Mommy & Me Gingham Jumpsuits + What I Wish I Could Have Told Myself The Night I Found Out I was Going To Be A Mom
Hi friends and happy Friday! We are just two days away from Mother’s Day, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to finally share a styling of these oh-so fun mommy and me gingham jumpsuits. I cannot express just how much I love these! They’re currently 40% off, as well, which was just another reason to share.
But as I was sorting through the photos for this post, my heart felt so full, certainly beyond my love for our jumpsuits haha. It felt so full considering the fact that these photos captured mine and Madeline’s relationship so well, I feel. So with that, I decided to take this post in a different direction.
I started thinking about how this will be my fourth Mother’s Day…wow! Time has certainly flown by. I will never forget my first. She was just about five weeks old, and I dedicated her to the Lord on that first Mother’s Day, which was so special! I also received my “Madeline Ring” as my first Mother’s Day gift (the special pink ring I wear on my left hand), which holds such a special meaning for me. And I couldn’t help but think what an absolute blessing it has been to be Madeline’s mom and how grateful I am to be raising this precious girl. She truly believed that saved me. So, in this post, I decided that I want to share a little more. I am going to share a message that I wish I could have told myself the night I found out I was pregnant with Madeline. If you are a young mom reading, I hope it is an encouragement to you.
Of course I will never ever forget the night I found out I was pregnant with Madeline. I was 21 years old, at the time, and of course in quite a disbelief with what was going on. And I’m not going to lie, I was scared out of my mind! And as ashamed as I am to admit, it was for more selfish reasons than I anything. How would MY life change, what would I need to do differently, would I still be still be able to do this, that, or the other, what will people think about ME. All of these thoughts were going through my head. And after a few months, the realization that yes, I was going to be a single mom truly began to sink in.
And again, I’m ashamed to admit that it was a few months before I realized some of the most important things. Even though my love for the baby girl I was carrying was so very great, it wasn’t until I was about four months pregnant that I began to see my need for a complete change in my life. I knew that I had not been living the way I should. I knew that I needed the Lord in my life more than ever before. I knew that I needed to let go of the past and focus on my life in that very present moment, trusting the Lord for the very step I was on. I realized that I could not be the very best mom to Madeline if I didn’t have Jesus holding my hand every step of the way, falling fully dependent on Him. I began to memorize scripture, truly felt my relationship growing with Him, meditating on His word, and began to see my entire outlook on being a young, single mom change. Suddenly, the focus on me turned to a focus on her. Yes, I was still scared, worried, fearful of what was going to happen…but I had a sincere feeling of peace that I know came directly from my Heavenly Father. I knew I needed Him to be the mama Madeline needed.
I think it is so important that we learn to trust God through the very present situation, no matter what season of life we are in. We may ask questions, we may not understand why the things going on have gone into play, we may wonder if we will make it through, we may say how could anything good every possibly come from this. But when we make it down the path, continuing to hold our Heavenly Father’s hand, we can look back and say “Wow, Lord, now I see what you were doing and goodness am I ever so grateful.” Trust me, no, I don’t have it all figured out, yes, I still ask questions, yes, I still worry, especially as a single mom, but after seeing what the Lord has done for both me and Madeline thus far, I without a doubt know everything will work out perfectly in His perfect plan. I have seen His hand of blessings and trust wholeheartedly that He is “able to do exceedingly. abundantly above all we could ever ask or think.” I see that through His grace and mercy, that I am so unworthy of, that His love is strong and ever so present. He is painting a beautiful picture for your life that He will “carry it on to completion, until he day of Christ Jesus.” Trust. In. Him.
Trust me, I am not one to say “I wish I could go back and…” because I am a firm believer in moving forward, never letting your past haunt you and pressing on in the love of Christ. But I do wish that I could go back to that night I found out I was pregnant, just to tell myself some things. I wish I could go back and tell myself that the joys ahead, being Madeline’s mom, are going to be the greatest joys I could ever imagined. I wish I could go back and tell myself that everything is going to be just fine. I wish I could have seen that, in all honesty, God giving me Madeline was was going to truly save me from the downward spiral my life was going in. And that through her, my relationship with the Lord was going to see me through. I wish I could have told myself to focus on my the Lord; He was all I needed. I wish I could have told myself that the life lessons this precious girl is going to teach me will make me a better person, not only for her, but also to teach me how to change my life and live. I wish I could have told myself that the joy Madeline will bring me will outweigh any amount of fear, confusion, and feeling of being alone, etc. that would come to play. And most importantly, I wish right then and there, I had known that being Madeline’s mama would be the greatest joy I have ever experienced…100% absolute pure joy! I am amazed daily at the life lessons she teaches me, and I truly do not know what I would do without her. She is my life and I would do anything in the world for her.
And through the values I teach her everyday, she is in turn teaching me, as I mentioned. Becoming a mama taught me the importance of these things. And through teaching them to Madeline, I am ever so grateful for the reminders Madeline sends me each day. A few to name are kindness, gratitude, humbleness, truth, a servant’s heart, obedience, and more. I want her to know that she is to always be kind to others, because a little bit of kindness can go such a long way. You never know what others may be going through, and a simply smile or hug could brighten their day! I want her to know that she is to always be grateful and give thanks for all of our many blessings. When I see others giving thanks, I in turn think on all the things I have to give thanks for. Gratefulness can be so powerful! I want her to have a humble heart, being able to admit when she does wrong, ask for forgiveness and grow from her mistakes. I believe from humbleness comes self-growth. I want her to not only speak truth, but learn to find the truth for herself when others “pretend” to know the truth. Through this, it has been such a valuable lesson to ignore the lies and rumors others can make up about you. And instead of playing into what they say, pray for them as their lives seem to be in a dark spot when feeling the need to talk about others in such a way. I want her to know to always be ready to help others, finding out ways she can serve others, by having a servant’s heart. I want her to know how to be obedient and respectful of others. And also on this, as she grows up, I want her to understand her self-worth, know she is precious in God’s eyes, and understand she deserves respect as well. These are just a handful of the values I am teaching her, but she is teaching me at the same time.
I also cannot end this post without mentioning my Mama. I have been blessed with such an amazing Mama of my own. She has been my best friend through and through. My best memories in life are the ones I have made with my mama and now make with Madeline and my mama. She has been such an encouragement to me and has truly taught me everything I know about being a mom. She is brave, strong, confident, as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She speaks truth, demands self-respect and knows how to stand up for herself. She is loving, caring, and always ready to offer encouragement and pray for others. She’s the absolute best Mimi, and Madeline and I are just so very grateful for her.
Me: Gingham Jumpsuit (40% off with code LOVEMOM) // Pink Sandals //
Being Madeline’s mama has been the greatest joy I have ever experienced. I pray daily that the Lord would give me the strength I need to be the best mom I can be to her. To be with every decision I make for her. And to continue to show me that as long as I commit my life as a mom to Him, I can do it.
Thank you, Lord, for making me Madeline’s mama. Thank you for showing me the greatest love imaginable through giving her to me. Thank you, Lord, for changing me to be a better person through her and for her. Thank you, Lord, that though you, I can do all things as you strengthen me.
As we are about to celebrate Mother’s Day, I felt this would be a good opportunity to share some of these thoughts with y’all. I truly hope this could be an encouragement to other moms. Whether you are already a mom or a mom-to-be, I hope this touched you. And if you are a single mom or a single-mom-to-be, I want you to know that you can do it!! Trust in the Lord, and He will see you through every step of the way.
Happy Mother’s Day to each and every mama!
Delightfully Yours,
