Mama Judy

Perhaps it is because I'm about to become a mom myself any day now, but lately I have been thinking a lot about my own mom.

Most of you know her as Mama Judy.

She's the soft-spoken, witty, extremely sweet, constantly concerned, loving, blonde bombshell that I call one of my best friends.

If you know her, you can't help but love her.

I know that some people say that your mom should be your mom, not your best friend.  But my mom is both and always has been, which I think is the best of both worlds.

As you may have figured out from previous posts, my mom and dad had me later than the average parents.  They always said that I wasn't a surprise, but a miracle.  They also have always said that having a baby later in life is what kept them young.

And let me tell you something, they have been the best parents.

My mom is by far my biggest fan.  I have always been able to tell her anything.   We talk on the phone at least once a day.  Usually more.  Often, if I'm out running errands or cleaning the house, you can find me with my phone glued to my ear, gabbing away with her, chatting about anything and everything.  I can always confide in her when some so-and-so is being obnoxious and vent my little heart away without any judgement.

Being an amazing listener is definitely one of her best traits and I hope that I'm even half as good as she is when it comes to our little gal.  I want her to grow up feeling like she can tell me anything, the way that I felt with my mom.

Another defining Mama Judy trait is that she is constantly worrying about everyone around her.
She can't help it, it's in her nature.  In high school, this annoyed me more than anything.  But the older I get, the more I see it as a sign of love.
Every time she brings up what I might regard as a silly concern, I think back on one of my favorite parts from the play, The Curious Savage...

I look back on all of the things that she would worry about (i.e. me driving late at night, "be safe and call us") and I can see myself being the exact same about our little gal.  It was all just because of how much she loved me.

In the past few years, my mom developed an essential tremor, which means that her hands shake sometimes.  Medicine helps keep it under control, but whenever she gets really excited (like when we told her that we were pregnant), she can't help it.  She also has been dealing with a chronic sciatic nerve pain that has made walking not so fun sometimes.  Granted, she sometimes needs to take a little more time getting from point A to point B, but that doesn't mean anything.  She is still the sassiest broad I know.  Sure, she and my dad might technically be a bit older than the average parents of someone my age, but they definitely aren't "old."  Those two have more spunk than most people that you will meet and I have always admired that about them.

As I get ready to become a mom I often pray that I will do just as good of a job as she has done.
She is always honest, quick to forgive, and has never let me down.  She loves me unconditionally and is so supportive of the life that Ben and I lead.  Seriously, she's the best.

I couldn't ask for a better Grandma for our little gal and I can't wait until I get to see the two of them together.

Love ya, mom!

~ Kelly Jo

PS - Can you say babe?