L O V E

L O V E... I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day, even when I was dating a great guy and in LOVE.  It's just a stupid, mushy Hallmark holiday when people show their LOVE (when they should be showing their LOVE every day).  What's interesting is that when you are a Mom, you are required to show your LOVE every day regardless of if you are sick, tired, crabby, having a bad day, etc.  It just comes with the territory of parenthood. 

Every day we show our LOVE the minute these little beings wake up in the morning because they need us.  Every morning, no matter how tired I am, I walk into Sidekick's room, and he puts such a smile on my face because he is so happy to see me.  It's like I left him for days.  I pick him up from his crib and always give him a hug and kiss and tell him I LOVE him. The LOVE doesn't stop there.  It continues all day long.  I get him dressed, brush his hair, feed him a good breakfast, and calmly deal with his tantrums/stubbornness... all before we head out the door to start our school/work day, and then the LOVE continues as soon as I pick him up from school.  Every single thing we do for our young children shows LOVE.  They depend on us for everything, and when they suck everything out of us by the end of the day, we feel LOVED when they wrap their little arms around us and give us a sloppy kiss for no reason at all. Even these little beings show LOVE at such an early age.  

 

I LOVE the similar expression on his face one year apart!

 

I've said/written it before, and I'll say/write it again.  I am, and always have been, madly in LOVE with my son.  I never knew LOVE until seconds after he was born.  I was exhausted after being in labor for 23 1/2 hours (and pushing 2 1/2 of those hours), but I was instantly rejuvenated when I saw his sweet face look up at me, his Momma, after he was laid on my chest!  He had this sense of peace as soon as I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his wrinkly forehead.  He had this knowingness as soon as I said hello to him... kind of like he was thinking, "So you are the one I kept hearing for nine months. Awesome!"  I was head over heels in LOVE with this beautiful little baby I made. How could I LOVE someone I didn't even know?  That moment made me see the beauty of life and how precious it really is. 

So, on this Hallmark holiday when I am wrapping up a stressful week that brought me to tears, I am reminded just how lucky I am to have Sidekick in my life. Regardless of how bad my day is, Sidekick can instantly turn it around by his goofiness, when he plops himself in my lap with a book, and when he snuggles with me before I lay him in his crib. LOVE... while I may not have a husband/boyfriend to LOVE, I have a child to LOVE, and I'm blessed and fortunate that I had the opportunity to discover the kind of LOVE I have for Sidekick. It is an indescribable LOVE, and only a parent can truly understand the depths of this kind of LOVE.