Love More, Judge Less
I met Bob the summer that Violet was born. By this time, we had lived in our house for 6 years and I had walked past Bob’s house – a remarkable, purple-pink cape rimmed by a sea of day lilies – countless times on my way to our neighborhood park. But we didn’t meet until
Ya know, the funny thing about change is that it’s not always welcomed. And let me tell you, it certainly wasn’t welcomed by me. I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t ready. Everything happened way too fast.
As women, even when we are not compatible, we should respect one another and their own personal choices for themselves and their families, but a). not everyone has gotten that message yet, and b). even if they do, it means they will do you no mommy harm, but it does not necessarily mean you will be great friends.
And then it came. “Mommy, I have to go poop.” The dreaded words of any newly potty trained child. Because “I have to go poop” does not simply mean “I have to go poop.” It really means, “I had to go poop twenty minutes ago, so THIS.IS.AN.EMERGENCY.”
I do love my baby, but I always heard it is supposed to be OVERWHELMING and UNBELIEVABLE and INCOMPARABLE. I don’t think we’re there yet. She’s only 3 months old and just beginning to be able to smile back at me and interact in the smallest ways. I know bonding can take some time with
Dosing off. Getting your beauty rest. Catching a power nap. Stealing forty winks. Having some shut-eye. Sleep. Oh, sleep. How do I express how much I love you? They all warned me “Sleep while you can!” and “Enjoy your last nights of sleep!” as they laughed, delighting in their schadenfraude. I rolled my eyes,
Are you the ideal mom? You’re in the kitchen cleaning while the baby is playing and husband walks in from work–starving! So you get him something to eat, feed the baby, and sit and enjoy your family for a few minutes. At this point you’re feeling like supermom. The laundry is being done, kitchen clean
Back track to a few weeks ago on a Saturday night… Mom’s first night out solo–Wahooooo! Am I right? Who can relate? I was kind of excited to run out the door. This was my first time going out for longer than two hours in the past three and a half months. I was going
Crying in the shower: “I can’t do this.” The hot water caresses your back as it drips over your face mixing with tears. It feels like everyone else has it together. They’re smiling in pictures like life a cake walk. They don’t look how you feel. And they talk about how much energy they have
Many mothers in present day America have to wrestle with the decision whether or not to return to work after having a baby. Everyone’s journey is different. This is my story. When I was pregnant with my first child it was essentially a forgone conclusion that I would return to work once the baby arrived.
