Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Moms - God's Greatest Creation

Okay, so that may be a bold statement, and not everyone will agree with me, but let me explain.

Believe it or not (I say this for myself, you probably all believe it - haha), but by Thursday of this week, I will have a six week old on my hands.

After nine long months, 40 extra pounds, and a few too many stretch marks, Ryder Chase Ninaber made his debut to the world at 5:45am on June 14, 2012. Weighing in at a healthy 8lb 8oz and 20 inches long, Ryder arrived after only 2 hours of labour. Can you say amazing?

Now, Ryder is (almost) six weeks old, weighing in at a healthy 10+ pounds and has already outgrown not only his newborn sleepers, but his three month sleepers as well. Is it legal to have a 6 week old in 6 month old pyjamas???

Anyway, the reason I entitled this post Moms - God's Greatest Creation, is not because I wanted to boast about my new life as a mom. Quite the contrary. As much as I enjoy being a mom, and think that it is wonderful to be caring and raising a handsome young man, I wanted to boast about my mom. Mainly because, if it was not for her, there's no way I could have made it through the past few weeks.

When Ryder was born, my wonderful midwife Nasrin suggested that I have someone stay with me that night, to ensure that I was able to get a good nights sleep and wasn't up for all hours. My mom volunteered to stay with me right away, without even hesitating, all the while knowing that she had a full days work ahead of her the next day.

So that night after I woke up to feed him, she stayed up and settled him for the next little bit until he fell asleep, and did so a few times during the night. I'm pretty sure she was lucky to get three hours of sleep that night, while I was lying in bed trying to sleep myself.

Pretty much every day for the first two weeks, my mom made it a priority to stop by my place, whether it was in between clients, or after a long day of work, to make sure I was doing okay.
Some days I was doing great! Other days, I felt like a kid who got hurt on the playground and was fine until mom showed up - that's when the waterworks would come.

But on days like that, my mom was always there to comfort me, give me a shoulder to cry on, and tell me that I was doing a great job and that I was going to make it through. I don't know if a thank you is ever  enough to express how much her dedication meant to me.

After the phone calls slowed down, and I started to figure out my routine and develop into my own role as a mom, she would still stop in occasionally, but I could always look forward to a text in the morning: "How was Ryder last night?" "Did you sleep okay?" "How are you?" "How goes the day?" -- I always look forward to those messages.

Then there was this past weekend where I came down with a crazy bacterial infection, resulting in the worst fever, aches and pains I have ever experienced. With a simple phone call, I said "Mom, can you come over? I'm really sick and can barely hold Ryder." Her reply? "I'm on my way." Her one weekend off to work, and she spent it with me to take care of me, help me get better and to make sure Ryder was taken care of while I slept.

I would also like to mention all of the time she spent at my house before Ryder's arrival, helping me prepare my house and his room and making sure everything would be in order before he made his appearance. She helped organize clothes, sorted his laundry, cleaned out my spare bedroom (I think she knew she'd have to use it once he showed up), rearranged my kitchen with me. She also reupholstered the old rocking chair she used for me and my sisters while we were babies for the nursery. She's Wonder Woman, I tell you.

It's funny how becoming a mom yourself creates a bond you never had before with your own mom.  My mom and I have always been close, but these past few weeks have really brought us together.

Mom - Pregnant with me in 1987
I realize I'm repeating myself here, but I truly don't think a simple thank you will ever be enough to express my gratitude towards my mom.

I wanted the world to know just how wonderful she is. This is only a small snapshot into what an amazing mom Yvonne Cyr is. There are so many things she does on a continual basis that make her the absolute best mom ever, but that's for another blog post at another time.

All of this to say: Thank you mom for being there for me. I couldn't have gotten through these past few weeks without you.

I love you.