On Being A Mom

I know it’s been a while.  Believe me, in dog time, it’s been an especially long while. And so, so much has changed.

Suddenly there are two little people to consider. Not one little person and a baby. Now there are two little people. Carter and Conner are now a fearsome twosome who are not to be messed with. While I can’t really explain why, I find myself more trusting of Conner than I was with Carter. Or maybe I’m just more easygoing these days. One can’t be sure.

What I do know with absolute certainty is my dear forever momma has hit rock bottom. It makes me picture the deepest, darkest places I’ve ever traveled to in my mind. That must be where she is lately. And I hate it. There is seemingly not much any of us can do to shine sunshine on an already dark place aside from one, very important thing.

In a few short days my mom will no longer do that thing called work. She won’t leave to get things done. She won’t watch as I join the boys in what is admittedly a pretty pathetic farewell. She is quitting that thing called work. She is going to be a mom. She is going to be home with my little pups and I and we are going to have the best summer ever.

Because we have to.

Lately things around here have been pretty bleak. My dear forever mom has not been herself for quite some time and it has a way of rippling through the entirety of our group. But today. Today I saw special things I couldn’t help but share.

Mom wasn’t expecting anything. Yes, it’s Mother’s Day. But she has a lot of work to do on a new project and planned to spend the day doing that out of necessity more than anything. But dad had other plans.

He let her sleep later than usual while he made breakfast for her with the boys. I watched as he let Carter stir the eggs and beat up the batter for the waffles. My little doggie heart swells in these moments.

Then it happened. The big moment we were all waiting for.

My forever dad brought in the food and dear baby Conner and Carter brought the gift. A card, with  a special message inside about some sort of jewelry that would arrive soon.

“Here you go, momma,” dear baby Carter said.

Well, you may as well paint my dear forever mom a forever shade of pink the way that touched her heart. It didn’t matter what was inside. Her dear baby boy had given her something he thought to be pretty special. And so it was.

None of it lasted long. Carter lost interest in being snuggly, Conner opted to eat most of mom’s breakfast, and she even let me lick off the plate. But those moments were priceless and special and something I won’t soon forget.

So many more happy moments followed.

Among them was one I will cherish forever, as my dear little buddy Conner said some words I’ve so often wished I could say.

“Momma!” he said.

He’s said it before, but never so pronounced. Never so on purpose.

“Momma,” I heard him say again.

Well, tickle me emotional. Hearing dear baby Conner’s first word be momma on a day we celebrate mothers pretty much made my day.

I know it’s been a while. And so much has happened. But today things happened I couldn’t help but share.

Today Carter and Conner said the things I wish I could have said myself. Momma, I wish I could say. I love you, I think all the time.

Today is a special day. To my dear forever momma and all of the beautiful women in my life, I say thank you. Because believe me. You are appreciated much, much more than you could ever possibly know.