Why I'm a mom

Today Jim brought Katie to my school because he needed to drop something off that I had left at home. Escorted by our head secretary, they came down the hall to my room and Katie, with her usual ecstatic "Mommy!" First her voice is questioning, hopeful, "Mommy?!" Then, after sighting me in a room, her voice turns to a higher pitched surprised and gleeful "MOMMY!" Finally, running towards my open arms, assured of my presence and welcome, her voice calls out in a deeper delight with an infectious grin on her face, "mommy!" I have recognized this as one of the special delights of being Katie's mother and I have savored it, knowing this phase will last for but a blink of time. The secretary pointed it out to me particularly today, however and reminded me, again, to savor this time. It moved me to write it down, a record of this special time and how it makes me feel. It is everything I ever wanted in becoming a mother, made even more special by the struggles I had at the beginning of Katie's life feeling bonded to her. While our bond was not instantaneous as is often expounded about in books and magazines, it has grown and developed into one as strong as any. She is the daughter of my body and, most importantly, my heart.