Well it’s almost here…my first Mother’s Day! Obviously this day has special meaning to me this year since Little T joined our family. Last year around this time I shared the news of my pregnancy; I still can’t believe how much life has changed in a year!

{My First Mother’s Day}

Behind the Perfect Photo

As a blogger you get used to “putting yourself out there” with photos and blog posts. I love the above photo of me hugging Little T captured by Stephanie Webster at a photo shoot a few months ago. What you aren’t seeing is the overtired, crying baby that I’m cradling and rocking to soothe and calm down. Instagram is full of perfectly captured moments, and I remember as a brand new mom scrolling through those beautiful mom and baby photos wondering what I was doing wrong. The newborn stage with T was not an easy one for me. As you may know, he was born 5 weeks early and he was a very needy baby with a mom who didn’t have a clue what she was doing! At the time it was difficult to look forward to celebrating my first mother’s day.

A Change In Perspective

This is the first mother’s day where I TRULY understand what it means to be a mother. Every year before, I appreciated my mother, grandmothers and mother-in-law; but it never really “clicked” with me how much they’ve actually given to their children. This year I went from being a daughter to the mother of little T, and in doing so my perspective and relationship with my own mother has deepened.

Needing Each Other

As much as little T needs me to be his mom, I need him too! I know it’s cliché when parents say they can’t imagine life without their kids, but it’s true! I can definitely remember what life was like before, but now that we are so dependent on each other it’s hard to think about being without him. When he was first born we did a lot of hugging and skin-to-skin which I believe helped us to create the strong bond we have today. Although he’s quite squirmy these days, I cherish those quiet moments where we lay with each other just cuddling.

Moments With My Mom

My mom has always been affectionate with me and I’m so grateful that I can show that same affection towards T. Even now, I can remember falling asleep on my mom’s chest while we were on a beach vacation and her stroking my head as I fell asleep. With such busy lives it can easy to forget to really be present in those moments. I’m completely guilty of checking my phone while nursing T; I think most moms these days do it! He’s growing so quickly which both makes me proud and scared at the same time. Lately, when he’s in my arms I try to memorize how he looks, feels and smells so I can cherish this time as much as possible.

Moments With Grandma

I’m so thankful that on my first mother’s day T has both his grandmothers and even 2 great-grandmothers to celebrate with! I know he’s too young to remember but I plan on capturing as many of these moments as possible so that he can look back and see how much love there was for him. My mother has been a source of unbelievable support in raising T. I feel thankful that I have my mom around and that she is healthy enough to spend quality time with us. She went through many struggles of her own, and because of her love and sacrifices for me I am also able to be the best mom I can be to T.

Plans For My First Mother’s Day

To me, mother’s day isn’t about the gifts – we’re not really a huge gift giving family anyway! For my first mothers day, if the weather cooperates, a simple picnic in the park would be ideal! But the most important thing to me would be spending REAL quality time with little T and his grandmothers. Putting the phone down (except to snap some photos 😉 ), eating together, chatting together and creating special memories for T is how I would love to spend the day.

My Hopes For Future Mother’s Days

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was already hugging T as much as I could. If you’re an expectant mom you’ll probably understand what I mean! I used to think it was strange seeing pregnant women touching their bellies all the time; but it’s about connecting with your baby even before they are born. I’ve mentioned before how I wish I had a hug plan when T was born – but since he was quite early I didn’t have a chance to prepare. I’d highly recommend having a hug plan for skin-to-skin contact with your newborn in place. It’s an extension of the birth plan which so many moms-to-be put a lot of thought into. It’s important to think about those first moments right after your baby is born too!

Hugging and showing affection for those I love is really important to me. I hope to pass that on to T by continuing to share in as many hugging moments as possible. I know the day will come when he won’t want his mom to hug him anymore; but I also hope that there will be a day when will be the one to turn around and want to hug me. So for future mother’s days I will continue to ask for all the hugs I can get!

How did you celebrate your first mother’s day?

This post was sponsored by Huggies® Canada and inspired by the #NoBabyUnhugged program. As always, all reviews and opinions are my own.