Becoming Super Mom [Guest Blogger]

Today’s featured guest blogger is Amber, over at It’s the Middle that Counts.  Amber is new to the blogging world, so feel free to stop by her page and show her some love!  …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hey everyone! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to be guest blogging for Kami while she enjoys her time in Florida with her beautiful family. I love reading The Mommy Diaries and, I mean how could you not, Kami’s got one adorable little boy on her hands.

Speaking of adorable little boys, I have to admit that, although I may be a little biased, I’m pretty partial to this one.

My beautiful baby boy, Nicholas, was born April 9, 2011 and I was the epitome of the typical first time mom. I read every parenting article, baby book and mommy blog out there trying to figure out exactly how to become “super mom.” You know the type; they seem to have it all figured out. They can gracefully glide throughout their day without so much as an untied shoelace, let alone a major toddler tantrum in the middle of the supermarket. They cook, they clean, they create amazingly creative and imaginative projects for their children and their household without even breaking a sweat. Well, I was already a lover of baking and crafting, therefore I figured that if I could find a way to combine those loves with taking care of a baby full time, going to school to finish my degree and maintaining the household, then no question about it, I would be a “super mom.”

Let’s just say I got a very rude awakening during those first few weeks. Nicholas was born with a severe case of reflux and my husband and I practically lived at the doctor’s office and the NICU at Children’s Hospital. We slept in shifts in case Nicholas started gagging and choking and watched helplessly as Nick struggled for a while to maintain his weight.

I have never felt more helpless in my entire life than on the days I would watch Nicholas scream in pain and throw up everything he took in. It seemed like we simply weren’t making any progress and on one particularly bad night, as he was being admitted to the NICU, I realized that one of the reasons the situation was so difficult for me was because I felt like a failure. I felt like a complete failure as a wife and mother. I couldn’t make my child feel better, I couldn’t help him, I couldn’t make him happy and healthy.

That night was probably one of my lowest and I struggled with it for a long time afterward; however, I don’t anymore. Now that Nicholas has a new doctor and the right medications in the proper dosages, he is doing so much better. We still have some rough days, but they are nothing compared to what they used to be and the other day as we were lying on the floor playing with some of his favorite toys it struck me, I am super mom.

I’m still learning how to balance baking, being crafty and all of my other hobbies with being a full-time SAHM mom, Army wife and student, but I know my child like the back of my hand.

I know every tickle spot on that squirmy little body of his. I know what song he likes to hear while he’s falling asleep, and which blankie is his favorite. I know just how to make him giggle and laugh and I know what all of his favorite foods are, even if I sometimes end up wearing more of it than he eats. I know that he has very different cries and I know what each and every one of them mean.