When I was pregnant with my first I read several the books (of course "What to Expect When Your Expecting" was included in my stack of books) and payed attention during my birthing classes, well I paid attention to most of the information. I skipped over the parts about complications or circumstances such as induced labor, c-sections, and anything else that would be different from my expectations. Those circumstance weren't going to happen to me.
I was sure that my bundle of joy would arrive beautifully with little complications and little pain. I did not expect to have my water break during my last scheduled day at work or that my husband, after dropping me off at work, would head to a friend's house in our only car. Not to mention that my boss had left me in charge of the restaurant while he went for a hair cut. This was before cell phones so I left a message on the home phone and sat patiently waiting for either my boss or my husband. Delivery was not full of flowers, sunshine and singing birds but seeing my beautiful daughter erased the memory of the double contractions that seemed to last an eternity.
I was sure that my bundle of joy would arrive beautifully with little complications and little pain. I did not expect to have my water break during my last scheduled day at work or that my husband, after dropping me off at work, would head to a friend's house in our only car. Not to mention that my boss had left me in charge of the restaurant while he went for a hair cut. This was before cell phones so I left a message on the home phone and sat patiently waiting for either my boss or my husband. Delivery was not full of flowers, sunshine and singing birds but seeing my beautiful daughter erased the memory of the double contractions that seemed to last an eternity.
As the years went by I realized that many expectations would be shattered by reality. Sleepless nights. Spit-up shoulders. Worry and fear about whether I was doing this parenting thing right. I never expected parenting to be hard but I also never expected to love so deeply the children that I've been blessed with. Nothing turned out exactly how I expected but even though it hasn't been perfect, it's been beautiful.
August 5, 1990 The day I became a mother |
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