Mother's Day Is Just Around the Corner!

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Every year at the beginning of May, you probably start trying to figure out what to get for Mom this year for Mother's Day. Maybe you're a new mom yourself, and you're wondering if anybody will think about YOU this Mother's Day. (If so, be sure to leave this post open in your browser😊.)  This year we have some terrific, creative ideas that any mother or grandmother will treasure forever! Yesterday I featured three unique gift opportunities in my A Nurturing Moment Live Video.

Sweet Impressions Ceramics

The first amazing, unique option is a keepsake hand print or footprint from Sweet Impressions Ceramics. Heather will be here on Saturday, April 8, from 10:30 - 2:00 to help you create a permanent reminder of your child's hand print or footprint. You can even combine both on one piece. You choose exactly what size you want, how you want it personalized, and what color glaze you want on the finished piece. Prices range from about $15-50 depending on size. Your finished ceramic artwork will be here in time for Mother's Day so you can surprise somebody special with it. These make great Father's Day gifts, too!

Classic Silhouttes

Another vintage option is a hand-cut silhouette. Keith Donaldson is a world-renowned Disney silhouette artist. He will be here in our store on Friday, April 28, from 10:30-5:30. In just 3 minutes, he will cut a perfect silhouette of your child using surgical steel scissors. He is even able to get a terrific finished product if your child happens to be wiggly.  I honestly don't know how he does it, but his work is spectacular! The cost is $40 for two silhouettes. Frames are $15 each. When you call to schedule, we do request a $5 deposit which will apply to the price of your silhouettes.

 If you want to schedule either a silhouette or a Sweet Impressions appointment, call 256-489-2590. These appointments to fill up quickly, so call today!

Sweet Face Bracelet

The last unique gift option is a Sweet Face Bracelet. These unusual bracelets incorporate 8 or 9 of your child's photos in a wearable scrapbook that any mother or grandmother would treasure. She doesn't know it (and she doesn't read my blog), but I'm planning on getting one of these for my MIL with her grandchildren's photos. At just $35, this is a great gift to fit almost any budget. To order, just come in and fill out an order form. The artist will get in touch with you to get your photos, and she will get your bracelet made within a week!

Whether you choose a ceramic keepsake, a vintage silhouette, or a one-of-a-kind photo bracelet, make sure to let the women in your life whom you treasure as mothers know how much they mean to you, not just on Mother's Day, but all year long!

The Gift of Motherhood

Sons are a special gift from God!

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
Motherhood is a gift. It takes just a brief moment of intimacy to create a child, then about nine months for that child to develop each finger and toe, eyes, ears and nose, internal organs and hair. From the moment she realizes that her body is cradling a new being, a woman is forever changed. She is no longer just a girl or somebody's wife or daughter. She is a MOTHER with all the hopes and dreams and longings of the universe centered on the tiny baby growing in her womb.

My youngest 2 children, Anna and John Carl fill me with joy.

The one day the miracle that is childbirth brings her face-to-face with the little person she has dreamed of day and night for months. Her newborn knows her voice and gazes at her entranced. As she relishes the feel of satin baby skin she experiences a love unlike anything she has ever known. Knowing that her body is capable of providing baby's sole sustenance for at least 6 months is both empowering and overwhelming. 

It is a gift filled with unexpected surprises like exhaustion, mood swings and aching breasts. There are moments, perhaps, when a new mother might wish for a brief second that maybe she hadn't been given this gift! But those moments are overshadowed by the joy of baby's smile, the contentment of snuggling a baby who has nursed to sleep, and the satisfaction of knowing that she is the only REAL expert on her baby. She is the one who understands his expressions and intuitively knows what he needs before he even has a chance to ask.

My oldest daughter, now a mom herself, is a delight.

It is a gift that keeps on giving. Sometimes it gives frustration when a toddler won't listen. Sometimes it gives hurt when an older child is hateful. Sometimes it gives heartbreak when an adult child makes a bad decision. But it also gives wonderful memories made in the most mundane moments, memories of words adorably mispronounced, of spontaneous expressions of love, and of sweet hugs and kisses. It gives a deep sense of satisfaction as children learn and grow and become amazing people.

Yes, Motherhood IS a gift. For those women whose arms ache to hold a baby and whose eyes are heavy with unshed tears, it is a gift that seems elusive. So if YOU have the amazing privilege of being a mother, enjoy this Mother's Day knowing that the very best gift you could ever receive is the unconditional love of the miracles you brought into this world!

Happy Mama's Day

Mama is an interesting word. It actually comes from Latin and means breast. Isn't it interesting that when we talk about mothers, one of the most familiar words we can use is a word that refers to the way a woman feeds her baby? Ask anybody what qualities a good mother should have, and the word "nurturing" will appear somewhere in the answer. Mothers nurture their children physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Physically 
For nine months a mother's body provides a safe place for baby to grow and develop. She is careful to care for him and nurture the life growing inside of her. As soon as that precious little one is born, she can continue nurturing him by providing the perfect food designed just for him. No formula envisioned or engineered by man can begin to provide the plethora of antibodies, antigens, enzymes, long-chain fatty acids, minerals and proteins that breastmilk contains.

Ideally for the first six months of baby's life, mom's milk will be his only source of nutrition, helping him grow into a chubby, smiling bundle of giggles. For the rest of his first year, his primary soruce of nutrition will still be his mother's milk. Many mothers choose to continue providing the nurture that only a mother can give at her breast well into toddlerhood or beyond.

Emotionally
Nobody can comfort, protect, encourage and edify a child the way that his mother can. Somehow with his head snuggled up against mother's breasts, everything is okay, and the world is a safe place for the time being. When a mother invests time and energy into her child's emotional development, he will have a strong foundation for facing whatever storms may come his way in life. The time you spend today playing with your toddler, reading to your preschooler, doing homework with your child, listening to him tell you about his day, encouraging his dreams and aspirations will pay rich dividends in the future.

Spiritually
Every child has a natural wonder and curiosity about the world around him. Mothers have the incredible privilege of introducing their impressionable children to the spiritual world all around us. Nobody has more of an impact on a young child than his mother. In the Bible, Moses' mother served as his nurse and taught him the rich history of the Jewish people and their God. Once he was weaned, he was brought up in Pharoah's house as a prince. However, he never forgot those lessons he learned at his mother's breast.

So to all mothers I say "Happy Mama's Day."  Keep up the good nurturing!