{Photo credit: Liz Siebenaler Photography}
In the beginning, it’s a thought. An idea. Followed by serious decisions, a lot of preparation, planning and getting ready to become a mom!
It really is an exciting, nerve-wracking, scary but absolutely amazing moment… when this idea you once had, becomes a reality. You’re becoming a MOM!!
Congratulations, you will be amazing.
Before you know it, you’ll be snuggling a sweet babe, a child that locks eyes with you and knows that you’re “mom”. Way to go! Keep this new mama feeling locked into your brain because I have something to tell you… you will never stop becoming mom.
It all starts with (over)stocking up on all things baby for that new little one. Then, you’re baby proofing the house for a curious and overly confident crawler! Next, little teeth pop up and you discover your new tiny-food making skills. Eventually, you find yourself consumed by a lot of reading and learning about growth, potty training, reward charts, chores, manners, etc. With each of these stages, you’re “becoming mom” in a new way and you’ll fall into a new bracket each time: Expecting Mom, New mom, Toddler mom, Potty trainer Mom, Mom of a school-aged child, Mom of a pubescent child, and so on.
{Photo credit: Mortenson Photography}
Every stage will bring excitement and fear as if it’s new again. Minus the back labor, contractions and stretch marks – its a birth! The birth of a new stage. The beginning. It will always start out as an idea that will lead to planning and preparing. And when the realization sets in and that stage arrives, it will be fresh and new, with unforeseen obstacles, yet hiding in the corners will be so many fulfilling surprises. So, try hard not to close your eyes to the small successes.
I’m at the start of the school stage right now and I am the obvious newbie. I’m always asking too many questions, I’m probably “babying” my kids just a bit more than I should, and I (may have) started to prep for this stage almost a year ago. Nonetheless, even after preparing, I wasn’t ready. In all honesty, I love this stage, but I was equally nervous and excited for my kiddos. Just as nervous and excited as I was when I heard, “You’re going to be a mom!”. Kind of like the intro to an old classic, Wonder Years; a grainy film of me holding my babies, chasing my toddlers and high-fiving my potty trainers has been on a small loop in my head. But, what has hit me the most was this feeling of “becoming a mom” in a new way. The birth of this stage has opened my eyes to new expectations and needs for my little ones that I never imagined in previous stages.
I have thought about this a lot lately. This idea that we, mothers, will never stop becoming moms. At the birth of each stage, you will mentally snuggle that new baby as you take many deep breathes, shed familiar tears of exhaustion, pure love, and raw unsolicited happiness as you successfully attain goals you didn’t think were possible.
For instance, after struggling with feeding even one baby, I successfully tandem breastfed my twin girls for the first time! This moment was filled with so much happiness and exhaustion, and even though the whole “I can feed two babies at once” thing didn’t last for me, it was a goal I never thought was possible. Another stage filled with success was when we became a diaper free house! Realizing that my girls will not be graduating in diapers, an incredible dance party occurred and from what I can remember, money was falling from the sky! Jump ahead and I’m in the midst of some goals that have been tough but I have a feeling that all of the exhaustion will be washed away with happiness and incredible celebration in its own right.
So, just when you’re joyfully and tirelessly reaching the end of a stage and you feel like you’re blindly preparing for the next, know that there is hope! Hope that you will see each stage as an exciting new birth! Another beginning, that will teach you something new about motherhood, that will thicken your skin and soften your heart… as you continue becoming mom.
