My 1st Mother's Day

Today was my very 1st Mother's Day & it is one day I will never forget!

Hard to believe that a year ago I was writing this post & even harder to believe that a few days later I would be staring in disbelief at the first little sign telling us we were soon to be a family of three.

I used to think about what it would be like to celebrate Mother’s Day as an actual mother. I had this storybook image in my head as to how it would all play out. My husband would take me out for breakfast. He would buy a sweet little gift & write in a card telling me it was from him & my precious baby. We would all spend the day together as a family, maybe all go for a walk, get some ice cream & just enjoy the day together.

This image has played in my head year after year & finally - this image became a reality.

I awoke to find coffee made & this sweet card - signed by my husband & Mason :)  It is hard to see, but it says "We love you - Shane & Mason"

Then we all got ourselves ready & made our way out the door to enjoy a wonderful breakfast buffet at a local restaurant! Mason is proud to be wearing his "Happy 1st Mother's Day" onesie!

After breakfast we went to Walmart, bought all our groceries for the week & then Shane treated me to ice cream at Dairy Queen. The chocolate-covered pretzel blizzard is the "blizzard of the month" right now & I have been getting one of these weekly. I may or may not have even possibly had 2 or 3 in one week - yes, they are that good! Don't judge - I need to consume an extra 500 calories remember??  LOL Plus did you know that you can now get your blizzard in a dipped waffle cone - double score :) It will be a sad day when they do away with this flavor!

Once we got home, we all spent the afternoon outside cleaning the flower beds out, trimming bushes & getting the yard ready to plant the spring flowers. Mason loved being outside in his jumperoo & was nice enough to give Mama a couple of "fussy-free" hours so I could get everything done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a nap with my little guy along with lots of extra snuggles & cuddles! It ended just as perfect as it started!

Those of you who know me know that I have waited to be a mother for a very long time. There are days that I stare at his sweet little face & can't believe that he is really ours - even after 4 months it just doesn't seem real. That is of course until he starts crying at 2am & I quickly realize that he is indeed real :)

On this wonderful day that honors mother's, I made sure to get in lots of extra snuggles with Mason. We played together for an extra long time. I stared at his sweet, precious face a little longer than usual. I smelled his perfect little round head more than I usually do (which who knew was even possible)?! I smooched those fat little cheeks too many times to count. I talked to him even more then I usually do during the day & told him how much I had prayed for him & how very much I loved him several times throughout the day.

I made it a point to really soak in the knowledge that I have a son now - something I have wanted for so very long. I can't even begin to explain to you all how happy this little guy has made me. I am so truly blessed that after all my struggles in trying to conceive I ended up with this perfect little boy. He is absolutely amazing. I wish for anyone who is still struggling with infertility that they will someday have this dream of motherhood come true. That they will get to know this kind of happiness, & will get to share stories with the rest of the mothers out there that know this amazing joy.

Becoming a mother has been one of the greatest, yet scariest things I have ever done & is also the most wonderful & rewarding things that has ever happened to me. With everything we’ve gone through these past 6 years (infertility, IVF's, miscarriages) we now finally get this opportunity to be parents, raise this beautiful child & having someone to call me "mom" means more to me than I could have ever imagined.

The greatest gift I could receive this Mother’s Day isn’t breakfast out with my boys or some sort of present. It’s the fact that everyday I get to go into my son’s room & see him smiling up at me after he has woken up. It’s the fact that he knows my touch & scent better than anyone else’s, & that when he gets really upset, I am the only person that can comfort him in an instant. It's the way he tries to nestle into my neck after his nightly feeding, or the way when he is sleepting throws his jazz hands up in the air when startled, or how he kicks his feet & flails his arms when he gets excited & the best gift of all - that amazing way he smiles back at me.

A dear friend of mine - who is also a mother -  shared some wonderful words of wisdom with me shortly after Mason was born. She said, “It’s not about you anymore & it never will be. You’re a mom now & for the rest of your life it will be about your children.” She is so right. Mother’s Day isn’t about me. It’s about this little being that finally completed me & makes me who I am today...a mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my family - especially my own mother, to all my girlfriend's who are mom's & mom's-to-be, to all the other honorary mom's out there & we can't forget all the "pet" mom's :) May you all enjoy this beautiful day with those that matter most to you!