Reflections on 4 Years

Four years ago today, a tiny little person was laid in my arms. I was a bit winded from the exertion of bringing her into the world, but not too much to grasp the enormity of what was happening. I was holding a person in my arms for the first time she'd ever been held by anyone. I'd known her for the past 9 months, but would be introducing her to everyone else for the first time. She would have some of my traits. But she'd be different from me. She'd grow up in our family, take on the values of our family, but change our family. She changed our future. She was our future. She was amazing. And holy crap, we had to learn how to take care of her!

Watching her grow up has been a wonder. My precious HeyMama is serious. Silly. Practical. Conscientious. Imaginative. Smart. Observant. Kind. Affectionate. Articulate. Very articulate. Good lord, that child could talk the ears off a field of corn...

The nanny that took care of her as an infant once commented that she could just sit and watch HeyMama entertain herself for hours. She'd get so focused on playing with her toys, she didn't really need entertaining. Now that she can talk, you know everything going on in her brain. But you always knew there was a lot going on in there. You could see it in her focused little face.

Some moms lament the passing of years, "My baby is growing up too fast!" But not me. I'm thrilled to see her grow. Every new skill, every new accomplishment is a joy to behold. I want to see more. I want more glimpses of who she's becoming. It's all wonderful.

My friend Lori once told me that motherhood causes you to reinvent yourself over and over. She was right. I was told that children can teach you more than you teach them. I would agree with that. I was told that being a parent is humbling, exhausting, and exhilarating. I would agree with that, too. and everyone told us that after we had a baby, our lives would never be the same. Boy, they weren't kidding!

As we celebrate HeyMama's birthday, we also celebrate the rebirth of ourselves as parents. That's an event to be celebrated too. After bedtime. Preferably with a bottle of champagne and some grownup time...

Happy Birthday HeyMama!