Who Is Your Mom?

This year was one of the first times in my life I ever thought about Mother's Day as more than just a day to for my mom and mother-in-law. This time next year, I'll be celebrated, too (note to self: send reminder to Shawn's calendar for next year).

I actually don't have a single Mother's Day memory before I graduated High School... How must my mom have felt when that Sunday in May came and went every year with no pampering, no shopping spree... maybe a card or two, but if you've ever met my brother and sister, you'd know it couldn't have been much more than that. I feel like I really appreciated my mom, but except for the obligitory macaroni and elmer's glue potholder, I feel like she got the short end of the proverbial motherhood stick.

When we started our adoption journey, I started thinking more about what being a mom really means. It clearly was going to be part of my new job role and I began to realize that my mom did more than just make dinner.

So, here's just a little about my mom and why for her, Mother's Day should be more than just once a year:

My mom became a first time mother at the ripe old age of 17. She gave birth to my brother, Rex on his due date and he was a huge baby...Probably way more than her tiny 5 foot 2 inch frame could handle. I think he might have been born with size 12 feet, I'm not quite sure. Just over a year later, my sister Julie came along, and was a doll of a baby girl (for a short time...she soon morphed into an ulcer inducing ball of fire). My parents were living the American Dream!

Several years and some unsuccessful pregnancies later, I came along...a little early and not doing so well. Needless to say, I came with some baggage...and undercooked insides. I was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Seattle and took up long term residence in an incubator without much hope for survival. I remember my mom telling me about how she overheard nurses saying that she shouldn't bother naming me because I probably wouldn't make it through the night. How hard must that have been on a mother? Well, she named me anyway...damn it. And today, I'm by far the tallest girl in our family, and although I'm still a little undercooked, I'm healthy and not anywhere near my deathbed...and as much as those NICU nurses wanted to believe there was no chance for me, my mom refused to accept it. When no one else thought so, my parents thought I was worth the effort...all scrawny 3 pounds of me. I've even managed to gain a few pounds since then.

One of my fondest memories growing up was my mom participating in my school's Read & Lead program with me. I was one of my school's top readers, thanks to my mom's encouragement to love reading. Thanks to her, my brother and I are huge readers and I truly think it's one of my most valuable habits and one that I will pass on to my son. She also taught me to love puzzles and scary movies...OK, so I don't thank her so much for that one. I'm scared of the dark and even just last night thought for sure someone was hiding under the bed.

More things my mom taught me to love? Cooking, travel (even when she spent decades doing less of it than she deserved), warm weather (I grew up hating Washington's weather...still do!), Johnny Carson, and "1/2 off the already reduced price" sales. Even when I have a handful of Macy's gift cards, I still make a beeline for the sale rack... The "What Not to Wear" people would hate me! Well, I don't want to volunteer too much more of my mom's life. I forgot to have her sign responsibility waivers.

Yesterday, my parents came to our house to celebrate Mother's Day. We kept it simple with a bunch of food and a few gifts. We took Polli for a walk around the block and ate strawberry shortcake (with a horrible whipped cream failure). The picture to the right above is my mom & I in my living room with my 30 pound baby. She looks so big there! (The dog, not my mom!) Anyway, hopefully next year, we'll be celebrating as grandma and mom... and hopefully at a Half Off sale!

Thanks for years of great memories, mom! Through the good and the bad, you're a real inspiration to the mom I want to be. I hope I make you proud.

To Trish, my Mother In Law: I didn't forget you. You deserve your own special entry. I'll be sure to give you your moment in the sun one day soon!