| I think about the mom I was. I no longer resemble her. |
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| Written by OHmommy | |
| Saturday, 03 April 2010 00:00 | |
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My eldest was four when he devoured, for the first time, a processed-shelf-life-of-a-million-years Oreo cookie at a birthday party. I still remember the shock in the other mom's voices when they asked, "Is this really his first Oreo?" The mess that it left behind was epic enough for me to never forget. Even though I managed to clean him up there, I couldn't wait to prematurely leave the party for the comforts of my immaculate home where I could hose him off correctly. Clean and busy with his goodie-bag, I proceeded to chop locally grown vegetables for my infamous beet soup that he and my toddler Lola gobbled up to provide some nutrition on that day. The day he had his first Oreo. I had no idea I was pregnant with my third child.
I think about the mom I was, a lot. I no longer resemble her.
I haven't made beet soup since that day and my third child had Oreos before her first birthday. I wonder which child of mine will be happiest in life. Things that used to bother me so much are just laughable now. Like the perfect photo I so desperately wanted of the three children in front of the Eiffel Tower. Oh, that tickles me pink now.
Just recently on our last vacation, I had to stifle my laughter when people tried to help by "entertaining" my toddler on the busy streets of downtown Disney when they realized I was trying to capture that perfect sibling portrait. "Princess! Look here... your mommy is taking a picture." "Awwww.... don't be shy. Smile for the camera!" "Peek-a-boo. I see you!" People gathered to observe. I politely nodded, turned around and continued to snap away on my camera. But the photo? I. Love. It captures all three children perfectly.
Stubborn. Dramatic. Inquisitive.
I bet you can't even tell who had non-organic Oreos all day long while patiently waiting in Disney lines.
I would have been upset, years ago, at the photo above. But it makes me smile, so much today. I can't imagine how much it will make me laugh years from now. Is there anything sweeter than capturing mishaps? I would've disagreed five years ago while striving for perfection.
But today, I deem it frameable. I don't even recognize myself. |
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| Last Updated on Friday, 02 April 2010 23:33 |
Comments
And thanks for the giggle.
i used to throw the guns from my oldest sons action figures out when he was little. i would tell people it was because of a choking hazard but really? because i didn't want him playing with any sized gun. and now? he is asking for a bb gun and i'm seriously considering getting him one. yeah, i don't recognize me either.
i LOVE those true to life portraits so much more than the posed ones.
this having of a third baby is so. much. fun. i'm absolutely completely relaxed as a mommy. advice doesn't sway me. i could care less who judges me. and i'm happier.
I am the third child, and I have parented from the very beginning like I was raising a third child. Which should make us all grateful that I'm not having a third one of my own, because that kid would probably be completely lacking in any manners or decorum, and Oreos would be his/her primary source of sustenance.
xo
PS, a GIGANTIC thank you for a post to read Saturday morning. I woke early to get in several hours of studying before anyone awoke and I needed a mind break. This post, because of that, is the best I've ever read. I might reread it a few trillion times because if I try to tell myself one more time about muscle metabolism and sliding filament theory I might not be responsible for what happens next.
Our generations of motherhood is fraught with the pressures of "healthy" and these photos are a shining example of TRULY healthy!
Great post.
And at 18 months, Charlotte is eating exactly what every night for dinner. I do not change the level of seasoning for her and often she eats way more than the big girls do. I am so much happier with the mom I am now than the mom I was then. This mom, she knows what she is doing. I am different, but better.
With my pictures I have found that at the time I might think "I didn't get one good picture." But if I wait a month or year and look back at them, I love seeing the kids exactly like they acted and not how I wish they would have been. Little Fifi is going to crack up over these pictures some day. And you will tell her the story about exactly how many Oreos she ate while her siblings were riding all the rides.
Thank you, makes my day looking at it.
I've become a better mom, too...I improve with each child. Wish I had or so I'd eventually reach perfection
Evolve, baby!
I have a similar, but different, Oreo story: I once spent two hours trying to make Oreo spiders for a kindergarten snack --ha! I felt guilty for missing a field trip because of a work obligation. With my second son (who will start kindergarten in the fall), I'll be happy if I remember to send the snack!
And Disney - wow, you are so brave.
As I look back on almost 10 years of motherhood, I am SOOOOO not the mom I used to be.
But then, I don't really want to be either.
Wonderful post, P
The swimsuit one is frameable, too, IMHO. ;p
I just attempted yet another studio session with my kids last week, and bought way too many of the most inperfect shots...the photo where my daughter had "fixed" her hair (changed how I had it styled just before the 'click' of the camera), and where my son insisted he hold a dirty old soccer ball for the Easter photo. It would have made other mothers cringe. They were perfect!
buzki!
I want to remember my children as they are, not how fake they can smile for a picture if bribed. Shrug. It will help me remember the real them, when I'm old and they aren't around often.
I love pictures of her - besides her perfect hair - she is always who she is, what she feels and always with that lovely twinkle in her eye.
I often see families trying to take a picture or wrangle their FiFi-like child in some way and I always just laugh. It's delightful to see a child embrace life so fully.
I adore FiFi!!!!
And of course those photos you took are so much more interesting, and vibrant, and lovely than the posed, "perfect" stuff anyways. That's what the good stuff looks like.
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