If there’s one thing I learned when we announced we were expecting, it’s that parents of all kinds will give the most enthusiastic congratulations upon receiving the news. You know what? I get it now.
When I hear a friend say they lost a baby or an adoption fell through, my heart breaks for them. When I hear a friend is pregnant or the adoption papers are official, I rejoice with them. I want to dole out hugs to my entire network because this whole motherhood thing is just as life-changing as you all told me it would be.
The first twelve weeks were extremely stretching and I only felt half alive, but then the clouds opened up and started pouring down baby smiles and longer stretches of sleep, and I was able to wake up and see what a miraculous blessing our daughter really is. Now she’s 7.5 months old, full of giggles and curiosity, and I can’t resist hugging and kissing her pretty much any chance I get. I love watching her grow and develop, seeing what discovery she’ll make next. I look back at her infancy through rose-colored glasses and stare fondly at cuddly, sleepy newborns as my own daughter wiggles + kicks in my arms. I can hardly watch or read anything with children in it without getting teary because I see everything now in light of my own child. All those cliches about being a mom...I get it now.
So here’s to all the mothers [+ fathers] out there: to the new, *congratulations* on the transforming journey you’ve begun; to those who’ve been at this for years, *thank you* for the encouragement you give to newbies.
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