Being a Mom !!!!! I love IT

Well there isn’t much that can top my blog from Friday. What a total idiot I made of myself and so much for my declaration to my client – how do I let these things happen to me? But as my very wise Mom always warned me while growing up, “After laughter comes crying ….!” So I suppose it shouldn’t surprise you that this weekend was not as anticipated. Isn’t that just how the universe works?

What is that saying about the Best Laid plans Mice and Men? I am not going to get all morbid here, but we lost one of our animals to "Parvo Virus" and it was quite a shattering weekend to say the least. Our little Beasty Boy left us on Saturday after a very short time on earth and he was our little treasure with an inner sense of when you need a hug I haven’t seen in a while in an animal.

We have all been blessed by these “special” pets in our lives. I call them angels in disguise. They come into our lives and as you may have read in a few of my blogs they can wreak havoc, but they give so much joy and expect so little in return. Thank goodness we have had them in our lives and can hold their memories dear and share the happy moments, the frantic laughter moments and the Ahhhh sweet moments when we feel ourselves slipping into that abyss of despair.

Well today I am digging deep for little memories that will lift my day and as I sit here I am overcome with the irony of life and how the Universe just seems to have fun at our expense or how it gives us an unexpected surprise. It could be in the form of an e-mail or in my case a client I saw for all of three minutes decided to make use of my company for her courier – we are given that flash of hope in so many instances of better things to come – like our very pregnant Cat Ally deciding she just has to sit on my knee while I am trying to put my shoes on this morning before work. I have the claw marks to prove just how small my knee is compared to her ever increasing bottom.

She is so filled with love and I can only imagine how she feels with these little wiggly babies inside her. The other night she was laying stretched out in an attempt to get comfortable I guess and I watched in awe has her tummy did the jiggling and dancing bit all on their own. Is this not an incredible sight? I have to say when I was carrying my sweet children I was just as fascinated with the way the stomach “comes to life” and moves when you get into a cold pool or just when you have finished your chores and are ready for bed, it’s like this is the sign they have been waiting for to have their own midnight “Rave” inside of you.


No matter how you try to shift that foot that is sticking into your throat almost out of your mouth - they are determined to just put it back and kick the living day lights out of you. It always fascinated me when my mum was expecting Dene when she climbed into our pool in Bulawayo “The House of 39 Steps”; the pool was built in between these huge boulders and the water was icy cold. It took a very brave person to swim and even though I was not brave, I did enjoy the occasional DIP. Well mum was in her last months and as you can imagine at her slightly late age of 40 expecting her 4th child which a wonderful gift it was no surprise she was not coping with the heat. Well the December before Dene was born was one of the hottest Decembers we had experienced right up to February 28th when he was born, so mum did the “dip in the pool” quite often.

It fascinated me the way her rounded belly would actually move up as she stepped into the water, I could almost see the baby inside trying to climb out! It really is the cutest thing to see how they react to changes of temperatures - The magic of nature! The bundle tightens up and I can imagine the legs being curled up in the womb and this bundle no longer in the low position but almost under the mother’s chin! -the baby obviously thinking, what is going on out there. Magical!

While I was carrying Mathew I could relate to what my mum must have felt when she was expecting Dene as my Mat was an extremely active baby – (not much has changed there as a child and now a young Man!) As most pregnant mothers do, I rested my plate of food on my every growing stomach when eating in front of the television. Well I soon learnt that with Mathew this has consequences. I was not very pleased when he managed to kick it right off my stomach and I had this curry mess all over my nice white carpet. Actually it was quite funny at the time and of course Adrian was convinced we had a ruby player in our midst. Well Mathew has not disappointed us in his sporting skills or his very active nature. Keeping up with him while he was a toddler was quite a feat.

I remember Adrian’s mum telling me that Adrian was a terror on wheels when he was growing up and that this was the Universe’s way of settling the score…… pity Adrian did not stick around to actually pay the price of his misadventures – no I was the one who had to look in every possible hiding place that a child could imagine to find this little munchkin. He came home one day with his “shadow” Caitlin covered in mud, and I mean covered in mud. They had decided to go and play in the wet lands at Modderfontein. There was no way Skip/Surf of any magical cleaning agent could save their clothes and I just shook my head as Adrian mum told me of a story about Adrian playing in the pigs sty and needing to be spayed off outside in the extreme cold in Ireland as a young child. Oh well I suppose there will be the “Pay back” when he has children.

