Happy Mother's Day ~ A Tribute to our Moms!

This year, I was explaining to Matthew, how Mother's Day takes on a whole new understanding for me.

Before I was a mother, I never knew the full capacity of my love.

Before I was a mother, I would never have guessed that getting up in the morning just to see her sleeping so content would be one of the most comforting of feelings.

Before I was a mother, I never knew how a teeny tiny toothless smile could melt my heart.

Or the uncontrollable urge you feel when you want to get your little one to stop crying...It is quite literally a physical feeling that just hurts your heart.

Before I was a mother, I never knew the fear of waking up and hearing silence.

Before I was a mother, I never knew the sacrafices that came with motherhood, but how much they are ALL worth it.

Before I was a mother, I never understood how calming it could be to hold your child in your arms, or to watch her sleep.

Or that the best part of my day is when I get to daycare in the afternoons to see her smiling face.

Or how much I would love sitting on the couch for some cuddle time. (If you know me well, you know I am not one to sit and do nothing for long!)

Just to pick her up, hold her and love on her is amazing.

Listening to her coo and talk every evening is so fun! She's just learning to control her voice, so at times it's more like shrieking, but it's still so cute!

Watching her play with her feet...she's gotten them to her mouth quite a few times and it's so funny!

Giving her a bath, she's learning that her feet are part of her, and she loves to splash her legs around and make a watery mess!

Watching her finish her last bottle of the night. She hardly ever eats the whole bottle and ends up smiling at Matt or I as milk pools all over her chin and cheeks!

Going on walks with her. It's a given that she'll fall asleep for an afternoon nap.

Putting her down for the night. I love how she fights her sleep, all the time. She seriously will scream and scream when it's time to sleep. But once she finally gets drowsy, it's lights out!

and then waking up the next morning to do it all over again...is totally a gift!

Only parents will understand how incredibly fun the routine is. (Not to say that Matt and I don't need a date night now and again...)

But there are many other reasons why Mother's Day has a new understanding this year.

I now understand how completely in love with me my mom is, and how completely in love with Matthew, Sue is. It's a feeling that can never be described.

I appreciate so much all of the late nights that I put my mom through (and there were lots, as I did not sleep through the night until I was 18 months old!)

Or the crying that Matthew put Sue through (being a colicky baby, she dealt with LOTS of that!)

I appreciate so much every little panic attack that my mom had, knowing that she was panicking for my well being. Like the time I choked on a leaf...

Or how Matthew is so dedicated to the things he loves, because Sue would never let him quit. :)

I now have a better appreciation for life as a wife and a mom, has a lot of responsibility, and that making everything workout takes a lot more effort than it used to.

And though this one little word does not even begin to explain my gratidtude, I am grateful. I never imagined that being a mom would be so much work. Or would be so stressful. Or would be so exhausting. BUT SO REWARDING. And we know that we have two of the best moms in the world to turn to when we need anything.

We Love You Moms!