Mother's Day 2015

I had a great Mother's Day this year. It started off Sunday morning by Everly surprising me with a present she had made me at school. Justin signed her up for a ceramic painting class at school (secretly) and she painted me a pink vase. The school also had a card made with her picture on it that was so sweet. This was my first year getting a school project/present from her and I loved it. I can't wait to put it in my office. Aspen even surprised me with a little present of her own. Justin grabbed the baby monitor to show me that she had gone from laying down to sitting up all on her own in her crib. We went in to see her and she just had this super happy smile. She is just one happy little angel and I loved that she had that present for me, too. We got ready and headed out to meet my family for breakfast at Scramble in Scottsdale. With such a large group it is hard to sit down for breakfast so Scramble works great because we can all order separately but still sit together. It is also faster than a full sit-down restaurant which is good for impatient toddlers. It was so nice so we sat outside. We shared gifts and enjoyed the yummy food. The restaurant was down the street from the train park so after breakfast we headed there. The full park hadn't quite open yet but the kids enjoyed the playground until the train started. Justin and Doug rode with Teddy and Ev in the little crate right in front of the caboose. I remember loving riding in that when I was little so it is fun to have Ev experience that, too. We also took a ride on the carousel before heading home. I was able to get in a nap on Sunday afternoon which was my #1 request so I was happy. I am pretty sure my nap was longer than Everly's too, haha. Sunday night I requested garlic bread for dinner so Justin also made some soup to go with it. It was delicious and totally hit the spot. I am pretty proud to be Mom to Everly and Aspen and feel so lucky to have them in my life. I am also so lucky to have my mom and sisters and sisters-in-law to support me in the (never-ending) journey that is motherhood. I definitely have a great support system and I am not afraid to admit how much they help me mother my girls. I hope all moms felt appreciated yesterday because it definitely is the most important job you will ever have!

my present from Everly

my present from Aspen

the whole group

Everly obsessing over Mae and My mom opening the present my sister had the kids make for her.

Ev liked this...Ted not so much.

All the babywearing.

Justin sent me this of them inside the crate during the train ride.

She is a charmer.

 

Me, Aspen, Cam and Kim

Thanks for the photo bomb, Doug.

Both of my sisters with their babies. 

me and my sweet girls.

Thoughts on Motherhood

Now that I have been a mother for almost one year I wanted to reflect a little and share what I have learned and loved about being a mom. First, very quickly I realized that being a mother is very hard. It tests you at your weakest moments. I want to be honest, my first few months with Everly were very hard. To me, she seemed a little fussier than I would expect was normal. It is still tough for me to say this now, but sometimes, I feel guilty because I don’t feel like I enjoyed those first few months enough. I am pretty sure I had some form of PPD that I probably should have seen someone about. Luckily, I have the most amazing husband and family. Just as quickly as I realized how hard being a mother was, I also realized how important having an amazing family is. All you single mother’s out there are angels. I knew you were tough already, but now I can truly respect you. My husband stepped up when I couldn’t. My family always offered to help in any way that they could. I truly know the meaning of the saying, “It takes a village to raise a baby.”

Before I had Everly, I had made the commitment to breastfeed. I had set a goal for 6 months, and I accomplished that goal. It was hard in the beginning but we made it. I think that I will make it longer if I have another child, but with Everly and me, 6 months was right.

We have had a very busy year. As new parents, we made a very conscious effort to expose her to as much as possible. She has been to the zoo several times, the desert botanical gardens, numerous soccer games (including a U.S. Women’s game!), a MLB game, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, and the Musical Instrument Museum. She has been on an airplane, and been to the beach and even visited the snow (a big deal for us Arizonans). She went to swim classes for about 6 months and after that had lots of pool days. Seeing Everly enjoy new things has been one of my most favorite parts of being a mom. Everly loves new environments and places. She loves going on walks and wagon rides.

It may have been tough in the beginning but she really is a very happy little girl. I can remember my first real “proud” mom feeling very clearly. Everly rolled from her back to her belly while on our ottoman in the living room. I remember seeing her trying to do it and then being successful and I yelled to my husband that she did it because I was so proud. I relived those proud feelings again just last week when she took her first steps and I look forward to so many more proud mom moments. Currently, I am so in love with how sweet Everly is. I just love it when she rests her head on my shoulder or gives me little hugs and kisses. It NEVER gets old. It is super cute to see her hug her little stuffed animals, too. I cannot wait to see how sweet she is with her new little cousin!

Speaking of new littles, we have no plans of adding any to our family any time soon. I am working very hard on getting healthy and we are really enjoying giving Everly all of our attention. We are not ready to share that with anyone else…yet. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to be Everly's mom.