on being a mom // Mother's Day

Sometimes when I'm cleaning my house I convince myself that I'm already a mom (minus the whole having children thing), because think about it! If I stick my pooch out hard enough, I can pass as 5 months along + these childbearing hips don't lie! I've got the cleaning-the-house thing down. I can function off of little to no sleep. I also never get sick of watching/listening to Disney movies (I still get chills when I hear Let It Go). Oh, and I've burned my nipples in a tanning bed before, so that's gotta be pretty close to the pain of breastfeeding, right?!

WRONG.
So, so wrong.

As much as I like trying to convince myself that I'm basically already a mom, I know that I'm not. Not even close. One-I am not with child, and two-there is SO much more to being a mom than the things I just mentioned above.

Being a mom requires selflessness I can't even begin to comprehend! As well as that unconditional love people say you don't understand until you've held your child for the very first time. Even though I haven't gotten to experience that, I know that kind of love is real--it has to be! What else could possess a person to clean up boogers, throw up, and poop from another human and not even flinch?! And what in the world could cause a parent to stick around during the teenage years and deal with those who don't even have a fully developed prefrontal cortex? LOVE! It can only be that love I just don't fully understand yet.

Even though I'm not providing that love to a child yet, I'm fortunate enough to say that I'm still on the receiving end of it by not just one, but by two mother's now! I'm so grateful for my mom and my mother-in-law. I know not everyone can say they have TWO amazing mom's! They are both the definition of selflessness and unconditional love. Mom--thanks for always being my best friend and never giving up on me (even during the under-developed prefrontal cortex years!), and Martha--thank you for treating me like one of your own and for being a mother to Chris! You raised the husband I always wanted! I love you both so, so much! Happy Mother's Day!

And Happy Mother's Day to the rest of you mom's out there! It's no wonder that I always try to convince myself that I'm a mom, too--mom's are amazing! And loving. And caring. And tough! Seriously though... my boobs are going to do WHAT when I'm a mom?!?