I better write this down.

I read that when a child is born, a mother is also born. The quote says something to the effect of "the woman was always there, but the mother is new". No words could be truer for me at this moment. He has turned me into someone that I enjoy being much more than who I was before. (And no, I don't plan on starting every post with a quote.)

I know better than anyone else I am not a perfect mom. I don't wipe down his toys after they fall on the floor at restaurants. There's a lot of things I should do that I don't, but when it comes down to it no one else gets to love that boy like I do. No one else wakes him every morning and gets to see the first smile of his day. He doesn't put his itty-bitty hands in anyone else's hair and twirl the curls at the nape of their neck. That's all me. And I think that because I know how incredibly lucky that makes me, I am the perfect mom for Joel.  

Joel is my baby boy. I came to know of his existence on September 18, 2009 when I took a pregnancy test. I had seen him on black and white screens and heard his heartbeat several times in the nine months that followed, but nothing prepared me for seeing him in the flesh on May 19, 2010. All I could say through my tear-filled eyes was, "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God..." It was indescribable, just as the past almost seven months have been. I am realizing how fast his life is going to fly by in front of my eyes. He's closer to being a toddler now that a newborn. When did that happen? 

I have some friends who blog about their children and I am jumping on the bandwagon. I have been taking pictures of Joel every week, every cute moment, every new milestone since he was born. There is nothing I love more than to go back and look through those photos. So I figure I will probably love to go back and read about his little life just as much, if not more. 

I'm officially a blogger now. I am not a writer- ask anyone who knows me. My vocabulary is embarrassing and my spelling is a close runner up. I do not use correct grammar so if that bothers you don't read it. I probably won't even read back over my words before I hit the "Publish Post" button. I won't struggle to find just the right words to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about. I will not give out advice on how to be a good mom. I'm just going to write about my little boy's day- good or bad. I'll write about how I'm hanging in there with this new me that I've come to enjoy- good or bad. That's the plan, we'll see how it turns out.