June 1985

I was thinking back to when we had our first baby. We were young, lived away from our families, and we had no money!! Good times! We lived on Macaroni and Cheese, Hamburger Helper and Chow Mein! I still don't eat Chow Mein today! We had used furniture (the rips of our green vinyl recliner was held together with gray duct tape), my Ford Escort and a very old $800 red truck that my husband drove. We were military and lived paycheck to paycheck. But even with all that, I soooo wanted a baby! That's all....just a baby! All I ever wanted to be was a mommy.

I absolutely loved being pregnant. Loved every bit of it. My husband said that I was so perky and happy when I was pregnant that it was disgusting!! With our first daughter, I was barely sick and usually only at night. I really only craved pizza and Macaroni and Cheese. I carried her high and felt like I had a table top at my disposal where ever I was standing!

Melissa was born after twelve hours of labor. Not too bad for a first baby. She was just perfect. She had dark hair that would later all fall out. She was a good sleeper and eater. I did have my moments of panic...of wondering what to do, if I was doing things right. I guess most mothers go through those feelings. But for the most part, motherhood came easy for me.

We watched that little baby girl grow up into a beautiful woman, who now has a baby girl of her own. It is quite the experience watching your child have a child. Words cannot describe how it felt and still feels today. Watching her with her daughter is a joy for me. It brings back so many memories and emotions. It makes me miss that stage of my life. But I wouldn't want to go back, wouldn't want to miss what I get to experience now.

So to my daughter: There are many joys of motherhood and many frustrations. And as you look at that sweet baby sleeping or playing or throwing a major tantrum in a grocery store (which she WILL do), my wish for you is to always find that joy.