The Listen To Your Mother Show Is This Weekend, And I’m Emotional

The other day, we were in church and I saw a beautiful pregnant lady in a fitted yellow dress that accentuated her bump, and all of a sudden, I missed being pregnant. Then while at home, I was looking through my maternity shoot, and I was grinning the entire time. I found myself to be beautiful. Not just on the outside, but on the inside because of what was happening. I was growing a whole human inside of me. Then I became a little sad because I felt like maybe I didn’t totally “rock” my pregnancy. Like why was I reluctant to do the maternity shoot? Should I have taken more pictures of my bump? Should I have experimented more with pregnancy fashion/style? Did I let the pregnancy pass me by without celebrating it enough?

This is something that happens to me a lot. Igwe says I’m a late comer when it comes to celebration. By the time I catch up with everyone’s excitement, I’ll be alone in my celebration. I told you about being cast in the Baltimore show of Listen To Your Mother, and if I was not in this show, I would have been on the outside looking in, wishing I was one of these women. Now that I’m one of them, I cannot seem to believe that I am one of them.

As I mentioned in my March Journal, these ladies are exceptional, and their stories are even more exceptional. In the picture above, we were at our second rehearsal and I was reading my piece for them. It felt great to be standing there, reading to these beautiful women. But perhaps, when I wake up on D-Day, it would finally hit me: I’m in the freaking Listen To Your Mother show!! And maybe when the show is over, I would stand alone in the bathroom mirror and declare loudly and proudly: I diiiiiiiiiid that!

I have been blessed to get to know these women on a level that not everyone gets to know them on. It has never been truer for me that everyone has a story. Looking at them from the outside, I would never have guessed what they had to say, but listening to them had me on an emotional roller coaster: weeping, laughing, and in between, all at the same time. I even got home and cried because I imagined Ada Verastic – who is two days shy of being 6 months – going to school. And by school, I am not talking about college, I’m talking of kindergarten. I already know I will be a hot mess on that day. Don’t get me started on what I would do when she gets married *faints*

I’m so grateful to Ann Imig, the founder of Listen To Your Mother for being bold enough to start this powerful movement which has given motherhood (and all of us) a microphone to tell our stories. And I am grateful to the judges of Listen To Your Mother Baltimore for choosing me to be among these fine women. I’m glad that the juju I used on them worked in my favor.

And to my cast mates, I cannot wait to share the stage with you on Saturday!

P.S. I still have not completely figured out what I’m wearing. If anyone has any money and time they’re not using, please use them both to buy me something to wear.

P.P.S. I might wear something with a big, fat cat on it (inside joke).

P.P.P.S. These beautiful images were captured by our wonderful photographer, Jen Snyder