The Mama Badge

My cousin Gina became a mother this morning-

Sawyer Bradley was born in Texas,

and from the photo posted on Facebook, this boy is gorgeous.

(have I mentioned lately that I love Facebook?).

I don't have permission to use this pic- I stole it.  But isn't it precious??

My heart is so full of joy for Gina and her family,

and I keep thinking about that line from It's a Wonderful Life,

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

Except, I suppose, that I am changing it to,

"Every time that a baby is born, a woman gets her wings."

And I suppose that by "wings" I mean "badge".

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Being a woman is a remarkable thing, don't you think?

We get to be feminine and lovely, emotional and irrational, curvy and seductive;

and though women have been fighting for generations to overcome the stigma that we are the weaker gender, as far as I'm concerned, the battle was over before it began. 

We are freakin' powerhouses!

Women are strong.  Women are smart.

Women give birth.

(And, just to be clear, I am not comparing the genders.

Rather, I am celebrating my own gender.)

So, I am quite pleased to be a woman.  I feel lucky.

And it wasn't until January 14, 2007 that I understood  my good fortune,

because that was when I got my badge.

Being pregnant is amazing- it is a miracle, really.

To see your body change, to feel the movement within,

to ache and waddle and cramp and grow,

to bond with and feel love for the tiny naked person who is curled up under your skin,

giving kicks now and then as if to say, "What's up?"...

It is the coolest thing in the whole wide world.

But it wasn't until Lucy was born

that I experienced the love of a mother for her child,

and it was more powerful that I could have ever imagined,

and even now I cannot adequately describe that feeling.

Love at first sight!

A love like no other!

Rapture!

And though I am craving all sorts of details about the birth story,

and the baby's weight and such,

(as most women do)

I am completely satisfied to know that today is the happiest day of Gina's life,

and She gets it!

She knows that feeling!

She has her mama badge!

Today, Gina's heart became intertwined with a tiny boy named Sawyer.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  Elizabeth Stone

Isn't that the truth??

 Just as weddings remind us of our own marriage and commitment and love,

births remind me of my own time spent in a hospital gown, on a hospital bed, snacking on ice chips, and feeling over-the-moon in love.

Best day(s) of my life :)



Congratulations and welcome to the club, Gina!