Motherhood is tough. Motherhood is messy. Motherhood has kicked my booty. The first few years are some of the hardest. So much crying (both me and the babies!) and the never ending cycle of feed, burp, change diaper, rock to sleep, over and over and over and over. Then there’s the whining, the tantrums, the constant questions, the potty training, the messes…it’s enough to drive a person completely crazy or send them into a dark depression!
So what gets us through it? (Besides lots of coffee and wine.) What is the light, the breath of fresh air, the hope for all the lonely, tired, lost mamas out there?
It’s our village – the group of women and men surrounding us, lifting us up, encouraging us, and helping out during some of the most difficult years of our life. Every mom needs her village, and I’ve been so blessed with mine. There have been so many people over the years who’ve been a rock, a shoulder to cry on, an inspiration, a light.
And I just wanted to take a minute to thank them.
To the ones who commiserated with me during weeks of nausea and vomiting, thanks for reminding me that it does pass.
To the ones who talked to me about labor and delivery, thanks for calming my fears.
To the ones who agreed with me that they, too, didn’t feel an immediate bond and overwhelming love for their baby, thanks for letting me know it was ok to feel that way. And for assuring me that I would come to love my baby more than anything else in the world.
To the ones who gave me bags and bags of hand-me-downs clothes, bottles, and so much more, thanks for saving us money that we could use for other things.
To the ones who threw amazing baby showers for me, thanks so much for bringing all my friends and family together to eat delicious food and celebrate my new babies.
To the ones who visited me in the hospital, thanks so much for being so excited to meet my new bundle of joy. And thank you for also ignoring how absolutely terrible I looked after what I had just been through!
To the ones who brought us meals, thank you so much for all the tasty dinners, snacks, and desserts that I didn’t have to prepare.
To the ones that did my laundry or unloaded my dishwasher while I held my baby and dozed, thank you so much for taking some of the housework off my plate.
To the ones that answered my late night texts full of questions about sleep schedules and breastfeeding, thanks so much for taking the time to give me advice.
To the ones that met up with me at the park, the museum, or at Chick-fil-a, thanks so much for chatting with me when I was bored out of my mind from sitting home all day with a baby.
To the ones with different parenting styles, thanks for giving me another point of view to consider about how to raise my kids. And thanks for agreeing to disagree, but still being a great friend.
To the ones who come over weekly to babysit, God bless you and thank you for giving me a few hours to myself.
To the ones who watch my kids at preschool, thank you for being amazing teachers and loving on my kids while I get some time alone.
To the ones that let me come over once a week and sit on your couch while my kids wreck your house, thanks for sitting there with me and chatting, while pretending to not care that my kids are pulling out every single toy.
To the ones that sit on the floor and play with my kids, thanks for entertaining them while I do a few quick chores or take a power nap.
To the ones that take my kids for the weekend, thank you thank you THANK YOU for giving my husband and I some time to spend together alone and reconnect.
To the ones that laugh with me about the hardships and difficulties of raising kids these days, thanks for understanding what I’m going through.
To the ones that bring me coffee when I’ve had a bad day, and come over to talk with me while we ignore our kids, thanks for knowing how to cheer me up.
To the ones that encouraged me when I mentioned this crazy idea I had about starting a blog, thanks for being excited and supporting me, instead of laughing in my face.
To the ones that listened to my complaints and my fears about my kids’ behavior, thank you for reminding me that I’m a great mom, and that I’m doing my best.
To the ones that swept in to help when I realized I was suffering from postpartum depression, thank you for being my support and helping me through the most difficult times.
To the ones that meet up with me in the evenings every now and then for a night out, thanks for being my friends outside of motherhood, and helping me to remember who I used to be.
And to everyone I’ve forgotten, thanks for being part of my village. I love you all. And I honestly wouldn’t be able to do this without you.
Amen!!!