Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend we had two very special events in the Dower household. The first was Ollie's four month birthday and the second of course, was my first Mother's day.

Nick really did a great job of ensuring I had a fabulous Mother's day. I actually got my proper present the other week which was a new ipod which means I can access the net and email when I am feeding Ollie in his room as well as play some pretty cool games and watch movies/tv shows. But today I got another wonderful present which was an album that Nick had put together of the progress of my pregnancy with Ollie including pics of my tummy and excerpts from the diary I kept throughout. It is a bit of a work in progress with plenty of room to add more pics but it was a wonderfully thoughtful present and it made me cry with happiness when I went through it.

We celebrated the rest of the day with a festival of food. Starting first with delicious homemade pancakes and double chocolate ice cream (the fat free ice-cream I bought was deemed inappropriate so Nick went and bought the most fattening stuff on the market). We followed that up with Ollie's first visit to Superbowl in the Valley. For anyone who we haven't dragged along, we have been visiting this restaurant for over a decade (well I have anyway) and we have had lots of silly drunken nights there with many good friends - oh, and the food is alright too. I've included a few pics of Ollie at his first visit. He was on his best behaviour and slept through the meal. And no, in case you were wondering, we didn't make him steal an onion.

Ollie topped off the day with my favourite present of all, a big fit of giggles just before bathtime. It was one of the first times Nick had heard his proper giggles and we both just stood there in absolute rapture.

It is hard to believe that Ollie is 1/3 of a year old and it has given me cause to reflect upon that time (if you are sick of reading, don't feel compelled as this is quite a diatribe).

The last few months have gone so quickly but it also feels like Ollie has been a part of our life forever. Being his mum and looking after him is the toughest job I have ever had. The hours are definitely the longest (i.e. 24 hours a day), there is no rec or sick leave, the pay is pathetic and my boss (Ollie) screams at me more than all but one of the bosses I have had.

But it is definitely the most rewarding job there is around. The highlight of my working day is a few smiles or some giggles or whatever new trick he has learnt that week.

Becoming a parent gives you a whole new appreciation for what your own parents went through. You might be all grown up now with a responsible job etc. but nothing changes the fact that your mum still wiped your bum a million times and got the snot out of your nose!!

The worst things I've experienced in this motherhood gig:
- the early days of sleep deprivation
- checking he is okay every five minutes when he sleeps
- that he doesn't care if you are feeling tired/sick/a bit over it

The best things:
- everything else!!
- especially the lovely little moments when he looks up at me and smiles like I am the whole world.

These are the things I do that make me realise that I am now a mum:
- sing silly songs throughout our grocery shop to keep him happy not even caring if all the other customers think I have lost it
- hold out my hand to catch his spew (gross!)
- sniff his nappy to see if he needs changing
- even worse, stick my hand into his nappy in the middle of night in darkness to see if he needs changing (potentially very disgusting)
- carry four nappies, a teddy bear and a novelty set of teething car keys in my handbag at all times (and the rest of it).

So to all the mums, Happy Mother's Day!!!