The Mums In Me Life

I don't think I ever truly valued or respected the role of motherhood as much as I do now, having recently joined the club. I always knew mothers were important, mothers were crucial in influencing and teaching correct principles, nurturing and loving us, but I can truthfully say, after giving birth to a lil one of my own... the love that you feel, the sacrifice that you make, it is just way more than you ever imagined it would be.

As I recover and am in my postpartum state of being, I have been able to receive even more love and service from the mums in my life on a daily basis.

Beginning with...

my own mum.

She's been swamped with work lately, but despite her load of meetings, clients, and houses to sell, she was at the hospital quickly after my delivery (they came while I was in labor but then left and came back) and quickly devoted her time to cooking all those Chinese healing foods that I needed. She brought me fish soup (a Chinese thing for immediate recovery the day of labor), black chicken with spices (another Chinese herbal thing to assist with a speedy recovery), grapes (to help you bleed less) and fried rice the first day Andy and I were back home. She has called me everyday to ask what other food I might need next and has been coming by every 2 days to replenish my Chinese food and fruit supply. Sometimes, she overwhelms me with the list of requirements I must adhere to during my one month of recovery (another Chinese tradition) but she means well and loves me and Jordan and only wants what's best and I admire her persistence and patience with me.

my mum in law.

She flew down to help us out this week since Andy still had a big test on Friday and baby feedings are every 2-3 hours for 24 hours. I'm not sure what we would have done without her! She was with me through many nights, as I tried to figure out this whole feeding thing, she helped feed him with the supplement formula, helped me with laundry, dishes, and had a magic touch to help put Jordan to sleep way quicker than Andy or I could. She's also cooked some wonderful meals for us, helped me finish my carseat cover, and made my breastfeeding cover (all these things that were not completed since Jordan came early and all easy-peasy for an expert like her). I love hearing her stories about Andy as a kid and I know she raised a wonderful young man (no, Andy doesn't have any brothers - haha) so I aim to learn from her continually.


my cousin's mum and my gu-ma (dad's sister).

She is an amazing cook. And all night Sunday, she stayed up to cook me a special healing soup (which was actually very delicious!) with some type of chicken liver and ginger - it sounds gross but it was really good and sweet of her to devote all her time Sunday (she had work Monday) to ensure my healing soup was complete.

my other cousins' mum and my yi-ma (mum's sister).
She came to see me in the hospital and then cooked Andy and me dinner, taught us how to swaddle our baby with a stocking (much better though more ghetto), continues to check up on me everyday and sent us loads of swaddle blankets, washclothes and baby towel/robes after noticing we did not have many. A former nurse, my yi-ma quickly taught us a lot about what makes baby happy (he likes being swaddled and held upright when awake) to calm a very unhappy baby when she first met him (he was just crying and crying and crying... and was fed and clean.. so we were so confused).

my nieces' mum (my sister-in-law)

I call Tammy all the time. She is probably wondering why I'm calling again, but I feel completely comfortable asking her for advice on anything and everything. She is a wonderful mum to two beautiful, polite, creative, and wonderful girls and I am always taking notes on how to be as amazing of a mom as her. She is also always looking out for me, telling me when I need to calm down, stop reading all this baby info, and reassures me that everything will be alright when I am clearly freaking out. I can't wait for her to come and meet Jordon the weekend of Memorial Day!

Mums are amazing and the mums in me life are even more so. What mums in your life are you thinking of today? Mums out there - you are all extraordinary beings and motherhood is truly insane, challenging, hard, and rewarding. I hope you all realize how truly exceptional you are on this special day. Happy Mother's Day to all the mums!