I recently asked my daughter, Elisa Richards, to write a guest blog entry here. I was so pleasantly surprised when she agreed. You can't imagine how much admiration and love her dad and I have for her. She is a beautiful, incredible young woman and now a proud new mother, too.
SW
One of “Those” Moms
So here I am, and who would have thought that I, Elisa Richards, would turn into the one thing I was sure I’d never become. Well it’s quite interesting what a charming guy can change about strong, independent working women. Especially when that very strong independent working woman carries him 9 months plus some days, feels each time he kicks (and swearing that he will be grounded a week for each rib that is bruised), feels each hiccup he has as he bounces around in her stomach, and then goes through considerable pain just to hear his cry for the first time.
That’s obviously what happened to me. My son has turned me into one of “those” moms.
I remember when my husband and I were at our birthing class for Zachary, we had to go around the room and tell the other pregnant couples about ourselves. We had to tell our name, the sex of the baby, our due dates, and one of the most interesting things about pregnancy. All had to participate. Some people had the typical boring answers like, “seeing the baby in the ultrasound,” or “feeling the baby move.” Well when it got to my husband he said something that wasn’t so typical… He explained that it was nice to know that Krispy Kreme was open until midnight. (I wonder how he knew that one!) Well then it came to me, and my response (which of course is a big part of this blog blurb). The most interesting thing about my pregnancy was realizing it wasn’t as easy as I had imagined and that it is actually pretty neat if you take away the morning sickness, the chubby figure, the aches and pains, the fact that everyone knows you “did it”, and of course the blood work.
You see. for the longest time I believed that pregnant women went overboard complaining about fatigue and being lazy. I quickly learned that wasn't the case. Sure, some women milk it for all it’s worth, but overall it isn’t all that easy either. You do get perks like being able to eat whatever you want and people catering to you and not letting you lift things or stress yourself. That's not always as easy as it sounds; if you’re like me, you worry about shedding those pounds and hate having to get help with things, much less having to rely on others to do things for you!
Pregnancy is a very unique period in life and no two are ever the same. It is fun and scary all at the same time. Anyone that has been through it can tell you there is nothing else like it. Everyone has stories and helpful tips. What’s funny is that now I’m a part of “that club.”
The big shocker is that I remember before I got pregnant, in fact throughout my whole life, I honestly never wanted kids. My husband and I almost didn’t get married due to being unable to compromise on the issue. Turns out he won. Not that I would change it for anything. My son is only 3 weeks old and has already taught me so much about life and myself. Things I never would have stumbled across due to my own selfishness or the path my life was heading down.
I’m assuming that because of that very stubborn “I’m not ready for a kid” type thinking that during my pregnancy, I wasn’t yet one of “those” moms. I didn’t let the pregnancy overtake my life. I think I had a good balance between everything. I went to work every day and did what was needed, (in fact I worked until 2 days before my due date.) I still had a social life, I cleaned, (my husband is the cook) I even helped with a push mower on the lawn! Mainly I tried not to let the stress overtake me. What I didn’t do was make a bee-line for the baby department or overdo things in his nursery. I didn’t watch all those lifetime specials either. All of that, however, was pre-baby.
Now during my post-baby time I probably tend to overdo things. The biggest culprit for me is pictures. In fact I think just in my cell phone I have over 300 pictures stored. That’s roughly around 15 pictures a day. 15 pictures that I not only take for myself, but that I also send to others in my family. I send them things like “on our way to doctors office” and “first bath at home.” Of course everyone needs to see his “going to surprise daddy at work,” pictures. It’s also very important that everyone see random weird faces and videos. What can I say, my son is my passion in life. I understand now about the security of knowing he is safe, the heartache when he cries and you can’t fix it, and the joys and fears of being a mom. Not just any mom either… one of “those” moms. It’s official… my Uncle who is definitely one of “those” uncles, has welcomed me with open arms to the “dork” club. You see a dork, in this respect, is something special. It means you care about something so deeply that you are a dork to it. =) Don’t try to understand it. Either you know it or you don’t.
So, I just want to give a shout out to all “those” parents and family members out there who know, and have beautiful kids to show off on your diaper bags, desks, or cell phones. And, also to “those” people who know they are better people because of the children in their lives.
I am glad to be one of “those” moms - the kind I used to feel sorry for, until I realized how empty life was before I met that charming guy.
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P.S. Lest you think me unfair, Shannon has had the same invitation to guest write here, but so far, has turned me down
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