Motherhood-Life Changing

A short article I wrote for a parenting magazine contest. Submitted it 2 minutes 2 late from the deadline:( Thought I'd share it here:)

“BEEEPPP! BEEEPPP! BEEEEEPPPP! BEEEPPPP!

The perfectly timed and synchronized sounds of my alarm clock went off as per planned, on that early (colder than usual) fall morning. I turned over still half asleep and groggy, and glared wickedly at my alarm clock. I would have even been willing to guarantee that if it was an evil glaring/staring contest, I would have totally won hands down!

That particular morning the sleep in my eyes took on a crazy glue-like formation that seemed more worse then any other morning prior. I swear a million little alien men camped out in my eyeballs that night and had them selves a fierce little slumber party, and then upon my awakening they all decided to simultaneously sneeze out their very own, (specially formulated), phlegm mixtures. Yes that’s it! Specially formulated, alien phlegm-like mixtures, greenish/yellowish in colour, with a distinct silly putty like texture; that if were analysed in a laboratory setting, would have surely consisted of some highly toxic, (maybe even flammable), contents. Quite possibly, I could have bottled up my sleep gunk and put it on a shelf that day and sold it as some type of crazy glue concoction. I could have very well made myself a very rich lady that day!

Furthermore, I do concur that the alarm clock/eye gunk battle zone was a harder mission to tackle that particular morning, however, it was just one of those days. I just had a feeling that the wind was going to pick up on that (colder than usual) fall day. The leaves on the trees even seemed to have newly invented fall colours on their branches. Oh no! The wind was definitely not done stirring up those leaves either. I had a feeling a lot more of those newly coloured leaves were going to be stirred and tossed around some more and blown directly my way.

I couldn’t stop yawning on the bus ride to school. I couldn’t keep my eyes open all day long. I think even in English class I woke myself up from a weird snorting type snore, that apparently (according to close family members), I do quite often when I sleep. Quite embarrassing I assure you! What I needed was some of that bottled up alien-phlegm/sleep gunk concoction that I happened upon earlier that morning. If I finger pasted some of that concoction on my eyelids to glue them open, then maybe I could at least appear awake for my remaining classes for that day.

Nevertheless, I continued my day as usual. However, I couldn’t figure out why my body felt so all over the place that day. I decided to brainstorm about some possibilities of why I was feeling the way I was feeling. Last nights supper? My new birth control I was on? Not getting enough sleep? Flu season coming up and I just am the early bird catching the flu worm first? AHHGGHH!!! Then it dawned on me shortly after getting home from school. I have been feeling kinda off for the past week. Just then I felt a sick sensation in the lower pit of my stomach. The kind of sensation you get when you go down a big dip on a roller-coaster ride. What if I was PREGNANT!!!??? So I started pacing back and forth like a mad woman. Then I called my best friend and went through the same brainstorming list that I came up with on my own 5 minutes earlier.

Of course, my best friend rushed over as soon as she could. I think her voice told me that she was excited for me and scared for me all at the same time. We went out and bought a couple of pregnancy testers, and then came back to my place. DUNHH!!! DUNNHH!! DUNNHHH!!
My best friend held my hand as we waited for the results. I really didn’t even need to look at the results because I had a feeling that I was pregnant before even buying the pregnancy tests.

I gave birth to my beautiful boy on September 22nd, 2003, at 6:10p.m Weighing in at 8 pounds, and 11 oz. What a beautiful thing!! From that day on I was a new person. I can’t describe it really. I’m sure the feeling is quite similar for first time Mothers everywhere. The crazy emotions and self-doubt. The constant worries and the countless sleepless nights. Who can argue that it isn’t a life changing experience bringing a new life into this world? My whole life changed, and it changed for the better. I never imagined I could take on such a challenge! Such a challenge, but yet such a joyful one at the same time! Kind of like that roller-coaster ride feeling I got in the lower pit of my stomach when I found out I was pregnant. Except picture yourself going through about 5 to 10 of those roller-coaster dip (lower pit stomach sensations) every day.

Yes! It is a huge challenge! But I’ve always been the type of person who was up for new and crazy things. Bringing a child into this world is a challenge I would probably do again too. There is no greater feeling in the world in my opinion. I say bring on the challenges of Motherhood every day. For every day without my beautiful boy in my life, would be a day that I would not want to go on. For every day without my boy I would not see one single colour on any of the leaves in fall. Motherhood has changed me and there is no going back! Most importantly, there is no WANTING to go back!

Just think of it this way if you will? Who else’s alien eye gunk is more fun to clean but your own?? Your child’s/children’s right!!?? I couldn’t agree more! :)