Sweet Forward and My Ramblings

My cousin (who just had her first baby in August) forwarded me this, and it brought tears to my eyes:

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 everyday.

Before I was a Mom...
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
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.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

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 how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
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 and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to makesure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Sweet, huh? I have some of those feelings now...I just can't imagine how I'll feel when we finally meet our little son!

I LOVE Christmas! I love the whole time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, actually! I love everything about it, visiting family, listening to Christmas songs, snow and cold weather, bundling up to go outside, drinking hot chocolate, using our fireplace, baking sweets, enjoying the Christmas lights on people's houses, wearing sweaters...I could go on! But I also love that Hannukah is celebrated around this time, and that winter finally begins! So, it really irks me when people try so hard to be politically correct about the holidays that we lose sight of why we celebrate in the first place! Has anyone heard about how some people are offended by the term "Christmas Tree" and instead use the term "Holiday Tree"?? Is that ridiculous or what? Are these people TRULY offended? What is going on with our country (founded, by the way, by Christians!)? What if I'm offended by people calling my Christmas tree a "Holiday Tree"? Hmmm?? Grrr...