First of all, let me say that this blog is long overdue. I have had my reasons/excuses for putting this off. "I don't have enough time" or "I'm not what you would call "computer savvy"( I've already tried to customize my blog page and was told the picture file was too big and of course I don't know how to make it smaller. So instead of a cute picture of newborn Zach, you'll see a stupid road).
Today it's raining, I'm caught up on the laundry, I went grocery shopping yesterday and Zach is (hopefully) in the midst of a long nap. It was the perfect storm. The stars aligned, and here it is, fourteen months after Zach was born, a blog to record my Adventures In Motherhood.
The name for this blog was inspired by the 1987 movie "Adventures in Babysitting", starring Elizabeth Shue. Before I got married at age 35 and became a mother at 37, I had done my fair share of babysitting. My first official babysitting job was when I was 12. Through junior high and high school I babysat to make some extra money. I loved being in the church nursery. I nannied for a summer before college. After college I helped take care of twins with special needs. I watched my niece and nephews on several occasions. I taught at a daycare for a year. I have always love kids, and while I was single, I used my time to invest in many other children that were not my own. As much as I enjoyed taking care of other people's children, I wanted to be a mother myself. As my 20's turned into my 30's, I began to wonder if that would ever happen. My own mother died when I was 11 and I longed to have that mother/ child, flesh and blood relationship again. Being a mother was just something I knew instinctively that I could be good at.
By God's grace, I married a wonderful man (so worth the wait!) and became a mother on March 4, 2011 when my son, Zachary Quentin Snyder was born. It was a Friday evening. I had been in the hospital since my water had broken on Wednesday. The doctors had tried several things to jumpstart my labor but Zach wasn't coming down straight and his head was stuck. In the end, I had to have a c-section. Now I finally had my own baby. One that was my joy, as well as my responsibility. From now on I was taking care of a child not for money, but for love. At the end of the day, I couldn't give this one back and have time off. The decisions I now make, aren't merely for child safety or entertainment's sake until the parents come home, but will make a lasting impact on the person Zach grows up to be.
I am almost 14 months into my new season of life known as motherhood. To put it simply, I love it. It's challenging, but rewarding. It's tiring, but exhilarating. It's convicting, but redeeming.
One last reason for my procrastination to do this blog is the small streak of perfectionism that courses through me. I want to write this witty, insightful piece that is clear and concise and contains correct grammar throughout. Reading what I have written so far, I know I have not achieved this. The long nap didn't happen. Zach picked today to find out what a raw serrano pepper tasted like. Now there is a messy house to clean up and dinner to get on the table. Editing will probably be thrown out the window most days. But if I don't post this, warts and all, it may be another 14 months before I get an opportunity to write the "perfect blog post". So instead of waiting for the time to write one flawless post, I'll grab whatever time I can to record hopefully several ok accounts of my "Adventures in Motherhood."