This Is Motherhood by Kerith Collins, January 2008


Oh my, where to begin. Well, once upon a time, in a city about 250 miles away, where once lived a couple…

My motherhood experience probably begins with me and my boyfriend. Yes, we are not married. We chose not to get married. But we have been together for 8 years now. That is longer than the marriages of most of my friends. When it came to having children, we were careful. We used protection. But, of course, it didn’t work. We had our first bundle of joy almost one year after 9-11.

He was my first and I was totally unprepared for him. The nighttime feedings were overwhelming for me. There was an amazing amount of dirty diapers. The first time he got sick was with the Roto Virus. If any parent’s baby has gotten that, they know it is a week of non-stop poop and puke. The first time he puked from that, all I could do was block it with my hands. And it sprayed all over…yeah…yuck.

We were also financially strapped first time parents. My boyfriend worked full-time and I stayed home. Eventually, I did have to go back to work part-time at nights. I was hard with just one of us working but the stress of no money, two of us working and a new baby was great. But we got past it. We became stronger parents and a stronger couple.

Our second we actually planned. She was born in January of 2006. And she was the cutest baby. But she was also a handful. She liked it her way or the highway, even when she was just a wee little thing. And if she changed her mind in mid-thought, you just had to keep up or suffer the temper tantrum wrath of our little princess. Her temper tantrums became less and less. She started to understand why she was getting sent to her room so much. So we got past that and moved forward. We were done and had our two kids…or so we thought.

Then I missed my “Aunt Flo.” But we used protection. We thought we were safe. Life is funny like that. Just when you have it all planned out, it throws you a curve ball. Yep, we were pregnant again.

But not just a little pregnant. We were pregnant with twins. Yea, I know. Can you believe it?! That just threw me for such a loop. But luckily, my boyfriend and I were there for each other. And we saved all our baby clothes from the other two. I don’t know why. I just can’t throw anything away. Thank God I can’t.

Let me tell you, two babies are not twice the work. They are 4-5 times the work. And if I thought I was tired with just one baby, I was wrong. I was so tired I really did pour coffee into bottles and mix formula into my cereal. But I caught it. So now, once again, I was at home with a total of 4 kids and my boyfriend was the only one working.

We started our family in the Twin Cities. Once the twins came along, we decided to move to a more affordable and family friendly place. So we moved to Iowa. Not our dream state. It is cheap, family friendly, and there are a lot of jobs - did I mention affordable living?

So here we are. Two parents who love each other. Four kids we wouldn’t trade for the world - but would think about it for a nap. And one happy family. I think the main thing I have learned from my motherhood experiences is that it takes all kinds for a happy family and a happy childhood.
 
From the author, Kerith Collins:  I am a mother of four with a hubby (well…kind of a hubby…we have been together for 8 years). I am a stay at home mom who is slowly building a problogger business. My main freelancing blog is Freelancing, My Road Less Traveled. From there, you can find my portfolio of blogs, online stores, contests, and any other idea I get into my head. I love to meet (blog with) new people. So I hope to see you in my blogosphere!

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