BEAR DOWN!

Matt found this gem of a t-shirt at D.I. for me (brand new with tags still on . . . what a find) when I was huge pregnant (see previous "XL Love" post). I thought the message was especially fitting for labor and delivery. And it was!

But, glory me ... pushing that baby out was the easy part! Figuring out breastfeeding when my milk took two weeks to come in, patiently loving a stuffy, congested, sick sad newborn, packing up my first grade classroom and career of almost a decade, dealing with a roller-coaster of after-birth hormones, actual dizziness and loony-bin behavior from sleep deprivation, and figuring out how to be a happy, sweet, loving family in spite of it all . . . now that requires some guts, grit, spunk, spirit, perseverance, and fortitude! Who knew such a tiny-tot could so effortlessly, successfully, and totally kick her momma's trash! This teeny-tiny 8 pound babe is totally rockin' my world. Now is the time to BEAR DOWN!

So even though I will soon be way too tiny to wear this tent-sized tee (optimism and wishful thinking, there), I am in no way ready to retire its motto. It just gets more applicable and meaningful everyday!