A Very Special Mother's Day

As a child, I remember Mother's Day as a pleasant little holiday designed to remind us to appreciate all that our mothers do for us each and every day. We gave gifts, my dad made lunch for my mom, and both my sister and I tried to be especially well behaved for the day.The only difference is Romanians actually celebrate Mother's day on March 8th.

And then I grew up--went off to college, met the love of my life and eventually started a family of my own. Becoming a mother changed my life like no other experience before or after. I experienced an attachment to my baby that was stronger than any I could have imagined. I often think of that bond in terms of what I refer to as the "bus phenomenon."

The moment Maile was born I knew that I would step in front of a bus, without a moment's hesitation, to save her. I also knew that I would willingly, if not always easily, make other sacrifices for her. For the rest of my life I would worry about her happiness and welfare and would be devastated if anything ever happened to her. Not surprisingly, I am equally attached to and as fiercely protective of my second child, my sweet little Audrey. Most mothers I know--regardless of profession, stage of life, marital status, social status, cultural background or age--feel exactly the same way about their kids. We are biologically and psychologically wired to defend and love our children.

Becoming a mother is by far the best thing that's ever happened to me. Hard to believe, I only became a mother less than 4 years ago but I certainly can't remember a life before my lil girls. They are a constant reminder of everything that is good and pure in this world and every day I thank God for giving me this gift.

To say that I have been "spoiled" today is definitely an understatement. The girls came into my bedroom with hugs,kisses, and gifts. Maile had made a cute card at school ( Audrey ended up delivering it) and also a flower pot that she painted herself. They were absolutely adorable. Now the card itself, is a chuckle. If you read the inside of it, those were apparently Maile's answers.

According to her preschool teacher, Maile wants my name to be Amelia, and not Iulia and she thinks I am 34 years old. Well, I have news for you young lady. I reserve the right to still call myself a 20 something...at least for another half a year or so...but you certainly put a smile on my face with that answer.=)
And as I came downstairs this morning, right after Eric had fed the girls their breakfast, I found this...
and I thought..."What in the world??" I remember mentioning to Eric a while ago that I would love to have a red set of luggage,not just because I loved the color but also,because I thought it'd make it easier to spot at the airport and with our trip to Romania getting closer and closer...well....he made my dream come true once again. At first I thought: "Oohh, that's beautiful"...I gave them all huggs and kisses and thought that was it. But oh no......

Besides,whoever said that great things come in small packages?? Well, you were wrong because as it turns out inside this suitcase was another suitcase, and inside that one, there was this:

I know, I know...it probably makes no sense to most of you but these are actually utensils that I had been looking for ever since I had watched Julia Child's cooking show on a dvd that Eric gave me for Christmas last year. I thought they were fun, and colorful and they just reminded me of her, the great Julia Child for whom I have so much respect. I dunno how he does it, but he always manages to pull the biggest surprises on me.

Now, a couple of days ago I had gently "suggested" to Eric that I would like a "Mom" necklace type thing for Mother's Day,something with a heart...again one of those pieces of jewelery that I could wear with anything ( since I am not really one to change jewelery every day), one that would be meaningful to me. Well, of course when I saw the big suitcase, I thought surely that was it...but again, was I wrong??

Inside the smallest suitcase, I found this little box:

And inside this one there was...this:

Yes, this was my "Mom" necklace, that I absolutely did not expect, certainly not after having received all the other gifts...

Yes, to say that I have been "spoiled" today is clearly an understatement. The card that Eric had given me said: "You are the flower in our lives, that makes us happy every time we see you". A beautiful flower indeed, with 3 diamonds on it, 3 petals, one for every single love in my life.

Eric and the girls, then took me out for breakfast, and we had a great time. I feel so blessed, so fortunate to have a husband that I absolutely adore and 2 little girls that brighten my life in so many ways.

This was not just a special Mother's day...it was yet another reminder of how much I have to be grateful for.

Happy Mother's day to all you special mommies out there, who give so much to their children each and every single day.