Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!! I am just now learning how much you wear your heart on your sleeve every day, worry about things, and constantly think about someone other than yourself...and I am not even with baby in arms yet! But I have also learned children bring a love to your heart that nothing else in this world ever will, a joy to your soul that can not be compared and a selfless feeling that is brought on with so much pride. Again...I am not even met this little one yet either! I can not imagine the sense of love I will feel for this baby in just a mere week or so. I already feel like I love this baby beyond what words can describe, I want to give this sweet child a life full of opportunity, hopes and dreams, and I already feel like I would do ANYTHING for this new member of our family. Crazy how one person I have yet to meet can make me feel this way! I know they say love just continues to grow once they are in your arms, but it is hard to believe that my heart and love can reach new levels. Chris this morning woke up and said "Happy Mother's Day". And it is funny, I teased him about being able to celebrate it today, but I was never serious. I guess I do not truly feel like a "mother". I feel like a care taker of an unborn child, but do not quite feel like a mom just yet. Maybe its the fact I can still carry a purse around, or do not have milk stains on clothes..or still have somewhat good sleep!

So mother's out there, I have a whole new respect for you and for what Mother's Day represents. Whether you carried your child through 9 months of "fun", went through the roller coaster of adoption, or became a mother due to various circumstances you are a MOM and you should wear that badge proudly! I can already tell it is a hard job, but one that no price can be p placed to and one that is beyond worth the "work". And I have a feeling each year I will learn more about my mom and more about my mom's personality and her feelings as I experience a love only she knows as a mom..its like secret "club" of emotions only women can have the bond over.

And speaking of my mom, it just kills me I can not be with her today to say thank you in person and give her a HUGE hug! I think in the past.. errr, dare I say almost 10 years that I have been away, I maybe have spent 3 Mother's Day with her. That must be hard on her. I am thankful we have the phone and thankful my brother and dad are there today with her. I have talked about my mom on here before and I believe she knows just how much I love her, but I have to give a special shout out to the woman who gave birth to me and raised me into the woman I am today. I am lucky enough to say my mom is one of my best friends and we are so very close. Distance may keep us physically apart, but we are truly extremely close...I would venture to say maybe even closer than some moms and their daughters that live in the same town. We talk multiple times a day, email and skype. And we talk about everything! We were like that when I was growing up too. My mom said she would take me everywhere when I was little, were buds from the start. She made bows to match all my outfits, did my hair everyday, came to every single sporting event, dance recital and school function. She drove me every single day across town (which is like 2 hrs in Atlanta) for me to see the best rehab dr. in town when I tore my ACL (twice). She drove me 3 times a week to southern Atlanta for soccer practice up until I graduated (these were our best bonding times as we were in the car 2 hrs at a time together), she traveled everywhere for me and stopped at no expense or no hardship to provide only the best opportunities for me. My grandma would always say "Kristin, do you know how much your mother gives and sacrifices for you daily" and I do not think I ever got it. We prom dress and any other dance dress shopped together, we went for walks, went to the pool and just hung out together. Probably one of my favorite past times together were our "Life Time Movie Sundays". We would find good life time movies (um..as good as they could be) and would get blankets and cozy up and spend a lazy afternoon just watching crazy women on tv. My dad would always laugh at us. We also loved to cook together or would just spend hours in the kitchen just talking. She would be cooking and I would sit there looking at magazines while we gossiped. Anyways, the list could go on and on of all the moments we shared together. But most importantly were the lessons that all these moments taught me.

My mom is one of the most giving, caring, supportive, loving, selfless, and amazing people I know. She has been through a lot in her lifetime and somehow she always manages to see the glass as half full. She is so positive. She taught me to be a strong woman, to stand up for myself and to be proud of who I am. I thank her in my prayers each night for making me who I am today. She gave me the wings and now I am using them. I am lucky to have a mom like her and lucky to call her a friend. She has played such a major role in who I am today and I hope she know just how much I appreciate her unconditional love and support. And I hope one day I can be a great mom just like her!

Not only am I blessed with a wonderful mom, but I also have a great mother in law. I already know she was a wonderful mother because of the man I married. Heck, taught him to clean, cook and do laundry so need I say more?! But in all seriousness, she raised a compassionate, caring, giving, loving and just amazing man that I am so lucky to share my life with. My mother in law is also extremely caring, loving, giving and supportive. Just over the past almost 9 years that I have gotten to know her she has become not only my mother in law but a friend as well. So we truly are blessed to have 2 amazing mothers that did such a great job raising us, and have given us tools now to form our own family.

I know that this next exciting phase will bring upon new emotions of home sickness. I have prepared myself for that. I think as I learn to appreciate all that my mom went through as a mom raising me, I will miss her more than ever. And Lord knows she will miss me and especially her first grandchild. I don't like to think about it to be honest. It will be challenging, but like anything else it will be okay. We will cherish the times we are together and find ways to communicate through skype and phone when we are not.

So for all mom's out there...thank you for being the Super Women of the Universe! You all deserve more than just a day..but for today I hope you are getting spoiled and loved on! I know I can not wait to have a little one to kiss on next year and to truly celebrate with!