When I first told my mom that I was FTM, she was okay with it but would still refer to me as a girl and hated to talk about it. Now she says stuff like "But you're really a boy" and stuff when I get upset about being a girl. When I went to get my hair cut I told her to refer to me as "he" so the people would give me a girl's hair cut, well when we walked in she said "He needs to get his hair cut" and that's the first time she's called me "he". She also tries to say my name all the time instead of pronouns because she messes up and says "she" because that's what she's used to saying.
It sounds like she's accepting your transition which is really a good thing. Understanding to a degree also helps with acceptance so wouldn't besurprise if your mother was trying to understand to a degree as well.
She's obviously trying. Give it time. I struggled with my parents for awhile but now they are awesome. It as tough for them as it is for you sometimes.
It sounds like she's very accepting. It must be hard for someone who's known you all your life to get used to using different pronouns. I wouldn't read too much into the words she uses. She considers you a boy and she let you get a boy's haircut. That's what matters.