mommyhood

Seeing as how it is  Mother's Day today and my blog is titled 'Mommy and Kam' I find it fitting to do a post about my experiences as a mother so far. Where to even begin? I guess I will tell the events that took place on Mother's Day 2011.

It started at 6:00 in the morning. Kam comes into my room in his underwear and socks holding 3 blankets and his Buzz Lightyear doll and says to me "Mommy I think I had an accident." OK let me back up a little bit. Let's go back to 10:45 the night before. Kam and I get home. He had been with Grandpa all day and I had been at work. We were both so exhausted by the time we got home, actually Kam had passed out 15 miles before even getting there. I grabbed my keys and my phone and heaved Kam into our house. Kam was so comatose that I couldn't even get him to sit up to take his sweatshirt off. I left his socks and underwear on and called it good. I went into my room layed down on my bed in my work clothes, shoes on, and contacts in. That was the end of it. I was so exhausted I left lights on and the front door unlocked. Next thing I know it is 6:07 in the morning and I am presented with a mess.

Happy Mother's Day I thought to myself. I get Kam cleaned up and in my bed and explained to him that it is still early and we need to go back to sleep. I was lucky enough that for once in the history of Kam's life he slept until 9:52. We woke up to my dad calling me and couldn't believe what time it was. Talk about a great Mother's day present...SLEEP! Can this day get any better... Yes. Yes it can. I did the usual glamorous things involved in being a mom, 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bath tub, did the dishes, vacuumed the house, went to the store, etc. Somewhere in the mix of the day Kam presented me with the 2nd part of his great gift. He wiped his own bum when he pooped. By this point I am thinking "How did I get so lucky? Kam let me sleep and wiped his own butt. Amazing. Just amazing. Can it be Mother's Day everyday?..."  I am still on cloud 9. So that was my experience as a single mom on Mother's day 2011.

I knew that Kam would give me hell within the first 30 minutes of having him home. He decided to pee in the middle of his first diaper change. It was everywhere. His little face, his 'coming home outfit', my clothes, and the wall. He just looked at me and had a funny face. I knew I was in for it with this little dude. This is what I have learned so far from mommyhood.

• As a mother you have to make a lot of sacrifices. Good sacrifices though. Sacrifices to ensure your child is happy and well taken care of. Just the other day I found myself holding my hand out the window with a half melted candy trying to get the cold air to make it edible. By the end of it my hand was ice, the candy was not so "melty", and Kam was happy as ever chowing down in the back seat. Every sacrifice big and small is worth it though.
• Sleep is for the weak. I usually get to bed after midnight and I am up between 7 and 8. Unless it is Mother's day I am up at 6:00. My coffee pot is always armed and ready when I go to bed at night so I can flip the on switch in the morning.
• Messes happen. Deal with it. I have found many interesting things waiting for me thanks to Kam's curiosity. One morning my whole entire spice drawer was filled to the brim with every spice, seasoning, bottle of vanilla extract and taco seasoning packet I had in the house. Kam didn't really have an explanation for that one. I didn't give him time to give me one he was sent to his room so fast.
• Kids are like sponges. Monkey see monkey do. When Kam was 2 I hear him in the kitchen playing. Next thing I hear is his sweet tiny little voice saying "damnit". I wanted to cry. I also wanted to kick my own butt for letting his ears hear that word.
• Boys will be boys. I will never forget the first time I witnessed Kam peeing outside. Pants down, facing a tree, and his little tiny butt cheeks getting some sun. When I asked him about it his response was that Daddy and Grandpa do it too.
• When they are sick, you are sick and your life shuts down for a few days. It will be back up and running just fine. Try to stay sane for this time frame.
• When Kam was born, I was born. The mother was born. Together, step by step we are learning.
• I would not change a thing. Kam is my life. I don't know what I would do or who I would be without him.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there. Especially mine! Without her, I wouldn't be the mom I am today!