3.6.16

I gave myself the day off from crying (so I thought) but there was a toast I wanted to give on my baby shower and couldn’t get through the first line without a lump in my throat so here it is–

“Thank you all for coming to my baby shower…attempt #2.  Today would not have been possible without you Mom so thank you so much for bringing all my favorite ladies together to celebrate Jack.  Today is a day of celebration and I gave myself a pep talk about no crying but I do need to tell you, Mom, something I’ve been trying to say since October 27th.

Thank you for helping me find my way.  For being by my side from the first scary moment.  Turns out, you can get married, have a career, you can buy a home and enter your 30s and still need your Mom more than when you were a child.

I wanted so badly to give you a healthy first Grandchild.  To get really pregnant and fat and demand foot rubs.  To share stories about what it was like when you were this pregnant.  But we never got those moments.

What we did get was a glimpse into a miracle.  A miracle that has let us in on the true secret to life.  It’s been the hardest uphill climb but the most rewarding.  I now know what life is all about.  It’s about keeping the ones you love as close as possible, making memories with them wherever you may be, laughing louder than the cries and never ever taking a moment for granted.  We learned by staring at a one pound baby for hours, days, months.  He taught us everything and something tells me he will continue to teach us about the important things in this world.  Jack is a constant reminder to us all that life is precious and to be handled with care.

So Mom, thank you for raising me to be the kind of Mother that knows no limit to love.  Thank you for finding the light switch during some of my darkest moments.  Thank you for loving me everyday.  And most importantly, thank you for never hanging up your Mom hat.”

That was the toast.  Even as I type it, I cry.

My baby shower was a few hours back in civilization and it was filled with love and all the ladies waiting to welcome Jack home.  I laugh to myself because while Jack spent his morning with his Winthrop ladies, I spent my morning with his Mackey, Moreau, Hillside, Aruba, Marist, Mindshare, UES, Seaford, Crossfit ladies.  This boy will forever be surrounded by incredibly strong, loud women.  And we would have it no other way.