Motherhood is the single most wonderful, terrifying, hard, rewarding, frustrating, and amazing role there is. There is nothing like it in the world. I guess that's one of the reasons they have a whole day for us Moms.
On Mother's Day most of us want to be pampered or to have some time that is all about us and no one else. Or we want to have some Mommy time that is just a little more special than every other day. I brace myself for tears when I read cards and hear things I normally don't hear on a normal basis and I soak in the fact that I am actually not failing at this mom thing. In fact, I'm doing ok. It's a day where I think about how far my relationship with my own mom has come and the lessons I've learned along the way. And I thank God for making me a mom and pray that He will remind me of these feelings when I've cleaned the 100th pair of poopy panties.
Through this journey of motherhood I've learned so many things about not just parenting, but about myself. I obviously am not the same person that I was three years ago, and that is a good and bad thing. But I am certain that Aria makes me a better person, daily.
So, some things that Motherhood has taught me. Here we go:
1. I am capable of almost anything.
I of course believe that through Christ I can do all things, but sometimes it is so daunting everything that must get done and the things that Aria puts us through. It has taken being a mom to truly show me that hey, I can do this. I can work, take care of my family and my home (definition of taking care of my home is very loose here.Depends on what day of the week it is. haha) I can be at the point of exhaustion but still pull together enough strength to play superheros or put Aria to bed 20 times. God has equipped me to do this. I just have to learn to quite doubting it.
2. Nothing is really gross.
Nope. Nothing. Now sometimes I get a little nauseous if the poop makes it to the floor (don't ask me why it's different than in a diaper) but for the most part nothing grosses me out. I've been projectile vomited on, peed on, and pooped on. I have cleaned up mixtures of food that would make a pig turn up his nose. Yep. This girl who used to heave at the sight of anything unseemly can now pretty much handle most anything.
3. It does not necessarily take a village.
OMG! I know!! What am I saying?? Well, I can tell you what I'm not saying. I'm not saying that it isn't important to have Aria's other family involved in her upbringing and I'm not saying that I do not appreciate help. I am saying that, for the most part, Ethan and I have done this parenting thing alone since the very beginning. Hey, we lived on an island across the country from any family. We had to. And we pretty much rocked it. Were we scared as hell?? Ummm, yeah! But we did it. We did the no sleep thing every night with no nights off. We made schedules and switched car seats and took off work cause there wasn't really anyone to help out. So if you are alone, I'm telling you, you can do this. Is it hard? Yes. But God made YOU the parent. You've got this.
4. The "I hope she's just like you!" curse that your parents always put on your head is real. Like, really real.
Aria is bossy. And I mean like really bossy. (Me) And she's also not afraid of anything, including, but not limited to,jumping off of crazy heights, scary cartoons, and doing anything that she sees a bigger kid do. (Ethan) She is just like us. With some added personality and flare. She gives me a heart attack on a daily basis. I think that's what my parents were hoping for.
5. And my last one, for this post at least is; I am blessed beyond measure.
I've always been very grateful for my life, despite some very hard times as a kid. I've always looked at the things I went through as necessary for who I turned out to be. I've never hated my life or anything like that, but since becoming a mom I've truly come to understand how blessed I am.
Everyday I get to see Aria's face light up at something because of me. Imagine that! I get to see her grow and hear her laugh. To watch her grasp something for the first time and greatest of all I get to be loved by her! She doesn't fault me for my flaws. She loves me unconditionally. She is the greatest little blessing and I will always try my best to be worthy of being her mother. I can't imagine what life would be like without her.
I'm so grateful to be a mom. Is it hard, heck yes. Do I cry a lot.... Ummmm yes. haha Am I exhausted, you bet. But I'm also loved and looked up to. I'm depended on and needed. I can't imagine a better life than this #MomLife.
