They Call Me Mom

These 3 monkeys are why I get the honor of calling myself Mom. It's the best job I have ever had and frankly, the hardest. I told Cam recently that the kiddos are my best accomplishments in my life.

When I was little I used to play house and school. There was never a time in my life when I thought about not having kids. This is what I was created for: to love, to nurture, to teach, to play, and to be a part of something bigger than myself.

I became a mother the minute I found out I was prego with Annie (ready or not). I was young, a little stupid, and a lot idealistic. No bottles, no "pacies", no nipple confusion (give me a break), no sugar, etc. You get the picture. I remember telling my dad that I wasn't going to change my life and that she would fit into our life and schedule. I think he laughed out loud. I've never been more wrong about anything in my life. The night she was born I changed everything to fit into HER life, needs, wants, whims! I made a lot of mistakes with her as a first-time mom. I'm surprised she turned out, but we didn't kill her and it was an awesome journey, so we decided to do it, again.

One miscarriage and 6 months later, I was going to be a mom for the 2nd time. Truth be told, I was afraid. Afraid that I couldn't love another baby as much as I loved Annie. I was wrong, again! The day Belle was born was one of the BEST days of my life and once again another child would call me "mom". She got a "pacie" and a bottle and never experienced "nipple confusion". She nursed for 17 months :)

And then I found out I would be a mom to a son. A son who would take a piece of my heart the minute he was born. A 3rd person on the face of the earth would call ME "mom" although I never thought he would talk, so it took 2 yrs to hear that word leave his mouth.

I take my role as their mom very seriously. A role that I am honored and grateful to fulfill every day. A role that is frustrating and at times tedious. A role that challenges me as a person everyday. I will never win an academy award for this role. I will never get paid 6 figures for this job or any monetary compensation. I am taken for granted and unappreciated (at times). I am tired and never get a vacation because when I am on vacation, I still think of them, worry about them. There isn't a moment in time that I am not a mom and I wouldn't change it for the world. Not one single second.

I run a marathon everyday and it's call motherhood. I train hard and sometimes I finish first and other times I crawl across the finish line. But, at the end of the day, I get to tuck them in, kiss them good night, listen to them pray, cover them before I go to bed and start all over the next day. I send them to school with love notes and everyday I remind them to "be good"! I hug them after school and sit with them while they do homework. I pray for them every night before bed. I pray for their safety, health, soul, friends, and the people I want them to be. I pray for their physical aches and their heart aches. I pray for patience and forgiveness because I do it wrong everyday. I am inpatient and quick tempered. Some days I worry more about my dirty floors than taking the time to sit and listen.

I love it when I hear them call my name: mom, mama, mommy. But every once in awhile depending on the day, I ignore any derivative of mother and pretend I am on a beach with my toes buried and can only hear the waves. A girl can dream, can't she? It's time to thank my 3 kiddos for the journey of a lifetime!