Month 12: It's So Worth It

Happy Mother’s Day a few days early! What a great holiday. It’s all about brunch, flowers, and adulation. It’s especially exciting for us first-time moms. Last Mother’s Day I was 8 ½ months pregnant -- technically not a mom yet, but about as close as you can get. This year it’s official. Bring on the croissants and coffee in bed!

This weekend we’re gearing up for a big family celebration because it’s also my husband’s birthday. And, since Miles turns 1 in less than a month, it’s sort of an early birthday party for him, too. We’re expecting 20 people in all. Yikes! I better get started on those fruit skewers …

But first, I was catching up with an old friend the other week. (Shout out to L.V.!) She’s in her early 30s, married, and starting to ponder the kid question. You know, should she have one, when, how many, etc.? She mentioned she’d been reading this blog and it sort of, well, scared the crap out of her.

Damn. That was SO not my intention. In fact, when I was pregnant I got so sick of people telling me how much life after baby sucked -- due to lack of sleep, sex, time, and basically any reason to live beyond keeping the baby alive -- that I made a conscious effort NOT to be that type of person once I became a mom.

Only, here’s the thing. A lot of those not-so-rosy aspects of new parenthood are kinda sorta a teensy bit true. Plus, I find more humor in the horrendous stuff (baby peeing in own face, mom stepping in dog doo) than in the sweet stuff (baby smiling for first time, grandparents adoring baby). But maybe that’s just my own twisted sense of humor.

What I’d like to emphasize to new or potential parents is that IT’S ALL WORTH IT. I’ve never met anyone who says they regret having kids. If I did, I’m sure I would inwardly recoil in horror even while trying to still be polite to their face. I’m not saying it’s not hard sometimes, I’m not saying there’s not stuff I miss about my pre-baby life, I’m just saying that Miles adds so much to my life that I can’t imagine it without him.

In honor of Mother’s Day, here are some things I love about being a mom:
- That round little baby belly
- That soft, fuzzy baby head
- Those first baby laughs: “heh-heh-heh”
- When the baby laughs so hard his eyes squinch up and his shoulders shake
- His dimples
- Watching him learn to dance
- Make that watching him learn to do anything -- pick up Cheerios, clap his hands, figure out what the phone is for
- Seeing him reach for me or his dad

TIP O' THE WEEK: Call your mom, mother-in-law, or anyone who's been like a mother to you and tell them how much you love and appreciate them.