My Journey To Motherhood + Tender Mother’s Day Gifts

Happy Sunday, sweet friends!!! It’s sunny and gorgeous outside! I love this time of year, in between spring and summer. We’re soaking up the longer days outside and the kids are giddy as all get out to jump in their pool! Bring on the early summer days!

It’s Mother’s Day in a few short weeks!! What a great reminder to step back and feel extra gratitude and love for the mother’s in my life. This holiday also helps me feel more abundance in the efforts I put into this calling I love so dearly. My husband usually asks me if there’s anything extra he can do to make this a more special day and I always request a yummy dinner and less housework for the day. But if your cute hubby is looking for gift ideas then Rellery Jewelry is the perfect shop to send his way! Use code JANENE10 for $10 off any order! (Expires on Mother’s Day).

I shared a few of their pieces on my Instagram stories and SO many of y’all were dying like I was over the Handwriting Bracelet. It’s the most special bracelet I now own, hands down. My husband wrote a few words down on paper, took a  snapshot, emailed it to Rellery. They engraved his exact handwritten-message on to a rose gold-filled bracelet. It reads “love everything you are <3 Aaron”. Another gift idea would be to have your children write their name and have that sweet childlike note made on to a bracelet or necklace. This would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for grandma! Email that to handwriting@rellery.com to get the writing onto the bar. Options are endless! There’s nothing like saving the sweet penmanship from your husband or children..

I paired the Handwriting Bracelet with their Large Circle Bracelet in 14k rose gold-filled for the perfect, dainty combination. This sweet bracelet puts the O in XOXO.

I created this lil’ blog 1 year ago sharing bits and pieces of my life, my struggles, my highs & my lows. My friends who know me well will tell you I’m not a very private person when it comes to admitting my personal weakness and my journey to simply becoming a better human. I honestly LOVE hearing of other’s struggles and the lessons they’re learning along the way. I think most of us women have a deep desire to evolve, right?? I started a family blog way back in early 2009. I blogged my favorite recipes, DIY projects, and all of my intimate details in becoming a family of 3. Every few months I’ll read a those blog posts and reminisce about my life as a newlywed and the childless vacations we freely enjoyed. Ohhhh, how care-free we were, right? But then, like this morning, I’ll read my past blog posts where being childless was also a deep source of  heartache. I included bits and pieces of my journey through infertility. I journaled SO much of that experience. Time was chalked full of tests. What did come with time were sacred lessons to be learned, and miracles that I’d see. 

Could I just bare my soul to you and share a portion from my journal? I tearfully wrote this after I had filled out an application through a service to begin the adoption process. It was also the night before another appointment for testing at our fertility specialist’s office. I wrote this section the evening before we found out that I was actually 6 weeks pregnant:

“Truth be told, my infertility is not about me. Personally. And sometimes, okay, A LOT of the times I’ll console myself with a reality check. Dear Janene, You are a good woman. You love your husband and family. Heavenly father knew that you could handle this trial. He CHOSE you! It is hard. You can do hard things. Sometimes when you feel your blood boil and you want to scream at the top of your lungs, “Its NOT FAIR!” Its ok. Because it’s not fair. Life is not fair. And that is what makes it all so beautiful! You are right, it would be far easier to have a body that works…ovulating and cyst free! But yours does not. And even though you are learning and growing so much because of it, sometimes the pain feels like it might suffocate you. But your infertility is not about you. It is not an attack of your character. It is not a punishment or something you have done. And it is not because you are incapable of being a great mother to many. You are not broken on accident. Heavenly Father did not skip over you because you were undeserving. You were not forgotten. Instead, he chose you out of the crowd, and precisely changed you to be the person you are. I believe He took you aside, put His arm around you, and with tears streaming down His very own face, knowing it would break your heart, asked if you could carry this burden. He promised you would never be alone. And He would bless you along the way! But, He would need to make you differently. Not to break you. But, to create miracles for your eyes to see. Every day! You may feel broken…and forgotten… in your divine right of motherhood. But you were made from scratch! Everything you have been given, has been given by God. So, cry until your soul hurts. Because it is hard. But don’t ever feel broken.” 

It’s easy to forget the emotions I have felt because of their intensity. I keep re-reading that entry and my heart is pricked in the most personal way as I remember that He was my continual, solid hope. Before pregnancy, I read a short story called “Faith and Infertility.” It was a tender article and I fell in love with an experience a woman shared. She recalls a Sunday School lesson on the important message about faith—one she’s clung to ever since. He said, “When someone has an ailment or an illness and they are healed as the result of a blessing, their faith is being strengthened. But for those who aren’t healed but continue faithful, their faith is being perfected. The first is a faith-promoting experience. The second is faith-perfecting.” I’m SO thankful for a short-lived experience that required me to appreciate the gift of motherhood.

 

I LOVE the sweet simplicity of the Custom Initial Disk Necklace. I had 1 initial engraved on each pendant for my 4 little loves. The fantastic part of choosing this piece from the website was being able to type in the initial, choose my favorite font & alignment and preview my choice! I thought I wanted one of their fonts but after I typed in my preferences I realized I actually liked a different font better! I went with the 14k rose gold-filled necklace, it’s darling!

I’m obsessed with these Modern Medium Hoop Earrings!!!! They’re the perfect size and, of course, 14k rose gold-filled. I have a feeling these will become a classic staple to my accessories.

 

 

You GUYS!!!! It was SO much fun watching these 3 kiddos open up their surprise gift! I had Rellery’s Small Personalized Name Ring created for each them and they undeniably adore the rings that have their name engraved on them. They think it’s so cool to have a bar ring with their special name. I had it sized to fit their biggest finger so that it’ll still fit them years down the road. After they’ve grown out of the rings, I’ll slip them on to a necklace for this sappy mama to reminisce their tiny fingers.