With Love to All the Special Mothers and Grandmothers

Being a mother is the hardest job there is, but absolutely the most rewarding!

I speak from experience. Those sweet bundles of joy don't come with an owner's manual. It's initiation by fire with your first child. Constant sleep deprivation, trying to figure out what all the different cries mean, and somehow getting out of your pajamas and into the shower before the baby wakes up and needs to be fed and changed again. And then your husband comes home and asks what you did all day...

Fast forward...a second baby is on the way, and you think, I've got this. I'm a pro now, right? Haha! No two children are the same, and things that worked with child number one don't work with child number two. Back to the drawing board, but now you're sleep deprived again, and you can't snag a nap when baby number one is sleeping because baby number two isn't on the same schedule. You get through it and learn baby number two's cues.

Fast forward again...baby number three... you're wiser now and know that things that worked with the first two may or may not work with number three, but you're not going to panic or stress about it. Who cares what the house looks like, how much laundry there is (it multiplies when you're not looking, I would've said sleeping, but we know that sleep isn't happening), and that you can't remember when you had your last hair cut.

The absolute upside is the unconditional love you feel for those bundles of joy. The first smile (no, it wasn't gas), the snuggles, the first tooth, first words, first steps, and the hugs and kisses given by little sticky hands and mouths smeared with food - precious memories!

As the kids grow into moody teenagers, the challenges change, but the love remains constant. High School brings sports, driver's education, girlfriends and boyfriends, the rounds to see colleges, and finally, graduation.

In the blink of an eye, they're all adults. Two are married with precious children of their own. For Mother's Day, we love to get together as a family to celebrate and enjoy all the moms in our family, including my wonderful mother-in-law. We have a meal where the men cook for us and clean up! We get to put our feet up and enjoy our cups of tea!

With love and admiration for all the special Mothers and Grandmothers out there,
Dani