My daughter inspired me to write this post this morning. We were snuggled together on an inclined La-Z-Boy. While she nursed, she gently combed her tiny fingers through my wet hair. Her sweeping eyelashes lowered to examine the bundle of dark curliness in her palm.

The sun crept in from the leafy window next to us, and I felt at complete peace.

I was struck by how wonderful small moments like these were… those minutes that seem to go in slow motion, and that stick with you forever.

I began thinking that motherhood is filled with amazing flashes like this, and how grateful I was to be able to experience them. While I pondered about the best moments of being a mother, three distinct images came to mind:

1. Seeing your baby for the first time.

   Birth. When my son was born, the room was suddenly bursting with people–nurses, doctors, pediatricians, students (who knows?–it felt like 30 people poured into that room in 30 seconds). Everything was spinning.

   I had an oxygen mask on, my legs held up by my husband and sisters, and all together too much excitement. In my memory, the craziness stopped at the moment of seeing him. He was whitish-grey from a cord around the neck, tiny, and searching with huge, frightened eyes.

   Then those eyes met mine. It only lasted a few seconds before he was whisked away, but those seconds are frozen in my mind. All the love in the world flooded my being and poured onto him. He was mine. Part of me. Forever.

   Meeting my daughter was an incredibly different experience, although in the same hospital in the same hall. Her entrance to the world was witnessed only by her mother, father, a nurse, and a midwife.

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   It was a quiet, peaceful, powerful moment (well, quiet meaning only I and she made noise!). There had been meconium in the water, so hearing her first cry brought a rush of relief to her welcomers.

   I held her and pressed her to my skin. The first thing I uttered was, “Beautiful.” That sweet face looking up into my eyes will never leave me. We were entranced with each other.

   

   They didn’t take her from me for over ten minutes, and quickly returned her to me. My husband and I then stared at her for a full hour without interruption. We were smitten.

   No matter how the birth happens, that first time laying eyes on your baby is pure magic.

2. The gift of breastfeeding.

   Everyone talks about how breastfeeding is the best gift you can give your baby. I honestly feel that this ability is a gift for me. Being able to create milk for my infant to thrive on gives me security in myself as a woman, joining the long line of breastfeeding mothers since the beginning of mammals.

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   I enter into this ancient tradition every few hours, and each time, I am flooded with loving hormones and positive energy for my baby. Being able to feed my child like this gives me pride, health, love, and comfort. Images like that of this morning occur time and time again, and nature intended it to be just so. How wonderful.

3. Rocking them to sleep.

   It is hard not to compare your sleeping baby to an angel. Their cherub-resemblance is unfathomable! With those sweet eyelids closed, it is easy to forget any ill-manneredness they exhibited an hour earlier.

   Even better, the moment they rest their head in weariness against your chest is all too precious. My daughter knows it’s nap/bed time when I hold her in my swaying arms, humming Silent Night.

   Being the sweetheart that she is, she instantly bends her head and lets her eyelids drop, “humming” as well. It is hard to put her down once she is dreaming against me… I wish I could hold her through her naps, like I could with my first.

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   My son–almost three years old–still insists on pulling my shirt down and pressing his ear to my heart every time he falls asleep. I know this stage won’t last long, so I try to remember to cherish these days.

These moments are the best of the best for me so far, raising my young ones. I know there are more to come, and that eases the ache of watching them grow.

If you could pick a few favorite times of your life as a mother, what would they be?

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The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) ranks Atenas as one of “The Best Places to Retire Abroad.” For more information about homes and land for sale in the area please telephone our Recommended Realtors in Atenas Dennis Easters and Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras on (506) 8854-7721 or contact him using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.