The Best Job on Earth

This post was originally written as a guest post to celebrate The Wild and Wonderful World of Gingerssnaps’s 10,000^th page view! Because being home with my little Buddy is so special to me, I wanted to share it here, too!
 

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The Best Job on Earth

Nineteen months ago, I began the best job on Earth, again.  I became a mother for the third time!  This motherhood adventure I’m now on with my son, Buddy (aka Little Man), is one of the hardest and most rewarding adventures I’ve ever taken!

Ready for adventure when he was only minutes old!

There are a lot of moms out here in the blogoshpere writing about our lives as mothers and each of our stories are important and each of our stories are unique.  Each of our voices and how we choose to share our story is valid; whether it’s through humor and sarcasm or by sharing silly little stories about our kids on a regular basis.  Personally, I try to keep my blog posts HONEST; so if I’m in a crappy mood, it’s going to bleed through.  Same goes for if I’m in a silly mood.  I’ve read a lot of moms’ stories on their blogs who make motherhood sound like it’s the worst job in the world.  Like raising children and keeping a household functioning is not only the most thankless, but the most hectic, food-covered, body-function-covered, never-ending, unpredictable scream and tear filled job around!  And some days it is!  But some days it’s the best job on Earth, too!

When the first hand you this little person, the one you spent the last nine+ months toting around in the body that previously belonged to only you and maybe your husband, all the pain and sacrifice instantly seems worth it.  I was fortunate enough to be able to nurse all three of my babies, though some mommies can’t and I honor and recognize that all moms do their best to give their baby the best they can, I loved being able to nurse my Buddy.  When he’d snuggle in crying and latch on and was instantly soothed and happy, I felt like Wonder Woman!  It’s just one of many magic moments that sometime get overshadowed by the poopy diapers, constantly messy house, teething and sleepless nights.

When Little Buddy would crane his neck to see me, or to turn toward his Daddy’s voice – that’s a magic moment!

The first smiles, when you’re not certain if he’s really smiling at you or just has gas – magic moment!

Coming in from a long, thankless day at work exhausted and ready to be done with the world and his little face lights up – magic moment!

Holding back the tears when he gets shots at the doctor’s office and then scooping him up to snuggle as soon as they’re done – magic moment!

Watching his face as he discovers his first taste of food – magic moment!

Watching him try and try and try and try and try to reach a toy on his own and finally succeed – magic moment!

The joy on his face the first time he manages to sit up without you holding him – magic moment!

Discovering little bumps on his gums that will soon become teeth, singing lullabies, dancing like you’ve escaped from the loony bin just to make him laugh, baths in the kitchen sink, pulling him in a wagon, watching him discover the world, watching him grow, watching him learn, watching him become more and more and more independent – ALL magic moments!

All the hard, pull your hair out stuff is totally real and valid, too.  But they are all cushioned in magic moments.  And many of us, myself included, forget to see the magic moments when we’re so caught up in the thick of potty training and “terrible two’s” attitudes in the body of a one-and-a-half-year-old!  So sometimes I need a reminder to slow down and cherish the magic – to stop and see it on a Monday afternoon when my house is an absolute wreck and my child is eating more crayon than he’s getting on the paper!

The magic is all around us!  Do you see it too?