A Mother's Love

Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman.

- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, Tyndale, 1972

The Evolution of Mothers

Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each

baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different

from having the first.

Your Clothes

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.

The Layette

1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?

Worries

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Pacifier

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Diapering

1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

You Know You’re Really a Mom When...

*You count the number of sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they are equal.

*You want to take out a contract on the kid who broke your child's favorite toy and made him/her cry.

*You have time to shave only one leg at a time.

*You hide in the bathroom to be alone.

*Your child throws up and you catch it.

*Someone else's kid throws up at a party and you keep eating.

*You consider finger paint to be a controlled substance.

*You mastered the art of placing food on a plate without anything touching.

*Your child insists that you read "Once Upon a Potty" out loud in the lobby of the doctor's office and you do it.

*You hire a baby sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then you spend half the night talking about and checking on the kids.

*You hope ketchup is a vegetable because it's the only one your child eats.

*You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into unusual shapes.

*You fast-forward through the scene when the hunter shoots Bambi's mother.

*You obsess when your child clings to you upon parting during his first month at school, then you obsess when he skips in without looking back.

*You can't bear to give away baby clothes--it's so final.

*You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "Not in your good clothes."

*You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.

*You read that the average-five-year old asks 437 questions a day and feel proud that your kid is "above average."

*You say at least once a day "I'm not cut out for this job," but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything.

- Unknown

Never Did I Imagine

Never did I imagine that in a blink of an eye my childhood would end and my life would change forever.

Never did I imagine myself being judged and stereotyped by people who knew nothing about me.

Never did I imagine having so many sleepless nights wondering how I would manage and move forward.

Never did I imagine my life becoming so complicated and yet so rich and so beautiful at the same time.

Never did I imagine I could love someone with so much of myself or how breathtaking a simple grin, giggle, kiss or hug could be.

Never did I imagine the happiness of becoming a mother.

- Andrea Balarezo :)

SIGN FOR THE BATHROOM DOOR

Attention Everyone: The Bathroom Door is Closed!

Please do not stand there and talk, whine or ask questions.

Wait until I get out.

Yes, it is locked. I want it that way.

No, it is not broken; I am not trapped.

I know I have left it unlocked, and even open at times, since you were born, because I was afraid some horrible tragedy might occur while I was in  there.

But it's been ten years, and I want some privacy.

Do not ask me how long I will be.

I will come out when I am done.

Do not bring the phone to the bathroom door.

Do not go running back to the phone yelling, "She's in the bathroom!"

Do not begin to fight as soon as I go in.

Do not stick your little fingers under the door and wiggle them.

This was funny only when you were two.

Do not slide pennies, Legos, or notes under the door,

Even when you were two, this got a little tiresome.

If you have followed me down the hall, talking,

And are still talking as you face this closed door,

Please turn around, walk away and wait for me in another room.

I will be glad to listen to you when I am done.

Oh, and yes, I still love you.

Mom

From "Espresso for a Woman's Spirit," by Pam Vredevelt.

The Best Translation

There were four clergymen who were discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its simple beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it is more literal and comes nearer the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked Moffatt's translation best because of its up to date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent. When asked to express his opinion, he replied, "I like my mother's translation best." The other three expressed surprise. They did no know that his mother had translated the Bible. "Yes, she did," he replied. She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw."

- Douglas L. Murray Sr.

Funny :)

A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: " My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word Mother.

- Unknown

A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday school presentation. His mother was in the front row to prompt him. She gestured and formed the words silently with her lips, but it did not help. Her son's memory was blank. Finally, she leaned forward and whispered the cue, "I am the light of the world." The child beamed and with great feeling and a loud clear voice said, "My mother is the light of the world."

- Bits and Pieces, August, 1989

"The hand that rocks the cradle usually is attached to someone who isn't getting enough sleep."

- John Fiebig

"I’d like to be the ideal mother, but I’m too busy raising my kids."

- Unknown

"Motherhood is full of frustrations and challenges... but eventually they move out."

- Unknown