All Hail Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day! It's the first Mother's Day in which I'm actually a mom (aside from last year when I first became a dog mama but I suppose that doesn't count unless you ask my dog and he may beg to differ). We're spending today relaxing and eating first-of-the-season strawberries, and the Baby Overlord was kind enough to grace me with a 2.5 hour nap. Which is why I get to blog! And watch HGTV! And stare off into space a little! All in all, the most wondrous gift.

I don't think there will be much structure to this post. Maybe more of a stream-of-consciousness thing since I'm not sure when the baby will wake up. But early this morning when I was playing with my little Aimee Rose and watching her smile, I just tried to soak all of it in---her little feet, her sweet coos, her plump fist wrapped around my finger---instead of focusing on the dirty dishes in the sink and the enormous word count I must tackle for my new book.

Live in the here and now. Breathe it all in. 'Cause it's all going to go so fast, isn't it?

And I couldn't help but think about my sister-in-law Aimee, my own baby's namesake. Aimee only had three and a half years with her daughter Rowan before she was killed in December 2011. The time the two of them had was so short ... so fleeting ... although Aimee made every second of it count. She was the very best mom I knew, patient and loving and oh so fun. I hope I can be half as good as a mom as she was. If I could manage just that, I'd consider myself a successful parent.

Well, the Baby Overlord is awake and demanding attention! I know today is Mother's Day, and I'm supposed to be off drinking mimosas and brunching or something; but I think I'll save all of that for another day. Right now I'm going to snuggle my little Overlord and hug her close even if she fusses and cries.

Losing my sister-in-law taught me that every day is indeed precious. So today, on my very first Mother's Day, I'm going to make each minute count.