***

***

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mother's Day: We Deserve it

I was feeling a little bad on Sunday as I took off for an afternoon of shopping for my Mother's Day treat.
I was contemplating the inequality of Mother's Day vs. Father's Day.
It does seem as though a bigger deal is made for moms than for dads, don't you think?

I get to sleep in, receive cards, have the day to myself, and Josh cleaned the poop out of the bathtub!

Don't ask.

And while I might give Josh sleeping-in privileges and a Father's Day card, his special treatment usually stops there.
Woe to dads.
Their holiday is not as grand.

And then, folks.

And then, I came to my senses.


Of course a bigger deal is made for the moms. I mean, we're the ones that grew those punks.

Things that were true of my pregnancies:

- I spent the first 16 weeks with my head in the toilet
- Immediately after I peed on a stick, I was 10lbs heavier
- My feet swelled to proportions that I didn't know were possible
- I was hideous
- I did not glow
- I am 2 for 2 in moving houses during month 9 of my pregnancies
- One word: Hemorrhoids

But let me not just convey with words why mothers deserve a better "day" than fathers.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I give you exhibit A:

Erin, 25 years old, and barely pregnant. Ladies and gentlepeeps, I will never look like that again.


9 months later, here I am on the way to the hospital to deliver a squalling infant of unknown gender.
Erin, 26 years old, very pregnant.


Yes.
Yes I did just post that picture.
No need to adjust your computer screen. I assure you that this photo has not actually been stretched. Only one thing in that picture was stretched, and sadly it was me.

Um, did anyone out there know it was possible to gain that much weight in your face????
I for one did not.
But I learned from my mistake people.

No, I did not gain less weight with my second pregnancy. I just didn't allow any of it to be photographed.

I think maybe we need to see these photos side by side, don't you? For full effect.


















OH. MY. GOSH. BECKY. That right there deserves a lifetime of Mother's Day getaways, wouldn't you say?

Oh, and here I am 2 days later bringing Alex home from the hospital.



I am still wearing the same shirt, because, well, I still looked pregnant.
Also true, it took me 10 minutes to get up from that crouched position.
My netherregions were swollen, stitched, and entirely unpleasant.

And then after this picture was taken, the real work started.

I think we moms deserve our day, don't you?


Is it worth it?

Yes. Yes it is.




But I still want my day.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, the things we go through. You are still cute as a button, swollen face and all.
And you don't look swollen.
Hope you had a fantastic day!

Dressed-Up Dots said...

so, since it takes me 10 minutes to get up from a crouching position RIGHT NOW, how long will it take in 8 weeks?

One of Us said...

Happy Mother's Day.

You looked great in your pictures.

Mrs. J said...

awe. I should scan in the pic of me the day before I gave birth to Chase my 9lb 3oz baby! 38 weeks pregnant, can you imagine if he waited until 40 weeks???? THANK GOD he did not! But Erin, my pic will put your cute 9month belly to shame. I look at my belly and wonder how I just didn't fall forward it was so huge! I did know it was humanly possible to gain weight in ones face and now as I have finally after 7 years & 2 babies later lost a few(or a lot) of weight, I am rather sick of hearing...how sickly I look. I blame it on my face not being fat anymore. People aren't used to the skinny faced me:) Hope you had a wonderful mom's day and you are so right...we deserve it:) I am a tad bit jealous, the pampering doesn't happen in my household...mom's day is the busiest day of the year for CJ...so it is like any other day for me, but as long as my boys are with me, that's all the matters:)

Rachel said...

Okay, next blog post, will be my "day of birth" belly pic. I look like a complete dorkus malorkus. I seriously am realizing that ALL pregnant women look silly and like they are about to fall over. I certainly didn't feel like it was a "beautiful" experience. I felt like a beast. You look a lot more "normal" than you think you do!! Happy mother's day!!!

Jaime said...

I heart your brutally honesty and that you weren't embarrassed to say hemorrhoids.

Beth Lewis said...

I am 20 weeks preggo and I look now about like you did in your delivery day photo. I hope that makes you feel better, because it rather makes me feel like the size of a house. =)

The Passionate Housewife said...

I NEVER feel guilty for Mothers Day being a bigger deal for the EXACT same reasons!!

I cannot look at the pictures similiar to yours through the years...it is far too painful! lol.

What I cannot get over is that when I looked my best I still found things to complain about and yet I would LOVE to have that body back! We just never knew how bad it could get! lol!