Friday, May 20, 2005

A Demanding Road Ahead...

Being someone's mother is a huge responsibility. I always thought that when women have babies it's exciting and it'll be so rewarding in the end. I still believe that. But I never really thought about how a baby right before my own eyes would evolve into a young child.

I went to a baby shower for my future sister in law, Kristen. She had many people there from mainly her fiance's side. He has a very large family and there are many aunties and cousins to get to know. There were a couple of young kids there. I hate to say this, but at a certain point there comes a time when a child just gets annoying. Always asking questions and needing attention, their mother's attention all of the time. A baby can't speak, it cries and sleeps. But a child can nanner on and on and on forever if he felt up to it. I find that these kids are a handful and all babies no matter how cute they are, turn into that eventually. Having children is a huge deal and I've always known that, but moreso now. But I admire Kristen so much for having her baby boy. She is a young mother, just turning twenty two a few weeks ago. She has a lot on her plate for basically the rest of her life. A baby turns into that nose picking eight year old, demanding attention. And the eight year old turns into a young teen desperate to be old enough to stay out past 10:00. That teen graduates, hopefully, and still needs attention and love from his parents. I still need my parents to this day and I'm almost twenty. Raising a child doesn't end at 18 like it is often said to. It never does. Having a baby isn't just having a baby, it is having a human being that depends on me forever, until the day that I die and even after that as well.

I salute young women that decide to have those babies that are slowly developing in their tummies. Kristen was surprised to find last year that she was one of those girls that just happened to be pregnant, and not having planned it. There are a lot of those these days. She owned up to her responsiblility of a woman and held her head high and let that belly grow. Despite what her own parents felt and others too I am sure. She was strong and stuck to it, even after finding out that her future baby boy had complications. She remained courageous and took care of herself and her son. She made sure to eat properly to ensure that he would be receiving the proper nutrients, fighting the cravings to eat badly. (She said she didn't have many, but I don't believe her.)

March 15, 2005 Kristen gave birth to a healthy, wide-eyed baby boy, Drake. He was transported to another hospital across the city for his very first operation. Drake was surrounded by tubes and machines beeping and buzzing. Kristen stayed confident that things would improve and they did. She finally held her baby boy a few weeks after his arrival. He was home in a little less than a month I believe, healthy and quite happy I am sure.

I admire Kristen for being such a wonderful woman through all of this. She did happen to go through much of it on her own, which wasn't easy. But not once did I hear her complain. It was her life now, Drake first, Kristen second. Now she's raising a wonderful little boy. The expressions on his face show his changing moods. His most common noises are grumbling and the sounds of him sucking on his bottle. I love him already and I can't imagine Kristen's love for him, having been with him everyday since he was born. Even though I am not Drake's true aunty, I am welcomed like I am by Kristen and everyone else. It's an amazing feeling, holding a little baby in my arms. As I feed him, it seems as though he stares into my soul. I have no idea how a baby does that, but he really does. Kristen is a strong woman and evidentally Drake has inherited that from her.

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