The perks of mamahood

Being the mother of an infant is a taxing job, but there are all kinds of perks. You don’t get vacation days, sick days, or 401K matching, but you get all sorts of sappy rewards, like watching your little one smile up at you with lovey-dovey eyes.

If you’re extra-lucky, you get more tangible blessings, too. These may come in the form of a new book from your sister-in-law that you read to your little one every day (Yes! A kangaroo has a mother, too) or a whole drawer full of so-cute-you-can-hardly-stand-it crocheted baby hats from your sister.

Then, there are those little doses of happiness meant just for mama. For me, these kinds of rewards are usually made possible by Tom. Sometimes they’re in the form of a Godiva truffle, other times a warm bubble bath, and still other times, breakfast in bed.

That last one was my motherhood perk for today, and, let me tell you, it made every bit of a tough night last night worth it. There are times when Jacob sleeps three or four hours at a stretch. And, then there are times that he doesn’t. Last night was one of those times. I watched every hour from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. go by and was feeling a little more disheartened with each one that passed.

Then, Tom woke up and everything changed. One look at my face, and he knew it was a rough night. He let folks know he would be a couple of hours late for work, ordered me to stay in bed and sleep and took Jacob downstairs to play.
I snuggled down into our brand new comforter (another mama perk—I had to get a new one after Jacob pooped all over our last one) and slept for two blissful hours.

When I woke up, I smelled bacon. And, coffee. And, blueberry waffles. Okay, so I didn’t actually smell the blueberry waffles, but within five minutes, I was eating them IN BED, and that’s much better anyway.

Not one to do things halfway, Tom had gone all out. He brought me waffles with fresh blueberries, bacon, hashbrowns, eggs, and biscuits. Oh, and coffee and milk, too. (By the way, I had none of this in my fridge. He took Jacob to the store with him and bought and made it all!)

As if that wasn’t, he had gotten Jacob ready for the day and even dressed him in my favorite onesie. (Give this man a standing ovation!) For me, a good morning means a good day, and so, as you can imagine, today has been wonderful.
All the work that goes into being a mama isn’t always easy, but when it’s followed by your baby’s smile or an extra dose of pampering from your spouse, it’s totally worth it. Don’t tell Tom, but I may be tempted to stay awake all night tonight, too.