Happy Mother's Day....to Me!!!

I'm not sure if this will come off as a bit self-promoting or self-indulgent but I did want to take a moment to wish myself a Happy Mother's Day. This is by no means me saying that I'm the world's greatest mom (I've got some pretty big shoes to fill thanks to my awesome Mom!) or a perfect mom or that I always do everything right, but more just me taking a moment to celebrate just being a Mom.

The road to motherhood was not an easy one for me, to say the least, but in the end God answered all of my prayers and blessed me not only with the gift of motherhood but with the gift of being the Mom to the most amazing, perfect, wonderful little girl. Rachel Ann, there will never be enough words to express to you how much my heart overflows with love for you! I am so honored to be your Mom.

(Initially I had something else in mind to commemorate Mother's Day here, but then I received this email from my Mom and decided to go with this instead. Thanks Mom, I love you!)

Before I was Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there reading this, especially to my Mom and my mother-in-law!!
(And as my Dad always used to say, "You can't have a mother without a father", so I also have to give a special thank you to the amazing man that I am lucky enough to call my husband and best friend, without which I would not have my precious Rachel Bear. Thank you Matty, I love you!!)