Motherhood miracle: It is time for celebrating the moments, of your happiness, your baby, and your newly extended family. From small, nearly unnoticed ones to the ones that are more visible or remembered. So many of us are chasing life’s moments that sometimes we leave behind what is really important. Some of us might be missing ideas: what to celebrate, how to prepare, trying to manage it all.
I am not asking you to join me on any journey. Instead: stop for a moment. Don’t worry if you aren’t a parent, you might be a great aunt or uncle, or simply a great friend. Simply, pause for a moment because your presence is needed. It is time to celebrate.
MOTHERHOOD MIRACLE
I have started the ‘motherhood miracle’ posts series with an article from a few months ago. It talked about Motherhood Miracle: Growing Together. What has changed since then? My motherhood’s ‘length of service’ 🙂 expended. New experiences are accumulated day by day. So are new emotions, situations and moments. One is the same: love, care and amazement: motherhood is a real miracle. Uppermost in all the possible magic.
Sometimes when you pick up your child, you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck.
This is the most extraordinary thing about MOTHERHOOD —
Finding the piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.
CELEBRATING THE MOMENTS
The motherhood journey is a magical, yet very demanding, phase of life. The motherly or paternal feeling might be there inside us for a while. It all starts already with pregnancy, so do the special moments. Pregnancy confirmation, first ultrasound, heartbeat, kick… If you missed my previous post Pregnant and Fit: My Story and a Short Well-Being Kit, don’t worry: it is there.
The joy of motherhood comes in moments. Make each one count.
And a long-waited moment: when a baby is born. It is also the moment of a mother’s birth and a person’s rebirth. In this post I want us to focus on the celebrations from this moment in time. Just remember, both motherhood, its style, and approach towards it is very individual. There is no better or worse.
CELEBRATing you, first!
Mother-hood. It is all about mothers (or fathers, of course) first! So often, especially with expanding families, we tend to forget about ourselves or keep ourselves as a low priority. Do reverse, start with yourself so that you can share your joy and special moments with others too – especially your children.
Your Motherhood Celebration Ideas
- Baby shower party. Start celebrations just before your delivery date with a great baby shower party. It is an ideal opportunity to meet your best friends and enjoy some girls’ time together. Important: don’t plan it too late, as it might get too late. 😉
- Take a photoshoot. Photoshoots are a perfect memory. Be it during pregnancy, during a photoshoot in a hospital or maybe already at home. And although most of the photoshoots after delivery focus on the baby, don’t forget to be a smiling model yourself.
- Plant a tree. That’s an excellent way to recognize the new beginning and the “growth phase” in life.
- Write a journal. Diary or memories. There are many unforgettable moments yet the details or the actual emotions might get forgotten with time. Keep a note of them, lasting memory.
- Enjoy a spa treatment. It might be a bit overwhelming but in fact, the initial weeks/months after delivery are calmer as the baby sleeps a lot. Why not enjoy a quick massage or other spa treatment? If you think it is too early, give yourself a spa treatment at home.
- Create a recipe book. You can start a recipe book already during pregnancy and then use the initial months when the baby sleeps more. How to celebrate motherhood with a recipe book? Make a collection of the best recipes of your mom and maybe also her mom.
- Cherish your me-time. Celebrate a bit every day and don’t forget about yourself and your own time. Check my previous post: ‘Me Time: Spend Time with Yourself’ and emerge yourself in some time dedicated just to yourself.
- Gift time! There is a very beautiful tradition in Poland (and maybe other countries in the world). Mothers receive a gift (from the husband!) for giving birth – celebrating motherhood. Remember also: each birthday of your baby is also your birthday as a mother. 🙂
CELEBRATing SPECIAL DAYS
There are a lot of festivals each year. And they often take a special place in our hearts, especially when celebrated for the first time. Be it the first birthday, first: Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Eid, Thanksgiving, New Year. The list of special occasions will be different as each family follows its own set of festivals including special traditions or customs to recognize these days. But how to involve small children in it and make it even more unique?
