Super Heroes
My friend Angela's an old pro at the Mom thing- her two month old,Magdalene, is her fourth kid. She swings her around in her car seat without the irrational fear I would have of her falling out, can change diapers on the couch without getting anything on the upholstery and can hold a meaningful conversation with big words all the while feeding/comforting/swaying with her fussy infant. She embroidered onesies for MY child in her spare time, made her own yogurt this week, took all four kids to the grocery store (putting Ellie in the shopping cart gives me such anxiety, I've decided I'd rather go hungry than take her to Whole Foods- and there's only ONE of her!) and assembled homemade pizza for her children, upon request. I haven't made dinner since I've been home from the hospital, unless you count pasta and jarred sauce with a pre-assembled salad. After five weeks of being home as a first-time Mom, the complexities of motherhood continued to escape me and I knew I had to poll some experts if for nothing other than the need to commiserate/empathize/share in this crazy thing together. So, I lured Angela over with a bottle of wine and held her hostage on my couch for secrets to this mysterious mommy-hood. Ok, so Angela didn't need to be lured with wine, just to clarify. She loves me as I do her, I haven't seen her in what feels like decades and we were very excited to get the chance to sit down and chat. I, I needed the wine. I mean, I really needed the wine. And after several hours of conversing about sleeping schedules, baby blues, blocked tear ducts, weight gain- mine and the baby's:) and hopes for our families futures, I came to the conclusion I had already reached before she got here.
My eyes grew wide with recognition of the awesomeness that filled my living room. Angela is a super hero. Anyone who can home-school four kids and still have time to put on earrings and a table cloth on the table is a super hero. And it made me feel a little like a super hero, too, though I have to say, I don't really have the whole thing down like Angela does. But, I expelled a live, human being from my body. And she's still alive, 5 weeks later. And thriving, in fact. And I showered today. And did a load of laundry. And the dishes. And had a meal. And read a Psalm. Yup. Watching Angela made me realize that all Moms have super hero qualities- but if you really want to fine-tune yours, I suggest you give her a call.
Honor a mother in addition to your own this coming Mother's Day:) Love you, Angela!