Treasuring Everyday Joy

In honor of Johnson’t “Treasuring Everyday Joy” campaign, I wanted to share what being a mom means to me and some of my special moments with my precious little one.

When I was little I always loved playing house and pretending to be a mommy, I always dreamed of growing up and becoming a mom and couldn’t wait for my dream to come true. I often worried if I would ever get my chance to be a mom, we put off having a little one when hubby deployed and I was closing in on thirty when the option of having a child was even considered. I still remember the day that pink line showed up…I think I took 15 tests over a two week period just to convince myself lol!

I was so estatic and so nervous all at the same time…we were having a baby! We were going to be parents! and I had no clue what to do lol. I read every book I could, I searched online and chatted with friends, I prepared as best I could but I’ll be honest with you, nothing in the world will ever prepare you for that moment, the very first time you hold your baby. I actually wasn’t able to hold my precious little girl right away. I ended up having a c-section and my blood pressure dropped really low, I remember hubby helping me hold her and the moment I looked at my sweet baby I was in love, it didn’t matter if I had any idea how to swaddle her or knew anything about bottles, I was a mom and my entire world had changed in a split second…and I have cherished every moment since then.

Sure, we’ve had rough times. Times when our tiny little baby proved to have an enormous set of lungs and times when we wore more formula than she actually ate, times when we went days (or was it weeks?) with little sleep. We went through formula problems and even a trip to the hospital, but everything was totally worth it. This adorable little girl completely turned our world upside down and we couldn’t change a second of it.

For me, being a mom means everything. It means 2am bottles and nonstop loads of laundry, it means spit up on my good shirt and poop on the sheets from a diaper that leaked, it means having food thrown at me and listening to screaming tantrums when someone doesn’t get her way, it means picking up all the toys only to have them scattered everywhere within 5 seconds after naptime, it means holding a sick baby when she’s sick and doing everything in my power to make her feel better, it means reading together and putting puzzles together to help my baby learn, it means worrying nonstop and wanting to protect my sweetheart from anything that might hurt her.

I am blessed to be a mother to such a sweet little girl and I have learned to slow down and try to enjoy each day, each moment with her. A few of my favorite moments…the first time I saw her, the first time she laughed, laying in bed napping, watching hubby and my sweet baby together (this little girl had her daddy wrapped around her little finger the moment she was born…he might be a tough guy but he’s a complete softie when it comes to her), watching her experience things for the first time. The night night kisses, the grins and giggles, the little hugs, these are the moments I think about each night as I fall asleep and what brighten up my day, the moments that get me through even the hardest times. I love being a mom and I love my precious little girl so very much! ♥

Currently Johnson’s Baby has a Facebook campaign going on to benefit the March of Dimes.

* With every “promise” (“like”) made at facebook.com/johnsonsbaby, Johnson’s will donate $1 to the March of Dimes.

* Johnson’s will host a series of photo contests on its Facebook page beginning in May. Selected monthly winners will receive one of a variety of prizes and be eligible for the $25,000 Grand Prize, to be announced in January 2012.

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson’s and will be receiving Johnson’s Baby products and a promotional item as a thank you.