such a simple thing to me, but THE most exciting spectacle for my two year old. No matter what we are doing we have to stop to see the garbage truck. We run to the door, open it up, and watch it take the trash away. We say thank you to the garbage truck for taking away all of the stinky diapers and trash. We wave goodbye as it drives off down the street. Then we spend the rest of the morning talking about the amazing big blue garbage truck.
Who knew I’d be hoping to be stuck behind a truck, or waylaid waiting for a train? I never expected to hope to be slowed down by traffic. I certainly didn’t anticipate waving to the garbage truck each week. As unexpected as all of this has been I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I feel so blessed knowing that I have another little one to share all of this excitement with in the not too distant future.
One of the great gifts afforded to those who dare venture into the land of parenthood is being able to see the world through a new pair of eyes. A pair of eyes that are younger, less jaded, and considerably more amazed with the world around them.
I’ve noticed recently that a little of my two year olds perspective has rubbed off on me. Things that were once annoying and frustrating are now a treat. In my pre-mommy life getting stuck behind and then having to pass a big rig on the freeway was a pain. Now it’s an adventure. I can practically feel my son’s excitement radiating from the back seat. A truck! Could there be anything more exciting?
Lately I find myself going out of my way to take a route with road construction if I can. I cross my fingers and hope against hope that we will be lucky enough to be stuck in traffic. I pray that we will be held up long enough to get a good look at the construction vehicles working on the road.
The ultimate treat comes only when we are fortunate enough to see a train while we are out and about. Will the arm go down before we get to the train tracks? Will we be able to sit here and watch a train go by? Will it be a long one? I used to HATE getting stuck at the train tracks….especially if it was a long train. Now it can be the highlight of the day.
Even little things that I never thought twice about before have turned into an event. Every Friday morning the garbage truck comes to take away the trash. Such a simple thing to me, but THE most exciting spectacle for my two year old. No matter what we are doing we have to stop to see the garbage truck. We run to the door, open it up, and watch it take the trash away. We say thank you to the garbage truck for taking away all of the stinky diapers and trash. We wave goodbye as it drives off down the street. Then we spend the rest of the morning talking about the amazing big blue garbage truck.
Who knew I’d be hoping to be stuck behind a truck, or waylaid waiting for a train? I never expected to hope to be slowed down by traffic. I certainly didn’t anticipate waving to the garbage truck each week. As unexpected as all of this has been I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I feel so blessed knowing that I have another little one to share all of this excitement with in the not too distant future.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Never Say Never
Before I actually became a parent there were so many things I said I’d never do. Looking back I realize I had no idea what I was talking about :) Sometimes in the land of pregnancy, babies, toddlers, and very little sleep you do things that only another parent could understand.
My first “never” to go out the door was going through labor drug free. My mom gave birth to all five of us with no epidural. I can remember thinking as a teenager that she was crazy. I was sure that I would ask for an epidural as soon as the pregnancy test turned positive ;) Instead I ended up being just as crazy as my mom was. I chose to have a natural birth not once, but two times. I can honestly say it was the most empowering thing I have ever done in my life. It was a lot of work, and I wouldn’t say that natural birth is the right thing for everyone.
After my son was born many of the “never” situations became “just this once” situations…and it was never just that once ;). I had always said I would never bring my baby to bed with me….yeah…that lasted about a week. I thought I would never cry because my baby was crying and I couldn’t get him to stop…I’m sure that happened at least once…okay twice ;)
Before I had children of my own I was positive that I would never be one of those mom’s who tells people all about their kids poop and boogers. Well I’m guilty of that one too. I am also guilty of taking a million pictures of my children (who are just sitting there looking back at their silly mommy) because they are sooooooo cute I can’t help myself ;) Then I subject whoever happens to be close by to looking at each and every picture. Yes I am that mom who thinks every new word, every new skill, and every milestone is THE most exciting news around.
And of course I was sure that my children would be perfect angels. We would all be perfectly groomed. There would be no hitting, no tantrums, no throwing of food. I would always be in complete control. Although I love them more than life itself I must admit that my little ones are not ALWAYS perfect....only about 90% of the time ;)
There are really too many things to mention here. I guess I thought that coming from a big family, and babysitting for other families that I had it all figured out. Turns out there was a lot I just didn't understand. Two years and two babies later I am still learning more and more every day.
