Tuesday, January 25, 2011

campaign mom

why I love being a mom: reason #1
Photobucket
{Tentens and I were ENTIRELY over-due for one of these cliche' mommy-baby-mirror-self-portrait-thingies. So there. Done and done. -And done SPECTACULARLY... if I do say so myself. - I was having a REALLY good bangs day that day. Those days are getting fewer and farther between lately, so I'm glad I captured one. Oh, and add to that the ridiculously cute and very smiley baby? ...Yeah, no one is looking at my bangs, huh? Darn.}

Since some people think that mommy bloggers who claim to love being moms, and wives, and stay-at-homers, and like, "such as", are either 1. lying/sugar-coating or 2. just downright nuts {and in their defense, I just might be...} I have decided to launch a campaign to enlighten them and share my side of the mommy story.

{I DO eat {and BAKE} a lot of cupcakes, so maybe sugar-coating is inevitable, and I would be remiss if I didn't warn you that unicorns, rainbows and kittens may very well burst forth from your computer screens as a result of reading this... so consider yourselves warned.}

Last night, Ten woke up and would. not. go. back. to. sleep. At 2:00 a.m., after hours of rocking him to sleep, laying him down, have him start screaming, picking him back up, rocking him back to sleep, laying him back down, having him start screaming, picking him back up and rocking him {for like 20-30 minutes} back to sleep, and THEN holding my breath while laying him down... praying while laying him down, looking to the heavens and pleading "please let him stay asleep, please let him stay asleep, please let him stay asleep, please let him stay asleep, I will DIE if he doesn't just stay asleep...!" and then, right as his body hits the crib... he starts screaming... again.

Then, I had a "duh" moment, and thought "Why don't I just take him to bed with me?" Even if he doesn't sleep, he will happily squeal and poke my face and pull my hair for the next hour while I {who am completely exhausted and could sleep through a hurricane at this point} GET SOME SLEEP!

So, I picked him up, and carried him into my room. The SECOND we crossed the threshold to my room, he stopped crying. {Smart little stink.} And when I laid him next to me in bed...? Ha! ALL SMILES. Cutest thing ever. He does this amazing little *sigh* followed by a high-pitched squeal, and yeah, much to my delight, he did THAT about 20 times in a row. And then he pinched at my cheeks and eyes and pulled my bangs, like, really hard in an effort to pull my face closer into his so that he might take a big old bite, or at least just suck on a cheek bone for awhile... so I leaned in and kissed him all over the face and nuzzled down into the place between his chin and chest where there is SUPPOSED to be a neck, but really there is no neck to be found... just a lot of fatty deliciousness... and I made growly-eat-y sounds, and loud, squeaky-kissy sounds, and the giggles...ohhhh the giggles that came out of that boy...

And suddenly, 2:00 a.m. didn't matter anymore. {Okay, it was more like 2:45 by now... but 2:45 a.m. didn't matter anymore, either.}

And suddenly, the deliriously exhausted feeling that was threatening to eat me alive was replaced by pure joy. Seriously. Pure joy. {Because, you know, babies are like, 99% pure joy...and 1% poop. There, is that more along the lines of "keeping it real"? I said poop, and also acknowledged that babies do it. Does that drastically increase my street cred.?}

I passed out to the blissful melody of Tennyson's high soprano {he gets it from his Gaga} with kicky-feet drumming a separate beat all their own, and the occasional poke in my right eye. Awesome.

So, I love being a mom.
Go moms!
Stick it, critics. ;)

23 comments:

Celeste said...

Oh dear, the love that I feel for you & your writing style (which is EXACTLY like your talking style, BTW) has jumped to epic proportions. It's getting a little weird in here.
We missed the guts out of you tonight! I think this is going to be a monthly thing though, a diner's club of sorts, so we shall repeat. It was so much fun! Great group. Most of which are coming to St. George. Yay!

Uncle Travis Burnswell said...

Women who hate other women for being mothers is probably one of my bigger annoyances to deal with on the internet.

When I was in Africa we ate breakfast in our hotel with a lady who went to UC Berkeley (she had to work that into the conversation somehow), but had lived in Utah for a while during college. So of course her opinion about Mormons was expressed. She said something to the effect of, "They were very nice people, but their religion is so oppressive to women. They were constantly talking about being wives and mothers which is just degrading blah blah blah... I wouldn't have had time for kids with all the war protests at Berkeley blah blah... I am just so happy with my life cause I never had kids blah blah blah... Also, I went to Berkeley."

I didn't buy it. This woman's biggest accomplishment was attending Berkeley. Of course she resents the lives of women who have created and nurtured an entire effing human -- all she ever did was show up to an overrated university. Otherwise, why would she care what other women chose to do with their lives? Why would she HAVE to mention multiple times how happy she is with her choices and how sad she is for those "poor Mormon women"? Because she's afraid. People are afraid of their greatest potential and failing if they try to reach it. One of the most important roles in every society is that of a mother. So, some women are afraid of how important they could be. They are afraid of taking on such an important role and then failing. That's understandable because it is human to be afraid. But I still can't stand it when women hide behind the label of "feminist" and then try to tear down and belittle women who want to be mothers. If they were actually content with their lives then they wouldn't be so outspoken about how "happy" they are about their accomplishments and then inevitably follow up their bragging with something like, "Hey, it beats being barefoot and pregnant with 3 screaming kids ha ha ha," with an uncomfortable laugh at the end that screams "I've made a huge mistake. I'm lonely. I want some ice cream."

