Being Mommy

In the two weeks since I became a mommy, a lot of things have changed. One of the biggest changes I've noticed is my newfound acceptance of various bodily fluids being sprayed on me at the most random of times.

I've worked with kids and babies for years, whether it has been through teaching in primary grades or babysitting. One thing I've never been able to handle is vomiting or pooping/peeing of pants. I'm fine with it when it's contained in diapers or a trash can, but outside of that- game over. I'll admit I've always handled such occurrences with my own childlike behaviors such as gagging (pretend or real), plugging my nose in a dramatic fashion as I attempted to handle the mess, or just letting the kid deal with it themselves. My students have long been forewarned that I don't "deal" with puking so if you feel sick, you better make a run for that bathroom. I just don't have the stomach or the maturity to handle it.

Now I have a child. A newborn. And that newborn has yet to understand my unwillingness to deal with bodily fluids from others. My own newborn has chosen to splatter me in the face with projectile vomit twice in one week. Even better, she has also chosen to have a blowout diaper under my watch. One in which I was forced to clean off the poopie from all of the materials it landed on, including her hands and arms and yes, her cheek. Let me ask this...how on earth does poo make its way from down there to up there?! One of life's greatest mysteries.

During each of these instances, I look back and realize I handled them with the utmost grace and dignity of a true mommy. I held my head high, brought her in for a hug, patted her on the back, and let her know, "It's ooook." I even kissed her after the puking...pushing out of my mind the awful smell that covered me from neck to legs and everything around us. I actually felt bad for her, not for me, the one soaked in her pukey mess. After the diaper blowout, I calmly took her to change, stripped her down and offered her a loving bath to really make her feel like a true lady again.

Suddenly, I find myself not being so childish anymore. Suddenly, I seem to have found the tools to handle whatever my little munchkin throws at me, bodily fluids and all. Becoming mommy is so much more than I ever realized. I mean, lets be honest, the last thing I ever expected was to gain some more maturity out of the deal.

But seriously, how could you be upset with a face like this?