One year ago today, I was a brand new Mommy- a Mommy celebrating Mother's Day with a baby that was just 9 days old. As I reflect over the past year, I cannot believe all of the memorable milestones that have passed - first coos, first smiles, rolling over, eating cereal from a spoon, sitting up,
crawling, first words, first teeth... no walking yet, though:) God has blessed me and my family with a wonderful year. We have had so many special moments together as we watched our daughter's precious personality emerge.
This Mother's Day I have felt feelings that I have never before felt... I feel a strong appreciation for the patience and gentle care my mom has given me my entire life. Living self-lessly every day for Amelia has taught me more about love than I have ever comprehended before. And I look at my mom now and realize that she has loved me in this fashion for 28 years. From the depth of my soul, I thank you for loving me, Mom.
This year has also been memorable in that my mom's mother, Grandma, went home to be with the Lord almost 2 months ago. She was sick for a long time and not quite herself for several years, but I still vividly remember and feel her impression on my life.
Last October, we got to spend some time with Grandma, and Grandma and Amelia (5 months old) met each other for the first time. I remember Grandma holding Amelia for a few short moments and she was stroking her little feet with her aged soft hands... Since we rarely saw Grandma and only occasionally see my mom, we decided that we needed to document this gathering of 4 generations. My aunt took one of us sitting. Then I took this photo of our hands. I am so thankful that we did this, as now there are only three sets of hands still living.
I would like to share a few things about the women behind these hands:
Grandma
loved pink- all shades, especially BRIGHT pink ; a GREAT cook - her biscuits and gravy and pecan pies are mouth-watering delicious!; a fruitful gardener who wore a flappy garden hat; a believer in Chrsit; she called flowers "FLARES"; goofy - she always made the funniest faces when she was confused or frustrated; Very resourceful and creative- she sewed clothes for her children, made toys for her grandchildren; hard of hearing - spent a lot of time saying "What?!" or "Mandy, I can't understand what you are saying"; helped Grandpa with the farm when she was a young mother; played dolls with my mom when mom was a young girl'; was only allowed to spend a little money every month (Grandpa had her on a STRINGENT budget!; she always secretly called me to her room and gave me a little spending money before I went back home; used to rub my feet and my legs when I was a young girl; used to take me to the park and city pool in the heat of the summer
Mom
soft spoken; meek; a believer in Christ; very intellectual-especially with numbers and math; has an incredible eye for color; an OUTSTANDING seamstress- she began making her own clothing in the 5th grade; made my prom dresses and wedding gown; loves to be at home; loves order and cleanliness; loves aqua, pink, spring green, and light yellow; met my dad the first day of college;makes lists for everything; has the memory of an elephant; used to keep a daily diary up until a few years ago; plays the piano and the organ; dependable - always on time - remembers and keeps her word; loves the show "Dancing with the Stars"; doesn't like to read; very level-headed and logical when giving advice; spent hours on the phone with me (when Amelia was an infant )listening to me fret or boast; the most LOYAL friend a person could have; innocent; loves meatloaf, home made fried chicken, vanilla ice-cream, plain yogurt; not a huge fan of dessert; was a Momma's girl
Me
I am a lover of music, especially singing and harmony; have a romantic, feminine style; a believer in Christ; laugh ALL of the time; very talkative; former French and English high school teacher; cat person; pretty paper collector; used to be a good athlete (basketball); enjoy fellowship with older women in my family; love blogging and photography; have an obsession for travel; love my church family
Amelia
speaks her own language of which I only understand a handful of words!; has beautiful BLUE eyes (my husband and I are brown-eyed); mellow baby; loves chicken, strawberries, and cinnamon/raisin bagels; not a huge fan of cow's milk or a sippy cup:); sucks her thumb when she's hungry or tired; loves to say "Wow" and "kitty kitty"; a sweetheart; loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders; has a rolling laugh; loves to flip through baby books and point at images;has hair the color of golden wheat fields;
a Daddy's girl