My First Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day was a sad one for Missy and me. We had both been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant and it was wearing us down. We went to church that day with Mom, and at one point in the ceremony they had the moms stand. They said a prayer for all the moms, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, for the love they bestow on their children, and for the guidance and support they are always ready to provide. Afterward they said a special prayer for all the women sitting there wishing they were mothers but were not. It was then that my sister and I began to cry. For as long as I can remember, being a mother was the one thing we both knew we wanted in our lives. As I sat there, I prayed that Missy and I would be blessed with children, because like our own mother, we have so much love to share. As God would have it, Missy and I were both pregnant before the end of the month. 

This Mother's Day, my very first, was one of the most special days of my life. Since I was a little girl, I wondered what it would feel like to actually be a mom. I wondered what my child would look like, how my life would change, what thoughts I would have as I looked at my child. On Mother's Day I marveled that the day is finally here when all my prayers and questions have been answered. My child looks like every joyful and beautiful feeling I've ever had in my soul. My life feels as though it's completely full and it has changed so that my goal each day is to elicit that beautiful smile from my daughter. My thoughts as I look at Mia make my heart swell and bring tears of happiness and love to my eyes. I cried repeatedly throughout the day as I looked at her, overwhelmed with the blessing of my little Mia. I spent most of the day holding her, looking at her, and silently thanking God over and over that I have her in my life. 

Of course my Mother's Day was completely orchestrated by another incredible blessing God has given me - my handsome, thoughtful, generous husband Mike. That little girl would not be possible without the love we have for each other. When I look at Mia I see Mike, and it amazes me that God blessed us with a tangible manifestation of our love. As I have said here before, we both marvel at how together we created such an incredible little being, and it has brought us closer in so many ways that we never would have known without her. 

Mike started the day by allowing me to sleep until 10:00 a.m. - a luxurious present itself! He presented me with a card and bouquet of tulips from Mia. Then he gave me a card with a photo of Mia on the front. It was one of those talking cards, and he recorded a sweet message to me on it. He also got me a really cool and very beautiful turquoise bracelet. He spent the day catering to my every wish, and I really felt like a queen for the day.

We went to brunch to celebrate the day with Mike's mom. Mia still wasn't feeling well, so we went home afterward and her temperature spiked to 100. We continued to monitor it, and I spent most of the day holding her while she slept. By late afternoon her fever broke and was back down to 98.7, but she still needed her rest. Mike got us chinese take-out and some movies (Lars and the Real Girl and Juno, both of which I highly recommend), and we just chilled the rest of the night. Well, until I had to get my clothes ready for work the next day, that is...