Journey to Parenthood: Happy Mother's Day...To Me!

It's my first Mother's Day! And to celebrate the occasion, I've contemplated what it means to be a Mom.

What does it mean to be a mother?
It's a wonderful feeling like no other.
A feeling of love that swells within
And threatens to devour my Adalyn.

I love her laughs.
I love her blue eyes.
I love to pinch
Her chubbular thighs.

I love to hold her hand
When she eats.
I love to om nom nom
Her little toes and feets.

I love the look of excitement
When she started to crawl.
And when she starts walking
I'll be there if she falls.

I love that she grunts
When she has to poo.
And I love the look on her face
When she sees something new.

I love all the kisses
That are sloppy and wet.
And the way she reaches for the cat
Whom she's trying to pet.

I love the way she talks
When she's in a good mood.
And how her face is a mess
When she eats big girl food.

But mostly I'd love if one day
She, too, became a mother.
And on that day she'd finally know
How much I really love her.

I love you, Mom! And a Happy Mother's Day to me and every other Mom that helped me get here today!

So, the burning question on everyone's mind is "How did I celebrate my first Mother's Day?" Well, today, I'm making kolaches...YUM! They are really good! And fantastic just out of the oven - full of burnination, too! We'll wait til they cool down a bit to eat some more.

And yesterday, we went to the zoo for the first time as a family. Adalyn had such a blast that she's still sleeping from her adventure yesterday! And as Michael and I say, if you didn't wear out the kid having fun, then you're not doing it right.

Let's look at how much fun we've been having in preparation for Mother's Day...

Adalyn practices for the Cirque Dad Soleil.

Adalyn prepares for another ride on the Daddymobile.

Adalyn checks for teefers.

Adalyn smiles because she knows how super cute she is!

Adalyn hitches a ride on the Cute Express.

"Oh hai!"

"Oh bye!"

Adalyn keeps it classy by spitting all over the place. PBTHBTHTHTHBBB!

And more spitting...

Let's look at the many faces of Adalyn...

The why-yes-I'm-really-sitting-up-all-by-myself face

This face is so silly, I don't even know where to begin.

Tiny mouth face

The Essence of Zoolander face. Do you see how her cheeks cast their own shadow?

Bored smirk face

Here's Adalyn having fun with Daddy...

Adalyn helps Daddy win a video game...or lose, I'm not really sure.

And here's Adalyn sleeping...

Her favorite sleeping position is smooshed up against the side of the crib. Here she adds some flair by throwing an arm over the bumper.

Finally, some zoo pictures!

"It's a rough life when you're this cute..."

Adalyn is blinded by the flamingo's beauty and grace.

"So if I weigh the same as a duck..." (A Monty Python reference for the normal people out there.)

Recipe for an outrageously adorable baby: 1 part hat, 1 part sunglasses, 2 parts cheek, 1 part tiny mouth. Sprinkle in a serious expression and shake well.

Adalyn looks like someone took a Royal Wedding attendee and skooshed them down to baby size.

In order to get through the horde of Adalyn's adoring fans and actually enjoy the zoo, Mom turns the outrageousness down from 11 and removes Adalyn's sunglasses.