My first “never” to go out the door was going through labor drug free. My mom gave birth to all five of us with no epidural. I can remember thinking as a teenager that she was crazy. I was sure that I would ask for an epidural as soon as the pregnancy test turned positive ;) Instead I ended up being just as crazy as my mom was. I chose to have a natural birth not once, but two times. I can honestly say it was the most empowering thing I have ever done in my life. It was a lot of work, and I wouldn’t say that natural birth is the right thing for everyone.
After my son was born many of the “never” situations became “just this once” situations…and it was never just that once ;). I had always said I would never bring my baby to bed with me….yeah…that lasted about a week. I thought I would never cry because my baby was crying and I couldn’t get him to stop…I’m sure that happened at least once…okay twice ;)
Before I had children of my own I was positive that I would never be one of those mom’s who tells people all about their kids poop and boogers. Well I’m guilty of that one too. I am also guilty of taking a million pictures of my children (who are just sitting there looking back at their silly mommy) because they are sooooooo cute I can’t help myself ;) Then I subject whoever happens to be close by to looking at each and every picture. Yes I am that mom who thinks every new word, every new skill, and every milestone is THE most exciting news around.
And of course I was sure that my children would be perfect angels. We would all be perfectly groomed. There would be no hitting, no tantrums, no throwing of food. I would always be in complete control. Although I love them more than life itself I must admit that my little ones are not ALWAYS perfect....only about 90% of the time ;)
There are really too many things to mention here. I guess I thought that coming from a big family, and babysitting for other families that I had it all figured out. Turns out there was a lot I just didn't understand. Two years and two babies later I am still learning more and more every day.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Just call me Super Mom....oh wait...no
Have you ever had one of those days where you start out feeling like Super Mom but end up feeling like poop (for lack of a better word). That was my day today. Roman woke up an hour and a half earlier than normal this morning. I had just finished nursing Lena and getting her back to sleep. I had been hoping to get a little more sleep myself. I wasn’t too excited when Roman came into my room asking for something to eat, something to drink, and a clean diaper. I hauled my booty out of bed and set to work meeting his every need. Next up were the dogs. Put them out, brought them in, fed them, put them out, and brought them in again. Then I set my sights on the kitchen…..put away the clean dishes from the dishwasher, washed a sink full of dirty dishes, loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the counters, cleaned the stove, took out the trash….what can I say…I was on a roll. I handled baby spit-up and toddler tantrums with grace and efficiency. No diaper was to dirty. No mess to big. After everyone was fed and dressed we did some coloring with crayons. Then we worked on counting and letters. Then we took advantage of a break in the wet weather and took a nice walk in the sun. I was feeling like Super Mom. Roman fell asleep in his stroller and Lena fell asleep in the baby carrier. As we walked back home I started to day dream about all of the things I would do while my children napped…..the food I would eat, the magazine I would read, the websites I might visit. It was going to be great.
We got home and the dream of nap time just didn’t happen. Roman woke up. He was so loud that he woke Lena up. I gave him a snack and nursed her. She went back to sleep….he didn’t. Instead we spent two hours going back and forth. He wanted to do anything but stay in his bed. I looked at him with my most serious face and told him to lie down and be quiet in my most serious voice. He smiled at me with his happiest smile, and laughed his happiest laugh. He seems to find the fact that my head was about to explode very amusing. He was so loud that he woke Lena up AGAIN. She was none to happy about it. I nursed her again and then she cried until she had the biggest burp (actually that word doesn’t describe it…it was more of a belch) ever. That was followed by her spitting up all over me and missing the burp cloth completely. After two hours of trying to get Roman to stay in bed and take a nap I was no longer feeling super. I was feeling like throwing something. I was feeling like yelling a few curse words….but super…no…not any more. There was no sense it trying to get him to sleep at this point. The rest of the day is just destined to involve a lot of tears, tantrums, and time-outs. I will count the minutes until Daddy is home to help deal with the craziness, and I will wonder if it would be okay to have a cocktail (or ten) in the middle of the day while caring for my children….I’m guessing that’s not allowed.
