39 years
Posted by Sherry on March 19, 2008
Today I celebrate 39 years of motherhood.
It might sound sappy, but for the years preceding Ben’s birth I professed only one goal: to be a mom. As a child I pored through the Sears catalog, studying the baby pages and the doll pages. As an adolescent I longed to be deemed old enough to babysit the one-a-year children our across-the-street neighbors produced. Once that day finally came, I’d turn down other more adventurous offers with friends to look after the Sandberg brood. I didn’t even mind when the mom forgot to pay me.
In my dating years I looked for dad potential. Really!
Once I married my prince charming, I waited patiently (not very) for the time he thought we might be financially stable enough to add a kid to our family.
Those were the longest nine months of my 22-year life, though I reveled in every day of my uncomplicated pregnancy. The due date came and went, and I was beside myself with anticipation. We had two names chosen because 39 years ago we had no choice but to wait and wonder about our child’s gender.
Finally, we got to meet Bentley Alexander Carlson, all eight pounds seven ounces of him. Funny thing, I thought I had created him. I was so proud and thrilled I could hardly stand to stop looking at him.
A funny thing happened. My identity changed. I became “Ben’s mom.”
Here’s a picture of one and a half of us, taken by Ben’s equally proud and thrilled dad, on Day 3:
We must be soul mates. Your story is so much like my own. Even down to the 9 months it took to become pregnant after we got married. It was my biggest dream to be a mother. Many times I think the smart thing would have been to wait. But I look at my 11 and 7 year old today, and just know that God’s plan, or His redemption, is full of grace, beauty and love.