This Mother's Day, I'm working with Clever Girls in support of Macy's Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the "trade, not aid" program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake. 
Today I want to share a story about my hardest experience I've had being a mother. It is one that I will never forget and it can still bring tears to my eyes. But it is also one that reminds me of what a gift it is to be a Mom.
Ever since I was a little girl I knew that one day I wanted to become a mother. I played dress up all the time with my younger sisters and I was always the mommy. I imagined getting married to prince charming, becoming a beautiful princess and having a lot of babies. Not only were my sisters my "babies" when we played but so were all of my cabbage patch kids. In 2003 that dream became my reality. I was so excited to find out I was pregnant and would be becoming a mommy. I still remember the day my oldest was born. It seems like yesterday. It was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn't believe I was actually a mommy. My childhood dreams had come true, excluding the being a princess part of course.
I will not lie and say it has all been peaches and cream. Motherhood is amazing, beautiful, a blessing and the most amazing thing I have ever known but it can also be hard. The hardest thing I have come across is seeing my babies in pain. The best way to describe it is it's like a piece of my heart breaks. I want to protect them from anything that can cause them pain.
In 2008 my youngest was born. He was a little surprise from the beginning. And not much of that has changed even though he is almost four years old. He is the most energetic little man I have known. When he was three weeks old he started throwing up non stop. In just under 24 hours he went from my smiling little giggling baby to my pale, quiet and tired baby. It wasn't just simple reflex and in my heart I knew something was wrong.
In 24 hours, two hospitals, an ambulance ride and no sleep later we were waiting for him to brought into surgery. I had dealt with boo boos, sickies and tears from my children before but this was a whole new territory for me. I was sleep deprived, scared, worried, emotional, lost. I was completely terrified. My baby was about to have surgery. My flesh and blood who was barely one month old would be in a room with people I didn't know and I had to put my faith in them to keep my baby safe. It was the hardest thing I have ever gone through.
I wont go into all of the details because we would probably be here forever but in the end every thing turned out okay. They warned me he would probably have a bit of trouble gaining weight for a little while but he proved the Dr's wrong. He was the chubbiest little baby and three and a half years later he is now my big boy. I will never forget that day and even though he will never know it he still has the scar to prove what a little trooper he is. He calls it his "rainbow". He came up with the name all on his own and just hearing him call it his rainbow brings a smile to my face. His rainbow is a constant reminder to me that while motherhood may not always be easy it is the greatest blessing and reward that any woman can experience.
What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti? Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.
Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.
Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.
Thank you to Macy's Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart" promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
