I made and ate hot meals.

I had unstained clothing.

I had quiet conversations on the phone.

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.

I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

I had never been puked on,

Pooped on,

Spit on,

Chewed on,

Peed on,

Or pinched by tiny fingers.

I had complete control of:

My thoughts,

My body,

And my mind.

I slept all night.

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.

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.

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.

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

The joy,
The love,
The heartache,
The wonderment.

from the e-mail grapevine, original source unknown