Happy Mother's Day

What a difference a year makes.

Last mother's day, I was nauseous, swollen, pregnant, and alone. Not exactly the stuff of a hallmark commercial. Our brother in law, Mahamadou, had been in a horrible car accident in DC. He fell asleep on the way home from work one morning, drove off the highway and hit a tree head on. After a full day of searching, Safia found him in a Baltimore hospital in a coma. Safia was in the ninth month of a difficult pregnancy with two young children to care for. Their mother, Elisabeth, took leave from her job at UNICEF in Africa to come help and Ismael went to help shuttle people around.

I remember sitting on the couch growing increasingly frustrated with Ismael. I wanted that mother's day that you see in the commercials. I had waited a long time for it. You never see a wife dropping her husband off at the airport in those commercials. So while I waited for him to leave for his flight, I sat on the couch and cried because he just didn't realize how important it was to me. I didn't expect him to stay home, but I wanted a card or some flowers to help me forget my swollen feet.

This Mother's Day I woke up to Adam gurgling in the next room. Ismael brought him and a bottle to me. Adam and I snuggled in the big bed while he ate. While watching the eye candy that is Justin Timberlake hosting SNL courtesy of the DVR, I came across one of those mother's day commericals. Warm, fuzzy lighting. Smiling faces, Jewelry abounding. I looked at my son, practicing his sitting skills on my bed. He threw up on my comforter, smiled at me, and shrieked. This is motherhood. Why don't they put THAT on the commercials? There would be a lot fewer teen pregnancies, that's for certain.

Ismael has difficulty expressing his feelings and appreciation with words. Instead, I found flowers next to my living room chair and enjoyed watching my husband hold and feed our son.

I feel appreciated.