I've just been tagged in an 'Around the World in 80 Clicks - a Motherhood Journey ' connecting blog moms around the globe, asking them to list 5 things they love (or don't love) about being a mother. The original post was by Catherine at Her Bad Mother. I was kindly tagged by fellow Irish blogging Mom, Irish Mammy on the Run.
1. Breastfeeding. Hands down the most amazing thing about motherhood so far. I loved the closeness of our bodies and the way she would pat my breasts as if to reassure me that I was doing a good job. I loved feeding her in odd places like after the Women's Mini Marathon, sitting on a curb after running ( jogging? power walking?) 10k. Selfishly I loved that I was the only person in the whole world that could provide that for her.
2. Pickiness. She used to be an amazing eater, I am talking all types of organic veg out the wazoo - spinach, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, squash, and pumpkin. Now she won't eat anything, it just goes straight on the floor to the dogs. In fact she had 6 breadsticks and a fruit cup for dinner. Now I am beginning to understand why people resort to readymade meals. Except I refuse to give in, I will win this battle of the wills.
3. The homing device she has placed somewhere on my person. Not that I am frequently trying to evade her but she always manages to find me. That makes it sounds like I am abandoning her in a shopping mall or something. What I really mean is she could be playing happily with toys suitable for a 14 month old such as remote control, my keys, mobile phone, etc and I could leave the room for a second. Somehow she manages to teleport herself attached to my right leg. It is really amazing, or annoying, depending on how you look at it.
4. Language. I am so grateful that I read all that psychoanalytical stuff that Sigmund Freud, Jacque Lacan, Melanie Klein, Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva have written. It is fascinating to watch her developmental stages, especially now that she is learning that we are separate entities and language begins to help her define herself. I love the crazy mouth acrobatics she is obsessed while trying out new sounds. Our latest vocal pursuit in search of linguistics includes darting the tongue in and out of the mouth touching the top lip making a 'lebble lebble' sound. She could point to a picture of an elephant a hundred times and never tire of me saying, 'Elephant, elephant, elephant'.
5. Special Moments. Those times we share where she is so heartbreakingly cute. For instance, when I weaned her she only once asked me to feed her. It was 3 am and she pointed to my breast and asked 'That?' and I said, 'No honey, that is all gone'. She understood the enormity of what that meant and just started to cry (I cried later). Or when she arrived home from daycare and laid on the ground so our miniature dachshund Oscar could sniff her body. Last week she learned to blow kisses and now when she wakes up she blows a kiss to the picture of my parents in her bedroom.
UPDATE: Looks like this thing is really starting to get going... For more views on motherhood check out Psyche at a life reconstructed.
