The ABCs of Motherhood

A Aching back. And feet. And hands and legs and groin and boobs.
B Big belly.
C Cankles.
D Delivery. 23 hours. Vacuum. Forceps. C-section. The works.
E Engorged breasts. And let's throw in sore nipples.
F Functioning in zombie mode.
G Giggles.
H Hospitals. For jaundice. For the croup. For appendicitis and the flu and stitches and surgeries.
I Iguanodon. Xenotarsosaurus. Diplodopus. I could identify them in a line up.
J Just because your friend jumps off a bridge doesn't mean you need to.
K Kisses to make it all better.
L Love. Love for their freckles. Love for their toes. Love for their quirkiness, their intelligence, their creativity. Love for the way they sleep, for the frogs in their pockets, for the way she looks in that dress, for the skinned knees and sunburned cheeks. Love for sticky, chocolatey fingers. Love for their forts under the tables, their sleepovers, their games of school and family and doctor, their bike rides and walks to the creek. Love for the homemade cards and concoctions on Mother's Day. Love for how she forgot her lines in the school play, for the tears over school drama, for the crushes, for the crumpled up notes in pockets. Love for his scars, love for her hope, love for her undying love, so much love for them for all they have suffered through. Love for God for bringing all my children into my life. Love for their hugs, their hands to hold, their hair to brush. Love for them teaching me who I am, showing me where I am strong and where I still need to grow. Love for them making me a better person, a richer person, a more capable person.
M Mountains of paperwork and clearances and references and home visits and documents, documents, documents....
N Night manager. Day manager. Manager of schoolwork, chores, manners, bedtimes, hygiene, soccer, gymnastics, skating, music lessons, martial arts, religion, community service.....
O One day you'll have kids of your own and then maybe you'll understand...
P Poo, puke, pimples, piercings.
Q Quiet. I don't understand. What does this word mean?
R Referee. Resolver of all disputes.
S School dances. Make-up and heels. Not ready.
T Texting 25 hours a day.
U Unbounded love for all of them. Born of my heart? Born of my womb? It matters not.
V Veto. Veto those shorts she is thinking of wearing to school.
W Whine. Wine.
X X marks the parallel parking spot he has to guide the car into all by himself.
Y Younger than they think they are. They're not ready. I'm not ready.
Z Zombie (see F, above). But in between the auto-pilot zombie mode times are the richest, most textured and special moments of my entire lifetime. And I would do it all again in a heartbeat.



Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers in my life: Moms, sisters, aunts, friends, bloggers. You all make the world a beautiful place!