Before I Was A Mom

After I had my daughter over a year ago, my father-in-law would ask me, "what did you do before her?" At that time I would always think of all the things that I had been able to do before I had her. I could go to town when I wanted and not have to worry about a cranky baby, I could sit down and read a book in peace, and I could go outside and do whatever I wanted no matter what the weather had in store for the day. The list can go on.  Today, however, she is gone at her grandma's for the day and now I sit here and think, what did I do before her, in a whole new light. The house is quiet, theres no bottles to be made, no snacks to prepare, I don't have to sweep the kitchen after each meal, no nap times to think about, toys are put away and stay there all day! Whoa!!!! Now I ask myself, "what do I do now that she's gone?" Theres no chasing her around the house, no snuggle time, no laughing, no books to be read. This list can go on as well. 
Here is a poem about being a mom. I can't remember where I found this exactly. I think I was looking something up for Mother's Day when I came upon this. There was just this little note to go with it saying that it had been in a book by Mary LaGrand Bouma, The Creative Homemaker, which came out in 1973.

Before I was a Mom,


I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.


I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.


Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn' t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much..

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.


Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Since I have had free time today, I decided to get a start on Christmas gifts for my two nieces. They love purses so I made them each one in their favorite colors and embroidered their initial on top. They were very easy to make even for a beginner like me.