My child. My boy. You landed with a bang and I wondered what had hit me. You needed constant amounts of everything for what felt like an eternity and life, as I had known it, stopped. It felt like a horrible waking dream. I felt I couldn't cope as a mother and as early as your 8th week, discussed going back to work. But I stuck it out for a few weeks longer. And suddenly, you changed. You slept, you played, you laughed and you smiled. All in healthy quantities. Within a few more weeks, I was hooked and all thoughts of returning to work vanished. You became my joy, my shining light. I would do anything for you. As you have grown, I've been so proud of the boy you have become. But just occasionally, I remember this moment at a meet in Manchester, when I held you on my knee and you fell asleep, resting your head gently on my chest. You slept on me so peacefully, like never before. Even if you did give me pins and needles that day, it was and remains a special moment in my life. A chance to be still and hold you. A chance to just be, mother and child together. Every time I look at this picture, my heart sings as it reminds me that the key component in motherhood (or fatherhood) is love. That love might not be obvious at first but it is there and it can grow inside you until it takes your breath away.
And that, for me, is Love.
View the other entries on The Gallery at Tara's Sticky Fingers blog.
This post was linked to The Boy and Me's Show Off Show Case on 16th April 2011.
