Mother's Day: the naked truth

Ok, now that we've all given our mothers the proper, and completely appropriate adulation for Mother's Day, let's look at the reality of it . . . . the whole motherhood thing is really pretty weird, from the very beginning!

I guess I should back up to the first parents. (I'm going to go with the creationist theory here for the fun of it.) First, God made Adam. Now think about that whole process. If the original plan was just for Adam, why did He give Adam a penis? God: "oh yes, the new creation is beautiful and handsome, but he seems to be missing something. How 'bout we give him a little permanently attached play thing? Hmmm . . . now he'll always have something to keep himself occupied." Poof! Penis attached! Apparently it wasn't enough for Adam though, and he needed a companion. So God made Eve.

Now, imagine the making of Eve. "Well, that attached play toy I gave Adam didn't quite keep him occupied, so I think we'll skip it on Eve, but maybe she can make use of that penis thing. Hmmm . . . while we're at it, let's make use of it productively. (pun intended)" So there ya go, sex was created, and procreation through the act. So, humans are different from the animal kingdom when we mate (I guess), but when you think about it, isn't the whole sex act to produce a new human being kind of strange? Just ponder it for a moment. It's ever so complicated for that one special sperm to win the race to the egg, and there can be all kinds of interference along the way to keep it from reaching it's goal. Uncomplicated physical act, but complicated fertilization. Then those two little microscopic entities join up, and an entirely new human being begins to form, INSIDE the woman, Eve. God: "I know, let's do this!!! Let Adam and Eve do the sex thing thinking that they're just having some fun, but then we'll give them a real surprise! He, he, he. And let's make sure Eve is the one to have the new being in the belly because Adam, although tough in his own way, couldn't quite deal with what would happen next."

What happens next? Morning sickness, swelling limbs, an unbelievably growing belly, lots of discomfort . . . and the wonderful feeling when you feel that being move for the first time, the joy when you literally watch a foot move across your belly, and that reassuring heartbeat. You wait for what sometimes seems like an eternity. Hey, this might be fun! After all, babies are so sweet, and it takes nothing at all to make us go silly over the slightest movement or facial motion. Yep, this'll be fun! And then . . . it has to come out of WHAT????????? Seriously? Childbirth . . . what can I say? It's one of the most natural, unnatural things in the world. Sex. Lucky sperm meets egg. Growth of a human being, floating around, growing all the parts, waiting to end it's physical parasite existence and enter the world. Bringing that little life out through a ridiculous place, the strangest pain you'll ever feel, and very quickly forget. Then boom!! The baby is here!

As mom, we have grown a parasite, which has become a new human being, and WE are responsible for it! Yikes!!! Then, the REAL journey begins! Every little thing is amazing to us. All the things they learn. Did you ever think you'd be cheering when someone was able to roll over? It's all so exciting that we suddenly have no problem handling lots of pee and poop all day. In fact, it's the most common topic of conversation. We don't mind at all being barfed on. When that little baby cries in the middle of the night, we hate to get out of bed, but are somehow relieved that it's crying, then equally relieved when that stops. We can handle all of it, until we hear the much dreaded word come from that adorable mouth . . . no! Gasp!! Did that sweet baby I carried for 9 months just tell me NO? Where did he learn that word?? Oh, from me. Ooops.

That's the point where it all changes. From "no" on, it's a different ball game. From that point, although there are many bright spots, there are many, many challenges. We have the moments where we think, "And we thought this would be fun?" And then we see the real miracle. Yes, the whole creation of life from the basic act of sex, the growth of a fetus, child birth, etc., all that is a miracle. Pure miracle! But the real miracle is the unbelievable love we feel for that child. There is nothing like it in the universe. It's there for mothers who have given birth, and those who have adopted. It's a switch that goes off in our hearts when we have the first awareness of this new life. No matter what they do, it never goes away. It causes us to react in ways we didn't know we could. It gives us unbelievable joy, and it can bring unbelievable pain. But in that miracle, the joy of the child always outweighs any pain. There is nothing like the love of a mother, and blessedly, nothing like the love of the child for his mom. There are lots of physical miracles, but it's the miracle of the heart that is most astounding.

I love you Ethan and Asa! :)