To have the my son’s birthday and Mother’s Day fall in the same month is a lovely gift I have cherished for the past 24 years.

The arrival of our one and only son was one of the most amazing experiences – from the pregnancy to delivery to even those first blurry, sleep-deprived months – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

He did not arrive without challenges, however.

My doctor wasn’t even sure I’d be able to get pregnant, due to the discovery of a fibroid. Age was also a factor, as I had been doing the career track until at age 38 when I told my husband, “We need to get pregnant, now!” So I was also a “high risk” older mom.

Fortunately, we were able to conceive, but the pregnancy had challenges, too. The fibroids grew and multiplied like a fruit basket of lemon, orange and grapefruit-sized benign growths, so at only week 27, my body thought it was time to give birth. I had to go on meds for pre-term contractions, and there were a few scary moments. By this time, I was 39-. But after a long delivery, Devon arrived healthy and adorable.

Raising a child has been the greatest adventure I have been on. I could’ve lived without a few specific experiences, but each one has made us grow stronger and wiser.

Raising children is one of the most emotionally and financially demanding jobs we’ll have, but definitely one of the most rewarding, too. I’m just sorry my late husband is not here to see the loving, kind and talented young man he has become. I hope he is watching from the other side.

“I never knew how much love my heart could hold until someone called me mommy.”