My Favorite Mommyhood Moments

For all the stresses mommyhood brings, there are a million and one little moments that make everything worth it. As D moves through each week, I am reminded of all the amazing moments I had as a first-time mama with Miss Paige. And reliving them again through this little man is double the joy. How many of your favorite moments in life do you actually get to relive? All life's best milestones - high school graduation, college, getting engaged, your wedding day - are over in a flash. You wish you could relive the excitement that those times in your life brought, but it's kind of impossible, except for the memories. But one of the many gifts of mommyhood is that you DO get to relive the tiny miracles each day brings as your second baby grows - almost appreciating them even more than the first time around, if that is possible. You recognize their relevance this time, vs. the first time where you were just praying to make it through the day without giving your baby yet ANOTHER reason he will need therapy later in life : ) So here is my list of the tiny moments I am reliving - and hope to remember forever:

• The first time you realize your baby is watching you from across the room. When his eyesight finally matures to a point that he can see past 8-12 inches and his whole world opens up - and the only thing he wants to look at is you... his mama : )

• The first smile, of course. But even more exciting - the first time YOU make your baby smile and coo. When you figure out where they are ticklish, where they like to be kissed, what funny faces they find amusing vs. terrifying.

• Transitioning out of his first set of clothes into a larger size. Heck - even transitioning to the next size diaper is exciting. It means he's growing. No longer a newborn, but an infant who has new needs and wants. It's just the beginning of the amazing growth that happens the first year.

• The first time your baby reaches for something. Either on his play gym, a mobile or a toy his big sister is dangling dangerously close to his face - your baby just turned from a little blob into a moving and grooving little man. Soon he'll move from swatting at a toy to grabbing it in his fists, and then pulling at it, eating it and one day soon, throwing it across the room.

Being a mama really is the most rewarding job in the world. You put in hard work, a ton of effort and love, and you see the results tri-fold. To think just a few weeks ago, you were still dreaming about what they would look like and who they would be, and most importantly, when they would finally make their arrival. And now they are here - being their amazing little selves and leaving joy and awe in their wake. Cheers to being a mama!