"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."
-Rajneesh
I found out I was pregnant with my first child in May 2008. Dustin and I had decided a few months earlier that we were ready to add a branch to our family tree, so I wasn't too surprised when I read the word "pregnant" on my home pregnancy test. It was still a little surreal, though.
Instead of planning a big reveal, I immediately called Dustin at work to give him the big news. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: "Hey, how's it going?"
D: "Good. How are you?"
Me: "Good. Guess what?"
D: "What?"
Me: "I'm pregnant."
D: "Really?"
Me: "Yeah."
D: "Okay..."
Me: "We can talk about it when you get home."
D: "Sounds good."
Romantic, huh?
Over the next few weeks, as things started to set in, I realized something: After a lifetime of hearing other women tell me about their pregnancies and what it was like to be a mom, I was finally going to have my OWN story, my own experiences. It may sound silly, but it was such a liberating feeling.
My daughter, Belle, is now 16 months old.
I always expected motherhood to alter me. I expected to be tired. I expected to have fun. I expected the throw up and messy diapers. I expected a bond. I expected the irrational worry and fear. I expected all of that.
What I didn't expect was a love for my own story. I love to analyze it. I love to compare it. I love to share it. It's my very own story, and no two stories are the same.
Thoughts?
My husband claims that when we become moms we lose the ability to filter ourselves at all because we want to compare everything that's ever happened to us.
ReplyDeleteTo which I say, shut up man, this is interesting.
Although I have to almost physically restrain myself from terrorizing pregnant women.
Your reveal story reminds me a lot of that time you guys got engaged!
ReplyDeleteI have no story. Maybe someday, maybe not. Right now, I don't feel like I'm missing out. I like hearing everyone else's.
Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about how similar the reveal story was to our engagement! Good call, K-Lo!
ReplyDeleteYeah, what can I say? We're just not romantic people.
I think you'll have a story, Karen. I really do. :)
Awesome post. I love hearing that you love your story. I love my story too. And we women can talk endlessly about our stories, can't we?
ReplyDeleteBefore I had a baby I always wondered why women would constantly tell their story, now I get it. I want to tell my story all the time! Our stories are to special to each of us so we should share them, right?
ReplyDelete