SPECIAL DAYS – SIMPLE IDEAS
- Involve your little ones. No matter the age. Make them feel that they are part of the celebration. Make them sit by the same table, decorate their seat or plate. If younger: let them experience new things by playing with them (e.g. Christmas ornaments). And if older: they can be of great help!
- Decorate and do it together. Unless it is a surprise, try to decorate together. It might be as simple as few balloons or maybe a bigger setup, depending on the occasion and your individual style. Children love playing with all that isn’t an actual toy.
- Do it yourself. Sometimes it is convenient and easier to buy ready-made things. However, they might be a double joy in doing things on our own. Bake a cake, handmake a gift or maybe make a kids’ party outfit. You might get an extra hug for it!
- Be creative. Dedicate a bit of time in advance, if possible. Think about what your little ones would appreciate. Again, also here the age isn’t a major factor. You might know that your 1 year old makes the sound of the cat all the time. Or a bigger one loves to sing. So maybe for the next birthday order a customized cake? Smiling cat or microphone?
- Let celebrate. Do not worry too much that your little one is too small to experience new things and have fun. Of course, it needs to be a safe environment. But nothing major will happen if few balloons will burst. We had even crashed Christmas tree this year and it was fun.
- Memorize. Your little one might be too small to remember many occasions in the initial years. So try to store a few memories and keepsakes for them. Take pictures, make a note in your diary or baby book about first festivals. Keep memories alive. In few years you will smile together remembering those.
Birthday summary cards
CELEBRATing MILESTONES
It is often said that only with babies it is visible how time flies. Or, on the other hand, how fast babies grow. Both statements are absolutely true. So stop for a moment and capture babies’ milestones. Especially the first year seems to be filled with them. In the next years, they are plentiful too. Which ones to celebrate or capture? It is an individual’s preference and choice.
I rejoice in appreciating both smaller and bigger milestones and making these moments special. For Our Little One in the first year I did a small celebration each month: a quick photoshoot at home, always something creative – and always with a homemade card: month number written in 3 languages: English, Polish and Hindi. I knew that I would not be able to buy such cards so I kept on preparing them on my own.
Then the days of the first roll on the tummy, first solid food, first sit up, support stand, first time calling me “mama”, first walk… so many beautiful and unique moments. And don’t forget about older children. Our Bigger Angel continues to give us smiles: another tooth out, first bread baked on her own, another karate belt, first sleepover at friends. Appreciate, no matter if small or big. These moments won’t be back.
Milestones – ideas
Searching for ideas on how to memorize special milestones? In the initial months, you can use printed milestone cards, blankets, boards or blocks, especially when planning to take photos. There are also many pre-printed books to capture the best memories from the baby’s first year. Of course, a normal diary can be an amazing idea too. And then there are plenty of other options that can be a great memory at any age: handprint and footprint makers, tooth keepsake boxes or personalized memory treasure boxes. Unlimited ideas! Below are some links to products, you can explore many more on the web.
Baby Handprint and Footprint Maker Kit
Personalized Memory Treasure Box
CELEBRAting SIMPLE MOMENTS
There are many special moments in our life every day. It isn’t necessary to wait for special occasions, milestone moments or any other significant reason to celebrate. Have fun each day and appreciate the small moments of joy.
The greatest moments in life are the simplest.
Buy flowers when you feel like bringing a bit of spring to your home. Enjoy your favorite drink, fruit, snack or dessert after a busy or maybe slow day. Take a picture of your child, maybe with a funny hairstyle, cute smile or different sleeping pose. Those moments are the best. When they are small and simple. They can give the biggest joy.
What do you love to celebrate? Do you prepare something especially made by you or maybe have some ideas that you could add to this list? Share! Sharing is caring.
Moments that matter, no matter the celebration.
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