I\u2019d spent the past year in the trenches of new motherhood\u2014sleepless nights, endless feedings, and more love than I thought possible. When I gently suggested brunch for my first Mother’s Day, my husband scoffed. My mother-in-law sneered. \u201cIt\u2019s for older moms,\u201d they said. \u201cYou haven\u2019t earned it.\u201d I was crushed but quiet. No card, no flowers, no \u201cHappy Mother\u2019s Day\u201d came the next morning. Just me and Lily, my baby girl, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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alone in the kitchen. Then my phone lit up\u2014texts from my brothers and dad, celebrating me.<\/em> The new mom. The one doing her best.I didn\u2019t know they had more in store. That afternoon, just as we sat down to Donna\u2019s fancy lunch, in walked my family\u2014arms full of flowers, <\/p>\n\n\n\n