A NOTE FROM MOM

FROM the day I saw that little word, “pregnant,” pop up on the stick, we were so excited about having a child. My husband will sometimes call her our most expensive souvenir from Hawaii! Being pregnant was, well, different, especially with an ever growing belly and random cravings. Every day brought something new, exciting or painful to the mix. I have four children, and each pregnancy was totally different. I had my daughter 13 years ago. This pregnancy was normal. The only problem I had was with kidney stones. Well, there’s also the fact that she was a week late and labor lasted 23 hours. She is a little firecracker, though, and a mini version of myself–it’s kind of scary. She brings back memories of me and my friends at that age and the random things I used to do, like sit on the bathroom counter with my feet in the sink. I didn’t have a cell phone then, so I honestly don’t remember why I would do that; I can only assume I was putting on makeup. I had a second trimester miscarrage and had to deliver a tiny boy. This broke me for a good while. I still have my ritual I do every year on his birthday. Nothing can prepare you for this feeling; it’s horrible and nobody can do anything to help you. However, you are allowed to take your time on this, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s time to move on because you never do. The pain just gets easier. Finally, my last pregnancy was twins! I was told by an old employee that, “God will give you double for your trouble.” It really didn’t mean much at that time, but looking at it now, I have two amazing boys. Not identical (thank you, God) but honestly, it wasn’t as hard as everyone thinks. The key is to get them on a schedule and stick with it. We had so many notebooks with charts. I cracked up the other day when I found them. I was so detailed; I am not sure what happened since then because I am scatterbrain now. Becoming a mother is an amazing experience that has a lot of ups and downs, learning curves, and complete exhaustion. However, it is worth every stretch mark I earned. This month, we’re celebrating the journey to becoming a mother, where we highlight five moms who all made the journey to motherhood in different ways. I’d love to know about your journey as well. Happy Mother’s Day,

Amy L. Foreman Associate Publisher