Mother's Day 2021

Mother's Day 2021 was AMAZING.  Once again, we went to our favorite restaurant, the Hopkins Inn, to enjoy a yummy dinner overlooking Lake Waramaug.

After skipping our Mother's Day tradition in 2020, it was refreshing to come back to the same restaurant (2 years later) and feel like nothing had changed.  The menu was the same, the ambiance was the same, and the food was just as delicious as we had remembered.  (I had a Prime Rib Steak entre, and for dessert, I had a crepe filled with ice cream and covered in Toblerone Swiss Chocolate drizzle.  My mom had Wienerschnitzel, which come to find out, is an Austrian dish my mom's grandmother used to make her when she was little.  Dessert for her was her favorite--warm apple pie.)

After a fabulous dinner, we continued our tradition by taking some photos with the lake, the inn, and the vineyard in the background.  The day was a little chilly for eating outside, but it was perfect for pictures.  After we pulled out of the parking lot, however, the skies opened up, and it began to rain for a short while.

This last photo of Lewie and my mom is my FAVORITE.  They look so HAPPY, and to me, it's symbolic of all the blessings this year's Mother's Day has given me.  For one, I was able to spend a beautiful day with my mom.  (Earlier this year, my mom's stomach was bothering her, which meant she needed to be scheduled for a slew of tests.  Memories of my Aunty Kiki's Cancer diagnosis loomed in the background as I prayed almost nightly that my mom wouldn't get the same diagnosis just months after Aunty Kiki's death.  Thankfully, not only did all her tests come back negative, but one of her doctor's said she was in good health for her age.)

The next blessing was that my mom felt great on Mother's Day.  While her stomach still bothers her from time to time, it didn't on this day.  She was able to eat and enjoy a full meal while asking for dessert and coffee.  (The dinner was a "treat" from me, so I wanted to be sure she was enjoying herself.)

Finally, I felt blessed to spend the day with my son and hubby, too.  My son, of course, teaches me everyday what it means to be a mom, and I couldn't be more proud of this amazing kid with such a big heart.  For me, playing the role of "mom" for the last twelve years is what defines me, completes me, and gives me purpose.  It is the most important role I will ever play in my life, and it gives me great joy to watch my son grow up at every stage.  My mom once told me that she couldn't pick a favorite year of my life because watching me grow up every year brought joy and amazement.  When she first told me this, I wasn't sure if I believed her; today, now, I understand exactly what she means.

Mother's Day 2021 will go down in my "history book" as a day of unbelievable blessings.  After a tough, sad, and anxiety ridden 2020, I wasn't sure if 2021 could ever bring us back to the same level of comfort and joy we once had before the pandemic.  Would we ever be able to eat in a crowded restaurant and feel safe again?  Would we ever be able to enjoy a holiday after losing both my mother-in-law and aunt to Cancer last year?  The simple, but powerful answer, is "Yes."  There is life after 2020; however, the learning lesson from this past year is that we should never take our lives or the lives of our loved ones for granted, EVER.  I'm hanging on to every moment I can spend with this amazing trio.   

Puberty

 I wasn't sure if I was going to post about this topic; the concept has me blushing like a thirteen year-old girl all over again.  And yet, if this blog is supposed to be about motherhood, about raising a son, and about our family time over the past eleven or so years, I can't really skip over it.  It's a part of life, and this year, especially, it's becoming a major part of ours.

Last year, in 5th grade, Lewie's school was going to separate the boys from the girls and have "the talk."  I didn't exactly know what "the talk" was, so when COVID happened, I felt relieved.  "Phew," I caught myself saying, "that was a close one."  Truth be told, I've not been very open with Lewie when it comes to discussing biology.  For instance, we don't call body parts by their respective names--we have "cute" names like wash your "birdie" or your "twig and berries."  I certainly don't discuss my female anatomy either--ever.  

During Lewie's last week of fifth grade, I decided to reach out to his school counselor: "Um, Mrs. Hanover, do you remember the video the school was going to show the fifth graders back in April?  You know, um, the one about puberty.  Is there a link to it, so maybe Lewie can watch it over the summer?"

My heart pounded fast again as if I was asking the school counselor for a sex manual.   Why was I feeling like I was having an anxiety attack?

"The maturation video?" she asked me.

"Yes," I answered, realizing that the term maturation sounded way more scientific and less embarrassing.  She sent it to me, and that was that.

Fast forward to March of this year, and I still hadn't shown the video to Lewie. Bad mommy!  One day while he was downstairs in a Google Meet with his class, I discreetly went upstairs, closed the door and watched the video--finally.  After watching it, I felt both ashamed and relieved at the same time.  Ashamed because I had really made this video out to be "dirty" when it was really quite innocent.  I felt relieved because it truly was a well crafted video made for fifth graders.  The video link, created by P&G, can be found here.

When I realized how immature I was being, I finally chose a weekend for Lewie and I to watch the video together and talk about any biological changes he might be noticing right now.  I then thought it would be fun to watch my favorite movie Big with Tom Hanks as the whole premise of the movie is watching a twelve year-old boy turn into an adult over night.  (Lewie is twelve years-old right now.)

The "Puberty Weekend" ended up being a big hit.  We laughed about some of the changes he would be experiencing, and we confirmed that some of them, like zits, were already happening.  Certainly, his sweat glands were already pretty active as just a few months earlier, I explained to Lewie that he needed to start using powder for his feet and deodorant for his underarms.   He told me he thought his voice was already starting to get deeper to which I laughed.  "You're dreaming," I replied.  "Don't rush it!"

Lewie also loved my favorite movie, which warmed my heart.  "I would have chosen to be a kid again, too," he said during the final part of the movie.  Certainly "the kid" experience of Josh Baskin (the main character in the movie) is very different from Lewie's experience as a kid.  (I can't believe how much my childhood from the 80s is so different from his.)  Still, he related to the joy of being a kid, growing up with his family, and having a best friend.  In the end, Lewie, like the character, Josh Baskin, decides that he doesn't need to be in a rush to be "big" after all.  My husband and I both cried at the end when Josh Baskin returns home, and his mom can be heard crying tears of joy.  (If you haven't seen this movie from the 80's, it's awesome, even if I already gave away the ending!!)

Yes, at age 12, Lewie is getting taller, and there are some signs that his body is changing.  His sassy attitude, at times, also casts a hint of what I can expect during his teenage years.  I'm not sure I'm happy about this period of transition, but I must remind myself that Lewie can't stay small forever.  First I had to say goodbye to the baby, then the toddler, and now the little boy in grammar school.  I've been told that seventh grade (next year) is when Lewie will have the "big talk" in school.  I might have to volunteer Hubby to be the champion of that discussion.  For now, I'll still hold onto the innocence of childhood a little bit longer.  If only I could freeze time.