Mother’s Day Musings ⇒

Happy Mother's Day to all our female readers out there--even the ones who aren't mothers. It is 10:30 and as usual I have been up for about four hours so far. It was Erin's turn to sleep in...how did that happen?? Oh well, I got to have some great play time with Elise because Daniella was sleeping. I think she is starting to go through her 6 weeks growth spurt so she fed about every hour an a half yesterday and every two hours through the night. Gosh, no wonder Erin was so tired this morning.

Since I was up anyway, I made my own Mother's Day brunch--smoked salmon nachos. It was a recipe I had been dying to try out. They were delicious.

I love being a Mama. My girls (I love that I can say that!) are beautiful and have such spirit. Even little Dee seems to have an impish quality about her already and, well, Elise is my own personal Muppet. The last five weeks have been a bit of a blur but I try to take a moment each day to freeze time for myself, to admire my own work as a mother, look closely at my children and take a mental photograph of what they look like even though I know I won't remember it exactly in years to come.

I have to try to remember how Daniella looks when I look down on her as she's nursing and how she likes to be held upright with her head tipping back so she can look around. Try to remember the first couple of smiles she's shared with me and how she cries because she is gassy in the evening. How her hair, which stands on end, tickles my chin when she's trying to find food. How sweet she looks when she's sleeping.

I must try to remember Elise's "happy feet" and her huge eyes that look at me with such earnest. The way she says "yeah" all the time and how she says "a-yaya" for "the other one". How excited she is to see me and how she comes running when I clap my hands and put my arms out to her. How she has no hair on the sides of her head...still! How she has a mouthful of little teeth and how she smiles almost all the time. How she can play for an hour laying out a cloth or a blanket so it is just right. Her "no-no" dance and the "downward frog" position she sleeps in.

How tired and happy I am.

For Mother's Day, my family gave me a lovely story book called "Walking with Mama." I got it out of the library recently and loved it. It brings tears to my eyes and I will treasure it always. The last lines of the book read: "Mama is happy because she can walk everywhere with me. I am happy because I am with Mama." I hope this is always true for Elise and Daniella...I know it will be for me.