Aha! I get it now...

I thought I truly appreciated my mother on "Mother's Day". I tried to help her out around the house, bought her gifts, wrote her notes, made her breakfast, planned things for her with my siblings; now, I realize I was just going through the motions. In the back of my mind, I always felt this qualified as a "Hallmark holiday". Not anymore. After carrying my own child for 9 agonizing, uncomfortable months, sacrificing sleep, movies (at the theater), really, not having my own body for that last 14 months, (the list could go on) I realized this is a deserved and much needed holiday. I am not bitter about the things I have given up because I have gained infinitely more; I LOVE that child and I can see that he loves me. I would not have it any other way - as Matt put it: being a good mother is a choice.

That being said, I experienced an incredible 1st Mother's Day. Brock(Matt) got me a Trek running stroller. I call it "running" instead of a "jogging" stroller, as is customary, because you have to run to keep up with this thing! I swear, it is pulling me - I am not pushing it. I feel pressured to get back into shape so that I can match the standard that this stroller sets. I think I might roll up to Starbucks around 10am so all the suburban housewives can drool over my BMW of the stroller world (even though it is the '08 model & I don't really know anything about strollers, so I am just speculating...)

Other events of the day include a brunch at my mother's house, where we played Disney's Scene It for the 2nd time; boys verses girls, and the boys won every time!!! The girls have yet to win a single game, I think it is 6-0. I am sure my brothers are secretly watching Disney movies all day long, when they claim to be playing video games. Then we headed to the O'Laughlin's for dinner. We got Mimi a birdfeeder, as she had a nest of Finches in her mailbox. Personally, I didn't have much confidence in this gift (Matt's idea), but, alas, it was a hit. Mother's day was a success.