{Delia} Project Empowering Motherhood

Today we hear from Delia, the sweet mommy behind The Love Life and The Love Life Cooks. I relate to Delia on so many levels but the most obvious is that she started her blog The Love Life as a place to develop her kitchen skills (I started mine as a restaurant review blog) and along the way it was hijacked by her super cute son Cooper (just like Cati has hijacked this blog). And just like me, Delia posts weekly and monthly updates on Cooper's growth and development. Seriously, her blog is like the boy version of mine! Or actually, my blog is the girl version of hers because she's been updating us on Cooper from the beginning (Cooper at 38 weeks and Cooper coming home).

Here are Delia's answers:

1. One ugly truth about motherhood. I’ll never be smart again! Ok, I'm not saying I was always a genius, but I did pretty well. And then I got pregnant and all the stories you hear about “pregnancy brain” became true. I would ask some of the most insane questions at work. I’d make phone calls and not know who I called when they picked up the phone. But it didn’t end! Now I have “mom brain.” And it’s ugly. I frequently apologize to clients at work and say that I have a baby at home (how long can I use that excuse?) Most laugh and say “just wait until you have the second one.” Some of them give me the uncomfortable “uh-huh” and silence. I really want to laugh back at them and say “you just wait! One of these days you’ll be stupid too!” I manage, though. My morning checklist used to be coffee, phone, purse. Now it’s coffee, bottles & baby. If I make it out of the door with all of the other things I need, it’s a bonus.

2. What does motherhood mean to you? Love. Yes, it’s cliché, but that’s what it is. Really though, it’s changed the way I see love. I have always loved my family. They’ve been there for me. But when I see the way Cooper laughs at my sister and I think about the way my mom helped out so much in the beginning, I love them in a completely different way. Obviously I love my husband. I just didn’t know how that love would change until I saw him hold Cooper. That little boy has my husband wrapped around his finger. And as for me, like most moms say - I’d do just about anything for that kid.

3. How has motherhood empowered you? To be a better person. I have the ability to put someone before myself 100%. I also have the opportunity to teach this child and mold him. I don’t want him to be exactly like me or my husband. I want him to have our good qualities, but I also want him to have his own personality. I want him to succeed and fail so that he can learn from his mistakes – because those are the best lessons in life. I have the rest of my life to help him, guide him and point him in the right direction…and then step back and watch him do things his own way. All of that has made me a different person. A better person.

Thank you Delia for sharing your journey into motherhood with us. Thank you for sharing your birth story,  your benchmarked-ness, and for being so open about your breastfeeding experience (here and here). 

Project Empowering Motherhood is an ongoing series in celebration and honor of Cati's 6 months. For my responses to the questions and more about the series, go HERE. To read Jenn, Melisa, Esther, Andrea, Jenny, Jen, Mollie, Jamie, Charlotte, Erika, Shari, Julie, Lenore, Caroline, Alex and Prudy's answers, go HERE. If you are interested in participating and being featured on the blog send your answers to the three questions to steppystar@aol.com.