At least for now, when my free time comes in small and random chunks, I suppose you can find me right here at this blog during my off times. This morning started with the perfect Mother's Day gift...my first glimpse into life with a boy who is growing older and more independent every day. Gavin, on his own initiative, finally slept an entire night in his bunk bed. He was rewarded handsomely with a new truck this morning. We've been nudging him in this direction for months and months. When I was pregnant with Graham, I thought I'd get Gavin potty trained and out of the crib before the baby arrived. Little did I know that things would fall into place about six months behind schedule. Now that Gavin's about 82% potty trained, I figured we'd put the bunk bed situation to rest until after our summer travels. But Gavin had other plans, and so we've tackled both obstacles in the matter of two weeks. My first thought this morning when going to greet Gavin in his bed was that in a couple of years, Graham would be in that room with Gavin. We could re-claim an entire bedroom of our house and happily put this first chapter of parenthood behind us.
I heard Gavin talking and horsing around in his bed at 3am, but he wasn't upset and he didn't go anywhere. Since I was awake anyway, I went in there to talk to him and remind him that it wasn't morning yet. This brought us to the realization that the fan remote in his room was on the same code as the one in our room, and so his lights were on full power. Oops. Anyway, he went back to sleep with no problem after that and was overcome with joy when we presented him with his front-end loader in the morning.
I'm realizing now that I've got some work ahead of me as far as finishing up this room and getting Gavin fully moved into it so that we can get Graham into the nursery. It will be so, so nice when it's all done though. I have no place for Graham's clothes right now, and they are currently either stacked on top of my dryer or in a bin on the floor of our bedroom.
But let's get on to Mother's Day. Now that I'm a mom, I feel the same way about Mother's Day as I do about Valentine's Day. It's kind of a stupid made-up holiday that forces people to have high expectations about the special treatment they will receive, and a lot of time it results in disappointment. It puts a lot of undue pressure on non-mothers, too. Yes, being a mother is the hardest job, I do know that. And of course moms deserve a day to be appreciated. But honestly, we deserve so much more than just a day, and we're never going to get that. That's perfectly fine, though. It's a job we all signed up to do (even if it wasn't exactly "planned" in every person's situation), and it comes with it's own rewards. A lot of times I feel like being a mom is totally thankless, and to tell you the truth, sometimes a very horrible job. But then my heart explodes when the baby smiles or makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a mother. Or Gavin is actually sweet to me or reaches a big milestone. In a second, it makes all those tireless hours of mind-numbing work more than worth it. It's important work, too, and that should all make us proud of the job we have. Really, what could be more important than shaping the future generation? My family knows this and often makes me feel appreciated on random occasions. Well, at least Dylan makes me feel appreciated...it might be a stretch to expect that of the boys right now. And that is exactly how this motherhood journey is supposed to be.
So, on Mother's Day, my choice was to whip together an egg casserole and have the family over for brunch. Few things make my heart happier than getting my boys together with their cousins. And now that we're onto the second part of the day, I've discussed with Dylan exactly how I'd like for it to unfold. 1) Both boys are resting for right now (at least D is moving G in that direction), and the house is quiet, which is a HUGE and fairly uncommon gift, so I am blogging. 2) When they get up, we will head out and go to Costco. We need groceries so badly, and I always send Dylan with my list, but I LOVE Costco. I haven't been in such a long time, and my wish today is that we all go together because Gavin loves it too. Afterward we will go for a treat somewhere...or maybe just at the Costco food stand. 3) At some point I'm going on a jog to clear my head. That is all, and it is perfect.
I am an American, so I will choose to embrace the day since it's here for me to enjoy, even with my mixed-up feelings about it. So, happy Mother's Day to all the other moms working tirelessly day after day. And to my mom, who put in her time working hard when we were little and who cherishes her grandsons like nothing I've ever seen. And of course my mother-in-law who raised the greatest man I've ever known. I hope, if nothing else, that everyone gets a moment of peace and quiet today, especially if you're an introvert like me. And happy day to all the non-moms out there because we're all fighting the good fight. I once was a non-mom, and I get it. Fight on, ladies. I think anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm a tiny bit of a feminist. Women are rockstars for all that they can juggle and accomplish. We wouldn't be where we are without the men in our lives, but I know that moms, and women in general, can be real superheroes.
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| Testing out his bike riding apparatus that we're borrowing from the Jordans. Need to find this guy a helmet before we take him on a real ride! |
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| Watching these sweet boys play in the river yesterday |
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| Gavin's pre-brunch this morning |
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| These boys... |
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| Biggest cousin, littlest cousin |
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| Nonna and Graham |
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| Gavin made AWESOME gifts at Dawn's house for me this year! |
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| Mother's Day with these monkeys jumping on the bed was just perfect |
I'll leave you with some articles on Mother's Day from some other moms who speak my language.
Karina Bland
Kate Levkoff
Ruth Margolis
Oh, and of course these pictures from the race track the other day. Gavin refused to watch Dylan race because he wouldn't get out of the car game in the arcade area.
If nothing else, I hope you're ending this weekend with a smile on your face and love in your hearts. I know that I am.
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