Mathew and Caitlin where always in the thick of things. Walking tornadoes those two, and no adventure was too dangerous or too much trouble. At least I was blissfully unaware at the time of everything they got up to as they hid the evidence really well, but now I get snatches of what they got up to and realize the “Mom of the Year Award" I believed I earned - I most definitely did not. How about Clueless Mother of the year award! I am grateful they survived to reap the benefits of those experiences and have the delight in knowing they will face the same challenges with their own wonderful children. Oh pay back is good and this time I can sit back and smile and offer my words of wisdom knowing completely that there are no words of wisdom for children and the antics they get up to. Oh I do look forward to that day, to be a Grandmother and love my grandchildren and then hand them to their parents and retreat to my quiet tidy house and smile at what beautiful grandchildren I have. And as I sit on my rocking chair and sip my glass of red wine I will know the truth of my mother’s words – “Just wait till you have children!”


Mathew was so excited about my pregnancy when I was carrying Catlin and one time at the supermarket he just had to share his excitement. Right there in the isle of a shopping centre, he lifted my dress and showed the world his baby! Now a pregnant woman as we know is not at her best in her last weeks and then add to that you have legs of a hippo, Boobs that Dolly Parton can only dream of and the worst of all, no under wear in the world can ever make a pregnant woman look GOOD. So there I stood trying to pull him out of under my preggy dress and hold my dress down as he patted and loved my huge belly. Oh the joys! But you know what I wouldn’t trade them for all the money in the world.

Like the time Sarah decided in the Wimpy that she just has to have more chips with tomatoes sauce and proceeded to scream at the top of her voice and then …………………….she decided she just had to see how far she could throw her chips across the room hitting the poor customers as her chips flew through the air dripping tomato sauce and spraying everyone in their path. And the manger who adored her rewarded her with an ice cream. Go girl, work that magic is what he said and Sarah of course lapped it up. I think her red hair is a dead give away to not Cross her so to speak as she has a bubbling temper like a volcano which she is in control for the most part. Oh wow betides the person who pushed the wrong button. I really don’t want to be a witness to that!

Caitlin has not been without her little incidents, as I said usually with the encouragement of her brother Mat who she adored. However she had a few moments when she needed no encouragement. We were at a concert in the park in Johannesburg, all sitting watching the show when Caitlin decided to go up on stage and walk up to the performer. And of course her cute little smile and with this little three year old courage in her, she reached up and asked for the microphone. Now who on earth could deny this request. Well she took the mike, turned to face the crowd and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and strutted her stuff and won over the crowd.

Now the main star attraction was not too happy to be outdone by a toddler especially as she had the crowds in the palm of her hands and was working the crowd, swinging her tiny hips and being oh so cute and adorable. He landed up chasing her around the stage trying to get the microphone back when she absolutely refused to relinquish her spot light. Hmmmmmmmmmmm come to think of it … she was much more entertaining than him.

The crowds booed him when he finally got the microphone and I managed to grab little Cait of the stage. Remember I was also trying to catch her, in the most serene and patient manner under extreme circumstances and embarrassment as I am the last person you will ever see on a stage. I tried to keep my dignity as I tried to bribe her off the stage smiling that pained smile that we mother have perfected over the years and running tripping skipping after this over active three year old who could hide under microphones and in between the drums - Quite an adventure she had that day!!!

One of my absolute favourite stories however is the one that Bernadette’s mom tells of the day Bernadette ran away from her crèche – all of 4 years old. She decided she needed to show her 1st girl friend where she lived and was so proud of the fact that she could be so grown up. There she was showing off her house arms spread in glee “This is where I live!” - To her astonishment the front door flew open and there was her older brother glaring at her in shock and surprise. “What are you doing here; you are supposed to be at school!” To which she replied “I am showing my friend where I Live!” well needless to say she did get into serious trouble and was warned about running away.

In fact the way she tells it Mark ruined the whole thing and shattered her little world as he told on her and she got spanked for her adventure. - (at 4 years old she was already taking control of her life and knew no fear juvenile delinquent in the making perhaps)……. (Now that is Bern’s description not mine)
Well my comment to Bern was and still is …….hmmm you are supposed to run away from home not to home!

Being a mom, whether it’s for my angels dressed in Fur on four Legs or mom to my wonderful three children and many “adopted children” through the years is the Gift I know I deserve and the one job I would never ever resign from, the rewards are never ending and the tears are mostly tears of joy. This is one of the greatest Gifts Ever.