I have always enjoyed celebrating Mother’s Day with my mom and grandmas, but this year it is more special than ever because I am a mom myself! I was getting my second vaccine shot that Friday so was a bit worried I would be feeling under the weather but luckily I had no side effects. I had an early celebration with my parents on Saturday where I had them over and I cooked for them. That night, Jerry was being quite mysterious and was bustling around the kitchen while I was putting Lex to bed. He was asking me for where a bunch of ingredients were (bakings soda and turmeric?!) but I could not guess that he was making!

In the morning, Jerry woke me up and told me that breakfast was ready. He had made 菠蘿包/pineapple buns! For those who don’t know, 菠蘿包 is a Hong Kong classic bread and consists of a fluffy bun topped with a delicious sweet crust. I have made them before in a baking class and they require a lot of effort and are not easy to do at all. I was so impressed that Jerry made them from scratch and even colored them naturally with turmeric (so that’s what it was for!). This morning, he took the dough out of the fridge and allowed it to proof before baking. It was so delicious and it was so sweet that he prepared everything last night. Next to the breakfast was a lovely bouquet of my favorite roses (same as my wedding bouquet) and the sweetest card. What a lovely start to the morning!

Lex also decided to give me a special treat for Mother’s Day and was acting like he was on rocket fuel. I am not sure whether he ate too much of the sweet bread (we just gave him a bite) but he was acting absolutely insane. He usually sleeps at 10 am but after over an hour of wrestling and trying to stop him from flinging himself off the bed, we gave up and decided to just head out to the next surprise! Jerry said that we were going to have lunch late but we were heading out early at 11:30 am so I was once again quite curious as to what he had in store. I was guessing maybe a show but with Lex it was probably not doable. I was also worried it was some outdoor activity because I had a nice dress on and it was quite hot outside! As we drove I started to recognize where we were going and it was a massage followed by a scrumptious buffet lunch at Grand Hyatt. Jerry really has outdone himself!

The massage was absolute bliss. The masseuse noticed that my neck/shoulder area was quite swollen and I think it is because I am always craning my neck when I nurse Lex or when I am putting him to bed. I definitely need to be more careful because it has felt quite stiff for days and I need to adjust my posture a bit. After the massage I rushed down to the Grand Cafe to join my two boys. The food was absolutely delicious and we polished off plate after plate. They even had made to order of my favorite Hainan chicken rice at one of the stalls. After stuffing our faces, we were ready to head home. We then finished off the day with some Harry Potter and pizza after Lex was in bed. What a perfect ending!

The day was absolutely perfect and I am so grateful for my husband who put so much thought and effort into making me feel appreciated and loved. Becoming a mother has been one of the greatest blessings in my life and I am so grateful everyday that I get to experience this indescribable connection and love. Being a mother is also one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It definitely pushes you and makes you redefine your limits (shocked I am still functioning after not sleeping well for over 10 months…and who knew I could hum the same song for hours night after night while being in and out of consciousness). However, all the challenges make it ever more fulfilling and special. It really shows you how strong you can be and all the things you are willing to do to provide the best for your beloved baby. Even when I am tired, I get so much enjoyment in looking up recipes and cooking up delicious and nutritious food for Lex, researching all the most beneficial and fun toys for him, and planning playdates and bringing him to playgroup. Watching Lex grow day by day fills my heart with so much joy and I feel so blessed to be able to experience parenthood with my husband. .

I also know that Mother’s Day can bring a lot of difficult emotions to other people. Particularly people who may have a complicated relationship with their mother, having difficulty conceiving, or having suffered a loss. These are things that I never thought about when I was younger and I am glad that I am more cognizant of that now.

Mother’s Day also is a time for us to show love and appreciation to not only mothers, but anyone who acts as a mother figure, such as a domestic helper. Many of us grew up with a domestic helper taking care of us, and I know a few friends who actually consider their helper to be more of a mother figure than their own birth mother. As we are older now, many of us have a helper who helps us keep our home in tip top shape and also takes amazing care of our little ones. We started off without a helper and only had a cleaner once a week, but we now cannot imagine our lives without our amazing helper! She loves Lex and spends so much time teaching him things, often she gives me lots of good tips also! I also know that she is the mother of a 3 year old back in the Philippines and I often think about how difficult it must be to be so far away from her own child. When I was younger, I was immature and was absolutely clueless about what helpers go through to come work in Hong Kong. As a mother now, it is hard for me to imagine what sacrifices many domestic helpers made to come work in Hong Kong, they miss out on watching their children grow up with the hope of earning more money to secure a better future for them. I hope that my helper knows just how much we value her and that others will also give their helpers a little extra love and appreciation on Mother’s Day (and every day!).