10. Ah, shoes. Laces to chew, Velcro to chew, rubber to chew. The only thing better than a pair of shoes is a closet full of shoes...who can ever get enough of that yummy, shoey goodness?
9. The trifecta: transferring a sleeping baby from the car to the changing table to the crib without waking her. Practically an Olympic event.
8. After many hours and several classes in engineering, I can now remove a new toy from its packaging without bloodshed, tears, or obscenities. Ten more hours and I get my certification.
7. I was prepared to choose between working and staying home. Instead I make that choice every day, watching my daughter's bewildered expression as I leave the room, her tiny arms raised toward the slowly closing office door. After a year, I'm now able to get at least some work done before sinking into a spiral of guilt and despair.
6. All that karaoke has come in handy. Show me the crying fit that can withstand Def Leppard or Ini Kamoze.
5. I thought the cabinets were properly organized. However, my daughter has demonstrated at least a dozen alternative ways to arrange each unlocked space.
4. I can fit a stroller, a pack & play, six bags of groceries, and a booster seat in the trunk...and still have room for a body, if necessary. Or a spare tire.
3. I've gone from being able to lift a slice of pizza with a couple of toppings to being able to lift a 23-pound baby with one hand (because the pizza is in the other one).
2. After intensive military training and repeated readings of Sun Tzu, I've discovered the secret to outmaneuvering other mothers with strollers (and the occasional person in a wheelchair) onto the elevator at the mall. Hey, that sale at Gymboree is one day only!
1. It's possible to grow a little every day, be amazed a little every day, and fall in love a little every day. It's possible to learn from someone who can't speak, be moved by someone who can't walk, and be awestruck by a tiny pair of brown eyes looking at you with innocence and love. There is no job more wondrous, overwhelming or perfect than motherhood.
Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies
who make a difference in their children's lives...
one dirty diaper,
one skinned knee,
one squeal of delight at a time.
who make a difference in their children's lives...
one dirty diaper,
one skinned knee,
one squeal of delight at a time.
I wish you were MY mother.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I would like to speak up for the non-mothers on Mother's Day, since we have no Day of our own. I have two friends (there may be more, but I have heard from THEM) who will swear that I use my mothering instincts in other ways, and am a "mothering person," fit for human interaction. While that has not conferred on me any of the abilities numbered above, Mother's Day, in the absence of Non-Mother's Day, should be expanded to mean many things, and on my planet, it includes everyone who loves small, medium sized and big people, and is a person of the female persuasion. Father's Day would of course be the mirror opposite, if I may use the word mirror in a slightly off way here.
That said, I am not bitter. I even sell Mother's Day cards!
I wish a happy Mother's Day to you and all the Mothers who stop by this blog, and suggest that you read the history of Mother's Day, which originated as an anti-war holiday.
Excellent! Can you teach me the pizza/baby trick, so I can hold the pizza in one hand and Sloane in the other during the certification ceremony?
ReplyDeleteWhat did I miss? Certification? Are invitations going out?
ReplyDeleteI see it! I want to attend!
ReplyDeleteI just read this to your grandmother--she loved it.