Mommy support!

Like all Mom's know - being a Mother is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling jobs in the world. Like all Mom's know - it is also the hardest job in the world. There are days when you will soar through the day and the next day will be one where you feel it will never end. Regardless of what the day, as Mom's we need to support each other. I love going on babycenter websites where you can ask a question or read other peoples questions like "Is it normal for a  baby to teeth at 3 months?" and have other Mom's from all over the world give back their stories of teething and words like "Oh my daughter teethed at 2 months. It was hell! Good luck!" or "My kids never got teeth until 9 months and it was no picnic...hoping you and your baby get through it ok!" These websites are proof that all Mom's have something in common - children! Whether we are friends that grew up together,  friends who just met in the past year, month, week or people we do not know at all, we all know that we need support some days for those hard days at our "job".
One of the main reasons I started blogging was for this reason. I wanted to write openly and honestly about life as a wife and mother of three. I called my blog "The good, the bad and the ugly" because that is exactly what my days can be like! For example - the good of the day thus far, sitting in Jerry's Food Emporium with my husband and kids and listening to Jack and Rory giggle and tell us jokes ("Mom, where does a snowman keep his money? A SNOW BANK") while Henry sat on my knee drooling because I gave him a taste of a french fry and I'm sure his mouth was in flavor country! The bad part of today? The fact that we needed diapers and to pick up a used jumperoo we found on kijiji and it had to be -45 outside! BRR! The ugly? While shopping in costco, Henry pooped all the way up his back and got a sponge bath in Costco bathroom and I even threw away his onesie because there was no way I was hauling that thing home! It looked like it was dipped in poop! Barf. There is good, bad and ugly in everyday (Mom or not) and I chose to blog so that new Mom's or second or third or fourth time Mom's can read it and laugh or if they are having a bad day they can realize they aren't alone. If you were in costco and your kid pooped up their back and in that moment you felt exhausted, its ok! It happened to me too and it probably happened to some other Mom too.
Yesterday, I went to my parents and my Mom tried to spend some time snuggling with my almost 4 month old but he had none of it. He cried as soon as Mom tried to hold him. This is not uncommon. He makes strange. In that moment my Mom said "He looks so cute when he smiles but I always see him sad" and honestly, that comment pulled on my heart strings. I wasn't upset that my Mom said that because its true. He is usually sad when she sees him. Many people do not get to see him as happy and fun as me and my husband and other kids do. He is the most happy when at home with just the five of us. Yesterday, after a long day of cleaning house, going to the rink to watch my daughter play hockey, laundry, and my husband being gone to fix a furnace I was sitting alone after the kids had gone to bed and in a sad moment wrote on facebook that I wanted some tips on how to help my son stop making strange. Now, as I wrote this I knew deep down that there was no magic thing to do. Its a stage and it needs to run its course and will eventually pass. I am a third time Mom, all my kids made strange. I remember when my daughter was 4 months old and we went to my Aunts for thanksgiving and she cried every time someone even looked at her. She was only happy in my arms. Jack made strange but a bit later in his life...more around 8 or 9 months and his continued into age one for quite some time. I wrote on facebook because I have many friends and acquaintances with kids and knew that if I wrote something like that I may get some really supportive responses. Comments from friends who had gone through the same things and could make me laugh or friends who went through it and can say "been there, done that, it passes, hang tight" or "Don't you hate when people say "this"? I know it drove me crazy" or simple things like "From one Mom to another - you're doing good! Hang in there".
In my moment of writing that I was in need of support - judgment free. I have written previously about judgment and that we are all guilty of it (including myself). But, a resolution I made even before new years was to be more supportive and less judgmental because like yesterday, I have had friends say "I can't get my kid to poop on the potty, what am I doing wrong?" or "My baby won't sleep, I'm exhausted, what do I do?" or "I'm on month 6 of trying to get pregnant and its not happening, what if I can't ever have a baby?" and that person who is struggling with potty training doesn't need to hear a list of do's and dont's as much as she needs to hear "It will come. You're doing it right - it will happen. Hang in there." and the tired Mom with a new baby needs to hear "He will sleep eventually, I promise. Call me if you're too exhausted and I will come over so you can have a nap. Sleep is so important." and that woman struggling to get pregnant needs to hear "You're going to make a great Mom, don't give up. Have fun trying. It will happen for you. I just know it." SUPPORT! We all need it. Mom or not we all need support. I want to thank those of you who did message me send thoughtful messages. I felt a lot of Mama love and felt much better after reading most of the comments. This morning while having tea with my husband, Henry had fallen asleep in my arms and before laying him in his crib I took a moment to breathe him in and think about what a few people had said "one day he won't want to be laying in your arms" and its true. When I wrote that message I wasn't trying to rush his baby stage. I love babies. I love this stage. Yesterday in that moment I was feeling sad for Henry because I don't like to see him distressed. I was feeling sad that my Mom wasn't able to see his cute smile and hear his happy coo's because he was too sad. I was feeling sad for me because I felt I hadn't had a moment to myself in months (I don't really have it that bad but in that moment, I felt blue). But, to my friends who made supportive, judgement free comments (you know who you are) - thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.You lifted me up and brightened my moment of sadness. Today was a new day and I felt better and felt proud to hold my little "Mama's boy" and I was happy to have my 3 year old "Mama's boy" and my 5 year old "Mama's girl" and my hubby all in tow! Today was filled with a little bad and a little ugly but it was filled with a hell of a lot of GOOD!