My First Mother's Day

Today I was part of a holiday in a way I have never been a part of it before. Instead of just wishing other mothers a happy day, I was this time wished it by others! I will only have one first Mother's Day, and it has been a special day! I found myself just staring at Audrey several times throughout the day, so thankful for her! I am just amazed by her and so unbelievably thankful for the blessing that she is in my life. Though my first Mother's Day wasn't filled with any huge events, it was a nice day that I got to spend with family. It started out early because we had to be at church before 8 AM (today I sang with my former worship team leader, Jimmy, at the church he is currently attending because he needed a singer to fill in). We spent the morning at church and eventually headed home. Audrey napped on me, and before we knew it, it was time to load up and head back out for dinner with Jerry's parents. We had a delicious meal at Copper River (most of which Audrey slept through) and then came back home and took a few snapshots to remember my first Mother's Day.

Kisses from Mommy!

My sweet, sweet girl

Smiling Audrey!

May 8, 2011 - My First Mother's Day

This is my only FIRST Mother's Day I will have, so I have stopped and thought about what being a mother has "felt" like so far. Becoming a mother has definitely changed my life. The most noticeable ways are just the changes in my everyday tasks. Most noticeable, I'm not at work right now and won't be back at school until August (so thankful for the ability to do that and at the same time already dreading August!), so each day is now spent at home or running errands here and there with Audrey rather than teaching 50-something 5th graders. Other changes include my sleep habits (which, by the way, is SO much better than I was expecting; we have been amazingly blessed by a child who has slept through the night since we brought her home! Last night she was asleep before 10:30 PM, and I had to wake her up at 6:45 AM to get ready to leave for church). I have stayed up later than I was used to, and I sleep a lot more lightly now, as if always "on the ready," listening for a grunt or fuss. Another daily change is how long it takes to do things! Whether it be cooking dinner, eating a quick lunch, cleaning the house, doing laundry, or God-forbid getting ready to GO somewhere (which involves making sure we have everything we need to leave!), I end up stopping multiple times to tend to Audrey. An everyday simple task takes much longer now, but it's totally worth it of course! A lot of people have posed questions such as, "Isn't motherhood the greatest?" or "How do you like being a mom?" Of course I love being a mom, but I will also say that I think it's still "sinking in." I am not sure what being a mom is supposed to "feel" like, and I'm not sure that there's a wrong or right way to feel when it comes to it. In all honesty, I have had a fair amount of practice, so to speak. I mean, I am a teacher, which means I am also a "mom" to all these kids who desperately need to feel loved, accepted, and cared for. I also have babysat children since I was twelve and bonded very deeply with a few of the kids I babysat. I feel like there are certain little ones in particular that I grew very protective of and truly did (and still do!) love, and while I know it's not the same as being a mom, it is still love for a child.

So, as my first Mother's Day ends with Audrey sleeping across my chest at this very moment, I thank God for making me a mother. I am so blessed that He gave me Jerry as a husband, and that we could create this miraculous life that is now our daughter. The video below is a song that I remember listening to as a child with my mom and sister in the car (we sang along  to the whole "Friendship Company" CD cassette tape often), and it clearly means SO much more now. While the video shows a lot of children, the song itself is amazing. To all the mothers out there, especially mine, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!