I was just about to get into bed this evening when I took a moment to look over at your mother.  She was (and is) passed out in bed next to me and, quite honestly, she looks beautiful.

These days, with Faloo in her belly, sleep is a pretty valuable commodity for her.  She’s 22 weeks into the pregnancy and her belly is stretching and growing to accommodate for Faloo’s growth; this causes pain in her side and around the belly.  Because of the added weight (she’s obviously heavier than she’s ever been to this point in her life) and maybe some other causes, her feet swell up and her back hurts.  To put it mildly, she’s in constant discomfort these days.  In fact, when sleeping she can no longer lie on her stomach (as she prefers) but instead must lay on her side.  Unfortunately, this is still difficult for her due to the growing baby bump.  To ease some of this discomfort she now has something called a Snoogle to sleep with (hopefully that link still works 16 yrs from now; if not see photo below).  Her head goes on the top of the “C”, her belly rests on the side of the “C” (or in the gap and she uses a folded t-shirt to support it), and her legs straddle the bottom of the “C” – really it’s quite unusual until you realize that it’s somewhat effective.

On top of those pains, Faloo is quite the active little one.  Clearly he takes after both his parents – neither of us would sit still as kids, we were constantly active.  All his moving around – pushing with his arms, kicking with his legs, and probably somersaulting his entire body – cause a lot of discomfort to her.

I don’t give her enough credit but it’s really amazing what she is putting herself through for you.  It’s hard, being uncomfortable for so many months, and yet it’s really one of the most selfless acts a person can do.  Sure, we want to have you all but few desires require a person to so readily put herself through such discomfort like a mother-to-be.  I get tired taking on extra chores but she goes to work, runs some errands, does some household chores, and grows a human being inside of her on any given day…it just doesn’t even compare.

I don’t really know when you all, our kids, will read this blog and truly appreciate what’s been written.  Perhaps, if you mature faster than I did, you’ll taken them to heart by the time you go to college.  If you’re like me, it might not be until you’re nearing (or in) your 30s that you truly begin to recognize the less obvious things your parents have done for you.  I feel this way about my parents; it’s amazing what they’ve done so selflessly for my brother and me (same goes for your mother’s parents with her and her sister).  When it comes to your mother, though, you should understand this:

From the beginning, your mother has made incredible sacrifices for you.  The level of discomfort, sacrifice and daily fatigue has been insane.  I am honestly in awe of her and what she’s doing and she has no idea how strong she is to have put herself through this.  Honestly, it makes me love her and appreciate her even more than I already do.  But what’s crazy to me is that this is only the beginning.  By the time you read this blog, another 10+ years will probably have passed…and that’s just for Faloo; it’ll have been even longer for our younger children.  Take a moment now and really think about this and allow yourself to truly appreciate her for what she has done during this time.  The next time you get upset with her or think she wants anything less than what’s best for you, think about the kind of pain and discomfort she put herself through just to bring you into existence and then raise you.  Then reconsider your opinions.  As I write this, I, myself, have come to realize that I need to appreciate her more for what she’s going through.  I plan to do this beginning right now; I hope you do too.

In the meantime, I can’t help but feel a question push its way to the front of my mind.  Why?  Why the pain, why the discomfort?  Ultimately, why kids – why do we want all of you?  It’s a good question and one that I think I’ll ponder over in my next entry.  As for you, go tell your mother you love her 🙂