Happy Mother's Day. This is my second mother's day, but, considering that Ethan was only six days old on the last one, I feel like I have a little more experience being a mother this time.
Today was our ward's fast and testimony meeting this month and a lot of people got up and talk about their mothers. So of course I started thinking about what a wonderful mother I have and about how grateful I am for her example. I have always been grateful for her. When I was a teenager I heard people say countless times, "you will only be really grateful for your mother when you leave the house/go on a mission/have your own kids, etc" (any of those times where you suddenly have more responsibilities, I suppose). I used to think, "whatever, I am so grateful for her now!" And I really was. I knew a lot of kids that weren't grateful to their parents, so I could understand why people would say that, but I didn't think that it applied to me. When I left home and then when I went on a mission I was grateful for my mom but I wouldn't say I became that much
more grateful. Now that I am a mother I wouldn't say that I am
more grateful either. I would, however, say that now I understand
why I am so grateful. This I did not really know before. I was always grateful because I knew that my mother has done countless things for me and sacrificed so much for me. I always realized that my mother gave up time, energy, her last bite of her favorite food, etc., so that she could make her children happy. I saw all that, but I knew there were countless other things that she had done like stay up late helping on a school assignment or letting me crawl into bed with her when I had a nightmare. Some I had heard about, like how my mother had got up countless times in the night to take care of triplets or how trapped she felt sometimes while nursing. Being a mother for the first year of a baby's life though has shown me all the things that I didn't know she had done.
This past year I have learned about all the little things mom's do that no one really talks about. I suppose people don't talk about them because they are not really sacrifices. They aren't hard and they aren't big. They are just things mom's do because they love their baby. For example, every night before I go to bed I go in and look at Ethan. I think how beautiful he is. I put his blanket back over him. The other day when I put his blanket back on him I thought, "Wow. I bet my mother used to do this."
Some days Ethan and I go out to run errands. We inevitably come home a little late for lunch. I feel so hungry. I know Ethan is hungry though too, because he is getting fussy. I ignore my growling stomach though and get Ethan's food ready, feed him, clean him up, play with him, and put him down for a nap. Then I eat my lunch. Guess what? I bet my mother used to do that too.
During this past school year I would rush to get Ethan from the sitter's after class. Inevitably I would have to go pee. Go figure. I would get Ethan home and get him all settled with a toy before rushing to the bathroom. I would run the chance of peeing my pants so that Ethan would be comfortable and happy. You know what? I bet my mother used to do that too.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night. My first thoughts are about Ethan. I assume he is okay, but just to make sure, I get up and go into his bedroom to make sure he is still breathing. I am sure my mother used to do that too.
I can't resist kissing Ethan. When I am holding him I kiss his little head so much that he always starts to pull away from me. I always tease that he is saying, "Please mom! You are embarrassing me!" I just can't help it though! I bet my mother used to do that too.
There are a million other things that no one but mothers, and maybe their husbands, know that they do. Tiny little things they do just as their way of saying "I love you." As I do these little things for Ethan I imagine my mother doing them for me. Thanks Mom. Thanks for doing all those little things for me. Thanks for caring about me. Thanks for putting me first. Everyday I hope that I can be more like you. You are my hero.
