In honor of Mothers Day...

I love Mother's Day and not just because we get to make the wonderful women in our lives feel special but because I LOVE being a mother! I am so glad for a day just to reflect on how much being a mother means and what a wonderful job God has given all mothers to do.

I had to work this mother's day, as I have for the past four years. I am always sad to have to work on holidays but today it was a reminder of why I work, for my family. I got off a little early and Blake and I played with Kennedy outside in her kiddie pool. She had a blast!

I am so blessed to also have a mother who means the world to me. She is so much more than a mother; she is a true friend. She is the most kind-hearted, soft-spoken, loving, and caring woman I know. I love her so much and I am so appreciative of all she has done for me since... well, before I was born. I am so blessed that God gave me a wonderful motherly example to follow! I can only hope to be as wonderful as she is.

In honor of mother's day, just thought of some things that I have learned since becoming a mother and reflecting on the days before I was a mother. My life has changed so much. People at work comment on me having "mommy patience" with kids when they come in to eat. And I do believe my perspective on life has changed. In thinking of all this I was reminded of this note I wrote on Facebook 3 days before my little girl was born.

25 Things I've Learned The Past Nine Months
1. God is indescribable. I am completely blown away by His amazing love, forgiveness, and grace. I am so undeserving of every blessing He has given me and I could not imagine life without Him.

2. Family is the most important thing in my life. No matter what I go through and no matter where I've been I know my family will stick by my side and stand up for me.

3. Who my true friends are. True friends are the ones that stand up for you when you've messed up. That understand and will do anything to help you. Will call you just to see how you are doing. Don't run away when things get uncomfortable and will not care to be seen with a waddling pregnant woman in public :)

4. The miracle of life. Pregnancy is truly a miracle. It is completely unbelievable how a life can form from two microscopic cells. Just watching the ultrasounds and hearing a heart beat at just 10 weeks from something that honestly looks like a peanut. And watching that peanut turn into something that looks, feels, sleeps, and kicks like a baby is indescribable.

5. The only thing that is eternal is a soul. Everything in this life is meaningless. When it's all over it doesn't matter what career you had, how much money you made, or what your GPA was. The only thing that matters in the end is where you are going to spend the rest of eternity and the impact that you left on this earth.

6. Patience. Although I haven't mastered this goal by any means, I feel that it is something I am faced with daily. From waiting on doctors, waiting on circumstances to be solved, and truly seeing that with a little patience in every situation, God will come through.

7. Love. I know what it means to love someone so much that you would sacrifice everything you thought was important just to be able to be with them. I know that human love will never be perfect but I know that no matter what Kennedy does or says I will always love her. I have also seen such great examples of love in my own life lately. From the unconditional love from my parents and close friends to the overwhelming and magnificent love of a wonderful Savior.

8. Not to care what people think. Everyone has his or her own opinion. You can't change that. All you can do is be completely confident that you are doing the right thing and ignore the looks, comments, or judgment that is trying to keep you down.

9. God answers prayer. From the very beginning when I prayed for God to slam the door in my face if I wasn't meant to go to New York (right before I found out I was pregnant) to insurance problems, pediatricians, and other situations that arose. God doesn't always give the answer you expect but he will always lead you in the right direction.

10. Stable doesn't necessarily mean normal. Though Kennedy may not be born into what some may consider a "normal" family she has more love and people that are so excited to see her than some babies who are born into a "normal" family. I have seen that there are many different types of families and the definition of a family is simply people who love each other and look out for each other.

11. Some people surprise you. Some people I thought would be so judgmental or unsupportive of my decision to keep the baby have had completely opposite reactions. The same is true however for some people that I thought would be supportive that haven't been.

12. Fetal hiccups are so much fun! I never thought that I could get so much joy, excitement, and entertainment from feeling Kennedy move. Out of all the movement and the kicks I must say that the hiccups are my favorite. Annoying at times, yes, but I just have to remind myself how amazing it is that there is a little person inside of me that gets hiccups just like I do :)

13. The generosity of people is amazing. I had four baby showers. Four! It completely blows me away at the gifts I received and the eagerness of so many friends to help out. I am so thankful and grateful to every single person. I ended up not having to spend much money at all on things I needed to get ready for her to be here and for that I am soooo thankful and couldn't put into words what it means to me.

14. Pregnancy truly bonds a mother and daughter. My mom and I have gotten extremely close throughout this whole experience. She is my role-model and my constant friend. I am so blessed to have her as a great example to look up to.

15. Distance is no match for true friendship. True friends will stay close no matter how many miles are put between them. Period.

16. No matter how big you think the baby is getting it will ALWAYS get bigger. I remember thinking how big I was and how heavy she was at just 5 months. HA!

17, Great stories are meant to be shared. I love telling my story to people. It is such a personal testimony to how God has truly reviled Himself to me. I love sitting with people one on one and simply sharing this experience.

18. What To Expect When You're Expecting is the holy book of pregnancy. If you are pregnant and do not have this book, get it. Now.

19. Mexican food does not start labor late in pregnancy. In fact mexican food late in pregnancy just causes nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach and possible diarrhea but you can't take pepto bismol when your pregnant so just watch out :)

20. Full moons do not always lead to labor. My mother was convinced that Kennedy would come on the full moon. This was because she went into labor on a full moon with both me and my brother. There is some scientific proof to why full moons make women go into labor. It didn't work for me. 

21. No matter how much you think you are ready for labor you will never be. As much as I try to convince myself that I am so ready to have this baby I am so nervous about what it is going to be like and how everything is about to change. I really think I am ready to tackle all of this but there is still that anxiousness.

22. When you are pregnant you will see numbers on a scale you never thought possible. Enough said.

23. The first trimester of pregnancy is def the worst. The second is the best and by the third you are miserable but at least you aren't as sick as you were in those first few months.

24. Nine months are needed in pregnancy to fully prepare you for motherhood. I look back at who I was nine months ago and how much I have matured and changed in order to be a good mother. It is amazing how much motherly instinct just comes over the months.

25. My life has changed forever. It will continue to change but I believe it has been the best change I could ever ask for and I couldn't imagine having it any other way.


 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYBODY!