Happy Mother's Day

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." -Lin Yutang

Oh how right that quote is!  As a mother of one (who knows maybe more in the future) I know there is no greater feeling than feeling the first kicks and all the flutters as the baby grows inside you, and nothing better than holding that little gift in your arms for the first time, then you get all the ups and downs of parenthood as you're spit up on, peed on, laughed at, and loved.  You get to form this little baby into a person and as they grow you'll always wonder where the time went.  My daughter is now 3 and I look at her and wonder when she became a little person with her own personality.  She's full of life and love.

Motherhood starts when you first find out you're going to be a mom, which maybe a surprise, or an answer to your prayers.  You may be scared, excited, or more than likely both.  We've all been there!  To all you first time moms, don't be scared you will figure it out, and use your family and friends as they will help you whenever you need.
When is your baby due?  Most babies arrive in August and September while April is the month of the fewest births.




CONGRATS! to all of you moms to be!  There is nothing as magical as having a life form inside you.

"I loved you before I knew you"

A few fun facts out of Uncle John's Mom's Bathtub Reader:
*In 2000 there were 75million moms in the US!!
*By the time that little bundle of joy is going pee and poo in the potty they will go through an average of 10,000 diapers!!! (why do you think we're so happy when they make that big leap? LOL)

For all the men who might be viewing this I came across this quote and found it very fitting:

"You have this myth you're sharing the birth experience.  Unless you're passing a bowling ball, I don't think so." -Robin Williams

A waiting game, but worth every second.

May you have a happy and safe delivery to a healthy baby.
If you're hoping for a natural birth it is totally possible, read some books and be inspired (I'll attach a list of the ones I read - I had my daughter completely naturally and wouldn't have done it any different)

I came across this short story and thought I'd share it:
"One of the women...halted at a little run about a mile behind us...I inquired of Cameahwait the cause of her detention, and was informed by him in an unconcerned manner that she had halted to bring forth a child and would soon overtake us; in about an hour the woman arrived with her newborn babe and passed us on her way to camp apparently as well as she ever was." -The Journals of Lewis and Clark

My cousin and her beautiful baby in 2010

"so a doctor says to a new mother: 'You look exhausted! It appears that you're not getting enough sleep.  If the baby starts to cry in the middle of the might, who gets up?'  She says, 'the whole neighborhood'."


All of you moms know how true that is, if you're still pregnant have no worries because your neighborhood knows what it's like and they all understand.  


With that we say Happy Mother's day to all the women in our lives that help us moms be the best moms we can be.  To our sisters, aunts, friends, and neighbors.

"A little child born yesterday
A thing on mother's milk and kisses fed."
-Homer, "Hymn to Hermes"

How sweet and precious they are at this age when all they need is milk, kisses, and love.  (and of course clean diapers)  As we hold a child this small we know that there is purity, and security in the world, we want to shield them from all harm and put all our hopes and dreams in them.

Tired of her son's misbehavior, a mom takes the guilt trip route and says, "Every time you act up, I get another gray hair."  Without missing a beat, the son replies, "Then you must have been worse than me when you were young.  Just look at Grandma!"

My aunt who is now a proud grandma of two

Happy Mother's day to all of the Grandmas!  A mother's love is special but a grandma's love is even sweeter, mixed with the knowledge of motherhood, and the surrender to passing time, and the joy of having it all again and passing on family traditions.

Let's face it moms, we can't do the job of a Grandma, no one else will spoil your kids as much or have a bigger smile on their face when you show up unexpected with the kids.  No one else will jump for joy when asked to babysit for the day, and when the world is moving too fast for us to remember to slow down and take time to enjoy the small moments or teach our children how to make Easter candy from scratch Grandmas are there.

No matter how old we are we will always want our mom

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."- Washington Irving.

Don't forget Mom's worth.  A mother is priceless, but she works hard 365 days and only gets recognized for it one day a year.  salary.com figured out that a stay at home mom should earn over $100,000 a year for all the job titles she has as mom.

Many moms work and still do all the work of a stay at home mom (God bless you all I can hardly keep up on house work while I work at home).  

Happy Mother's Day mom!  I hope you all earn that $100,000 this year and that you get to take a break and go on an exotic vacation.

My best friend
and as a kid she was my second mom
on her wedding day with my daughter
and her husband.

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.  All I am I owe to my mother.  I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education i received from her." -George Washington

In a child's eye there is no one more beautiful than mom, and no one more loving, that beauty and love of the mother doesn't change over the years but only grows, although the child ages and seeks that in other people and items, but no one can love you like the women in your life.















I told you that I'd leave you with some wonderful books for moms and moms to be.  These are all books I've read and loved they all helped me immensely for my past 3 years of motherhood.  I also will leave you with some non LittleDeerPhotography images of me with my daughter:

4 generation of women in my family with the 5th on the way :)

When I was pregnant and wanting to have a natural birth when all the women in my life were saying how hard that would be I found support and inspiration in Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

My Great Grandma when I was pregnant.

Another great book when pregnant is What to Expect when You're Expecting

A great book for all Mom's in our life, and where all the quotes in bold came from is Uncle John's Mom's Bathtub Reader

My family was very lucky to have 5 living generations of women, up until last year when my Grandma passed away.  With that we say Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who have passed on, we hold on to a part of them in all our hearts and pass part of them down for all future generations. 

Here is the 5 generation photo with my Great Grandma (upper left) holding my cousin's daughter,  my  Grandma (upper right), (left to right across the bottom) my aunt (who's sister, my mother, didn't come over for the photo), my cousin, my daughter and myself