My 4th Anniversary of Becoming a Mom

Tomorrow my baby turns 4. I remember when I was pregnant with him I had a book "Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul" and I took  a lot of things from that book the following I never forgot:

To preface, the story is about mom's celebrating the anniversary of when they became a mom (basically the birth day of their oldest child).

"The anniversary of becoming a mother is one of the few life-changing moments that is rarely heralded. And whether our child is born to us or adopted, motherhood is a choice that permanently alters the way we view ourselves and our universe. It is the moment when we make a commitment to truly care for another human being.  This vow goes beyond words or ceremony: this vow is etched in our cells and knitted into our hearts."

4 years ago tomorrow I went in for an induction, I went through approximately 10 hrs of fairly painless labor, pushed for 30 mins and held my first baby for the first time.. He cried for a few seconds and they handed him to me, as I laid him on my chest, snuggled him in my arms and patted him gently on his booty, through my tears I said "Hi baby, I'm your mommy, Happy Birthday" He stopped crying and looked at me with the most pure love and comfort in his eyes. Ill never forget that moment for the rest of my life. The day I finally became a mommy. 4 years later Ive made some mistakes but I have a funny, empathetic, compassionate, smart, intuitive, creative, imaginative, ball of energy that makes me laugh everyday. Happy Birthday Baby Bear! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you could ever know. And Happy Anniversary to me, J, and all  the parents out there that celebrate the day they were blessed with their babies one way or another. <3 

Photo credit: Diego Rivera "Motherhood"