To say that Mother’s Day was special doesn’t fully express what the day truly meant to me. 

To give some perspective:

• 2021 – I was pregnant with Archer, so it was my first ‘unofficial/official’ Mother’s Day.
• 2022 – Archer passed away just a month before Mother’s Day; I was still a mom to an angel baby. Theo and I went on vacation to CA to avoid the day entirely. 
• 2023 – I was still a mom, but only to an angel baby. I was able to attend church and celebrations with a little more ease. 
• 2024 – Stryder was here, and it was my FIRST Mother’s Day with an earthly child. 

Theo woke me up with a beautiful gift, one from each of the boys. I got a beautiful sunflower arrangement and a plaque about being an angel mama. The day started with joyful tears. 

We then got ready for church. Church was special for so many reasons, but a big one was that Stryder was dedicated to the Lord. For anyone who doesn’t know what this means, it essentially means we are making a commitment to raise Stryder in a godly home and point him to Jesus until he is one day called to heaven. 

Here is a photo from the dedication itself. I was crying because this has hit home for us before, as our ‘mission’ of raising Archer this way ended after 9.5 months. We have been through a lot, but we are STILL trusting God with Stryder’s life, no matter how long it may be. 

After church, we went out to lunch with both of our families, spent quality time playing games, and just enjoyed the weather. By 7 p.m., Theo and I were emotionally and physically wiped, so we headed to bed early. 

The day was nearly perfect; the only thing missing was Archer. Mother’s Day brings up a lot of grief and longing for my first baby. Stryder’s presence and dedication definitely made the day easier, but it will never be the Mother’s Day I had dreamed of having when I started planning for Archer’s arrival years ago. 

To all the mamas who have lost a baby or child and/or are waiting for their rainbow, it’s not an easy day, and you are seen!

Here is our picture with our Pastors, and family, who dedicated Stryder:

Here is our photo strip from church. Our family of four may not look like most, but I’m a proud mama of both boys!