Why Moms Are Awesome

First off... Happy Mother's Day!

This is intended to be a funny, feel-good look at the life of a mom. And why moms are awesome. I was thinking about it a little bit today, and as I pictured moments and conversations in my head, I laughed at myself for the things that mothers do and endure for their offspring. By the way- offspring is one of my favorite words. I use it almost daily. Anyway, I hope these put a smile on your face and a "yes!" in your heart!

We have ninja-like reflexes.  How many of you have bolted out of bed at the speed of light the second you hear a cough, cry, or rustle? Or worse, the sound of vomit? Yeah, they can't measure that speed, and don't forget that it's from dead sleep! Have you even jumped the moment you hear the dog peeing on the carpet? This mommy speed it about 10x faster. Not to mention, the hands that go out the moment you hear the vomit (why do we do that?), the arm that catches the kid that tripped, diving to catch the kid falling off the stool, or catching the kid running in the mall. I'm telling you, it's like magical powers. Speaking of powers....

We can see the future. Not literally, but we do have a pretty good idea of what will happen... we watch our child climb a tree or stand over a water fountain or stand up on the chair... yep, I saw that coming. Sometimes the ninja reflexes can prevent it, and other times the ground teaches the child a hard lesson (pun intended). We can usually assess a situation and guess what the outcome will be for our child. That's pretty awesome.

We can understand them. When babies start talking, it seems like another special power to understand any of their 'words'! Who else could know that "da-dur" means water, "nunna" means funny, and "NiNi" means Brittni? If you come across someone who does not have children, they are like "what on earth is that kid saying?", but we just had a full conversation with them.

We get super-strength when alone. You know, that mom who is carrying two babies under 2 years old through the airport while also holding a carseat, diaper bag, and two suitcases.... oh, and one of the kids is crying. THAT'S super strength. It's gotta get done and you seem to be the only one around to do it! Somehow we also manage to move furniture, lift heavy toys, put together large toys (swingset, anyone?) and do almost anything with one hand. Special shout-out to my sister-in-law Kylee for braving the airport like this to come see us...

We can multi-task like no other. We can sit down to have coffee with a friend, and focus on everything she is saying while simultaneously watching and correcting the child. She's like "do you want me to start over?" but you can be like "no no! I got it all! Keep going". And you really do! You also just got a glimpse into mommy playdates. There isn't a minute that goes by without someone whining, crying, thirsty, hungry, wanting to sit in your lap, wanting outside, pinching another kid, wanting a toy another kid has... must I go on? And yet we love them and keep doing them, and somehow we also remember all of our conversations!

We can survive on practically no sleep. Parenthood includes many a sleepless night- which I gravely discovered does not end with the newborn days, but also holds on through teething, fevers, illnesses, night terrors, and just plain ol' not tired. Sometimes, you literally feel like a zombie walking around, not sure how you got there or what you were doing. And we still manage to get through the day and keep the kids alive! This stuff is like military training...

We can eat a hamburger and change a diaper at the same time. Okay, that may be a little graphic, but it's pretty close. My mom used to say this all the time when describing motherhood. The smell or presence of pee and poo are no longer nasty, they are exciting! The baby is digesting properly! I have never been this excited about my own....body movements. Every once in awhile there is a really good diaper that gets you, but most of the time we can go about what we were doing while changing a diaper that shouldn't be allowed to exist. Even the Daddies have trouble with these ones.

We made a baby. We made a baby! Need I say more?

Happy Mother's Day. 

And Mom, thank you for always catching me (or attempting to), losing sleep over me, understanding me, and being excited about my poo. And thanks for making me- pass it on to Dad too, he'll like to hear that :).

And just for fun... here's a cute picture of the one who made me Mommy.