In fact…I think my ’selfish’ genes are dancing around with all of my pre-pregnancy clothes…they have taken one last glance in my direction, mumbled ‘Sucker’ under their breath and are mambo-ing off into the sunset.

You could call this loss of selfishness: Motherlove.  And, I think it just sort of happened.  I might not acutally get to take credit for it entirely….

Fellow Mommys will understand what I am talking about.  When you have a baby….all thoughts of yourself take an automatic backseat.  Most of the time, this happens before you have even realized it. Suddenly you find yourself giving up the last bite of that yummy gooey butter cake you’ve been craving or whipping your own coat off in 40 degree temperatures to make sure your little one is warm enough.

Sound familiar yet?  Maybe these moments will:  There is one piece of over-cooked chicken in the whole batch…guess who eats it?  That’s right, Mommy.  There is a last minute need for cupcakes at your child’s school…who stays up til midnight making them?  You guessed it. Mommy.   Baby can’t sleep…who is camping out on the floor to keep him company?  Oh yes, Mommy.  Your toddler has the stomach flu….who feels it down her back…and doesn’t even run to the nearest shower, but instead keeps the comfort coming?  Yep, Mommy.

Your three year old wants a sip of your water and you know the crumbs from her food are going to end up floating on the surface.  You still share, don’t you?  You are exhausted, but your son really wants you to sing and dance to ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ just onemoretime, soooo…I know you put on your dancing shoes!  You haven’t taken a shower, or, forheavenssake, gone to the bathroom by yourself since 1977, but you still answer, “I’m in here!”….as soon as someone calls your name. A foul ball is aiming for your family and you throw your full body over your child to protect them without covering your own head.

It is like I heard Suze Orman once explain….when the flight attendants remind people to (in the event of a loss of cabin pressure…if the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling) cover their own faces first and then help those around them….they are talking to MOMMYs!!  Because you know our first instinct is to protect our kids.

When was the last time you ate your meal hot? When was the last time you watched what you wanted to see on tv?  Or listened to something other than Radio Disney in the car?  Sure, sure…it is a real party pleaser that we can recite “Dora, Dora, Dora the Exploooorer” at the drop of a hat, and we can tell you who sings “Hakuna Matata”, but since I’m not going to be on “Who’s Smarter than a Pre-Schooler?” any time soon…I can’t exactly classify this as top-notch info.

We give and we love and we give some more.  I, for one, have to admit to missing my selfish genes, just a little (well…maybe sometimes alot) but, I do know I wouldn’t trade my kids. (Scratch that….today, I would have, but most days, I wouldn’t let you have them)  And I do know we wouldn’t really trade any of these moments.  Sometimes you can find the joy in sharing that last bite of dessert…sometimes those late and sleepless nights mean extra hugs and cuddles you don’t normally get during the day.  Maybe I wasn’t supposed to have the big, juciy piece of chicken   Maybe my knowledge of pre-school songs will come in handy some day.

Today…I hope you realize how extraordinary your love, selflessness and sacrifice truly are.  Today, I hope you take a deep breath and say, “yes…I am extraordinary.”

(This is actually a post of mine from last Spring, but after spending a weekend in Chicago indulging my ‘selfish side’ with girlfriends (and my sweet, beautiful friend, Erin who is a bride-to-be, I am aware of how truly blessed I am to have the opportunity to give as I do to my family.)