Mommy's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and grandmas!

This will be the fourth year I'm eligible for mother's day if you count the year I was pregnant with Alex.  Even so, last year was the first year I really FELT like a mother because the first year really is just caretaking, after that you actually have to start parenting.  This year I felt not only like a mother, but I also felt that John should get down on his knees and worship me for being the life creating goddess that I am.

Sadly, this life creating goddess had to still get up at still-dark-out o'clock because Alex woke up from a bad dream, then at seven sharp he woke up for the day all bright eyed and bushy tailed and demanding "Wake up Mommy!" while bouncing on the bed.  Figuring it was Mother's Day and I was at that moment the epitome of motherhood (hugely pregnant, full bladder with a toddler bouncing on me), I rolled over and told him to bug his daddy about getting up.  John did what John usually does, which is to half heartedly tell Alex "lay down Buddy, let's sleep for a little while".  After a half hour of that I told them both to get out, I wanted to sleep in.  But unfortunately, my body didn't want me to sleep in, after another half hour of attempting to sleep, my bladder was achingly full and my stomach was growling like a grizzly bear, so, I got up to pee and make my family their Sunday waffles.

My cooking game was all off though this morning and I ended up burning the first batch, and while attempting to pick the crusty burnt remains out of my waffle iron, I complained that it was Mother's Day and damnit, someone else should be making ME waffles!  John then offered to take me out to breakfast if I gave him a haircut.  We ended up at IHOP just before the hordes of mother's day diners arrived.  A woman making balloon animals came to our table and made Alex an airplane which made his day, though ruined any chance of him eating his smiley face pancake.  It probably ruined the breakfast of the woman sitting in the booth behind him because he kept accidentally bonking her in the head with his balloon plane.  The highlight of breakfast for me was when the balloon lady walked by our table again, Alex, unprompted, leaned over John and said "Thank you balloon lady!" (it sounded more like "Tank you ba yoon yady!"). Such a polite one, my boy.

John asked me several times this morning if there was anything I wanted.  Something selfish, just for me.  The only thing I could think of was a pedicure.  Well, that's not true.  First I told him I wanted a puppy, but that idea got shot down immediately.  John was happy to hand over his credit card for someone else to rub my swollen feet though, and I went to my favorite walk-in pedicure salon where I got to sit in a massage chair, read an old issue of People Magazine and have someone pamper me from the knees down. It was delightful.

When I got home, I found that Alex had given me the Mother's Day gift of waiting until I was gone to have a nasty blow out poop requiring his Daddy to clean it up.

The boys are now downstairs watching a basketball game and later tonight we'll be taking John's mom out to dinner.  Tomorrow my mom is coming over for breakfast with Alex and me (let's hope I don't burn the waffles again!) and that will be the end of our Mother's Day festivities.

It occurred to me this afternoon while I was watching John do yard work and Alex "helping" him by picking rocks up one by one in his plastic shovel, that Mother's day isn't just about showing me appreciation, it's also an opportunity for me to appreciate the people who made me a mother in the first place. Without John, I wouldn't have Alex and without Alex, I wouldn't be a mom.  Being a mom is the biggest part of who I am now.  It informs everything I do.  It is a title I wear proudly.  I am very lucky in that I have an amazing husband and son who make my job as a mother very rewarding and fulfilling.  John told me during breakfast this morning "I just want you to know, I think you are a great mom. I'm happy you are the mother of my children."  This is probably the best thing he's ever said to me and the best mother's day gift he could ever give me.