Saturday, May 09, 2009

a Grateful Mom

Being a mom is not what I thought it would be. When I was young and my fingers would itch to pinch the cheeks of a cute baby, or when I couldn't control the baby voice that would squeak out of me to say "Awwwww... he's soooo keeeeeeuuuuuute!!", I think that I thought motherhood would be as simple as loving someone unconditionally, who would love me back in the same way.

All the things I didn't expect, but am grateful for:

~ the sound of Will's deep snore when he sleeps
~ Jake's love of reading that I like to think comes from me
~ the sound of Owen's deep belly laugh when he is being tickled
~ our "family hugs" that manage to squeeze all five of us together with Mattie scratching at our ankles to join in
~ the feel of Will's cushiony little layer of baby fat on his tummy, especially when he's all toasty warm after sleep
~ the unexpected pat on my back while I'm hugging Owen
~ Jake's understanding of the importance of family and his desire to please the people he loves
~ the boys' love for our childhood favourites: Sesame Street, Sharon Lois and Bram and the Muppets
~ the way Owen says "baw-tee" for bottle and taps his front teeth with his fingers when he wants something to eat
~ Will's quick grin and little skip in the air when he's excited about something
~ Jake's huge bear hugs
~ I didn't expect to feel such intense fear and worry for my boys' future
~ I didn't expect that I would experience the sensation of my heart swelling so big with pride that it felt like it could burst through my chest
~ I didn't expect that I could overcome my own fears to put the needs of my kids first
~ I didn't think that the sound of a stranger's baby crying could make my tummy clench with the desire to hold my boys as babies once more
~ the colour blue would equate to Owen and Will and Jacob for their gorgeous blue eyes
~ I didn't expect that their happiness would fulfill me
~ I am grateful that my boys introduced me to a life of paying it forward
taking life one day at a time
having faith that things always work out
appreciating every accomplishment
living outside of the box
finding joy in the smaller things in life
seeing the world from a different perspective


There has been no better gift in my life than the birth of my three sons. They give me purpose, they make me want to be a better person and they make my world a better, brighter place.

"In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul." Lisa T. Shepherd.

5 comments:

Lady Di said...

I LOVE that quote!! Oh, how true is that. Yes, my mind may be empty but my life is full. Definitely never boring, sometimes touched with sadness and frustration, but mixed with all these things is always love.

Lady Di said...

P.S. Happy Mother's Day!

I got a little quick with the publish comment button before I was finished :)

Amy said...

What a nice post! Being a Mom is so great, sometimes hard but so rewarding and fulfilling. Thanks for the great comment. My oldest loves these types of days and always make sure that they are more than special.
Happy Mothers Day to a wonderful Mama. I hope yours is filled with much love and joy. Oh we also do group hugs - the girls LOVE them as do I!

ericsmommy said...

Happy Mother's Day Stacey, your post was beautiful, you might be lucky to have 3 great boys but they are lucky to have a wonderful mommy like you.
Love Mo

Stephanie said...

What a beautiful post and an amazing quote. Happy Mothers Day!

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