“To fall in love you have to take the risk of changing yourself for that person. You have to let go. Let go of who you thought you were before you loved that person.” – Father Richard Rohr 

Sometimes the hardest thing about being a mom isn’t the long days or the sleepless nights.

It’s the love. A love so big and beautiful that it requires terrifying vulnerability. A love not conditional to outside forces; holding up fiercely to projectile vomit and tantrums in aisle 4.

My first love with Maisley was intoxicating, wild, unknown and full of firsts. After the shock of birthing a human had worn off, and within about 10 minutes of holding her on my chest, I felt this extreme rush of love. It was overwhelming and I remember bursting into tears, exclaiming to Ryan, “I just love her so much!” My emotions sat right at the intersection of extreme fear and extreme joy. My world was now her world. I carefully examined her every move, every inch of her teeny baby body and stared at her in awe most hours of the day.  It was innocent, a little like a first high school love (or in my case college, because God knows I only talked to boys on instant messenger, not in real life while in high school).

My second love with Coura has been slower, more mature. She emerged from the water and onto my chest completely at peace. With her warm, soft body tucked close to me, I felt immediately like we were made for each other. But our love story has been scattered in between making dinner, reading stories, tired tears, and the big one’s bedtime routine. It has come in quiet moments, not a rush all at once. It’s authentic and growing into a big love I could never explain in words. She loves to cuddle close and needs her mama in the sweetest way.

I sat in the shower the other morning feeling completely overwhelmed with now two incredible mother loves. My mind started wandering to worry…if something ever happened to one of them…

It made me want grab them, hold them and never let go. My worry, fear and anxieties came creeping in like a bad habit.

But big love is always worth the letting go and after seven weeks of sleepless nights, I could really use the makeover anyways.