You Made the Best Baby Ever // word

That’s what Love Bug’s card said, the one she gave me when she and Sweet J came to the hospital to see Pipsqueak the second time. I was high on hormones at the time and it made me cry big, happy tears. It’s hanging in my office now and still makes me a little teary-eyed because I completely agree, though it wasn’t just one baby. MJ and I have made three of the best babies ever, in our humble opinion.

I had a baby this year. It was my third and in many ways, my approach was ‘no big deal’ (except for Pipsqueak. HE is a big deal.) The whole pregnant body thing? Been there. Lengthy sickness, exhaustion, all around yucky feeling? Done that. Crying and begging to be done way before my due date? Wondering what I was thinking to get myself into this mess? All three times. But having a baby is a big deal, no matter how many times you’ve been through it before. We of the female gender have the honor of growing human beings inside our bodies. If there was a mic to drop and a stage to walk off, now would be the time. Done and done. Our bodies are capable of housing, nourishing and protecting another living thing. How amazing is that?! And when that baby is ready, no matter how long it takes, we get that baby out, one way or another.

It’s not always pretty. In fact, there are some solid wish-you-could-forget-forever moments. And our bodies and minds go through big changes to put it mildly. But after it all, when we get to hold that creature in our arms we carried for so long in our bodies, it is truly a miraculous thing. So to all mommas out there: whether you had a baby last week or 61 years ago, whether you pushed for hours and hours or waited behind the curtain, having a baby and being a mom is a gift and an honor. And definitely a big deal.