thanks to the village
I am settling into almost eight weeks as a madre and feel like I owe some 'thank yous'. The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. My experience thus far it could not be more true. Ever since sharing the news that we were pregnant the positivity and excitement that family and friends had was truly wonderful. We were nervous, hesitant and scared being pregnant and telling those near and dear to us had us quite anxious. We soon learned that this type of news is really fun and quite special to share. People cannot help but get a huge smile on their faces when they learn that their favorite people will be welcoming a new person into the world. So one big thank you to friends and family who from the get go were so congratulatory and positive when we told them the news.
We have lots of people to thank: parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, the list goes on. But a couple weeks back, before we figured out I had the breast infection, I had three random yet coincidental visits from three women who have known me my whole life. So a big thank you to Julie, Barbara and my Aunt Trish for visiting, thinking of us, bringing food and smiles. It really came at the right time and I was very thankful and felt a sincere sense of community as these women naturally comforted and mothered me. Showing genuine care and enthusiasm to help, nurture and support us.
I am reminded of a note I received the night after Mario was born from my dad. He sent me the above picture from that day in the hospital and said: Your mom is so happy... In 1000 different ways, I am so proud of you. Looking forward to welcoming Mario home tomorrow.
So naturally my biggest thank you goes to my own parents, especially my mom, the original madre. I know what you are thinking: everyone thinks their mom is the best thing ever. We are wired that way. Even if your mom is a nagger or someone who will always embarrass you publicly you know that you can always count on her for whatever you need. She is your number one fan and someone who knows you better than most. She can read you like a book. My mom is all of the above. She is not only my number one fan but also Mo's number one fan. She can count on one hand the days that she has not seen him in his 55 days of life. That is a testament to her desire and ability to help me but also to snuggle the little guy as much as possible. She is always a text away with an answer about why he has not pooped in the last 24 hours or how to reheat my breast milk from the bottle. We are very fortunate that she lives just up the street from us so I can walk, run or drive over to drop the baby off or come up for a meal.
The gift of her confidence with babies and children has given me a real safety net. I take Mo up to her house at least 3-4 times a week to visit. We go to lunch or catch up. More often than not I leave him so I can take a run or take care of some stuff at home. I know it is a blessing to have family nearby, both of our families live in town, and family that is excited and interested in being so involved with helping us. I am definitely taking advantage. I cannot begin to thank her enough but we are so appreciative of the help so far and undoubtedly the help she will provide in the months and years to come.
I will end by saying that I have begun to feel a new connection with my own mother. A different kinship to her that I did not feel before and I know that is coming from the shared experience we now have as madres together and a true respect for the love, guidance and devotion she has given to me since I was as little as Mo.
THANK YOU mom TQM & thanks to our village!
xx ly