For the mommies

I shared this on Facebook a few days back and it still haunts me. So beautifully written and so true.

This is for all the mother's (including pregnant ones and those who desire to be) in the world, this one is for you!

Author Unknown

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"


"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

 
"I know," s...he says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her.

That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.


I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.


However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.


Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.

 
That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.


I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.


I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child.

I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.
I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.


My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

May you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart.

SOLD!

I am so excited (and ridiculously busy!) because we finally sold our house! Whew. We accepted an offer last week, inspections were done yesterday and we close in February! I feel like it kind of snuck up on me so I've been crazed with house stuff. We will be moving to a rent house while our new house is being built so it will be a tad uncomfortable and about 9 months of living out of boxes but, hey, it's all about the end game, right?

January is always busy for us because we are coming off of Christmas, New Year's, my birthday and hubby going back to work. 

I am a big believer is celebrating every birthday. I probably tend to drive people crazy with my constant birthday parties but whatever. I love it!

This year we kept it pretty low key and I had a great time! B, Lainey and I had had brunch at the Hotel Galvez, one of my favorite hotels in Galveston. If you are ever down on Galveston Island on a Sunday, I highly recommend it; and reservations. 

me and the little at Brunch
I also got a chance to celebrate with some of my wonderful friends. Joining Junior League is one of the best decisions I've made. I love it and the girls I've met have turned out to be even better friends than some I've had for 15 years!

They are such a blessing.

We went out for sushi and left baby with daddy...which means COCKTAILS! 

Me and Kim...This girl is crazy and I love her to pieces!

This card cracks me up.

Me, Kim, Katie and Sandra. My loves!

January is also my brother's birthday. My grandma, who has quite a bit of land, built what she calls Granny's Playhouse for us to have family get togethers. So, last Sunday, we all went to Granny's Playhouse for a yummy lunch and some football. We had fun, unfortunately, B had to work so he didn't get join in on the fun.

Lainey and my baby brother...who will be 17 this month! Seriously, where does the time go?
Hope everyone is well. We are drowning in house stuff, hopefully I can pull my head above water for another update soon!

Potty Talk

Y'all! I am ALMOST done Christmas shopping! I am SO excited about that. Just four more gifts to buy and I am D-O-N-E! Well...and I have LOTS of spending to do for my Lainey, but I don't really count her. I'll probably shop for her until Christmas Eve...because I'm a mad woman.

One of the things I'm looking at buying Lainey a potty for Christmas. She will be 14 months. However, I'm thinking about starting in January once things calm down and the holidays are over. Too soon?

Which potties have you tried?

These are the two I am considering.

The Boon Potty Bench. Boon has super cool baby goodies! We have the frog bath toy caddie and the diaper rack and we love them both!

photo from buybuybaby.com

Prince Lionheart® pottyPOD™




photo from buybuybaby.com

 I'm always up for advice and guidance! So clue me in!