When I was pregnant, never having been a mother before, I had expectations of what it would be like when my little one arrived. These expectations were fed mostly by the media. Commercials depicting pretty babies cooing at their mothers, giggling toddlers toddling about, cuteness when baby covers themselves in pureed food - you know, the normal happy scenes we should all expect as parents. What I failed to notice were the fuzzy edges, the dead give-away that these social driven episodes were in no way rooted in reality. Don't get me wrong. I, now a mother of two, have had plenty of pretty moments. Every time I receive a hug or kiss from one of my girls, pride when Youngest Daughter tells anyone within hearing distance that she is mommy's little duckie, excitement from Oldest Daughter when I teach in her classroom, when either of the girls tell me they love me. All precious moments that continue to ma...
