Celebrating Mother’s Day

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This Mother’s Day will be my first as a mom, and  I will spend the day with Little Miss in my arms.  Since we will be traveling to Thailand this coming weekend to meet her and bring her home, I have been reflecting a lot about becoming a mom.  Everything I have learned and know is from my amazing mother.  Our bond is so strong, and as I have gotten older, our bond has gotten even stronger. I know as I am about to embark on the journey of motherhood, we will now have being mothers in common, too.

 

 

 (We took this photo when we were bicycling in France last summer.)

There is also another special mother in my life, and I don’t even know her yet.  When Yankee and I started this adoption journey, I knew I would really miss out on many of the firsts with our child – her first giggle, her first step, her first word.  Since I wasn’t there in the early months as her mother, Little Miss has had a special foster mother take on that role.  Although we are still strangers, that lady and I have a special bond in that we both have deep feelings for this adorable little girl.   Knowing this lady has been my daughter’s foster mother from very early on in her life makes her such a special and unselfish person.  She has known all along that she would one day have to hand her foster daughter over to us. That is such an unselfish act that I will always appreciate. Both of these women hold a very special place in my heart and they, along with all the mothers out there, are worth celebrating.

 

 

 (This is Mom and I visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in February.)

While we are in Thailand, I will have the opportunity to meet Little Miss’s foster mother and visit the home where she and Little Miss have been living.  I have a list of questions to ask so that she can fill in the blanks.  I want to know what was her first word, when did she start walking, what does she like to eat, what doesn’t she like, etc.  Our adoption agency asked us to take a very small gift to show our appreciation. This has been a struggle, because I would love to buy her the world.  Lots of other adoptive families say framed pictures are something that the foster mothers really respond to because it is special, and they can hold onto that picture. So, we will give her a framed photo.  Since this is the first year my mother is going to be a grandmother, I know a framed picture of her granddaughter would be a sweet and meaningful gift for her, too.   I decided to give her a framed photo of the two of us, and she can switch it out for Little Miss’s picture later.  I wanted to add some color to the mat to spiff the gift up a little.  In case this is something you would like to do, I am happy to show you how.

 

 

To customize a mat for the gift, I first started with a mat that will fit the frame and some pretty paper.  I also had spray adhesive and a glue stick on hand.

 

The paper was larger than the mat, so I cut it down to only have a small border that I eventually will wrap over the mat.

 

 

Next, I cut out a window for the inner part of the mat. Once this step was finished, I flipped the mat back over, added some spray adhesive or glue stick, and put glue on the front of the mat and pressed down on the paper.

 

 

When the front of the mat was glued down, I used an exacto knife (scissors will work), and cut a slit at each corner on the inside.

 

 

Then I cut off the excess at the corners.

 

 

I used spray adhesive (or glue stick) and coated the back side of the mat.

 

 

This part is so easy. Since I had already made the cuts, I just folded back each side and pressed down to secure to the glue and mat.

 

 

Once it was folded over the inner, I did the same with the outer pieces and folded and secured them down one by one.

 

 

I flipped it over and had a custom mat for the photo.  Now, for Mother’s Day I always buy a card and wrap up the gift nicely.  I went to Walmart the other day, and they had a great American Greetings Card section in the greeting cards section of Walmart.  I bought some cards and colorful wrapping supplies.

 

 

I was impressed with the huge selection of bags and tissue paper.  It will be easy for me to take the wrapping paper, cards, and tissue paper in my luggage, and when we arrive, I will wrap the foster mother’s gift.  I am seeing my mom this week, and I can give her Mother’s Day gift to her then.

 

 

I always have loved a good card, and always spend way too long reading all the cards.   I found the perfect ones for the moms in my life.

 

 

I enjoy writing a personal note in my cards, but one will need to be translated for us.

 

 

In just a few weeks, this photo will be switched out for one of Little Miss.  Mom also loves chocolate, so I included some sweets I know she likes.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.

 

 

I guess my mom now knows one of her gifts this year. For other great Mother’s Day inspiration, be sure to check this out.

 

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Cheers!