When's my promotion?

This is my first post. My first blog. It's quite possible no one will read this, but I feel satisfied for simply writing something other than the schedule of when my son ate and slept today.

I'm a first time mom. I have a 21 month old son and can't wait until he's two so I can stop counting months and graduate to describing his age by years. I view that as yet another milestone for when Reece becomes even more of a "real" person.

While there are many, many, many topics to cover from pregnancy up until 21 months, at this given moment and on this given day, what I really want to know is when do I get a promotion in this job of Mommy?

Consider this. We become mothers and up until 18 months or so, we don't have any feedback on how we're doing. For the first year and half (at least), we can't even have a conversation with this little person we made. Suddenly a year goes by and you think, "Wow. We've never even spoken to each other."

Of course your child may cry if he/she is unhappy or frustrated, but there's no performance feedback. "Good job, Mommy!" "You're great at diaper changes." "You make a mean bottle, Mommy." We really just go on instinct (not just maternal, but instincts in general) and what we read in "What to Expect When You're Expecting." And not only do we lack feedback, until 16-18 months (in my case) kids can't even hug or kiss to show what they can't quite say. So we're left with a job that gives us endless joy and makes us feel superhuman for the depth of love and ability to somehow do it all, but there's no feedback. We have just self declared super hero status.

But more than feedback, what I want to know is when do I get a promotion? When do I get to shed the diaper changes (wouldn't it be nice if kids instinctively potty trained themselves?). When do I get to pee alone? Maybe take my pants off without asking my son to switch which leg he has a grip on so that I can get my leg out of the pants? When do I get to flush the toilet instead of my toddler insisting he be the one to say "bye bye pee-pee" to anyone and everyone's pee?

I'm not asking for a raise. Just perhaps a good ole fashioned promotion.  Or 90 seconds alone in the bathroom.