1/12/2011

Nine years ago today my life changed forever! At 1:24 pm on that a Saturday afternoon, I became a mother. My 5lb 6.5 oz beautiful baby boy- after 42 whole hours of labor, had finally arrived! It was as if the whole world stopped. I remember when I held him for the first time; I felt a very uncomfortable sensation. I now recognize that the feeling was a complete and utter state of dumb-foundedness (is that a word?). WHAT THE HELL WAS I GOING TO DO WITH THIS BABY!

As you have come to know, I can relate ANY situation to shoes so here goes! Your child (as do shoes) has a personality all their own which can be a great help in knowing what to do for them. Obviously there are parenting decisions that you make based on your fundamental beliefs, but there’s lots of room for your child’s individuality to play a part.

Have you ever seen a pair of shoes that you just had to buy simply because they were super cheap? You knew as you pulled out your wallet, you had absolutely nothing in your entire wardrobe that even remotely matched those shoes (never a good reason not to buy a pair of shoes by the way). But you made the purchase anyway. After getting your “must have” purchase home, they sit in the closet and collect dust, you may even forget about them. Until one day, you notice them and after much effort, you find yourself standing in the middle of your room, staring at the mess that you have made while trying find an outfit for these shoes you just had to have. DUMB-FOUNDED by the fact that of all your many outfits and your natural ability to make anything stylish, you just have no idea of what to wear with these shoes. Overly trivialized as it may seem, this was the feeling that I had when I looked at my baby.

But as with matching shoes to outfits, you just have to try different things to see what will work. It’s been 9 years of learning and growing for me as well as for my son. We’ve gotten to know what we each like, don’t like, will do and won’t do. We know one another’s habits; we understand and respect one another. We don’t always see eye to eye and we sometimes struggle to get where the other is coming from. But just as you try and try again to find the perfect outfit for those shoes, you keep growing and trying new things with your child.

So to my wonderful baby boy- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you for challenging me to think in new and different ways. Thank you for your love. Thank you for changing my heart. Thank you for being the first thing in my life that I have been willing to fight for and am determined to win at!

I LOVE YOU......