The Mommy Diaries: Kathy, mom extraordinaire part 1

me and mom showing our true colors – orange and blue baby!

My mom and I, we go way back – nearly 32 years now. One could argue it’s been longer than that because I hear pregnancy is nine months. As it would turn out, I may have taken a little long than most to cook also because, if memory serves, I was about a week late. By then, rumor has it, my mom decided she just wasn’t going to have me at all because I was taking my sweet time and it was taking too long and it was summer mind you. A Cesarean section birth was needed and probably a good thing because I had a 12-centimeter head. What can I say? I’d like to think it’s because I have a large brain but who knows.

We’ve definitely have had some interesting days, some more than others. As I grew up my mom and I developed a very strong bond. I remember the days when we used to plan our church schedule to whenever the Denver Broncos were playing. We’d either go to the early Mass or Saturday Mass because we never wanted to miss a game. Her love of sports has grown and is now an avid Denver Nuggets fan too, though I do remember going to some of those games as a kid also. My parents were awesome in trying to get us exposed to those kinds of things and I am truly grateful.

me and mom cheering on our fave basketball team; go nuggets!

Here’s what mom had to say about my younger years and today:

Jennifer was my second child – was told she was going to be a “boy” (and was she surprised when they brought her a girl after that C-section). She was my largest baby (7 lbs. 13 oz) but she was short (19 inches).  She was bald ’til almost 9 months old.  When her hair did come in it was very blonde and very curly.  At birth her eyes were a blue/gray color but later turned to a green/brown hazel color just like her Grandpa Archuleta’s eyes. My first daughter (Andrea) was very quiet and passive as an infant. Jennifer on the other hand was very vocal (cried a lot) and threw many tantrums which were very difficult to deal with. Ironically, as she became an adult we have had a very special relationship and continue to have a special relationship to this day.

I believe I have somewhat revealed this before, but if you haven’t read https://stormy1218.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/stormy-who/ then that may help clear some things up. I will say that I come by the “stormy” nickname honestly. My mom has one fine example of how that came to be. Here’s what she said:

A tough day with Jennifer at the age of 2 1/2 yrs old was a trip she and I made to the North Valley Mall (when it existed) as I felt she was lacking some one-to-one attention. I fed her breakfast and told her we  were going to the mall.  It was winter so I needed to put on her jacket – that was a battle in which I won; then getting her into the child/baby car seat – another battle I won. Once I started the car she was fine. Getting her out of the car seat and getting her to walk into the mall was another battle.  By the time I got her into the mall I was exhausted. I bought her an ice cream cone and that was a battle. Right then and there I decided it was time to go home. I put her back into the car and home we went whence I decided I needed to take a nap as I had been fighting a battle all morning long (whew).

She has a tendency to tell me that if I had been her first kid, I would have been her only kid. I can’t imagine why that is…hmm. Well, I turned out not to be the first or last kid. I have an older sister, Andrea, and younger brother, Patrick. Boy there were some adventures there too haha.

my brother, me and my sister for my bro’s high school graduation; such goobers

One memory that sticks out to me is my mom always telling my sister and I to quit nagging my poor brother. He was the youngest and of course the only boy so it was always “poor Patrick” at least that’s how my sister and I saw it. There was some truth to it too though, poor kid did have to endure a lot from us. I do remember a time when he did get some revenge. My brother and sister were bickering as usual but this time she managed to get him going so he started chasing after in the house and she went to run into my parents’ bedroom but instead ran into the door, breaking one of her toes. Oh how she laughed/cried. Before long we were all laughing and she had to get her toe taped. These are the things my mom dealt with when it came to raising the three of us.

Along with coping with us and our silliness, my mom learned plenty along the way. She also used what she learned and passed it on to us. I know this to be true because I can totally see my grandfather and his ways in my mom – this is a good thing. Here’s what mom had to say about passing on information:

What I learned from my parents is: its very important to support your children no matter what. My father always emphasized working hard to get just rewards. He also emphasized sharing whatever treasures we would get with our family and others who are in much more need. Mom always made sure we children ate all our meals – we never went to school without eating breakfast and made sure we were always clean and that our clothes were always clean.

On this Mother’s Day, I just want to say THANK YOU mom! You drive us nuts once in a while and we drive you nuts often but that’s love right? hehe. No but really, mom you’re the best! You’re always there for us and you always were sure to never let us go without. You’re such a kind, caring, thoughtful person and as I state previously, your very presence has had a positive impact on the world! 🙂

Advertisement