The greatest honor of my life

NEDERLAND — Long, long ago, I was blessed with the greatest honor of my life, becoming a parent for the first time. My long anticipated bundle of joy arrived after 21 hours of labor. He was a healthy, happy child from the first moment. He slept through the night every night. His hearty appetite had him nursing regularly. His checkups were always right on par. He grew quickly and fell into normal routines, including going to work with me. 

Sixteen months later, my second bundle of joy arrived. Also healthy, happy, slept well, crawled early and before a year went from crawling to running. She never slowed down after that. 

Now, I had a bit of a break before the next round. This time was so amazing. Back then, working at Nederland Veterinary Hospital, I had a set schedule, could take time off to take the kids to the zoo (our favorite place with the grandmas too), took camping trips, and ultimately spent a lot of time with my munchkins when they were little. I was lucky.

Round two was a decade later. My third little bundle (the smallest one of all of them) arrived three weeks early, yelling and fussing. She never slept more than an hour, and was full speed ahead all the time. She still is. 

My last one, just over 2 1/2 years later, was a healthy, happy, big kid. He has always been exceptionally peaceful, thoughtful and kind. He thinks things through and finds ways to make life work in a way that allows him to be successful. 

I worked for a while at the vet’s office for a few years and the kids were able to come with me. As they grew, I pursued other jobs, including a law office in Boulder, medical billing for a medical center, working at a chiropractor’s office, restaurants, and eventually landing at this newspaper. 

I did not have the luxury of taking the kids to as many cool places, but we still made the zoo regularly, Elitches and Water World a couple times each year, and a few family vacations.

One quick note, I had another baby, a surrogate baby boy, after my last biological child. He was born just a few years after my youngest. Also a healthy child, he lives in a different state and we have not seen him since his birth. My kids used to joke when people would ask if they were excited for another sibling, by responding with, “it’s not our baby, my mom’s just the oven cooking this one.” 

All that, leading up to this past weekend, celebrating Mother’s Day. I am thankful I got to see both my boys, their partners, and got to spend four days with my mom. 

My mom, who rarely travels these days, flew up to Seattle to meet me for a family birthday, and Mother’s Day. We spent every moment together, hanging out with the kids, checking out a local restaurant, a local plant store, the local winery, and more. We went to a birthday party, we sat by Puget Sound listening to the eagles chatter to each other, the American oystercatchers skip across the oyster beds, looking for a tasty treat. 

We also toured the campus at Seattle, met with my niece and her boyfriend, and learned a little about the Pacific Northwest and what makes it so special.

The best part of the visit: all of the above. The hardest part of the visit, leaving them and getting back on that airplane to go home. 

I’m sure I’ll get to see my girls, who live closer, in the next few weeks. And I have a ton of work to do between both jobs to get projects moving forward. And I dug right back into my workload with a vengeance, like I always do. 

I would love to go back to those moments in time when life was easier and I got to spend more time with those I love. When things were simple. In the meantime, I am thankful for the moments I can steal away for a long weekend enjoying those minutes, making those memories.