International Women's Day - Emerson Edition

On this International Women’s Day it seems appropriate to finally post the blog that has taken me forever to write, the one about the favorite little woman in my life - Emerson. I set out to write about Emerson around her birthday but I just couldn’t put all of my love or all of Emerson’s energy into words. But since I just named a product after her (thanks to my amazing friend Janine for the suggestion) I figured it was time to finally write about her.

Emerson is the child who made us parents. The baby who while in utero kicked my rib out of place, the doctor put it back in, she kicked it out again, and the doctor told me to just leave it out until she made her appearance two weeks early. Little did I know my out of place rib would be the first sign of Emerson’s personality.

Emerson is fierce, determined, and full of energy. She’s our family comedian. She’s the older sister to a wild little brother. She is the best snuggler and always warm (I call her the mini oven). She has a spirit that I could only strive to emulate each day.

I feel so blessed to be Emerson’s mother and she is always teaching me something about life, love, and happiness. Here are just a few of Emerson’s best life lessons -

Give Your Full Energy - Emerson goes full speed from the minute she wakes up (she would prefer to sleep in if she doesn’t have to school) and doesn’t stop until she crashes (normally way past her bedtime, she’s a night owl). She has taught me that if you give your full energy to something you will get so much more in return. But I would really like if she understood the importance of bedtime…
Laughing Always Helps - The family comedian and silly friend knows the importance of laughter. Emerson can see the humor in many serious situations and senses when people need a laugh. She has always had comedic timing. At age 4 we were leaving preschool (along with her 1 year old brother) and I asked her to please hustle up a bit, she looks right at me and says “no, I cannot. You can either be fast or you can have children. You chose to born babies, so you live with your decisions.”
Try Anything Once - Emerson will try anything once, that’s probably why one of her favorite foods is sushi. She just gave it a try a few years ago. She’s never afraid to fail as long as she tries. I find it to be so inspiring and challenges me to give something a try. If I say that I might fail she will often remind me that I might not. Although every summer I tell her that I think I can still do a flip on the trampoline, and every time she laughs at my flip failure.
Love Your Body - Having Emerson changed everything about my body and was something I struggled with for a long time. However, having a daughter has also taught me to be kind to my body because it’s done and does amazing things (like have two kids and support me everyday). Emerson talks to me about body image often and is so kind to her body. In a world that is so harsh and judgmental about the bodies of people who identify as girls and women, I want her to know that she has helped me learn to love my body.
Determination Will Get You Far - Just like bedtime, this is one I wish she didn’t take out on me so often… It started with a rib kick and continues everyday, Emerson has determination running deep in her bones. She will not give up if she has set her mind to something. One day she decided to teach herself how to cartwheel, and so she just kept trying until her arms were weak and ready to give out but she learned how to cartwheel.

I hope one day Emerson will read this and know that while I was busy being her mother, she was busy teaching me how to truly live my best life.