In honor of Mother’s Day…

“I believe that infants and babies whose mothers give them Loving comfort whenever and however they can are truly the fortunate ones. I think they’re more likely to find life’s times of trouble manageable, and I think they may also turn out to be the adults most able to pass loving concern along to the generations that follow after them.” – Mister Rogers

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” -Abraham Lincoln

Recommend virtue to your children; it alone, not money, can make them happy. I speak from experience; this was what upheld me in time of misery.” -Ludwig van Beethoven

“Most people’s mothers are the most influential person in their life. But my mother survived the [concentration] camps, and she was very strong. She made me strong, but she wanted me to be strong. That’s more important.” -Diane von Furstenberg

“When Valentina was not even 1 month old, my aunt [gave me the best advice]: ‘Put her to sleep yourself every night. Sing to her and cradle her in your arms and sit by her side — every night. Because one day you won’t be able to, and it’s going to happen really fast.” -Salma Hayek

“Before you have kids, when you’re on a plane and there’s a screaming kid, all you can think is, Give me earplugs! As soon as I became a mom, though, I got it. You find yourself asking, ‘What can I do? You want me to hold him?’ Because you think about the time your kids was screaming, and there was the one parent who looked at you and smiled. And that compassion was everything.” -Mariska Hargitay

When I became a mother 3 years and 8 months ago, I also took on many other roles. Yes, we’ve all seen the list of a mom defined: manager, meal planner, chef, chauffeur, accountant, personal stylist, referee, nurse, the list goes on.

But who knew I would excel in these other, more obscure arenas?

To be added to my resume under special skills, pronto:

Contortionist : When I’m holding my baby on my hip and leaning sideways into the washing machine to transfer the load to the drier while keeping him steady, I consider auditioning for cirque du soliel.

Whimsical Storyteller: My husband tells my son redeeming angry bird stories to put him to bed every night. However when hes out-of-town, it’s up to me. It feel like my brain is stretching and reshaping as I try to keep my 3 year old as absorbed by the story as his daddy does. But something tells me his angry birds don’t live in Paris and start out their days eating pain chocolat while strolling along the Seine with Sophie the giraffe.

Superhero’s Architect: Batman’s cave should look nothing like my Barbie doll’s house of yore- so I’m building new wings.

Tai chi Master: The incredible sloooooooooooow mooooooootion precision with which I lay down a sleeping baby, slide my arm out from under him or place his arms under the car seat straps and lock him in without waking him are worthy of Grandmaster status.

Night Vision Specialist: having a 3 year old in the family bed means there is no turning on lights when changing middle-of the-night diapers.

Ambidextrous-single handed-multitasker: the list of things I can do with one hand continues to grow, and it’s usually my left hand.  Cracking an egg left handed whilst holding my nursing newborn with the other comes to mind.

Detective: Any and every kind. From figuring out an illness to decoding tantrum triggers to hunting for bugs in the dirt, Sherlock, you have met your match.

Polyphasic Sleeper: How have I found time to ace all of my new titles? The same way Leonardo da Vinci managed to excel as an artist, architect, sculptor, inventor, etc. By only sleeping for 15 minutes at a time for a total of one and a half hours a day! Seriously- Who needs sleep?

Mothers are all superheros, and I’m usually wearing my cape! It might look like it’s on backwards with a breastfeeding child’s legs dangling out from under it, but that’s my way of flying incognito.