I decided it was my first Mother's Day because I identify myself as the mother of this beautiful miracle growing within me. Some say that the rite of passage of becoming a mother is labor and delivery. It most certainly is not. This would negate every adoptive mother there ever was, so that can't be the defining criteria. The bottom line is, Bunny is my child, and I am her Mother. Sunday, May 8, 2011, I celebrated that relationship. I have faith that God intends this child to survive and be a healthy princess for Him, but if He has other plans for us, I know that it will never negate the fact that I will always be her mother.
Now that I've established why I felt entitled to a Mother's Day celebration, let me tell you about it!
I wasn't sure what to expect this year. I didn't know how anyone else, even MM, felt about Mother's Day this year. The very first thing to arrive was a bud vase made by my Mom. She has been giving them to her M.O.P.s moms for years and has been praying and praying for God to give her a grandchild so that she could finally give one to one of her daughters. Well, God finally answered her prayers and my vase came in the mail a few days before Mother's Day. It is just adorable!
Monday through Friday, MM is ALWAYS awake and out of bed earlier than I am. On Saturday and Sunday, though, he likes to sleep in. I usually get up, make his coffee, and eat a snack and watch TV while waiting for him to get up and make breakfast. On Mother's Day, though, I just wanted to snooze and snooze. It got to the point where we were lying in bed, arguing over who needs to get up and start coffee. I finally woke up enough to realize there was a specific reason he wanted me to do it. When I got to the kitchen, this is what I found:
MM had stayed up after I went to sleep to set this up for me. What a sweetie! The first thing I noticed was the rose in the bud vase my Mom had sent me. He said, "I didn't want to get you a real rose because they don't last forever. This is your first Mother's Day and you'll have the rose I got you to remind you of today." Isn't he great?!
He also got me an adorable picture frame for Bunny's little face to go into after she is born. This will be front and center on my desk at work after I return.
MM did ask me what I wanted for Mother's Day. My list consisted of, if I remember correctly, one book and a bazillion James Avery charms. My James Avery charm bracelet has remained unchanged for about a year and I wanted to do something about it! I asked for charms that were mostly ocean-related because I'm dying to move back to the coast and MM is, for the most part, on board with that desire. Here is the one he picked, both for the ocean theme and for its Christian symbolism which you can read about here.
(It's not copper like it looks in the picture, it's actually sterling silver. My camera skills were quite sad that morning!)
MM gave me a beautiful card with a beautiful inscription from him and Bunny. Inside the card were several "coupons" for me to redeem for some of my favorite activities like "Movie Night", "A 15-Minute Massage", and "A Day of House-Planning".
I was sure that that was it, my Mother's Day gifts were over. (And I was very grateful for what I'd received.) But MM had another gift on it's way. The snail mail out here in West Texas isn't the fastest, but it did finally arrive on Wednesday and he gave it to me then. I'm a huge fan of Dave Ramsey and tend to check out everything he recommends. He promoted this book on his website and MM ended up ordering it for me. I can't wait to get into it, but I'm saving it for our leisurely mornings on vacation.
All in all, it was a wonderful morning. We relaxed, ate a gourmet breakfast of potato, egg, and cheese tacos, and watched some of my favorite shows on TV. By the afternoon our thoughts turned from Mother's Day to staying safe and protecting our home as another crop of range fires sparked up. One of which threatened several homes (all were saved), and forced residents of certain areas to evacuate. We were easily spared by a shift in the wind and quick acting on the part of the firefighters in the area. It was scary, and still is, but we will rely on God to keep us safe. We love our home, but in the end, it's just a house.
These were taken by MM while he was standing by our back door. Scary!
Finally, I'd like to ask that you lift up in prayer all those that have been affected by the fires that have burned over Texas for the past few weeks. At least one human life, unknown amounts of livestock and wildlife, and several houses have been lost. We are praying that some of the rain affecting the Midwest will shift over this way. We'll gladly take it off their hands!!
