12 Years ago today...

I became a mother. With hindsight, I couldn't have hoped for a better introduction to motherhood as SmallDragon#1 is, as I have mentioned, an angel. Of course, he is now approaching his teenage years and practising his rebellion but, at the very core, he is still an angel.

Needless to say, 12 years ago I didn't appreciate this. How could I? I'd had nothing to so with small children or babies beyond holding my niece and nephew and thrusting them back when they cried. Sadly, I had now become the person people thrust the baby back at. Mostly, of course, because he was mine.

If you look at any of the photos of me following his birth, I look like death warmed up rather shellshocked. Not least of which because it was a difficult labour due to the fact he was a Stargazer. Oh, and the fact that he weighed in at a whopping 10lb 1oz. One of the last things I remember following his birth was thrusting him at his father and saying "There's your son, call him what you like." before being wheeled off for some rather extensive repairs. Thankfully, he is called the name I chose. Smart man.

I arrived at hospital with an assortment of Essential Labour Items, a bithplan of dreams and a prize winning watermelon stuffed up my jumper. I left after two days with a waterbed for a stomach, a pillow to sit on and a little person in a carseat who depended on me. I remember crying and wanting to wail "What are you thinking of?! You can't let me take this person home - I have no idea what to do with him!" But I muddled through and he's survived this long relatively unscathed.

I look at my chubby little baby now and see shades of the man he will become. The white-blond hair is long gone, leaving just echoes in the bleached surfer hair he gets following 2 weeks in the Caribbean sun. He should be tall with a fabulous square jaw and eyes of molten chocolate with a hint of caramel. When he was small, people used to tell me how gorgeous he was and I foresaw hoards of weeping girls queueing up the front path, now I rather think there may be a few swooning in the background but he'll be too nice to make them cry. At least I hope I will have managed to raise him to be that considerate and caring. He's not doing badly so far.