before i was a mom,
i made and ate hot meals,
i had unstained clothing,

i had quite conversations on the phone.
before i was a mom,
i slept as late as i wanted and never worried about
how late i got into bed,
i brushed my hair and my teeth every day.
before i was a mom,
i cleaned my house each day,
i never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.
before i was a mom,
i didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,
i never thought about immunizations
before i was a mom,
i had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on,
chewed on, peed on, or pinched by tiny fingers.
before i was a mom,
i had complete control of
my thoughts,
my body,
and my mind.
before i was a mom,
i never held down a screaming child
so that doctors could do tests or give shots.
i never looked into teary eyes and cried.
i never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
i never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
before i was a mom,
i never held a sleeping baby just because
i didn't want to put it down.
i never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when i couldn't stop the hurt.
i never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
i never knew that i could love someone so much.
i never knew i would love being a mom.
before i was a mom,
i didn't know the feeling of having
my heart outside my body.
i didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
i didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important.
before i was a mom,
i had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
i had never known
the warmth
the joy
the love
the heartache
the wonderfulness
or the satisfaction
of being a mom.
i didn't know i was capable of feeling so much-
before i was a MOM.