Tidbits

I have officially been a mother now for 622 days. The journey has been more fulfilling and stretching than I ever could have imagined but I would not trade it for the world. I love that I get to be "Mom" to this beautiful, caring, energetic, affectionate and sweet head of curls. There are moments where I grow totally overwhelmed with the responsibility that comes along with this title. The responsibility to love her, to help her develop a sense of self worth, to keep her safe, to teach her, to nourish her and most importantly, to show her what it means to walk in relationship with God. That's a LOT of responsibility! Oh but the joy that she adds to my life!

 My brother-in-law gave my sister a Mother's Day card that read something like this: "Behind every great kid is a mother who is pretty sure she is totally screwing them up." I couldn't have said it better! I am so thankful that the Lord gives me grace for my failures and that I'm not doing this alone.

I think Isla must have known that it was Mother's Day weekend because she pulled out all the stops and was more affectionate with me than I've ever seen her before. My little non-cuddler just could not seem to get enough of me which really fed my soul.

She was also extra adorable so I wanted to take a moment to record the tidbits of the weekend that just made me swell and melt as her mother:

-We were out to dinner really late one night and Isla was falling asleep in her pasta (actually, she was totally sleep-eating....the girl was NOT going to let a plate of noodles go to waste, no matter how tired she was!!) I asked Isla if she wanted mommy to hold her and rub her back so she could fall asleep. She knodded eagerly, said "Uh huh!!!" and held her arms up, hands cupped together toward my face. She was out in mere minutes (and this was the 2nd time she fell asleep in my arms on our trip--the gift of snuggles!)

-Sometimes I forget that Isla is now in the phase where she repeats almost everything we say. We were driving along in the car and I took a drink of ice water which for some reason led me to blurt out "Ice, ice baby." Without missing a beat from the backseat we hear Isla exclaim "Ice babies!", a phrase which was then repeated numerous times throughout the trip.

-For most of the weekend, Isla acted like seeing me was the best thing that could have possibly happened to her. I wouldn't even have to leave the room and she would look up and she me and squeal "Mommy!!!!!" and then run and hug and kiss me over and over again. She really got into kissing me on both cheeks repeatedly, turning my head so that she could plant the kiss where she wanted it. I'm pretty sure she was trying to kiss me on the lips (something we save for mommies and daddies around here) too. Actually, there were moments I thought she was trying to make out with me she was so affectionate. She even began to say the word "kiss" and learned to make smacking sounds.

I will cherish this weekend and am so thankful for all the ways my daughter blesses me!