Happy Mother's Day to all!

It's 6:15pm and Elisa decided to have a third nap today, so I'm taking advantage of it by catching up on my blogging and reflecting on all that this day means. I thought since Nacho would be traveling this weekend I should attempt to make plans which would keep me from wallowing in my first mother's day alone. As always, my good friend Dan Riley came through and even brought me flowers for our pancake breakfast at home. Since convincing Dan to move to Sunnyside last year, I've reaped many benefits from his friendship and proximity. He's the kind of guy you like to know is around at the drop of a hat.

Here he is teaching Elisa some great recipes from the Amy Sedaris cookbook. Hilarious stuff if you haven't seen that before. We visited the park at Greenpoint and 47th Ave for a few minutes to let Elisa get her swing on, before hitting the Paraguayan bakery for some delicious empanadas.
I should note that in his absence, Nacho did ensure I wouldn't go empty-handed this mother's day. He gave me a very nice (and unexpected) gift certificate to a day spa in Manhattan that came highly recommended from my friend Protima. As Nacho said, when you want luxury, you can trust Protima will steer you right. So, thanks to his initiative and Protima's good taste, I'll have a treat to enjoy in the next few weeks.  Most of all I think I enjoyed this first mother's day because I really feel like I'm beginning to get the balance back in my life that was hard to come by in the first 6 months. Elisa has mastered sleeping and naps and is a very playful and enjoyable baby to be around. And I'm realizing that if you approach the day with new eyes, the same routines and actions can be fun, or at least offer the potential for small moments that you will never forget.
I see more and more of my own reflection in Elisa lately and maybe that's why it's such a joy to see her smile back or clap her hands or just babble softly to herself. It's like watching all that I must have gone through too as a baby and wondering what on earth she'll be like in another year, or three or five. It's such a mystery and yet it propels you forward in time like nothing else. I can't wait to meet her again and again every day.
And of course, I'm also reflecting on this day what it means to be a mother and how the women in my life have informed my own sense of motherhood. I'm extremely grateful to all of them for the wisdom shared and the little encouragements that have meant the world to me. So for all of us on this day, I hope it is filled with lots of hugs and laughter.