I never imagined that I’d be a minority statistic – like ever. Hi there! Check out a wee little part of my life as a mom of nine children, a minority woman, AND married to another race. Let’s just say life is colorful! I’m Andi LaBrune, a Daily Mom photographer and writer, and of course…a mom. I’ll admit, I never did quite like the slogan, “she wears many hats” to describe a mom, simply because, I really don’t look good in hats. So, I’ll leave these virtual hat-labels hung up and do what I do best – be me…extended.
I grew up in a little suburb in Nebraska, just outside of the Big O – Omaha – with my mom, dad, and older obnoxious brother. I knew as a little girl that I wanted at least three children. I figured I totally hated how my brother never included me (or even seemed to like me), so I’ll make sure my children have one other sibling to turn to for friendship.
Fast forward some odd teen years later and I have nine.
“Were they planned?
Do you know what causes this?
How many are you going to have?
Are you done yet?
Why do you keep having children?
You have how many…you don’t even look like you’ve had one?!
How old are you?
Are they yours…like, from your body?
I must have the patience of a saint after all these babies because I hear questions like these on a weekly basis. I just smile, thinking to myself – I’m one lucky woman. Though secretly, I wish I could say something crazy-witty during those rambling inquiries, but it’s not my department. The hilarious aisle is dominated by my groom, Jeff – he’s THAT funny guy.
Continuing to smile, I simply say how blessed I am.
Some have been blunt in giving their opinion and even downright rude, but all the while, I’m curiously thinking as to how my uterus affects their life. I tend to ponder that one when I hear, “stop having children.”
It’s my birth canal – and I’ll give birth if I want to!
Here, I’ll answer some of the most common questions:
“Isn’t it expensive having all these kids?” Sure. It’s pretty much subjective don’t you think? One can argue “expensive” and yet, they can argue how to penny pinch and not spend more than a couple with only two children.
“How do you do it?” I think that’s getting a little personal don’t you think? I mean, we used to have Karma Sutra books so I’ll leave that right there.
“How do you have time to get anything done?” That’s the easiest question yet. I’m not a victim to the 24-hour day’s restraints. Rather, I look at time and bend it to my will and what I want to do – not what I don’t have time to do.
“Are you done yet?” When love runs out, then yes, I’m done. Or my uterus quits on me.
“Did you plan them?” Yup – number six. My hubby still remembers that eventful, yet loving week. Otherwise, eight times we blindly nailed it. Pun intended of course.
I love being a mom – I love the 9 very distinctly different personalities I get to interact with each and every day. Maybe I’ll take over the world with my uterus, maybe I’ll raise a clan of ninja warriors, or maybe I’ll just still be that little girl from Nebraska who wanted a family that loved each other and didn’t push anyone out because they weren’t “included” to hang out because of their age.
It just happened really and we didn’t do anything to stop it. Of course, hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t. We have become BETTER parents with the more children we have. It was pretty rough in the beginning. A lot of selfishness and unresolved personal issues. We’ve been there – it’s hard being a young couple and then parents right away. It wasn’t easy and I’m not claiming it was easy. Overcoming the hard times is what shaped us to become a better mom and dad. It’s weathering the storm together rather than staying in the shelter and evacuating at the first warning signs.
We heard the warnings, we paid attention to the signs of an upcoming tornado (once it got severe enough) and we got through them…together.
And when we did – having nine kids is the least of our problems. It’s usually “do you think we’ll have enough room to park?” and “how many hotel rooms do we need, can we squeeze into just two?”
I’ve got nine amazing kids, a loving groom, a business, and a love for writing with a few photos.
Overall, I’m just a small, black girl from Nebraska who loves children and making a difference in the world. Hey, I’m Andi, (aka Coach Andi) and I’m a Daily Mom. It’s nice to see you here.
Photo credits: AndiL.
