A while ago, my brother and his fiancé offered to host mothers' day at their new house. So I suggested to Brian that he offer to take his mom out for mothers' day brunch. And I probably hinted that he could plan something for me the day before actual mothers' day ;)
It sounds dumb but I wanted this mother's day to surpass last year's. Last year we learned you can't go out to eat without reservations... unless you go to Red Robin. Hartley woke up as soon as we got there, and I remember praying for her to not cry. Of course she wailed, so I wolfed down a chicken finger, chugged my margarita, and we left speedily. I remember feeling like the worst mother ever because I could not get my baby to stop crying. I remember saying to Brian, "people call this a holiday?!"
This year I just wanted there to be no tears - from Hartley or myself.
Well, there were tears alright - but they were happy ones.
Our weekend plans were to see the Avengers movie on Friday night, my Mother's Day would be Saturday, and Sunday we would spend with our mothers.
Brian came home from work early on Friday so I could "get ready for our date". That should've tipped me off but I thought that maybe Brian could tell I was really tired lately, and he wanted to give me a little extra me time. My mom called while I was getting ready, and I told her even though I had no desire to see the Avengers, I was so happy to be getting out of the house for a break.
My dad came over to baby sit, and Hartley lit up as she always goes nuts when she sees my dad. I was feeling like it was a win win for all.
When we were in the car, Brian passed the exit for the movie theatre so I told him he just missed it. He told me he'd turn around but could I grab him a tissue out of the glove compartment. So I opened it and out fell a couple envelopes.
I opened the first one, and this is what it said:
"If all has gone according to plan, I just 'accidentally' passed the exit for the Alamo Drafthouse. Did you really think I'd drag you to Avengers on Mother's Day weekend? Ok... I can see why you'd think that but alas - we are going to spend the night at Lansdowne!! Your parents are in on it, so don't worry about Hartley! You are an amazing mother, wife, friend and woman. I'm so grateful for all you do, and I'm constantly in awe of you. So let's have a fun, relaxing night because lord knows you deserve it. I love you."
Cue the pregnant lady tears.
In 8.5 years, Brian has never pulled off a surprise. It's cute, he usually gets excited about gifts and spills the beans before he even gives them. But this was such an incredible surprise, and it was perfect.
The second envelope was a gift certificate to the nail place down the street. I told him all I wanted for Mother's Day was a pedicure - he listened but got me one for a manicure and pedicure. Most thoughtful gift ever for a pregnant mom who can hardly reach her own toes.
When we arrived, he surprised me with various little treats including chocolate covered strawberries (which I obviously 'cheated' and ate a couple) and a framed picture of Hartley and I.
Obviously, at 15 months in, I'm still new to motherhood. I love it but somedays it's a little hard that the person I care for 24/7 can't say, "thank you". She can't say, "I love you". So sometimes I feel like all the things I do aren't really noticed. So when my husband stops to recognize and show me how grateful he is, it definitely tugs on the old heart strings.
We went out to dinner, and I even ordered a mocktail. We talked about non kid things. It was so nice. No high chair. No food chopping. No crayon throwing. No mess. Just two parents kicking back enjoying food and each other's company!
In the morning, we ordered room service and enjoyed breakfast in bed. Then we went for a walk around the resort and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I actually got to SIP my coffee. Not guzzle it or play keep away from Hartley! Sip!!
When we returned, Hartley even seemed happy to see me. She reached out her arms when she saw me for a hug. I never get that because I very rarely leave her. That felt like the cherry on top.
Brian also cooked me a special dinner of crab legs on Saturday and gave me the most beautiful hot pink roses (my absolute favorite).
It was total perfection.
Sorry that this sounds like a total wife brag. But if you'd lived the couple weeks in our house leading up to Mother's Day, you'd understand just exactly how much this meant to me.
I saw a funny buzzfeed pie chart floating around of "What Mothers Really Want For Mother's Day". Well, Buzzfeed, my husband is pretty hip to what this mama wanted. He hit it out of the park!
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