Cherished Moments

Last weekend during LDS General Conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk directed to young mothers. He talked about the importance of finding the cherished moments that motherhood brings, amid the turmoil of everyday life raising a family. This week I have truly discovered what he meant.

Layla became very ill on Friday evening, and when she still wasn't keeping liquids down seven hours later, we took her to the ER at about 1:30 am on Saturday morning. She had come down with rotavirus and was extremely ill through the weekend and the beginning of this week. I was vomited on more times than I care to remember, have changed approximately 754 messy diapers in one week, and every time she wants to eat it is a constant battle about what she can and cannot have right now.

But every morning since Sunday, when she wakes up, she asks to come in bed with me, and she curls up on my chest and asks me to sing her a song or rub her back. One of her tiny hands will find its way up to my neck and gently stroke my hair or skin and she will stay there for at least a half hour, not sleeping but not moving, like there's no place in the world she'd rather be. These have been some of the most cherished moments of motherhood thus far.

Starting my day this way makes everything easier. When I get frustrated, I remember how it felt to have no care in the world but my baby girl snuggled against my chest asking me to sing the Dixie Chicks for the seventh time, and my burdens truly get lighter.

This experience has also made me grateful for my own mother. I am almost 30 years old, but I still want my mom when I'm not feeling well, and I'm sure it's because I too have held on to cherished moments like these from my youth, when my mother put on hold her obligations and held me when I needed it most. Thanks Mom.