10 Years Of Being A Parent

I never was sure I wanted to be a parent. My mom was a single parent of three (divorced with a virtually absent father) and she always let us know it was a lot of work. (Sorry mom, but you know it's true.) I was with my husband for 8 years before we had our "oops" moment that would change my life forever. I had no idea what I was in for. Nothing can truly prepare you for becoming a parent other than doing it. (And to those who think having a dog is similar, it's not all that similar because, among other things, it is legal to lock your dog in the house with a bowl of food and LEAVE.)

I remember those early months after Evie was born. How much I loved this little person who needed me so much. But I also remember how much of a challenge I thought it all was. Never having any time for myself, no sleep, no money. I remember having to go grocery shopping and squeezing the baby carrier out of the car door, hefting it up into the cart and then having no room for groceries (for some reason mine didn't fit safely on the handles) while she cried and I felt that everyone in the store was watching me. I thought, "How do people do this?" Now I smile when I think of that. It's all about perspective I guess. Compared to my life before children it was hard. But little did I know how much harder it could become. Adding a second child. Then a third. Try grocery shopping with a 4 year old who can't walk AND a suction machine in the cart, talk about no room. Add a 7 and 9 year old who always seem to like to wrestle in the isles. Ha! That's just the example that stands out. Thankfully I do my grocery shopping while the nurse is here. There are so many ways that having three children is hard, but especially so when the demands of one are so great. I love Miss A but I'd be lying if I said it was easy.

Still I wouldn't change it for the world. They are everything to me, my three lovely children. There are so many thoughts and feelings I would like to write about in depth some day, but today I have to clean my house because I have a "showing" at 3:00.  But before I go, real quick, I just want to say, "Who is this beautiful young lady? Where is my BABY?!" She is growing up right before my eyes, and just this week started calling me "Mom" instead of  "Mommy". I'm not ready! I wish the clock could stop because I know that as hard as it is at times, these are the days we are meant to enjoy, and one day I will miss them deeply.

I am so proud of her (and all my kids).

I will leave you with a picture of the birthday girl from her party last weekend (but yes today she officially turns 10). Which was, hallelujah!, the easiest party I've ever thrown. Evie used my scrapbook software to make her own party invitation all by herself, which we then folded into origami frogs. The theme was a rainforest sleepover. She just had two friends to keep things simple (we had an open house the following day).  We made one trip to the party store. Spent an hour decorating the TV room. We ate diner at the Rainforest Cafe, had a volcano cake for desert, made pressed pennies, fed more pennies to the crocodile, bought our party favors at the gift shop.

Easy Peasy. 

Perfect.

Tonight  we'll probably have our usual family Friday pizza and a movie night (these days it is the only day of the week I can count on Steve being home for dinner.)  

And open presents, which oddly she hasn't even asked about this year.

She thinks it's her birthday, but to me it's the 10 year anniversary of becoming a mommy.

The best day of my life.