Twenty three years ago tomorrow Zach made us parents:
My mom had come to Kentucky early so she could be there when he was born. I don't think any of us ever thought he'd be eleven - 11! - days late! My mom and I tried everything to get him to come. We walked the malls. A lot. Which reminds me of a funny story...
I carried my babies right out in front. From the back no one could ever tell I was pregnant. And I carried them very, very low. I could rest a full-sized dinner plate on my pregnant tummy, which was quite handy since I couldn't get anywhere near the table to make eating comfortabe. I was so huge! (A different story: one day at church, three weeks before Zach was due - so three weeks and eleven days before he was actually born - a lady who was a labor and delivery nurse asked me, "How overdue are you?" That was so pleasant).
Anyway, one day my mom and I were walking the mall and we walked by a group of people. They totally stared at me, specifically my stomach. Then they turned around and walked by us again. And stared some more. Yes. No lie.
Zach's labor and delivery were pretty much "textbook," which was awesome, him being my first. I measured my stomach right before delivery with each child, and with Zach I measured 41" (now, when we get to Kailen's birth in November, that number had risen. Dramatically).
The first time I got to hold him was so surreal. I couldn't fathom how he'd fit into my stomach and I couldn't believe he was really my son. Our years of waiting to become parents had finally come to an end. And he was perfect!
We came home from the hospital on August 18th and I was so thrilled to finally have our little guy home! All I ever wanted to be was a Mom. Yes, I went to college and got an Associates Degree, which was really helpful while John was in school and after. But my first career of choice was to be a Mom.
We settled into parenthood, which was made much easier by my Mom. One aspect of parenting a son that I was quickly introduced to happened during the first bath I gave Zach. I put Zach's little plastic tub on our kitchen table and got everything all perfectly organized and ready to go. I laid Zach down on the table and removed all of his clothes, taking my sweet time. Boy, did I get a surprise! Before I knew what was happening, he had shot me right in the face and everywhere else on the table and all surrounding surfaces! Keep in mind, I only had a sister. No brothers. Sisters are a bit different than brothers. In many ways. Especially in anatomical ways. I screamed. Zach started to scream. My mom came running into the kitchen to see what was going on, thinking something tragic had happened. When she saw what had really happened she started to laugh. And once I got over the initial shock, I started to laugh too. I picked up my son and comforted him, apologizing for scaring him to death. We finished the bath, being careful to keep certain body parts covered as much as possible. ;o)
There was one casualty in this experience. John had some papers from work and school lying on the table, which I had so carefully piled in a couple of neat piles, not realizing what was about to happen. They got a little bit damp.
Another parenting lesson I learned the hard way was that, as a nursing mother, I needed to watch what I ate. Especially where cabbage, beans, chocolate and other more fibrous/gassy foods are concerned. That was quite the messy lesson. I think my mom was washing out poopy clothes for several days.
Oh, the joys of parenthood! :o)
But I'm so thankful to be a mom. The past twenty three years of motherhood have been awesome. Yes, there have been some hard times. But looking back, I don't really remember them. I only remember the joy my kids have brought me, and how pleased I am with the young adults they are becoming.
Yes. The joys of parenthood!
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