I'm a mommy on Mother's Day...

It rained all day today. You know that steady kind of rain that makes you want to curl up in bed all day? It was wonderful to listen to this morning. David got Ayden out of bed when he woke up and they left me to sleep a little longer while they went down to make me breakfast in bed.

I kind of forgot to take a before picture, but at least the after picture illustrates how delicious it was!  It was oatmeal with warm apples, strawberries and blueberries with a side of brown rice toast.  It was the perfect breakfast to warm my tummy on a cold, rainy day!

While I was pregnant, we always daydreamed about bringing our baby into bed with us on the weekends and snuggling as a family.

My boys are so wonderful...

I have to say, it is as wonderful as we had imagined it would be.

My Mother's Day gift is a flower shopping spree for our outdoor flower beds. I can't wait to get planting! It always makes our yard so cheerful. We decided we'd do the actual shopping on a prettier day so we could enjoy every second of it.

Ayden also gave me another gift of his own today. He napped like a champ for every nap! He went down for his morning nap without a fuss and slept for an hour. Then we ran a couple of errands and headed to meet our families for Mother 's Day bowling.

There he took another 2 hour nap in the Moby.

"Will someone please turn off the lights?!?" -- Ayden

I think the bowling alley must have been a bit over stimulating. LOTS of sounds, lights, music, people, etc. He burrowed in and slept through my playing 2 games. It definitely changed my form and I got a gutter ball or two, but it wasn't a big deal since I'm not that great of a bowler to begin with. :) I just enjoyed snuggling my little man on Mother's Day. That is what it's all about, right??

When we got home we vegged out on the couch and watched The Change Up on Netflix. We usually watch a movie every Friday night but I always multi-task during the whole thing (writing blog posts, stuffing diapers, cleaning the kitchen, anything necessary just to stay awake). It felt so weird to just sit down and watch a movie. I definitely need to make a point to stop and relax more!! All of the to do's will still be there when I get back up.

I have to say, though, that my favorite part of my first Mother's Day wasn't the gifts, the bowling or the relaxing movie time. It was the couple of times when I turned to see David hugging Ayden with his eyes closed, totally caught up in the moment and filled with so much love for this little person that we made together. Once he caught me looking at him and said, "Sometimes it just catches you..." and I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. You have a moment where the reality of it all hits you and you become overwhelmed with emotion and warm fuzzies. I love that man so much. It is thanks to David and our wonderful, beautiful love for one another that I am a mommy for this Mother's Day and the rest to come.

As I write this I have Ayden's warm body snuggled next to mine as he nurses to sleep. I keep glancing down to admire his long eye lashes and cute little button nose. I can hear his slow, sleepy breaths and and feel his fuzzy hair as I caress his head. This really is what life is all about.

I know that some people consider Mother's Day to be just another "Hallmark Holiday." but I see it as so much more.  It is a reminder to value the bond of mother and child, just in case you need it. Because of the mindset it has given me all day I know that I will gladly, even happily get up however many times that Ayden wants to tonight. Every time will be one more snuggle, one more sniff of his sweet baby smell and one more chance to kiss his soft cheek and thank him for being mine and for making me a mommy.

We love him to the moon and back again.

Happy Mother's Day to all! <3

~Sarah