I was recently asked to participate in the EBates What I want for Mother’s Day campaign… and thought it would be a fun way to discuss Motherhood and what being a Mother means to me, before sharing with you what I would love to receive for Mother’s Day this year. So I would like to share with you a some thoughts I have about being a Mother.
Before I had children, I thought I had a good idea about what being a Mother would entail. I had it all planned out in my head.
I was going to have lots of kids. Eight to be exact. Eight perfectly happy and BEAUTIFUL babies.
I was so excited to be that ADORABLE pregnant woman with glowing skin and hair and a cute “little” baby bump! And give birth naturally, while smiling with freshly painted toenails, perfectly coiffed hair and feeling at one with my body.
Then I would enjoy the company of sweet, sleeping babies… and Good Mannered, Polite, Sweet Children, who ALWAYS look like they just stepped off the pages of a Baby/Kids Gap Ad.
Our Children would obey me when I asked and go out of their way to keep their rooms and our home spotless. I had a plan…and it was good. Really Good! We would spend our days laughing and playing and we would be happy!!
In reality…I gained 40 lbs with my first pregnancy. I also developed a rare skin condition called PUPPPS. It was nothing to be worried about other than the fact that I was COVERED in a red rash that was horribly itchy. I felt like I wanted to scratch my skin off for 8 long and miserable weeks. Not to mention that my skin on my face, arms and belly looked horrendous.
I was also teaching all day long on my feet so my legs looked like an elephant’s due to water retention. It was not pretty. Not to mention the comment from a total stranger in a gas station…”Wow! Are you having twins? You look like you are about to pop!”
Really?
***
My son was delivered 3 weeks early with no problems but I didn’t get a chance to paint my toenails…not that I would have been able to see them. It was not a glamorous birth.
I was up all night in labor that started at 11:00 pm. I didn’t sleep a wink for over 36 hours and I pushed for almost 2 hours due to sheer exhaustion. Then as we were getting discharged, the doctors did one last check up before giving us the go ahead and found some alarming vitals.
They immediately whisked my two day old baby away and hooked him up to antibiotics and lots of different tubes and wires and gave him an IV in his head. He had to stay in the NICU for a week. He had developed a virus and had to run the course of antibiotics before he could be released. We lived in hazy limbo between home and the hospital.
And when we finally got him home, we would sit for hours and stare in amazement at this tiny human being.
I had many thoughts in those first few days… What was I supposed to do with him? What if I made some big mistakes? Was he still breathing? Why was he crying? Why wasn’t he crying? Why am I crying? Who in the heck ever termed breast feeding as “NATURAL”? Is he eating enough?
I was also not prepared for the whirlwind of emotions that comes along with being a new mother like crazy hormones, sleepless nights and down right rude comments from others (especially strangers).
How could one teeny tiny human being cause so much joy, elation, fear, worry, pain, love, doubt, and countless other emotions? How would I be able to do this for the rest of my life? And why would anyone ever voluntarily do this again…and more than once?
Well…somehow you forget. And those warm, squirmy newborns have a way of getting under your skin. They intoxicate you with their new smell (at least the good smells) and hypnotize you into thinking you want…no NEED more of them. They grow up and win you over with their drooly toothless smiles and uncontrollable giggles and smother their way into your heart.
When they gang up on you in their toddler hood and flood your newly remodeled basement bathroom with their latest recipe for “toilet soup” {a delightful mixture of shampoos, lotions, toilet cleaner and lots and lots of toilet paper swirled slightly with a flush}…you will forgive and forget!
Or when they decide to paint your new piano and living room walls with a beautiful shade of cheery pink nail polish…You will soon share it with a twinkle in your eye and a nostalgic sigh. Instead of remembering how you were seeing red with anger while you scrubbed for hours with borrowed nail polish remover…
Or when they run outside naked as a jay bird with your bra on their head. And you had to chase them through your neighbor’s yard, in your robe, while looking every bit like a crazy lady…yep! Only so that a few days later, you will soon be laughing and joking about it as though it were a most delightful memory.
***
I realize that though my story is uniquely mine, it is not unlike many others. The story of how I became and continue to be a Mother is very similar to many others who have gone ahead or who will someday become a Mother. We all struggle with similar concerns, joys, worries, happiness, sadness, and heartbreaks. And sadly, some will be chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice and outlive their children.
And some of you will become Mothers in very different circumstances and uncoventional ways. Some mothers may not actually have a child of her own, but may be someone who teaches, loves and has great influence on a child.
And though we may be very different in our experiences, I believe we all truly have our children’s best interests at heart. So I am sure I am not alone when I share with you what my heart truly wishes for this Mother’s Day…
to raise children that are happy! Children who feel like they had a great childhood. Children who want to raise their families in a similar way but who are smart enough to learn from their Mother’s mistakes. Children who are confident in their Mother’s love and belief in them and who they are. Children who want to give back to the world and make it a better place. Children who believe that they are important and that they matter. Children who grow up to be who they are meant to be!
***
and…maybe…a new pair of fun summer shoes…I have had my eye on these Keen Newport H2 sandals for a couple of years now! These would have come in handy when I was wading through toilet soup up to my ankles or when I was chasing naked child through the neighbors yard…just saying!
They would also come in handy on some of the more uplifting moments of Motherhood… like camping trips, hikes and playing in the creek behind our house.
Hopefully this will be my year! Fingers crossed. Have you used EBates before? I love that EBates gives you a list of stores to choose from and shows you the percentage of Cash Back you can get back when you buy the item from a certain store. EBates saves a lot of guess work and can get you some great deals on items you are wanting to purchase.
What about you? What does your heart wish for as a Mother? And on the fun side…what item would you love to receive for Mother’s Day!
Whatever you’re buying this Mother’s Day, start at EBates and get up to 20% cash back! To celebrate moms everywhere, Ebates is giving away a $1,000 shopping spree from any of their 1,200 retail partners!
I would love for one of my readers to win a great reward for all their hard work as a mother!
**This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ebates. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest goes from Monday, May 2nd to Monday, May 9th 2011.
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Would you like more Recipes, DIY, Printables and Organization Ideas?
Subscribing to the newsletter will enable us to periodically send you creative content exclusively for Idea Room subscribers.
*View our Privacy Policy here.
cristin vosburgh says
I really just want a nap … :)
Rachel K says
I LOVE ebates! One of my favorite shops is ebags. I’m ready for a new diaper bag, maybe this one: http://www.ebags.com/product/bisadora/lime-green-geometric-print-baby-bag-tote/73966?productid=928799
shana says
I could really use a new pair of tennis shoes . . . and so could my 12-year-old whose feet exploded out of the end of his gym shoes sometime last week and complaints abound!!
Thanks,
Shana
(oh and the nap from the first comment also sounds amazing, but I’m pretty sure you can’t get that through ebates!)
pamela says
I just want to be with my kids, I want them to love me and accept me for who I am. Just a normal person who makes mistakes .Just because your the mom does not mean you do not make mistakes. does not mean you have all the answers. does not mean you don’t have feelings.
Nicole says
I had the same feelings when I brought my baby home. After years of trying to get pregnant with him, when we finally brought him home I looked at him and thought, “Now what?” Once I learn I will not likely be able to have another baby, I learn to not sweat the small stuff (Mostly. No one is perfect, right). Heck, He’s 3 1/2 and I still carry him when he asks. He’s my only baby and I know one day he won’t need or want me as much.
Anyway, enough rambling. If I won $1000 from Ebate I think I would book a small trip through Travelocity. I love to travel, but I don’t have the money to do it as much as I would like.
Kelly W says
I would love, love, love to get the new Ipad 2. I love how Ebates gives you 1% cash back for the Apple store.
Jessica says
Wow…. there is so much one could chose from. Although I have already hinted on what I really want for Mother’s Day, but here on ebates I found something I really like. It is the mother/child necklace from Katarina.
Charlene McKenzie says
What a great post to read on a Friday morning while sipping my coffee :o) Happy Early Mother’s Day to you!! I hope you get your sandals!