Life is a vacation

Everyone talks about the joys of motherhood like its a lovely walk in the park, a continuous laugh, a never ending party. But what I have come to learn when I see this phrase "the joys of motherhood" is that sometimes it is written with a sarcastic tone. "Ooooohhhh Johnny woke up at 3am again...the joys of motherhood". I've thought about this a lot lately...now that motherhood is my one and only profession..and I've come up with my own "joys", some pros and cons thus far. Let's begin with the cons.

1. I had no idea how much more cleaning I would have to do! All the books and magazines say leave it all and focus on the baby; It will all be there tomorrow. However, if I left it all my house would smell like a poopy diaper, the highchair would be growing cultures, and cheerios would become permanently afixed to the coffee table. So I often find myself cleaning as I go...clean clean clean. And I thought Adam was messy.

2. The 10:00 AM hour. For some reason when the clock strikes ten I wonder if I can make it through the day. Its such a tricky time. We've finished our morning activities...Will gets a little cranky since he used to nap at this hour..and it isn't time for lunch yet. I wonder if other moms feel like this.

3. Running errands. I love to run the errands and I thought being able to do them at 9Am, 1PM or 2:30Pm would be so much better because everyone would be at work...but then I found out that the senior citizens invade the malls, the restaurants, and the grocery stores and the roads that surround them at these particular hours. No offense to the elderly..because I actually know quite a few that are more than capable of handling their own errands..but they don't seem to be the ones that I run into.

The pros:

1. Naptime. Unlike 10Am, 1Pm is the best hour or two for me. I can choose to snuggle up with Will and snooze or watch a show or get something done. I try to make this a sacred hour where I do something just for me (as in not clean). This really energizes me to spend more time with Will in the afternoon.

2. Catching up with people. Will and I have recconnected with so many friends and family just by being able to visit at any convenient time. If I haven't caught up with you yet..I will soon!

3. Will still loves me even if I don't shower and he thinks I'm funny 24/7 (well except when I have to change his diaper).

4. Having the chance to watch Will grow and develop is of course the best pro of all. So great in fact that is weighs out all the cons and still makes this the best job of all! This past week, Will has learned how to say 'Please' (peas..) and it makes my heart melt to know we understand each other in this way. He's getting so big!

After taking a minute to flesh out my feelings about being a mom its easy to smile and focus on the real "joys of motherhood" and not the parts that aren't so glamorous. I hope I never take this opportunity I have been given for granted.