What have you done to me Motherhood?

If you had asked me years ago what being a parent would be like, I probably would have had some calculated answer about everything to come. The truth is, I never could have imagined what it would REALLY be like. This truth holds the same for watching my friends become parents. There is something breathtaking in the way each of my different friends parents their children. There is so much I admire in each one of them.

I love the way Joy has a million sweet nicknames for each babe.
I love the way Jean lets her son be a boy in every way.
I love the way Karen waited for that special gift after trying and trying, and now dotes on her.
I love the way Sarah lets her kids have so much spirit and lets them be kids.
I love the way Abby already adores her young son, though they've only just met.

I love the way all the other mothers in my life have taught me, cared for me, and comforted me through all of the challenges with my own children.

I love their children nearly as much as my own, even the ones I haven't meant due to distance. I love the ones that don't even exist yet. I am fiercely protective of each friend and their children. I never used to be a cryer, but something about motherhood has done that to me. Besides all the challenges, there is pure joy in looking at each picture of a baby. There is something beautiful in every little face. I am getting weepy just thinking about it all. Oh motherhood, what have you done to me.