A good indicator that I am definitely REALLY pregnant is the point where I start to wear my husband's clothes to bed. I have definitely reached that point. And I have an incredible husband because he puts up with my giant snoodle pillow taking up half the bed (not sexy at all), and he listens to me rant about our to do list. I'm not sure he is actually doing anything on it...but at least he puts up with my hormonal outbursts that drive me to make lists of all the things we need to do before the baby comes. Because I'm sure the baby REALLY needs to garage cleaned and the living room curtains hung up before he can arrive.
In honor of mother's day, I just wanted to share a few thoughts I have on being a mommy...
First of all, Facebook is a really interesting thing...it gives quite a bit of insight into what goes on in the head of a mother. There are the mom's the post videos and pictures of EVERYTHING (I might be one of these, I'm not pointing fingers). Because nobody can love a baby as much as their mama can. As a mom, I think that everything my son does is adorable. When he sings his ABC's I am so proud of him. I think he is brilliant and I start to think that maybe he is one of these child prodigies and someday he is going to invent something that will change the world. And I am convinced of this, all because he is smart enough to sing me his ABC's. And nobody else probably cares that I have posted a video of my son singing his ABC's. But, like any mom would (and I know you ALL do this, don't lie), I have to post it and see how many people like it and comment, just hoping that everyone else can appreciate how brilliant my child is the way I can. I love that God made us this way. I am in awe of the way he designed us, as moms, to look at our babies and think "This is THE best, most amazing, most beautiful, most talented, most unique kid that ever existed in the history of the world". Nobody can love and encourage and cheer on your child like you can. God made it that way. From the moment of birth, when chemicals are released to bond a baby and a mama, it's a miracle and evidence of God's beautiful plan for you as a mother.
Then there are the Facebook moms who like to post the status updates that say things along the line of "got up at 4am. Drank coffee, Took my kids to the park, homeschooled my kids, made 13 pinterest projects, painted the house, planted a flower garden, made a 5 course dinner. It's been a busy day!". I love those! (I'm not calling anyone out. I may have posted some of those too). I think as mom's we are always looking for reassurance that we are doing a good job. When you spend all day with your kids it can be a pretty thankless job. Your kids probably are not going to say, "wow, Mom! You are so creative and good at being a mom!". Your husband probably for the most part, isn't going to say it often either. So sometimes, the day to day can get exhausting when we are looking for encouragement as our motivator. We end up being pretty unmotivated eventually and then we want to throw in the towel.
Mamas! Our worth as a mother can not be based on the outward things. Most days, I may not get the laundry done, my kid's lunch might be less than nutritious, I might not even get a chance to take a shower, and the truth is, nobody is telling me "thank you for sacrificing your shower and your clean house for me". Most days I remind myself that someday, my son will remember me playing cars and bear hunt with him. He will remember the encouragement I give him and the attention I give him. He will probably not so much remember how clean the house was or how good my cooking was (because he will shut his mouth tight and refuse to try it anyway). And he definitely won't care how many pinterest projects I made.
So this Mother's Day, don't be so hard on yourselves. Remember that God created you to be a mom...so he has equipped you. You naturally love your babies more than anything, so you are doing great without any of the extra things we think we need to be or do as a mom. Your kids don't care how clean your house is or how many activities you have planned during the day. They don't compare notes with other kids on whose mother has the most creative pinterest projects or the best smelling laundry. They just care that you love them and are proud of them. Lower your expectations for yourself...being a mom is not as clean and easy as it looks in laundry detergent commercials. You are going to get dirty. Your house is going to be a mess a lot of the time. Nobody else but you might know how much you sacrifice your body, your time, your wants, your dreams, your comfort for your kids, but that's ok. Keep doing what you were created to do, and remember that it is your number one job right now. Someday, very soon, you will have your body, your time, your stuff, your food all to yourself again...but I don't want that day to come. I will miss these hard, messy days a lot one day!
As a side note, right now I am listening to my son sing the wonder pets theme song and it's pretty adorable. I LOVE being Zion's mommy. Every year as a mom just gets better.
And thank you, Mom, for showing me how to be a mom. For sacrificing so much for us. For baking cookies with me, and showing me how to sew, and coming to all of my boring band concerts. For doing what you had to do, even when times were very hard. You are the best mom in the world.
Enjoy your day, Mommies!
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