Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday I celebrated 9 years of being a mother! It's been quite a ride. Here I am sitting in a hospital room awaiting the birth of our sixth child. One more to add to the quiver, one more to crown me with the title, mommy! I have been in the hospital on bed rest for the last two weeks (story to follow). I have been in great spirit feeling encouraged but the day before Mothers Day I broke. The tears flowed and sadness overwhelmed me. why? I missed my children. I missed the younger ones slobber kisses. I missed their hugs. I missed the older ones going on and on about what happened in school. I missed their sweet smiles. I missed the noise that is inevitable in a house with five children. I missed making them dinner and hearing, "oh mommy this is even better than the last time you made it, or...this Is yuck, did you use a lot of coconut oil in this?" I missed smiling at the compliments or sternly reminding them they didn't have to cook it so don't complain. I missed their attempts at telling jokes and I missed making my laughs at the punch line believable. I missed the whispers and chuckles that I heard at night when they were supposed to be sleeping. I missed them more than I thought I would.

Now before I get carried away with being sentimental and looking through rose colored glasses, I recognize that the tears I cried before Mother's Day were not for all of the moments with my Five rewards. I certainly didn't miss the mad rush we have to make to the bus stop every morning while operating like a sergeant in the army. I didnt miss reminding them over and over again to clean up, the fights, the loads of laundry they created. I didn't miss the way they wait til I get on the phone to try to engage me in conversation.  No tears were shed for those moments.

But hey like anything else  motherhood is a package deal. And yesterday on Mother's Day all five of them came to visit me with homemade crafts, poems,sweet words, and slobber kisses. It was a happy Mother's Day indeed !