One of the very first memories I have with my mom is a sad one. I was maybe three years old – standing at the black metal screen door of my grandparents house, pounding on the glass, begging for my mommy to come back…all the while, watching her pull out of the driveway to her job at Sears in the shoe department. As much as I loved my grandparents so dearly, my little distraught heart just couldn’t take it…I just wanted my Mommy.
And how many other times in my life have I uttered those words, “I just want my Mommy!” Whether it’s the desperate cry of a toddler at the front door with her sweaty face pushed up against the glass, or the cry of a teenager girl whose heart has been broken by a boy, or the miserable moans of a young woman at home from work and barfing from morning sickness, it all sounds the same to her… “I JUST want my Mommy…” And in my case, my Mommy always came running.
I thought I would take some time to write down some memories that I have when I think of my mom, just off the top of my head:

1. My mom had the biggest smile on her face when she introduced me to my baby brother, Jared. I will never forget that.
2. I woke up one morning to realize the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to leave me money that night – I saw my Mom sneaking money under my pillow – my heart was forever crushed.
3. My mom came to EVERY cheerleading event I ever had. Whether she was running errands or had just had a colonoscopy that day (seriously, woman) she never missed a game.
4. My mom used to pick me up from junior high and take me to Sonic for a raspberry cream slushie and talk about my day – just to be able to listen to my junior high woes and weeps. This happened almost daily.
5. Whenever I thought of doing something wrong, I would always picture my Mom’s face if she would find out what I had done. Therefore, I had a pretty clean record.
6. Even when I would mess up, even if it was big time, my mom would always reassure me that I was able to make it right again.
7. There is only one part of our wedding I regret – the song our Mom’s walked into to light the unity candle. I hated the song, but my Mom adored it. I let her win that day 🙂
8. My Mom has never been more excited about anything than meeting her granddaughter. She had four outfits picked out for the occasion. No, I’m not joking.
9. During one of the most difficult time in our families lives, I saw my Mom stand by my Dad and love him unlike anything I have ever seen before. That made more of an impression on me than anything she has ever done.
10. I have never been more proud of my mom for opening her own boutique. After being years of a punching bag for her old boss, she finally took the bull by the horns and did what she really wanted. This is totally out of character for her, as she is the most merciful person ever – she did it anyway.

These few memories flood my mind, along with holiday traditions she instilled in me, her love for decorating and the endless example of what being a FAITHFUL Mom and wife looks like. I hope I can be half the woman she is someday.

And now here I am a Mommy myself. Holy cow, sometimes I even have a hard time believing that I have a daughter of my own.  I so desperately want to give her the life that she deserves, the love that she was created to feel, the joy that was made to fill her tiny soul. And then I realize that I am totally unable to do that with out the Lord. No matter how hard I try, I will never be enough for her. But by the grace of God, I will daily strive to give her what He wants for her. I know that being a mom is such an important job. It’s so much more than changing diapers and giving bottles. It’s bringing her up in a joyful home, spending hours on the floor flipping through books, practicing numerous hours of just to be able to learn how to clap our hands. And when, oh I’m praying when, she decides that SHE, my little girl, decides to ask Jesus into her heart and make Him her own, then the discipleship of my baby girl begins. I giggle and cry, and then giggle again, just thinking about it. I can hardly wait for that day.

Here are some of the highlights of being a Mommy, for me, so far:

1. Her first smile: it happened while changing her diaper. I was singing “Once Upon a Dream” and she gave me the biggest, non-gassy smile ever. That has been our song ever since.
2. I love giving her a bath. We sing our “Tubby Time” song that my parents used to sing to me and her face lights up, ’cause that girl knows what’s comin’! She is a little water lily, believe you me!
3. I love rocking her before bedtime. There is nothing more precious than a baby in footie pajamas and sucking on her little chubby fingers while starting to doze off into baby la-la land. Even though I have the worst singing voice known to man, she still loves hearing me sing. And I love singing to her. Her favorites? “Once Upon and Dream,” “Over the Rainbow,” “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” and “Blessed Assurance.”
4. Walks – not only does she love it, but I do, too. We walk almost everyday, whether it be on the trails in our neighborhood or at the mall. She grabs the sides of her stroller, rocks back and forth and grunts like she is ready for take off. It’s adorable.
5. This may be TMI, but I am sharing anyways…Whenever I have to go to the bathroom, I set her on the floor in our room to play (attempting to have some privacy, lol!). So I’m sitting there, doing my business, and all of the sudden, I see a little face peek around the corner of the wall, trying to find me. We lock eyes, and she smiles and laughs. My heart melts, right there on the porcelain throne.
6. Open mouth kisses – the description says it all. But sometimes she bites in the midst of kissing. We are working on that.
7. When Nora hears the garage door slam, she immediately looks towards the stairs, anxiously awaiting her Prince Daddy to walk up them. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she sees him, and I fall in love with both of them all over again.
8. Although sometimes the clinginess can be daunting, I love that she prefers me over anyone else in the room. As long as I am in eye shot, she will go to anyone I hand her to. But when it’s all said and done, I hold the key to her chubby little heart.
 9. This is totally vain, so forgive me ahead of time. But we get stopped EVERYWHERE we go and are told how adorable our baby is. As if we didn’t know, right?
10. Scary, but a highlight…Knowing that God CHOSE me for Nora. He knew that I would be her Mommy – we were created for each other. And the task of teaching her about Him is a huge one. But I know that by (attempting to) model an attitude of patience and love towards her, I am already teaching her about His great love for her…Yes, He loves her even more than I can ever imagine. And when it comes right down to it, she is ultimately His. Yet, He has intrusted her to me, to us. And I can never thank God enough for the gift of my precious Nora Sue.
So here is to a wonderful Mother’s Day tomorrow….along with my Dad’s birthday! (I’m making some German chocolate cake!) I hope that everyone has a special day celebrating the mothers in your life!