Mother's Day Weekend

When I woke up this past Friday morning, Richie asked me if I wanted to go out to the beach.  My answer was immediately yes!  Richie's family has a house out on long island and my favorite times to go are before and after the height of the season.  It is so peaceful to be out there before the crowds make their way out for summer.

We make it a habit to hit up the farm stand on the way out for some local, organic produce.  We always take Sophie (our 6 year old Shih Tzu) for a walk on the beach.  I cook a dinner, sometimes light a fire, try to make my way to a yoga class, hit some tennis balls (to the best of my ability as I'm pretty out of practice), and take a dip in the hot tub.

The whole thing is beyond relaxing...it's healing.

It was an amazing way to start our Mother's Day weekend.  Richie took me to Babette's for a special, vegan brunch on Saturday that was uberyummy and we met some friends to see some live music and have some drinks the evening.  We had a great time which was well needed.

Unfortunately, Mother's Day itself was a whole nother experience.  While we were so happy to be able to see some of both families, it was a very long day of trucking around and Avital did not get a nap (the beginning of the end...).

It was one of those days where I needed to pull patience from the depths of my capabilities.  Avital is going through a strong Daddy phase (which can be wonderful at times, like bath time for instance) and when she is tired or cranky, only he will do.

I am grateful that they have such a strong bond.  It is so special to see how seamlessly they fit together in their routine.  It is the best part of what makes up our family.

That said, it is difficult not to get upset (on a day like Mother's Day) when I just cannot make her happy.  I believe it truly tests my ability to be patient and selfless (the core of being a mom, right?!?).  I do my best to kill it with kisses and kindness, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make me a little sad in the moment.

Most of the time it is love on top of love with Avital, but some of the time it is so so hard not only to figure out what she wants and needs, but to provide her with that.  The day ended with Richie parking the car and bringing up our bags while I did night time with Avi.  It was a bit of a struggle to pull her away from Richie when we got out of the car, but by the time we changed diapers, turned out the light, and got into a solid rock in her chair, she melted into my arms and fell into a deep sleep with her tiny little hand gripping the back of my neck.

It is undoubtedly days like these that make me stronger and better, so in the end I can only appreciate them and file them away as good ones that lend me character and depth.  Oh and tomorrow's always a new day!