Tag -- I'M IT!

My friend Lauren tagged me on her blog as awesome . (Are you sure?) This is what she posted on her blog, for the whole world to see, that made me cry.

"I think first I’d like to tag Nickie. She’s only been a mom for 5 1/2 months, but you’d think she’s been doing it all of her life - she’s just that natural. She handles each challenge with ease and grace, but still takes time to marvel at all the tiny miracles of motherhood."

This really means a lot to me, especially coming from a Mom that I respect so much. I especially love that Lauren knows what she want for their kids and makes no apologies for it. We are crunchy granola Mama sisters at heart!

Now I have to figure out 7 things that makes me an "Awesome Mom", we might be here a while. I know I have an awesome baby, but I don't usually think of myself as awesome. I'm sure there is no one in the world who is harder on me than me. But lets try....

1. First and foremost I think I am awesome because I married an amazing man who I knew would be a great father. Jonathan is the most amazing father I have ever seen. His relationship with Isabella warms my heart, there is nothing more beautiful to me than seeing them together.

2. Even though I hate feet I somehow manage to touch, and even on occassion, kiss Isabella's feet because I know she loves it. I can assure you there is no one else on this Earth who would get this treatment from me.

3. I make choices for my daughter and I don't let anyone make me feel guilty about them. I will not be guilted into making choices that fit the "norm" or comply to what other people think I should be doing. I respect the opinions of some people, but that doesn't mean that its right for my family. That's right, Isabella has never been to a babysitter (except when I was in surgery), and you can say what you want about me being attached I don't care!

4. I take lots of pictures! LOTS! And I document everthing! When Isabella is an adult she will know everything about her childhood. Her life will be archived in words and pictures that I hope will mean so much to her.

5. I'm not afraid to be myself, not anymore. I cry at movies (and TV shows, and songs, and......), I laugh too loud, I love to hug people, and I'm very close to my family. I have learned that if someone if going to love you, it has to be the real you. Pretending will get you nowhere! I hope that what Isabella learns from me is that there is no shame being who you are, faults and all. When she is a teenager I hope she can be proud of who she is and not feel pressure to be like anyone else. Don't conform to be popular baby girl, its not worth losing yourself.

6. I love to craft and do projects, some of it even turns out really cute. I know that when Isabella is older we will have so much fun making things together. I'd much rather spend time with her than send her away to watch TV or find something else to do to occupy her time.

7. And finally...I am easily excited and I get giddy over the little things. This is proof that you never have to grow up AND that sometimes the smallest things mean the most. This is a small fact that has been lost on so many materialistic people in today's society! I know Isabella has to get older, and bigger, but I hope she always has a little room in her heart to be a kid with us, always.

Now I get to tag some awesome moms that I know. This will be SO much easier than trying to figure out why I am awesome. First, I would like to tag my friend Tracie. Tracie is an amazing mom of 3 kids to which she dedicates all her time. She homeschools her kids, which is a job I could never do myself, all the while volunteering for everything under the sun. Her kids are adorable, well mannered, and a true joy to be around. They are all so different and she manages to give each of them exactlly what they need. Next I'm tagging my friend Suzanne. Suzanne has two beautiful girls and they are her world. Suzanne would never read a parenting book or be caught dead uttering the words "Well research shows that.....". She goes on her feelings because her "Mommy Heart" never lets her down, she knows what her girls need. While I'm sure she secretly laughs at me for my hippy parenting style she would never say so! She has gone through so much and in the past few years and she has kept everything together for the thing that matters most, Shelby and Cheyanne. And finally I'm going to tag Rachel. Rachel has a little boy that is just a little younger than Isabella. It was so fun being pregnant together, and being new moms has been even more fun. Through all the ups and down since the birth of her baby the one thing that has stayed constant is her love for that little boy. I love watching her be silly with him, sometimes I think I laugh harder than he does. One thing that I really think makes Rachel an awesome mom is that she is never afraid to say "I dont know". She asks questions, even if they seem outrageous, because she wants whats best for Riley. (Yes Rachel, that is hair on his balls!)