Laowai

You don’t really know what it means to be a mother until you try it. Being a mother means that your needs come last. It means that every day you are exhausted from simply hefting your little one, from reasoning with her, from answer questions such as, “Wa’are doing?” up to sixty-two times in a single day. It means that you worry about where she is at every moment of the day, if she’s warm enough, is the extra blanket enough, when will she outgrow her shoes? You cede your privacy when you go to the potty and you never know when a little face may peak into the shower. You’re always thinking about nap times and snack times and how to trick the beast into eating vegetables. When you go on vacation or out for an evening without her, your mind never really leaves.

But you’re also the one she asks for when she’s sad, when she’s happy, when she’s walking down the side of the road or in the coffee shop with Daddy. You’re the one she runs to, can’t wait to see and the only one who can comfort her when she wakes up hard. She gives you kisses, insists on seeing you before bed and you are the clearly preferred minister of bedtime stories. She gives you hundreds of smiles per day and repeats your words and takes on your mannerisms. She can’t imagine a moment of her life without you.

 

Kathy, thank you for giving everything you have to Bea. Thank you for giving her your cheeks and your smile and your big round eyes and bright smile. Thank you for giving her such a wonderful life. We love you.

 

Brian and Bea