Happy mother’s day to all the great moms out there! Now that I am finally a mom, I see all of you as people to learn from. We have learned so much as parents from what we’ve watched you amazing ladies do in the world. There are so many extraordinary moms out there: friends, family, siblings, nurses – it’s just incredible to know that each of you has found your own parenting path, and that you give so much each day for your kids. We get it – we’d do anything for Tess, and we’ve only been parents for 2 months. A really heartfelt hug to each and every one of you for the support you’ve given us on top of taking care of your own families. All of you are role models, and will always be part of today’s memories.

Happy Day 60 to us! 8 weeks – wow. We’ve hit our stride, and other than the stupid cold we’re doing fine. Watching Tess mature the last week or so has been amazing – like watching the Hulk. She’s growing in leaps and bounds, and we love it! We’ve been warned that week 35 is brain week, so we’re adjusting our expectations slightly downward as we expect her to sleep a lot (more) this week than last. As if today, she’s predictably sleeping through half her feeding. It’s kind of cool that they can tell you what’s happening inside your kid. 🙂

Tess is down to half a liter of oxygen, which is huge because she could go home on that level! If she keeps it together on breathing, she’s only got eating and eyes left before she can go home – assuming she can pass the car seat test. One day at a time, but inexorable progress.

Dave gave me ‘kitchen jewelry’ for Mother’s day – a beautiful chef’s knife. Unexpected, but I’ll smile every time I pick it up. He knows me well. Mother’s day wishes came from all over the place, and I realized that even though I can’t see Tess today, it doesn’t matter. I’m her mom; I love her dearly, and I’ll be with her for many more Mother’s days. That glowing pride from being her mom doesn’t change because I can’t be with her in person. I’m just taking care of her in a different way.

I’m reveling in the joy of her today – of having her in our lives. I marvel at how lucky we are that Kat and Spencer chose us to raise this amazing and beautiful little girl. Tess is so blessed to have Kat as her birth mom, and that’s part of today too. Technically, Birth Mother’s day was yesterday, but I’m only celebrating today because Kat gave us the greatest gift in the world: parenthood. The nurses tell us that a lot of Tess’ progress is due to our presence and interaction with her, but the other side of that coin is the care and love showered upon her when she was still in the womb. Together, all of us care for her, love her, and give her the best of ourselves. And that, my friends, is what being a mom is all about.

— Dave’s update —

4 pounds 8 ounces! An she is over 19 inches long! A veritable giant in her own right, Tess has decided that Dad is boring and the sound of my voice seems to lull her to sleep mid-meal! (Nah, it’s actually “Brain week” as Maggey said)

Happy Mother’s Day!