I have been blessed with some amazing friends. And some of these amazing friends are moms. Moms that are my heros. These are the women I hope I can be when AJ comes along. Each of them has a "super power" that I can only hope I learn from each of them to become a super mom myself. Allow me to introduce a few of them and their talents.
Abby - Mom of Anna & Oliver. Of course many might think I'm partial to these little people. I am crazy about them but you would be too if you met them. Abby, and her husband Dave, have raised two fabulous kiddos. Anna is a fountain of information who has a brain like a sponge. I love to see her fascination in action. Some days I can't believe she's only 4. Oliver is the happiest kid. He has the best laugh and the most award-winning smile. I absolutely love it when he flashes me that killer smile and hearing him laugh makes my heart happy. I want Abby's ability to raise such happy, loving children. I want my daughter (and whomever else comes into our lives later on) to love me as much as her kids love her.
Amber - Mom of Claire & Cora. I haven't seen Amber since we moved out of Yuma, AZ when I was in the 5th grade. And, until September, I hadn't talked to Amber since then either. Thanks to Facebook, we've reconnected and Amber's blog has become one of my favorite reading materials. I don't know much about Amber or her family except for what she's shared online. However, I can tell she has her act together. She has a gift for writing and I envy the way she can express herself so beautifully. She has daughters that I imagine to be full of life, witty and loved immensely by their mother. From Amber, I want to remember to take time for me. I don't want to lose myself once this life-changing person makes her arrival. I still haven't figured out my gift but whatever it is, I hope I pursue it.
Ann - Mom of Sophie & Isabel. These two little girls could be models. They are beautiful and they've got the sweetest personalities to boot. Ann's husband Rey is in trouble when these girls get older. Any boy who looks into either set of wide, beautiful eyes will be proclaiming their undying love in seconds. These girls will be heartbreakers. But her daughers' beauty has nothing to do with what I want to learn from Ann. I want her super power of an amazing sleep routine. Her girls love bedtime and don't fight about it. I've even seen each ask to go to bed or down for a nap. And, they started sleeping through the night early on. I want that. I want to know how to do that with AJ.
Jen - Mom of KayLee & NataLee. Jen was my best friend in high school. She even lived with me during senior year. Jen is the definition of strength. Since I met Jen, she's been struggling with Crohn's Disease. Even back then I was inspired by her and how she coped with such a difficult illness. During her first pregnancy with KayLee Jen's Crohn's reared its ugly head and made her life miserable. But, she prevailed and even got pregnant again soon afterward. Luckily this time things went much better. However, she was still strong because she was raising KayLee while her husband Herbert was in Iraq and not with her when she gave birth to NataLee. (Well, he wasn't physically there but he did get to watch via webcam.) Anyway, as always, Jen got through it with flying colors. Even now with her husband home and a surgery in the last few months, Jen continues to battle her body and show her strength. I want that strength. I want that ability to prevail in any situation as graceful as she has continuously over the years.
Lauren - Mom of Grace & Andrew. Lauren and I were neighbors and best friends while we lived in Yuma. I stayed in touch with Lauren for a few years after we left Yuma but unfortunately I think we both got too tied up in life. Luckily after 14 years since seeing each other, we caught up with each other a few years ago. And lucky for me, it was at a time when I needed another good friend and someone to remind me who I was.
Anyway, Lauren gave birth to Grace prematurely last October. I was in town for her shower and ended up in the hospital waiting room as she brought a tiny life into the world. Tonight, she's in labor again. This time she's full-term with her little man, Andrew who will hopefully stop putting his mother through labor and arrive already. We thought he was coming Christmas Eve and now here it is over a month later and she's been hanging in there all day. From being there the first time, I know Lauren handles labor well. When Grace was born she was in good spirits and focused on what needed to be done despite the earliness of Grace's arrival. And I know for a fact how incredibly hysterical she was when she got her epidural. From our texts today and her Facebook posts, I can tell you that yet again Lauren is in good spirits. And yet again, she's loopy from her epidural. :) Good for her. From Lauren I want to learn how to get through labor gracefully and with a sense of humor. And, the calmness she always seemed to have about it all.
Rhonda - Mom of Avery, Brody & Rowan. Rhonda is a friend from college who lives in NY with her husband and 1-year-old TRIPLETS. While I haven't seen Rhonda in person since college, I follow her on Facebook and her blog. She makes raising three kids sound easy. She even cooks real dinners for her and her husband. I want her patience, juggling ability and calmness. Anyone who can raise triplets and make it sound like life is easy is doing something right.
Steph - Mom of Kaelani. Lani just turned two in December and I can't believe how smart she is. Steph has posted videos of her demonstrating her knowledge of her letters, colors and numbers. It's so impressive. I am often picking my chin up off the ground when I watch these videos or hang out with them because I forget that she's two. Not only is she smart, she's a sweetheart and such a happy girl. From Steph I want the patience to work with Amelia on these same things.
While there are many other amazing moms in my life, I figure I've got my work cut-out for me so I better not get too ahead of myself. Or too greedy in what I want. :) While I know I can only do my best, I hope I find my own "super power" and maybe one of my other friends will want to learn something from me when it's their turn. :) But for now, I'm going to continue spying on my heros and hopefully learning a few of the tricks they have up their sleeves.
1 comment:
My first inclination was to laugh that I was included anywhere near the word hero, but then I paused. Because that's just the opposite of what this post is about. While you were kindly documenting all of the wonderful qualities your friends possess (and those you hope to adopt when you become a mother), what you were really doing was displaying one of the most wonderful things about you. Your thoughtfulness.
I can't wait to see how motherhood changes you. It will be wonderful. And what you might discover, the thing I have been most amazed at after becoming a mother myself, is that you already have so many of these qualities within you. Having a child just brings them to the surface.
Amazing post. Thank you for including me!!
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