Tuesday 28 February 2012

Mummy!

One of Noah's first words is Dada!
I had to wait for a while to hear him say Mumma but my heart strings were definitely pulled the first time I heard him say it. It truly was worth the wait.

I remember chatting with a good friend of mine ages ago. My friend is also called Jo and her daughter Leah is 5months younger than Noah. We were discussing whether we should be correcting the kids when they say Mumma when eventually we would be preferred to be called Mummy. I think our consensus was to stick with Mumma.

To my surprise, about 2 days ago, Noah started calling me Mummy.

Part of me feels delighted that he has picked up the word Mummy.

Part of me is unsure.

See, Noah calls me Mummy when he is in distress. He is quickly moving into his terrific 2's and part of this is that his emotions are running high. All of a sudden, shows that use to delight him now terrify him (thanks Grandpa in my Pocket!). He could be watching a show when all of a sudden, I would hear terrifying screams of Mummy, Mummy!

Last night, he had a hard time falling asleep. Between myself and Tim, it took us almost 2hrs of trying to settle him to sleep. Before finally realising how tired he was and falling asleep, he must have called Mummy from the top of his voice countless times.

Today when I picked him up from daycare, for some reason, something was upsetting him on the car journey home (all 2 minutes of it!). All I could hear was Mummy, Mummy!

Tonight, at home, after bath and dinner, he was definitely back to being more settled. Fingers and toes crossed we are back on track.

So back on track that Noah was back to calling me Mumma.

Ageing!

Okay, most of you would know that I turned 39 last week. Happy Birthday to me! I had a wonderful day (thank you to my boys, family, friends and facebook) albeit I had to do a 2hr Glucose Tolerance Test first thing in the morning. The good news is that I passed (no Gestational Diabetes for me so bring on the chocolate!) so it was worth doing the test on my birthday.

Now, I have never really been sensitive about my age. I have actually been quite proud to tell people my real age, thinking that it would surprise them as I do not believe that I look my number. Quite frankly, I think that I am stuck at being 28....although that has been going on for a while so it might be time for me to revise that number (maybe 32?) given that much has changed the last couple of years in my life.

Anyway, on the night of my birthday when Tim and I were just about to retire to bed, I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of fear. Fear of the big 40! Now, I have never really planted a lot of expectations in my life so the fear of turning 40 is not even about where I am with my life - ie., how much of my bucket list can I cross off (which is hard since I don't have a bucket list!). It is not a fear of more wrinkles appearing or the fear of no longer being able to fit into the stylish (and very pretty) dresses that I once had. It is also not the fear of coming up with a fabulous way of celebrating my next milestone birthday (a trip somewhere perhaps?).

My fear is more....drum roll please.. about my children having a 40 year old for a mother!

Now I was 15 years old when my own Mum turned 40. I was in high school! Mum would have neither  been the oldest mother nor the youngest - middle of the road.  When Noah turns 15, I would be well into my 50s (O.M.G.). When I turn 40 next year, Noah could possibly the (only?) little boy in his daycare with the 40 year old Mum (except for the ones who have older siblings). I guess this is the price I pay for having children later in life.

My consolation is that Noah is too young to realise that he has a oldie for a Mum. With a bit of luck, I will remain young and healthy physically and mentally so that I can continue to be the young-at-heart Mum for my children. I hope that my genes will continue to remain on my side so that people will continue to be surprised when they find out my age.

A few years ago,  I vowed to myself I would age gracefully. On my 39th birthday, not only do I  continue that vow but I also vow to be the Mum that my children will proud of, a living proof that age is just a number.

I might also try to add to that vow to be the hottest 40 year old mother of 2, I possibly can!
Wish me luck!!!