For All You Love

Note: I am participating in a compensated Johnson & Johnson campaign with The Motherhood.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. The kids (even baby E) have already started bringing home handmade cards and trinkets, and the boys are so proud of what they’ve made. Of course, with the holiday approaching I’ve been thinking about my role as a mother, and how much love I have for each of the kids. Before having C, I wondered how you could love more than one child as fiercely as you do your first. It’s an amazing thing how your love spreads, and how you love them each equally despite how different they can be from one another.

Johnson & Johnson just launched their “For All You Love” campaign, which celebrates the selfless and unconditional caring of caregivers, including moms, and all the ways they care for those they love, and I thought I’d write a little about that today.

I think about how much I love my kids every single day – I seriously get that warm, “my heart’s about to burst with love” feeling on a regular basis, because I’m absolutely in awe that I have been blessed with these three wonderful little people. Don’t get me wrong, they can drive me nuts, too… but at the end of the day, when I’m lying in bed, it’s the happiness of the day that I think about. And when 5:00 is nearing each week day, it’s the thought of their little faces that makes me realize the best part of the day is about to arrive.

As a mom, I’ve done things I never thought I would be strong enough to do. I’ve never handled the sight of blood well – my mom told me the story of her stubbing her toe when I was just a toddler, and the sight of her toe bleeding caused me to throw up. That’s been a running theme throughout my life – I can’t even handle watching people donate blood. Yet when J cut his chin open at a friend’s house, and there was blood everywhere, I wasn’t fazed one bit. His comfort and well-being were all I could think about. He was scared, and my focus was making him feel secure. I think it was that moment, three years in to being a parent, that I really understood how much power there is in my love for my children.

Of course, I wouldn’t be doing justice if I didn’t share a little about each of the kids – they each have their own distinct personalities and little things we love about them.

J, our 5-year-old, is our firstborn. He is hilarious, and he lights up when he realizes he’s making people laugh. His latest schtick is quoting his favorite TV shows and movies – gestures, intonations and all – and we can’t help but crack up. He is also fiercely protective of his younger siblings, yelling at C to stay away from the street without holding my hand, or running to give E her pacifier if she’s crying.

C just turned 4. He’s our sensitive soul, so we have to be a little bit gentler with him. He loves to be a helper, running ahead to beat J at opening the door for us, and he is snuggly. At night if I’m laying on the floor in their room, he is the one that wants to reach out and hold hands.

E is 8 months old and her personality is still expanding more and more each day. She wakes up in the morning smiling and blowing raspberries. She grins and squeals and babbles all the time, but she can still have very serious expressions that remind me a lot of her daddy. She is a perfect completion to our family.

What have you done for someone you love? How have you seen someone else show their love for you? Love can be seen in the grand gestures, of course, but it’s in the small, day-to-day moments that it builds and builds, shaping us into who we are.

 

As a part of Johnson & Johnson’s “For All You Love” campaign, recognizing their commitment to the health and well-being of moms and kids worldwide, J&J is also planning to donate $25K this Mother’s Day to Save the Children®: http://www.savethechildren.org

Oh, and I adore this spot J&J put together:

Speaking of love, be sure and spread the love this Mother’s Day – and help support a great cause, too! In celebration of Mother’s Day this year, JOHNSON’S Baby has established JOHNSON’S Baby CARES Care Cards, a digital e-card platform encouraging moms to share positive messages of encouragement with other moms across the country, while simultaneously supporting Save the Children.

Simply pick and share a card filled with messages of reassurance for a Mom in your life on Facebook at http://www.johnsonsbabycares.com. For every card sent, shared or liked, JOHNSON’S Baby will donate $1.00 to Save the Children (up to $150,000) to benefit early childhood education programs that foster education and reassurance for new moms. These cards will not only spread encouragement to Moms throughout the country but will also provide Moms in need with the skills and knowledge to successfully support their child’s growth.

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone. May this weekend, and beyond, be filled with love.