The New Talents Being a Mom Has Helped Me Discover

I've always thought of myself as a pretty talented person, but who knew I could do all this? I am skilled at:

1. Sleeping on the very edge of the bed without falling off. Zara likes to curl up under me and force me toward the edge. I've had a couple close calls, but I've never fallen.



2. Doing things with one hand (because the other one almost always has a baby in it). She loves to be held, and I love to hold her. So that leaves little time for two-handed activities. So far, I've been able to type, cook and clean all with one hand.



3. Walking down a busy street and breastfeeding at the same time. It's nice to be able sit and relax while I feed her, but sometimes that isn't possible. It's not like I can say "Wait until I can sit down." When she's ready to eat, she wants to eat NOW. Oh, and in case you re wondering, I do have one of those covers, so I'm not showing my goods everywhere.

4. Seeing incredibly cute baby clothes at the store and NOT buy them. Anyone with a daughter knows that it takes some real talent to resist all the adorable things they have for baby girls. I'd love to buy it, but I know I'll just be giving it away in a month a so. This girl is growing like crazy!

5. Quieting her cries when no one else can. I guess all moms can do this, but, for some reason, I feel like I'm really special when I do it, like I have magic powers or something. Of course, this doesn't always work.

6. Wrapping my Moby Wrap. If you have one of these, then you know they're not the easiest things to wrap at first. It took a lot of Youtube tutorials and practice to get it just right on the first try. Now that I know what I'm doing, I love it!

What talents have you discovered?

Zara's Mommy,
Nadirah

One of the Worst Things a Mother Can Hear

I was in the shower a few nights ago (something that has become a luxury for me since I don't always have time for it anymore) and heard a horrible sound: my daughter crying. I usually can't hear much over the roar of the rushing water, so you can imagine how loud it was. I jumped out of the shower, head full of shampoo, and sprung into action.

"What's wrong?" I asked her father as I scooped her from his arms.

"I don't know. She just started crying. She wouldn't take the bottle." I used my usual comforting techniques (talking to her, bouncing her, nursing her) but none of them worked. She only cried louder. After a minute, I was beginning to get worried. She doesn't usually cry when I'm holding her, especially not this loud. I inspected her body to see if maybe something was hurting her, because it was one of those piercing, "I'm hurt" cries. Nothing. I tried all my techniques again, this time making a little prayer with each one. Still nothing. The cries just got louder.

I could feel my heart ripping as the cries worsened. I couldn't take it. I felt like she was saying "Help me, PLEASE! Do something!" And all I wanted was to do something, but I didn't know what. I couldn't figure out what she needed. That's a horrible feeling for a parent, to know that your child has a need that you can't meet. The one job I have it so take care of her and give her everything she needs and at that moment I felt like I was failing miserably. Finally, after about 5 minutes (which felt like an eternity) she quieted herself down and began slurping down milk like nothing had happened. Other than the red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, there was no evidence of what had just happened. She was completely back to normal, and I was forever changed.

Zara's Mommy,
Nadirah