Mommy and me

I feel so blessed to not only be a mother now, but to also have the best mother and mother-in-law in the world! I also have wonderful sisters-in-law and friends that are wonderful mothers. I could not have better examples and encouragers! And so in honor of motherhood, here are some of the things I love about being a mommy.

I love...

...looking into the eyes of this precious baby and knowing that he is my son.

...remembering that I was smiling and crying at the same time when I first saw Joshua.

...hearing Joshua talk to himself when he first wakes up.

...seeing him sneeze when I turn on the light in his room...every single time.

...the beautiful sound of laughter when he plays with his daddy.

...those precious little teeth in that sweet smile.

...the tired eyes he gets before bedtime, and the sweet snuggles I get before I put him to bed.

...the fascination he shows for anything belonging to mommy or daddy.

...the way his eyes crinkle up when he smiles at me.

...the fact that he starts to bounce whenever I hold him up in my lap, and is so serious about it!

...the way he makes people smile whenever they see him, whether they are family, friends, or strangers at the store.

...how he flaps his arms and kicks his feet when he is really excited.

...how happy he is when he's bouncing in his jumpster...sheer joy on display.

...that something as simple as banging a plastic spoon on his high chair tray sounds like music to us.

...his soft hair on his soft head and his soft skin...I could hug him all day!

...how adorable he is in his "big boy" outfits and little baby sneakers.

...the fun he has splashing and kicking in the bathtub.

...that he reaches near delirium when he gets to roll around in just his diaper.

...his chubby little belly and legs.

...how calm and serene he gets when I sing to him.

...the funny "Mmmmm!" noise he makes when I'm feeding him a food he really likes.

...how he curls his arm around mine when I'm carrying him on my hip.

...seeing him blow raspberries and get his chin and shirt all wet.

...watching my mom be a grandma...she definitely thinks Joshua hung the moon and stars, and that he'll be winning the Nobel Prize for solving all the world's problems by age 10.

...that Martha calls when she knows my parents are in town, and reminds my mom not to "take all of Joshua's sugar," but leave some for her.

...that I start missing Joshua almost immediately after putting him down for a nap or for bed at night.

I could go on and on...I just love this sweet little miracle and getting to be his mommy. If I can be for him what my own mother has been and is for me, he will be a lucky little boy!

This is Joshua's latest attempt at crawling...it's kind of a pull-kick-drop, over and over, until he gets to what he wants, which is usually the computer, my phone, or anything else electronic that lights up or makes noise. Too cute!