As I type this Roman is pulling at my leg and not just crying, but wailing. If I was still Super Mom I would be comforting him. Insert long aggravated sigh here. Off I go to try to be super again.
We got home and the dream of nap time just didn’t happen. Roman woke up. He was so loud that he woke Lena up. I gave him a snack and nursed her. She went back to sleep….he didn’t. Instead we spent two hours going back and forth. He wanted to do anything but stay in his bed. I looked at him with my most serious face and told him to lie down and be quiet in my most serious voice. He smiled at me with his happiest smile, and laughed his happiest laugh. He seems to find the fact that my head was about to explode very amusing. He was so loud that he woke Lena up AGAIN. She was none to happy about it. I nursed her again and then she cried until she had the biggest burp (actually that word doesn’t describe it…it was more of a belch) ever. That was followed by her spitting up all over me and missing the burp cloth completely. After two hours of trying to get Roman to stay in bed and take a nap I was no longer feeling super. I was feeling like throwing something. I was feeling like yelling a few curse words….but super…no…not any more. There was no sense it trying to get him to sleep at this point. The rest of the day is just destined to involve a lot of tears, tantrums, and time-outs. I will count the minutes until Daddy is home to help deal with the craziness, and I will wonder if it would be okay to have a cocktail (or ten) in the middle of the day while caring for my children….I’m guessing that’s not allowed.
As I type this Roman is pulling at my leg and not just crying, but wailing. If I was still Super Mom I would be comforting him. Insert long aggravated sigh here. Off I go to try to be super again.
Monday, January 25, 2010
More Than a Mom
The memory of my life before motherhood is fading fast. It's funny really....my oldest child isn't even two years old yet and I already have trouble remembering the person I used to be. Of course that might have something to do with the fact that I am totally sleep deprived ;)
I have always wanted to be a mother. Probably because my own mother made it look so easy. I am the second oldest of five (that's right folks FIVE...1-2-3-4-5) children. Looking back now I have no idea how my mother was able to do what she did. Not only was she a stay at home mom for many years, but she was able to home school my older brother and I until I was in the fifth grade. Then she became a single mother and somehow managed to go work full time and go to school at night. I don’t know how she managed to survive on so little sleep, but she is my inspiration on the days when coffee isn’t enough to wake me.
I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with my kids. At times I miss my old job, my old co-workers, making my own money....but nothing compares to hearing your little one say "I love you for the first time". Nothing compares to being there for every milestone. For better or worse I love the life I am blessed to live.
To be honest I do hope that some day I will reclaim some of the person I used to be. I used to be backup singer for a blues band. I used to be the manager of a busy department for a wholesale mortgage lender. I used to wear makeup on a daily basis. I used to have time to hang out with my friends. My night used to start after 8pm on the weekend. Now I am a mother. I sing nursery rhymes. I manage laundry, dishes, and tantrums. I wear spit-up on a regular basis. I am lucky to have time to shower let alone hang out ;)
I’m not going to lie. My life now is far more difficult than it was before I became a mother, but it is also far more rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
I have always wanted to be a mother. Probably because my own mother made it look so easy. I am the second oldest of five (that's right folks FIVE...1-2-3-4-5) children. Looking back now I have no idea how my mother was able to do what she did. Not only was she a stay at home mom for many years, but she was able to home school my older brother and I until I was in the fifth grade. Then she became a single mother and somehow managed to go work full time and go to school at night. I don’t know how she managed to survive on so little sleep, but she is my inspiration on the days when coffee isn’t enough to wake me.
I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with my kids. At times I miss my old job, my old co-workers, making my own money....but nothing compares to hearing your little one say "I love you for the first time". Nothing compares to being there for every milestone. For better or worse I love the life I am blessed to live.
To be honest I do hope that some day I will reclaim some of the person I used to be. I used to be backup singer for a blues band. I used to be the manager of a busy department for a wholesale mortgage lender. I used to wear makeup on a daily basis. I used to have time to hang out with my friends. My night used to start after 8pm on the weekend. Now I am a mother. I sing nursery rhymes. I manage laundry, dishes, and tantrums. I wear spit-up on a regular basis. I am lucky to have time to shower let alone hang out ;)
I’m not going to lie. My life now is far more difficult than it was before I became a mother, but it is also far more rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
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