It's easier to have compassion for them when you realize that they are only afraid of their own potential, running from their fears, and then using false feminism as a cover, but it is still frustrating. And knowing why they are the way they are doesn't make it any easier to listen to them at breakfast.

My final thought in this comment of all comments is this: women who belittle other women for being wives and mothers rank with the porn industry for destroying overall respect for women. Not cool ladies.

Lisa Lou said...

I think if most women are honest with themselves, they would love to be in your position.

sostinkinhappy said...

Those night time giggle fests are the best, aren't they? I had one the other morning at about 4:00 a.m with Princess Penelope and I had the exact same thought, "Suddenly [insert time on the clock] doesn't matter anymore."

Yes, stick it critics. Sometimes I think they are just jealous of the fact we have figured out the secret to true bliss in this life - and it comes in the form of an adoring husband and little humans that call us mama. (And yes, true bliss can be accompanied by multiple degrees, pointy headed thoughts, and activism too.)

Love your stuff Lola - I am so glad we became friends.

Smooches -

Melynda

Unknown said...

Sing it, Sistah! Ooh, I love the giggles. There is NOTHING like the giggles. This was such a cute post!

Barbaloot said...

Reminds me of my nephew. As long as he's being held he's a happy little guy content to make cute noises and smile. Love it!

April said...

This made me smile REAL BIG from eat-to-ear! I've been a stay-at-home mom now for almost 19 years and they've been the best I've ever known! Wouldn't trade one second of it for ANYTHING! Love the picture of your and your adorable baby!

Diana said...

Gosh, I remember those nights!

Thank you for dropping by my blog. Hope you'll visit again soon!

Jeff and Jessie said...

Honestly, getting up with a baby is hard, but if your change your attitude, it becomes special sacred times never to be forgotten or replaced.

Lindsay said...

This is so great. I'm happy you can enjoy those mommy moments because let's be honest a lot of people wouldn't find joy at that hour...lol!

The Blackwells said...

GO MOMS!!! I had a similar experience last night and I felt the same way. Even more so because all through the day I have to share her with 4 other kids and her dad, it's not till after hours that I get to hog her all to myself and I love every minute of it!!

Emmy said...

That picture is so adorable. And yes, sometimes a good face sucking from a baby is all you need to make it a good day or night :)

VolleyMom said...

And I love the Artistic Quality of your wedding shot in the background. Even if unintentional, it speaks to the unknowing artist in you. So good job on an accident, it was an amazing accident. Keep having them! And I agree...mom's rock!!! Somedays I rock jammies all day. But still rockin!!!

Jeff and Jessie said...

Why I love being a mom-check out my latest post...

LMS said...

Dear Lola,
I am a mom. I HAVE NO REGRETS. I always wanted to be one. I am sad they are grown. AND I didn't start out being a mormon. SO THERE all you skeptics. I LOVE BEING A MOM!!
Love,
Granny Smith

Leia said...

Awwww, this is so sweet. I don't have any children so as far as I'm concerned, it's perfectly normal to love being a mum! :P

Leia

Meredith said...

I so know how you feel and the article you're referring too.5 people sent it to me when it came out thanking me for my Mormon mommy blog. I don't think my blog is that cool but I was flattered. And yeah, ps: I LOVE being a mom. It's super hard but the good times make so much worth it. Even the night screaming;)

Karen Deborah said...

Motherhood period has been under attack since Roe vs Wade. Do you know what the number one question women ask is when they are going to have an abortion? It's not what your position is on feminism. It's, "Will this hurt my baby?" Planned Parenthood lies to them and says it won't hurt anybody. Feminism is just one big lie on top of another all from the deceiver. I don't care if your Mormon or a poor African woman "cursed" with 6 sets of twins. We are such an ungodly nation that we don't recognize real treasure when we see it. Unless your a mom at 2 am with a beautiful giggling fat baby boy.

Unspoken said...

What a beautiful picture!

AiringMyLaundry said...

I love that photo.

I do love being a Mom too, but I'm just not the type of Mom who is all about her kids. I'm still me, Amber, too. Love my kids but I also love remembering who I am.

Lizzie B. said...

As I'm typing this comment my little 18 month old nugget is asleep on my lap with a 102 degree fever and a nasty cough. So, you know what I've been going through the last 5 days! Despite all the throwing up and sleeplessness, I still love being a mom (even with the yesterday's breakdown) and can't wait to see my little boy after his quick 10 minute cat nap. though it does help that he likes to cuddle when he is sick! This blog and that article make me want to blog more on my babe and being a mommy.

Unknown said...

I loved this post. I could have swore I already commented on it. I will comment again.

I think being a mom is a wonderful thing. More amazing than any other thing! I hope that you will always find such joy in it! Love, Becky

C Stevens said...

I do love your blog. Some mommy days are hard...You are pure sunshine. It is true, even the torture is fun.
I was thinking about our dinner date and when your hubs asked if I did a ton of research on Autism. I told him it scares me. It does. I opened that can 'o worms today. I started studying and ended up crying all through Max's nap. I know it is important to be informed but it is still so sad sometimes.
Thank you for your post and the sunshine.
Loves!