When you’re one of the first among your friends to have kids, sometimes it’s hard for your friends to adjust to you as a mother too. If you have good friends, they love you regardless of your job title even if it means missing out on really important events because your kids come first.
In 2008 I was in a friend’s wedding party. Leading up to the big day was another very important event – the bridal shower and stagette party. It was being held 3.5 hours away from where I lived but I promised to be there. My husband took the weekend off work to stay home with the kids. In the days leading up to the girls weekend I so desperately needed, my daughter started getting sick. She was just 9 months old and broke out in blisters on her hands and feet. Yep, Hand Foot & Mouth disease (it isn’t as gross as it sounds).
She had a fever, blisters, bad diaper rash and was generally an unhappy little girl. And so, I shamefully texted the bride-to-be to tell her I couldn’t make it to the shower and party. I felt so horrible I cowardly texted her instead of calling. I know she was upset, but I also know that she understood that I was a mom and had my priorities. She is due with her first baby this summer so I’m sure she’ll soon understand even more so the sacrifices we make as mommies. Because she’s a true friend, me not being there for important day #1 made no difference, and important day #2 was an amazing day and I’m honored to have been a part of it. I can’t wait for important day #3 in August (I am her unofficial-completely-untrained-mommy-doula…in other words I’m there to scream with her if need be!)
Of course, enduring the sick times makes us appreciate the healthy times so much more. To celebrate those times when our children are bright eyed and beautiful and we’re lucky enough to capture it without them making a face, Similasan (a homeopathic company with a huge range of products) and Shutterfly have teamed up for a great contest. Submit a photo of your child that takes your breath away (you can submit as many photos as you like, too!) That’s it, you’ll be then entered to win a $500 Gift Card!
Similasan and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about the things I’ve missed because of kid-illnesses (and of course mention this contest!)
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