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Happy Mother’s Day!

May 9, 2010 By Lena

A very Happy Mother’s Day to all the fabulous Mommies out there!

This morning, I’ve been treated to breakfast by the computer, so I can sit back and blog! Ah, sometimes life is a bowl of cherries :)

Today I’ll share a secret. Before Ryder was born, becoming a mom was more of a romantic notion than a well informed decision. I liked the idea of having a family; the idea of being pregnant and having people gush over my baby bump; the idea of a year away from work. I callously ditched the pill on my honeymoon, thinking whatevs, when it happens it happens.

As it turns out, I must have skipped Health Education a lot in high school, because I was actually shocked to find out I was pregnant a month later. But once again, I was enveloped by the whole fairy tale, and looked forward to decorating a nursery, buying baby onesies, and of course, counting down the days to being a mother.

And then, the day before Mother’s Day 2008, I gave birth to my little Ryder Roonie – the sweetest little angel I had ever laid eyes on (even when he was covered in that birth gunk – okay, for a split second I thought “eww” – but you know how it is). I found out I would be discharged from the hospital the next day – Mother’s Day – and the fairy tale was complete.

Or perhaps I should say the fairy tale ended.

Faced with a demanding, screaming baby, tons of help but little direction, and zero confidence in my ability to care for this precious little boy, I tailspinned into a bout of depression that had me longing for my once carefree life. I stared at my beautiful baby and wished I could go back in time… and take the pill for 2 more years. Or 4 more years. Or indefinitely.

But the wonderful thing about babies is their ability to find that secret passage to your heart, crawl through when you least expect it and take over with gusto. All the things I had previously loved – freedom, sleep, extra spending money – had been pushed away to make room for the overwhelming force that is Ryder. All at once, my life was complete.

And his hold was so undeniable that this former career gal, shopaholic and budding wine enthusiast traded her job, Prada handbags and Folonari Valpolicella for life as a Stay at Home Mom.

Now I’m no saint. I’m not the greatest SAHM, in fact, I should probably (read: definitely) clean up my act a bit before baby #2 arrives. I’ve never quite learned how to balance housework and parenting responsibilities, I shun mommy groups in favour of taking Ryder to the mall, and have been actively encouraging him to sit down and watch TV (he only very recently became interested in it – hooray!) Truth be told, I should probably leave Ryder to be raised by an expert. But I’m exactly where I want to be, which surprises me every single day.

And so tomorrow, when Ryder turns 2 years old and we’re on baby watch for his little brother to arrive, I am constantly thankful for being part of this elite club of extraordinary women; with my mentor being my own loving mother. To all the mothers, mothers-to-be and grandmothers – I wish you a day full of peace and happiness.

xoxo

Fun fact: This is my third Mother’s Day – yet Ryder will turn 2 tomorrow. He was 1 day old on MD 2008, he turned 1 on MD 2009, and he’ll be 2 the day after MD 2010. Weird, eh?

The picture above was taken by the lovely and talented Sharon Navarro, who is celebrating her first Mother’s Day.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Lena, Mother's Day

Previous Post: « My Weekend Begins!
Next Post: Happy Birthday Ryder! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josie

    May 9, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    Beautiful picture of you and Ryder! :-D Happy Mother's Day to you too Lena!!! Hope Mike and Ryder spoil you rotten today! :-D

  2. Lena!

    May 9, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    A very Happy Mother's Day to you too Josie! Hope Milena and Roman are being extra special to their beautiful mommy today :)

  3. chinwhat

    May 9, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    Happy Mother's Day homie!

  4. Lotus

    May 9, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    Happy Mother's Day missy! Have a great day- you deserve it:) xoxo

  5. Anonymous

    May 9, 2010 at 10:51 pm

    Great post Charlene! I totally relate to what you wrote — both the trials and the joy. Happy Mother's Day!Janice

  6. Michael Almeida

    May 9, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    I love all 3 of you soooo much.Happy mothers day my dear!

  7. Shauna

    May 10, 2010 at 12:51 am

    What a wonderful Mother's Day blog Charlene :) My eyes were welling up as I was reading! Glad you had a wonderful day. There is nothing better in life than being a mom.

  8. Lena!

    May 10, 2010 at 1:46 am

    @chinwhat – thanks homie!@Lotus – aww, you're so sweet! Thanks for the note, can't wait to chat :)@Janice – your beautiful and bright little Charlotte is a testament to what a wonderful mother you are. Happy Mother's Day!@Mike – you just happen to be one of the best daddies ever :)@Shauna – now YOU, my dear, are an inspiration to me. You always seem to have it together! A natural mom if I ever met one. Hope you had a wonderful day with your dudes!

  9. Runner Mama

    May 10, 2010 at 1:49 am

    What a great post Lena. Ryder is blessed to have you as his Mommy – so is Baby #2. There is no such thing as a manual for parenting. The only thing we can do is parent from the heart. And it sounds like you're doing that. Ryder is a wonderful little guy. Don't worry, I'm not into Mommy Groups and also would rather stroll through the mall instead too. Unfortunately, some other moms like to judge. Well, let them. In the meantime, doing things (with less worry and stress) on your own terms does Ryder much more good than hanging out at Mommy Groups.

  10. Lena!

    May 10, 2010 at 2:09 am

    @Runner Mama – thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement! Your little Lunchie is one of the luckiest little boys ever :)

  11. Tammi @ My Organized Chaos

    May 10, 2010 at 4:16 am

    That is SUCH a gorgeous photo!!And, a great story – I love your honesty. Myself, I have brief thoughts once a day that long for the childless life. When I can't go pee alone, someone throws their dinner plate at me, sick days – for moments I do wish for solitude. But then I see their smiling faces and know I'm exactly where I truly want to be.Thinking of you, I can't wait to hear news on #2!!!{{HUGS}}and, Happy Mother's Day!Tammi

  12. Dexdon

    May 10, 2010 at 4:49 am

    happy mothers day charlene! this was probably one of the best blogs ive read in a long long time. I love hearing peoples inner most thoughts. =)

  13. Helen

    May 10, 2010 at 2:11 pm

    Hi Charlene,That was a great and inspirational blog! It got me a little misty-eyed too…:)Happy belated Mother's day and I hope everything goes smoothly with the arrival of Ryder's little bro!Helen :)

  14. Lena!

    May 11, 2010 at 11:31 am

    @Tammi – you're superwoman to me! I don't know how you do it with three (including twins)! A great big {HUG} to you too :)@Dexdon – happy you enjoyed the post. Now it's your turn to share something…@Helen – aw, you're so sweet. Thank you so much – I can't wait to see you again! I promised your brother I would let him have May 7th all to himself, but any time after that is fair game!

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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