baby shower and motherhood

Kristina's baby shower was a success, and dare I say, even perfect. I never expected perfection, which I suppose is why it was. Perfection has a way of showing up when your expectations are attainable.

 

I love how new babies bring families together and we can eat and be loud and smile until our cheeks hurt. And I'm so, super excited about getting a new niece in a couple of months. A new niece named Harper (someone guessed!).

And never have I been more happy to have a kid playroom in my house than I was during the shower. It looked like a tornado plowed through the room by the end of the day (too bad I didn't get a picture of that), but there wasn't an unhappy kid or baby in the house. And next year, baby Harper can join in on the fun.

 

I tried to think of some advice to give my younger sister about becoming a mom, but I'll be honest, I don't think I have any clue what I'm doing. I don't think anyone really knows what they're doing as a parent all of the time, or even most of the time. And maybe that's the wisdom I can share with her. Parenting is as much a game of guessing and trusting your instincts as it is a science of child behavior (the science part I know nothing about). You just love your kids, do your best for them, and learn to forgive yourself when you screw up. Because you will, and you will feel terrible. But that baby doesn't stop needing you or loving you because you broke down, and you have to pull yourself back together for her.

And if you ever do think you've got something figured out in the ways of motherhood, I can assure you that your baby will instantly grow into a new stage and you will be as lost as you were the day she was born.

Of course, I don't want to make it sound like motherhood is just one failure after another. Because it's not. There are always a few bright, shining moments each day when you feel like a great mother. Things will just click and you'll know how to make the baby stop crying or you'll understand what your toddler is trying to say clearly, and you'll feel like, "Yah, I got this." And it does feel pretty awesome. Awesome enough that you should stop and truly enjoy that moment, because it might not happen again for a while. And because the rest of mothering can be so darn tough, it makes those easy moments that much sweeter.

So, congratulations and good luck dear sister. Your life is about to change like you never expected. And all your expectations and judgments about motherhood are about to be challenged. As with all things in life, you never really know until you've walked in those shoes. So, slip into those motherhood shoes and make your feet comfortable, because they're gonna be there for a long, long time.