A look back for my first Mother's Day

Today was "Mama's Day" since Boogie calls me "mama".  Interestingly, he calls me "baba" when he wants milk for hunger or comfort, which has led me to wonder if babies who are bottle-fed are really calling their bottle a "baba" because it's the same consonant sound, or because many babies learn to say that sound first...but that's besides the point.

Just over a year ago I became a mother and I was thrown into a world that I could not have prepared for in any real way.

We bought a super fancy infant seat (okay, its a graco so its only so fancy but it was the fanciest graco infant seat) and by the time Boogie was 6 months old he hated it as much as we did.  Not only that, but I learned rather quickly that Boogie didn't want to spend his time in his infant seat.  I had seen babies toted in infant seats everywhere for years and just sort of assumed it was what babies liked.  Nooo...not Boogie.  He wanted to be held always, and while at first this seemed like a bit of a burden, I now thank my lucky stars because all that closeness has made him happier, healthier, and more secure.  And I feel like a better mom for holding my baby close to me as much as possible.

I read books about breastfeeding because I was so incredibly terrified that Boogie and I wouldn't be able to make it work.  The first week was rough, full of tears and frustration.  My poor husband, bless him, was terribly confused when I cried profusely because Boogie wouldn't latch without a nipple shield.  Now, nearly a year later, Boogie is still nursing at least 5 times a day and recently he has started giggling and smiling and shrieking in delight when I ask him if he wants milk.  It is The. Most. Adorable. Thing. Ever.  I love that he now crawls to me, climbs on my lap, and tries to latch on through my shirt.  Okay, so that is sometimes not so adorable but I do love that he is so excited to drink my milk!

I think my favourite part about being a mom is when Boogie calls me Mama.  He started out calling me Baba and still calls me that when he is unhappy or wants milk.  I think it may be my breasts he is referring to and not really me as a whole, but soon enough he started calling me Mama.  Then he started calling his daddy Dada.  We've since taught him "Nana" and are working on "Papa" (for his grandpa).  But once he learned Dada, he chatters that syllable over and over all day whenever he is happily playing.  It seemed he only said Mama or Baba when he was upset.  But last weekend while my mother and I were in NJ for a bridal shower, Boogie stayed with her while I attended shower preparations with the rest of the bridal party.  Apparently, he said Mama over and over the whole time he was with her!  So it isn't that he likes Dada better - he just misses Dada during the day.  Which is fine with me!  I know that my husband wants to have a close relationship with Boogie, and I want that for them, too.  But it's nice to know that we're both equally loved.

I'm pretty sure that his relationship with me will be based on comfort and having basic needs met, while Dada will be the "fun" parent most of the time.  I just don't "get" GI Joe and dump trucks so Dada will be a lot more fun for that.  However, I look forward to nurturing his creativity and imagination whenever I can with art projects, lots of reading and writing together, and cooking together.





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