Happy Mother's Day

A toast to all mother's!

My first mother's day has arrived, my little one and hubby are both in bed and I sit here pondering this moment. I'm so exicited for this day... Natalie is almost a year old. This journey into motherhood has simply been amazing. Much more than I ever imagined. As my mom well knows, I was not one of those girls who grew up knowing she wanted children. In fact, for a long time, I simply wasn't that interested. I was young, self absorbed and taking on the world (well, okay, maybe just my space in San Francisco), but still. Who had time for kids? Then my nephew was born. Seeing my brother become a dad and falling in love with my nephew was a turning point. Maybe, I thought. But it was not until I met Dean that I really began to want kids. With Dean, I could imagine what life might be like with children. I loved him so much, the idea of creating a family with him seemed natural. And here I am today. With a silly grin on my face, thinking of Natalie and slighly amazed at how I got here.

Isn't she adorable?



Now, on the other side of this day, is a day to celebrate my own mom. So mom, a very happy mothers day to you! Having Natalie has made me realize even more, how much you sacrificed for Pete and I. And how much you love us. Without you, I would not be the person I am, something I am extremely grateful for. I'm so thankful for all that you did... staying home to raise us, taking us to the library every week so we'd learn the joy of a good book, getting me into dance and music classes, and just standing behind me and making me truly believe in myself. Had I not had the love and support of you and dad behind me, I wouldn't have had the courage to do half the things in life I did. Knowing that you and dad would always be there for me, made me strong. Still does. I'm grateful for that.

And that is something I'm thinking about today. I hope Natalie grows up with the same feeling. That she knows Dean and I love her unconditionally. That we will be here for her always, even in the tough times. I want her to have the courage to challenge herself and find out what makes her happy. She'll ultimately decide what that will be, and I hope that knowing how much her parent's love and support her, will help Natalie live a happy and full life.