When asked at Sunday Scribblings to write on the word “intense,” I knew exactly where I would go… to Riley.
FOR AS MUCH
For as much as her first movement within me
(like a flickering tub toy gone off in my stomach)
made me realize I was actually pregnant;
For as often as I ran to the bathroom
to relieve the heaves of morning sickness;
For as few times as her father bothered
to help me ride the subway to La Maze classes;
For as big as I got, flouting my expanding tummy
and allowing total strangers to lay hands on me,
connecting with her movements;
For as hard as it was getting stuck in a backwoods outhouse
only to be rescued by two Boy Scouts,
who undoubtedly had the best story around that night’s campfire;
For as bad as the lemon-lime Gatorade looked,
both going in and splashing out into the waiting bucket
until I agreed to the shot of Valium…
For all these things,
nothing could compare me for the intensity
of my love for my newborn child.
Even today, taller than I, she appears in my mind’s eye
a bundle of brown-eyed sweetness
wrapped in a blanket of promise and wonder.
© 2010 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
Mary Bach
That is really lovely, it resonates with me! One thing though, in the last stanza did you mean to say ‘prepare’ instead of ‘compare’?
Sharp Little Pencil
Right you are, Mary! Will edit that, and thanks. Most folks don’t point out mistakes or grammatical errors – I crave them, as that’s the stuff that can mess you up when you submit. Thanks for being my second pair of eyes! Amy
ana
Aw, this was wonderful. Brought a tear to my eye. I laughed out loud about the outhouse. Great stuff!
Sharp Little Pencil
And that outhouse story is true! My ex was a Morris dancer and left me on the pot to go participate in a round. Hence the divorce, LOL
Old Egg
Or you could say, “… nothing could compare to the intensity…”
Compare is more poetic in my mind to prepare. Either way this is a wonderful recollection of childbearing experience which hopefully you will share with your daughter.
Sharp Little Pencil
You’re right – that was an oversight on my part, and another reader also caught it. I’ve since changed the original draft, but have neglected to edit the blog post, so thx for the reminder! And I did send this to Riley! Thanks for thinking of her… you’re a good “old egg”! Amy