Mother's Day Blogs

To Celebrate Mother's Day, I've decided to post about the Mother's in my life each day from now until Sunday. I think it will be fun, feel free to join me if you like! And now you're wondering why there's a picture of Matt at the beginning of this post...

Well, the first Mother's Day post will be about Matt, or me. I'm not exactly sure. You see, there are no mothers without fathers. Matt gave me the gift of motherhood. He loved me, married me, and gave me four beautiful children. Some men might think that was where their responsibility ended, but not Matt. He worked his head off in dental school so he could be a good provider for our family. We kind of thought the stress and sacrifice would end at graduation, but it hasn't. He is up early each day to get to work in a neighboring town. He works hard, always trying to please his patients, boss, and assistants. He works hard so that I don't have to work. So that I can be the Mom we want our children to have. After work, he drives the commute home only to find a house full of noise and chaos. I'm sure he would rather be playing golf or at the gym or just checking his email, but that's not what he does. It's dinnertime and there are kids to be fed and dishes to be done and baths to be given and stories to be told. He leads us in family prayer and tucks the kids in (atleast 10 times before they are actually in bed). Then he comes downstairs to find me feeding the baby and straightening up for the night. On a good day, he does get a minute to check his email and read over some nerdy dental stuff before heading off to bed. On a bad day, he gets to spend the next hour or so entertaining his needy wife, holding the baby or trying to convince me that I will survive the fatigue and frustration that accompanies early motherhood. He is a rock.

When I can't do it anymore, he is there to pick up the slack. The other night, after venting about how exhausted and overwhelmed I felt, Matt offered to get up with the baby in the night so I could sleep. "No! You have to be a dentist in the morning! The least I can do is wake up with the baby in the night!" I changed my mind around 6am the next morning. "Remember when you said you'd get up with the baby?" He didn't complain or groan, he just grabbed the baby and cuddled her to him. When that failed to appease her, Matt was up. He fed her, changed her and took her quietly into the bathroom with him while he showered and got ready for the day. I tried to sleep, but I was too busy enjoying what a sweet husband I have!

And so, at this Mother's Day season, I am not grateful only for my mothers and the mothers in my life. I am also grateful for the man who made me a mother. He gave me my children, my lifestyle and the sanity to do what I do. He helps, supports and protects. He provides and leads. What kind of Mother could I be without him?