Mother's Day Reflections

Mommy, Gerritt & Sophia


Gerritt & Sophia playing side by side & sharing nicely :-)


Daddy's girl!


Mommy & Gerritt


Our family

On Saturday, May 8th, Chris & Gerry arrived for another visit as well as to celebrate Mother's Day, my belated birthday (May 2nd) & early Sophia's birthday (May 14th). Their travel to our house has become a monthly tradition since we are still afraid to keep the kids in the car for longer than 1 hour. In addition, I worry about Gerritt & Sophia damaging something in Chris & Gerry's spotless house filled with beautiful antiques, fine furniture & rugs. And, the thought of packing everything we may need, "just in case," overwhelmes me. Our past travels with baby Gerritt resulted in disappointment & great fatigue since his nap & bedtime schedules were all messed up. So, I am happy Chris & Gerry choose to inconvenience themselves in order to visit us so often.
So, I've been thinking how my life has changed since I became a Mom. Let me see...

1) I now walk around with stained clothes most of the time. I like to dress up for special occasions & there is usually a mad rush to take photos before the kids "ruin" my outfit. It is a rare day that I go without doing laundry at least once (ice cream smeared on the couch; Sophia spit up; Spike's so excited he peed on the blanket, etc.). If I am staying home for the day, there is just no point in changing my stained clothes because the new outfit will be stained within a couple of hours. If I am going out, a stain dab with a couple of baby wipes usually does the trick.

2) I now eat most of my meals cold, & I don't remember the last time I ate a meal uninterrupted. The kids & their nutrition come first, & meal times are so busy that usually by the time I sit down to eat, my food is cold & unappealing. It is pureeing the food for Sophia; feeding her while trying to keep her from smearing the food in her hair & clothes; finding an interesting toy to distract her with so she would eat a few more bites; accomodating Gerritt wanting to sit on my lap (since the food on my plate tastes better than on his :-)); it is getting him another drink; it is sneaking in a few more bites into Gerritt while he plays since he was "done" after just barely tasting the meal. The list can go on & on.

3) My "me" time now consists of running errands alone. It actually feels like a luxury to go shopping by myself, without one of the kids constantly disrupting my train of thought by running into people/things, wanting to be picked up, putting the things I didn't ask for into my grocery cart, etc.

4) I have lost a lot of my privacy. Even such typically private necessities as using the restroom or taking a shower are usually disrupted by Gerritt knocking on the bathroom door while simultaneously trying to open it, or Sophia whining because she lost the sight of Mommy all of a sudden.

5) There is no such thing as a quick errand anymore. Before I leave the house, I make sure the kids are dressed appropriately & have clean faces & diapers; I have a diaper bag packed with diapers, whipes, Gerritt's water/Sophia's formula, light snack, an extra change of clothes, & the kids' favorite toys. Once everyone is strapped in their car seats, I quickly run back into the house & spend about a minute freshening up (that's about all the time I can afford).

6) I have become a master multi-tasker & a great pursuader. Gerritt has recently learned to say, "I don't like _______" & "I don't want to ________." So getting him to do what I want while making him think it was his idea takes a lot of patience & time. Sometimes my husband looses his cool & just forces him to do something, which has resulted in, "I don't like Daddy. Daddy leave," at bedtime.

It is really hard to imagine that parenthood/raising children comprises only about 1/3 of our adult lives. I haven't expected parenthood to be so intense & all-consuming. It is the most important job in the world & a spiritual calling (at least for me). My wish for this Mother's Day is to be the best Mom I can be by loving my children unconditionally & helping them to fulfill their full potentials & to become their authentic selves.