Blessings and Responsibilities of Motherhood

I have forgotten how cool it is to look down and see a big "bum" bump in my belly, making it lopsided...

Last night our baby girl was moving around like crazy. She kicked me in the stomach pretty hard and it made me nauseous! Just when I was about to complain to Cesar, she started punching or running on my side and it totally tickled. I laughed out loud, it was so funny! I decided to lay down, thinking she might calm down, but once she felt the couch underneath her she wanted to stand up or something! She just kept pushing off the couch!

It's really the coolest thing ever to know there is a little spirit inside of me, growing and developing her own personality, likes and dislikes, her own unique look, and her own place in our family. The family dynamic of four will be much different than three, for sure, and I am so excited to see what this little spirit will bring into our home and our lives. She is so different from Rosie already! It is truly an amazing gift we have as women to bring our Heavenly Father's children into the world, and last night I felt so humbled by the thought. The gift we have as women is so miraculous! President Hinckley said this about women: "He who is our Eternal Father has blessed you with miraculous powers of mind and body. He never intended that you should be less than the crowning glory of His creations." Isn't that amazing?! What a tremendous blessing Heavenly Father has given us as women. Having a baby in my belly is so COOL!

Every time I think of a huge blessing in my life, I am reminded that "where much is given, much is required." We are SO blessed to be able to bring spirits into this world, and no one can doubt the greatness of this gift. With that gift, we are also given the responsibility to raise those spirits to the best of our ability. I often see the requirement to serve on my part should be as great as the blessing I've been given, and there is no blessing more great than to be a mother. President Hinckley said this: "I believe that it should be the blessing of every child to be born into a home where that child is welcomed, nurtured, loved, and blessed with parents, a father and a mother, who live with loyalty to one another and to their children... I hope that you mothers will realize that when all is said and done, you have no more compelling responsibility, nor any laden with greater rewards, than the nurture you give your children in an environment of security, peace, companionship, love and motivation to grow and do well." This is like the perfect outline of what we really need to be focused on as mothers! These are the priorities of TODAY, not tomorrow. I have written before that sometimes it is hard to put my to-do list down and just live in the moment. It's still hard for me today! But knowing that NOTHING is as important as my responsibility to nurture and love my children, it turns my heart away from a "perfectly ran household" to making sure my little Rosie and my tummy gymnast know they are loved and safe.

I have another quote that I loved from President Hinckley. These are all from the same talk called Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World from General Conference in 1995. I strongly recommend you all read this! It's the talk where the "Proclamation to the World" was introduced. He says, "Regardless of your circumstances, walk with faith. Rear your children in light and truth. Teach them to pray while they are young. Read to them from the scriptures even though they may not understand all that you read. Teach them to pay their tithes and offerings on the first money they ever receive. Let this practice become a habit in their lives. Teach your sons to honor womanhood. Teach your daughters to walk in virtue. Accept responsiblity in the Church, and trust in the Lord to make you equal to any call you may receive. Your example will set a pattern for your children. Reach out in love to those in distress and need." More great counsel for guidance as mothers. :)

I think the most comforting message was at the end of the talk. President Hinckley really knows how to give us the feeling of Hope. He said: "May the Lord bless you, my beloved sisters. You are the guardians of the hearth. You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God. May you be strengthened for the challenges of the day. May you be endowed with wisdom beyond your own in dealing with the problems you constantly face. May your prayers and your pleadings be answered with blessings upon your heads and upon the heads of your loved ones." After reading this, I realized that as we dedicate ourselves to being mothers because we have been blessed to bring them into the world, we are given more blessings, requiring us to give more! It's like this continually moving upward spiral! I recently admitted to some of my sisters at a girl's night that one of my biggest fears is not being "good enough," whether it's for my kids, my husband, my family, or my Heavenly Father. I love this quote because it gives me the gusto to go and do! I AM capable of being a good mother, because of the help the Lord is giving me. The more I try, the more blessed I am, making me more capable to try harder. It's that continual upward spiral of the gospel.

Being a mother is the best, isn't it?