Mothers & Fathers & Mothers of Mothers

Today is bittersweet. My mommy went home after a much-too-short 2 week visit that was glorious but passed much too quickly. I miss her and find myself welling up in tears periodically throughout the day. But we shall carry on. It's easy to think I cannot possibly survive without her here. But I'm sure she felt the same way when her own mother left after visiting when my brother was born. She texted me after she landed that she was subconsciously rocking while waiting for her luggage; holding a baby for a long time leaves its mark!

Today is John's 1st Father's Day. I could not ask for a more wonderful husband or a more loving father for my baby. I can't wait (no wait...I can...grow slowly, little one...we want to savor every moment) until she's a little older and he can take her out on bike rides and adventures, just the two of them.
We have been pretty laid back today. Mom went to the airport at 4am so we caught up on our sleep after she left and then I made lattes and scones for John. I also surprised him with this Hokie baby! Needless to say, he was very pleased.
Penelope is proving to have an addictive personality; she began to smile BIG while my mom was here (we call her Nai Nai) and is becoming more and more alert and interactive every day. With mom's help, I was able to catch up on my rest quite a bit and am figuring out P's schedule the best that I can; it's slowly making more and more sense.
So what now? Trying to wrap my head around going back to normal life. But then I remember I hadn't quite gotten there before mom's visit. So it's just a continuation of the journey...this time with a little more sleep in my stash and some veteran mom secrets under my belt. Now...God grant me the courage needed to move forward without mommy here to help me.

Photo: Meself