Happy Mother's Day!

This Mother's Day I am thankful for:

1. My mother

2. My mother-in-law

3. My sweet little girl, who made me feel like a mom for the first time -  I became a Mom in 2005, but since that child was never in my arms, I didn't really feel like a mom on Mother's Day until I was in my 3rd trimester with Nadia in 2008. I love her hugs, kisses, smiles, laughter, etc. What a delight!

4. My sweet little boy - Nadia was such a miracle (after ttc for 6 years) that while I was pregnant with her I assumed she would most likely be my only child. I am very grateful the Lord blessed us with a second child. I love his smiles, laughter, and cooing. Such a sweetheart!

5. Digital cameras that allow me to take 50 zillion pictures and be very selective about which I pay to actually get prints of.

6. Portable dvd players that make a 3.5 hour car ride oh so much more managable with a toddler.

7. Nadia's attention span for tv/dvd's - even though my goal had been for her to watch ZERO tv before she turned 3 years old, it has been a blessing that she can sit and watch Curious George or VeggieTales for extended periods of time upon occasion.

8. That the sleep deprivation stage of parenting doesn't last forever. There will be bad nights now and then when a child is sick or teething, but it doesn't stay a daily occurence for tooo many months. I am reminding myself of this since I only got 3 hours of sleep last night. Ian slept for a little less than 6 hours, but I am having a harder and harder time falling asleep after I feed him during the night. I really, really need for him to start sleeping through the night in the near future.

9. For my husband - I can't imagine being a single parent.

10. For the Lord who helped me through all the Mother's Days that were such a struggle emotionally while I waited and waited and waited to get married and then waited and waited and waited to become a mom. I have to admit my first reaction to Mother's Day is still to feel empathy for those who long to be moms but aren't (yet anyhow).