Disclaimer:
This is not the post about our visit to South Carolina, which is forthcoming. I promise.
1) When I became a mother, I expected the love...and there has been a lot of it. I love this child more than I could have dreamed possible. And the love she gives us is even better.
2) I did not expect her to be so independent. A part of me is sad that she isn't a particularly "cuddly" child. She wants me near her, yes, but not holding her. If she lays her head down when I pick her up, it's only for the briefest moment, and then she wants me to let her go. But then, another part of me is proud of her for wanting to do things herself.
3) I expected to worry. And I do plenty of that. About legitimate things: "Is she gaining enough weight?" (And for the record, at her weight check in March she was up 2 pounds from her 6 month appointment!), and about not-so-legitmate things: "Are her legs too short for her to be able to support her weight when she wants to walk?" (Yes, really. I wish I were kidding about that one.)
4) I didn't expect to be reduced to tears watching her "cruise" from her activity table, to the overturned laundry basket, to her exersaucer. It just amazed me when I realized all that she has learned to do in 8 months.
5) I expected her to be sassy. Just not this sassy.
6) I didn't expect her to be so tough. When you think of little girls, you tend to think of delicate things, or soothing the tears that will fall after a small injury or frustration. Not so for my girl. She falls, maybe whimpers for a moment if I look concerned (which I try not to do...I'm a very "Whoops, oh well!" type of mom, because I don't want her to react based on my reactions), and moves on. And while I don't want her to be a whiny kid every time she gets a "boo-boo", I guess she just surprises me at how little time it takes her to recover and try again.
7) Few things about being a parent fall into the category of what I "expected", but I find I'm kind of glad. It's much more exciting this way. Also a little challenging. But still exciting. :)
Senior Year
10 months ago
1 comment:
My dear sweet daughter,
It always amazed me that being a mother could be so complicated! I just read somewhere that when you become a mother, you are then never alone. You are always attached to your child, whether or not you are in the same vicinity. That connection makes even the 15 hour distance seem small, and eternal! Aren't we lucky to be mothers!!
Mom
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