Mother's Day Thoughts...

I recently found out a friend of mine lost her first born son. He was still born, even though she carried him full-term and there were no signs of complications. This isn't the first friend I have had that has lost a child. I have several close friends, who have had to go through such a loss. Sitting here, 32 weeks pregnant, with my third child, I am over-whelmed with emotions, and even start to worry about the health and safety of the child I am carrying. My heart goes out to people who have never had their own children, or who have experienced the loss of a child. Words cannot express how much my heart breaks for you and for having to go through such a loss. Although we have had our own share of complications with both our sons, I am so grateful for their health and strength and that I have been given the opportunity to raise them here on Earth. I truly believe things happen for a reason, and that God is in charge of each of our lives.

And now we approach Mother's Day- the day we celebrate all mothers. I have always loved Mother's Day and love it even more now that I am a mother. I love my children. I love being their mother. I love being pregnant with another one. I also fear and worry for my children- for their futures, for their safety, for just about everything that will ever happen to them. I love the messes, the chaos, the loud noises they make, their cute smiles and laughter, the poopy diapers, the cute things the say-everything from both ends of the spectrum- it all brings me joy. There was a time when I did not have that- when my house was clean and spotless, and quiet and orderly. I often think back when I am cleaning up a poopy mess or spending a 1/2 hour cleaning up after a meal, or I am constantly hurting my feet on blocks and cars all over the floor, or doing loads and loads of laundry day after day, that these are the blessings of being a mother. And I love every single one of them.

Today my son woke up feeling very warm, and it turned out he had a fever. He wanted me to hold him (as pictured above). He wouldn't let me put him down. So I sat and held him, and enjoyed the moments of him clinging to me not wanting to let go. The laundry can wait. The vacuuming can too. My shower can wait also. :) Right now, for today, I am a mother and there is nothing more I'd rather be. I will hold my little one for as long as he wants me to, and I will savor every minute of it. This is why I love being a mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all women this weekend! Here are a few quotes about mothers that I love ;)

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." -M. Russell Ballard

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” Anna Quindlen

"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."