My First Mother's Day

What a great feeling! Celebrating Mother's Day! Today was my first Mother's Day...well, I celebrated last year because we had our puppy, Okie. Yeah, I celebrated because I was a mom to a dog. Don't judge.  But this year, I have an actual human baby! What a fun-filled day! Nyla started it off just right by sleeping! We snuggled together until almost 9 a.m. Incredible! And to make my day more special, Nyla even refrained from peeing on me! Thank you, Nyla!

My husband is the best and he woke up extra early and went to get me a cup of coffee and a croissant. What a wonderful man. Then it was movie time with my aunties, cousin, and my own mother.

Speaking of my mother, now that I have become a mom, I feel like I understand her more completely now than ever before. I now understand her love that she has for me (thanks mom). I understand the sacrifices she has made for me. I understand the struggles she has gone through for me. Well, not all of the struggles...we still have the teenage years to trudge through. :)

But now that I am a mother, I get it. You know when people say, "You'll understand when you're a parent" they're totally speaking the truth. In the short seven weeks that Nyla has been in this world, I understand all those little things that only parents understand. I'm like a part of this parent in-crowd. For example, I now know that, yes, it is possible to ignore your child's empty cry. Three months ago, I was the person completely irritated at the mothers and fathers who let their kids cry without consoling. That drove me up the wall and generally I'd shoot dirty looks at the parents. Now, I can just let Nyla cry and honestly not be irritated by it. I understand that I can't console Nyla all the time; I'll give her a complex if I do.

To all you moms out there, new and experienced, hats off to you! What a job we have. There's something else I now understand being a parent. This is a job, and it's a hard one. But it really is totally rewarding and fulfilling.

To my mother, Katerina. You're wonderful. I love you. Thanks for loving me and caring for me for almost 30 years. You're the best.