I wasn’t ready to be a mother (then again, are we ever?). I was an 18 year old chemistry major whose biggest concern was passing the next set of tests. Then, two little pink lines turned into two little heartbeats that changed my life.

“What’s the best part of being a mom?” my husband asked as he wrangled a wiggling, screaming toddler into pajamas and I bathed a wiggling, giggling toddler. (is it just our boys, or do all toddlers wiggle nonstop?)

“oh. um, I dunno, probably baby giggles. or baby snuggles. or when a teary-eyed boy toddles over to me for comfort.” I replied.

And I realized, being a mom is all the little moments, isn’t it?

The first time your newborn looks up at you and smiles with milk dribbling down his chin.

Feeling little hands reach through the back of the chair to tug on my shirt (when I thought I finally had a moment to get something done), and looking down to begging eyes and sweet hands holding up a book.

The triumphant smile when he finally takes his first step.

Hilarious reactions to the first taste of lemon.

When they toddle up to you and wrap their little arms as far around your legs as they can.

The chubby fistful of weeds and leaves that sure feels like it’s worth a million bouquets of roses.

Picking them up out of their crib and feeling their legs instinctively wrap tightly around your torso and their hands find a place to grip your shirt.

The open-mouthed, slobbery, full of love kisses.

That mischievous glint in their eyes as they splash in the bathtub and see how much water they can get OUTSIDE the tub.

I often sarcastically tell my husband, “Parenthood is so glamorous, isn’t it?” when we have just changed the eighteenth poopy diaper of the day or, worse, the diaper was OFF when they pooped. I’ll admit, it may not be glamorous, but it sure is wonderful.

We have the beautiful, precious privilege of washing dishes, cooking dinner, folding laundry, changing diapers, making car sound effects as we push them around the yard “again, again!” in their Cozy Coupe. And it is so hard and we almost never feel appreciated enough, until this one special day when the kids do a craft and we feel loved and fulfilled. . .and then we fall right back into normalcy.

There are so many women out there on Mother’s Day who are wishing they could finally fulfill their dream of becoming a mom, or mourning a miscarriage, or weeping over children lost too soon. I pray these women find peace instead of sorrow on this day. I hope we can all come together and celebrate all the mothers in our lives who shared all these little moments with us, whether it be our own mamas, our mother-in-laws, our aunts, our grandmothers, our friends with children, or ourselves.

Because life isn’t made of Mother’s Days. It is crafted on a daily basis by baby giggles, tentative first steps, and all those other magnificent little moments.