Life Lessons Month of November: Blog 5- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie,

Happy Thanksgiving!  You have a very privileged life, my love, and I don’t ever want you to take that for granted.  Appreciate what you have and keep in mind those who are less fortunate.

Life Lessoned Learned #39: Always remember to give thanks.

Even though we acknowledge what we are thankful for in our daily nighttime prayers, I wanted to spend some more time with you making a big list in honor of this special holiday.  Here are your top 23 things you are thankful for as you quoted them to me today:

1.     My family

2.     Snow

3.     Santa Clause

4.     Bunnies

5.     Christmas time

6.     Christmas trees

7.     A pink mouse (???)

8.     The elephant on the Disney safari ride that I would like to name Ellie

9.     My blanket

10. Disney World

11. Plies in ballet

12. Pictures that I draw

13. Cameras

14. Carrots

15. Stripes (I think you got sidetracked on my striped shirt here)

16. Soft Pants

17. Our couch

18. Flowers

19. Jumping

20. Railings on the stairs

21. Songs

22. Burp cloths for Will

23. The Goldilocks and the Three Bears book

I love how you think Ellie.  Even the smallest treasures don’t go unnoticed by you, my observant girl.  And I particularly adore your #1… you already understand that relationships are one of the most important things in this world!  Enjoy this wonderful holiday and be grateful everyday for your blessings.

I thank God everyday for you, your brother Will, and of course Kyle too.

Love you,

Mom

Life Lessons Month of November: Blog 4- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Ellie-bean!

Life Lessoned Learned #38: Apparently a ‘crack’ has more than one definition!

El, my blog this week stems from a comment you made to me recently while we were playing dolls.

“Mimi, why do you have a crack on your face?”

“Is it food?” I questioned.

“Nope,” you stated matter-of-factly.

“Is it my make-up?” I asked next.

“Nope,” you said all knowingly.

“Is it a scratch?” I inquired.

“Nope… it’s just a crack,” you sighed, obviously already bored with the interrogation.

Completely perplexed by what could possibly be on my face and having no mirror to look into, I had to ask your mommy.

With a giggle she replied, “Oh, that crack is just a wrinkle!”

Now I know I am old, but for a moment I was dumbfounded!  “A wrinkle?”

“Yeah,” your mommy answered and then turned to you and explained that it was actually a laugh-line.

“A laugh-line?” I voiced as I forced the muscles in my right cheek to rise upward.

Now it was my turn to let out a giggle.  Like a said, I know I am old and I know that with ‘oldness’ comes wrinkles, but I guess this was the first time that someone actually brought attention to my being the actual ‘old one!’

And then wouldn’t you know the very next day at school I was double whammied!

While working with a group of children one of the little girls (I’ll refer to her as Sally) said that she was going to be a teacher when she grew up.  I told her that I thought she would make a wonderful teacher.  Sally then asked me if I would still be working at the school when she got her first job.  I answered with a bit of hesitation, “Welllllllllllllllllllllllll, I’m not sure.” 

“Yeah, you’ll probably be retired by then,” Sally concluded quite endearingly.

And without missing a beat a little boy sitting next to her (Ill refer to him as Jimmy) looked up from his work and blurted out, “No she won’t.  Mrs. Russell will be dead by then.  She is old.”  Jimmy said this, not to hurt me, but more like he was stating hard-facts from a World Book Encyclopedia! 

Oooooops.  I guess my reference of World Book just backed-up his statement…. I should have said Wikipedia or Snopes!

No matter Ellie… the children at school gave me a fit of the giggles just like you did!

And that one obvious crack that you brought attention too, or laugh-line, or wrinkle (which is actually one of my many) or whatever you want to call it got me thinking.

That crack took many years to form, and it has weathered many facets of life.  El, there are world-renowned photographers that have been quite successful in capturing the day-to-day lives of the elderly.  And their success came from zooming in and capturing the depth, the emotion and the grit that has gone into each of those cracks.  I would like to think mine hold some wisdom, or at least some learned knowledge that I can pass on.  Although I slightly fear my many blunders over the years might trump them.  I guess I will never really know, but I can certainly hope. 

So I guess the lesson I have learned Ellie is that for every ‘crack’ I bore, I have truly earned.  They have been formed from love, hard work, tears, compassion, faith, joy and so much more.  There is an old saying: “Beauty is only skin deep.”  Not true.  El, those cracks have great beauty for their beginnings go well beyond the surface.  Those cracks hold the history of each individual.  They tell ones story in great depth.  And the awesome thing is, just like snowflakes, there are no two cracks exactly alike!  God planned each of our “beginnings and ends” to be unique.  And even though ‘cracks’ hint at ones loss of youth, I am a firm believer of that age-old saying: You’re only as young as you feel.  And Ellie with you and Will around, I shall never get old!

I love you my little playmate!

Mimi

Life Lessons Month of November: Blog 3- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Dear Ellie,

Now I am by no means claiming any sort of creative title here but I do have some decorating advice for you, as we definitely had our fun remodeling our new house.  Despite being very pregnant when we moved in, I really enjoyed making the house our home.  Thankfully, I also got a lot of ideas and recommendations from your Dad, Mimi, and Aunt Joanne.   So here’s what I learned:  

Life Lessoned Learned #37: Making a house a home doesn’t have to be expensive and should reflect who you and your family are.

1.     Get artwork from family and friends.  Not only will those pieces become keepsakes, they give character and uniqueness to spaces.

2.     Frame a bulletin board.  It beautifully organizes a mess of all things that are important to you.  You and your brother are actually getting them in your room soon as well.  This way, you can save tickets, photos, and your schoolwork.  It’s constantly a changing piece of art and you can keep it current.

3.     Pick paint colors that look good with your skin tone and colors that you actually like (and would wear as clothes).  After all, it’s you who is going to spend the most time in your house and you want to feel good in it!  You know how I love all colors Ellie so our house is a rainbow… we have a purple room, blue room, green room, pink room, yellow room… but predominantly, our house is a sea blue and it’s so calming. 

4.     For your brother’s room, we went with the theme Goodnight, Gorilla (my favorite children’s book, which happens to be a picture book).  We bought a large hard-back copy, tore out the frame, and pasted it to different colors of backing (to which my Mom secured hooks so we could hang our favorite pages that tell most of the story).

5.     When I was looking for curtains that would go in the front of my house, I couldn’t find any I loved.  On the way out of one of the many stores I scoured, I walked by the bath section and I fell in love with a cloth shower curtain.  So I bought several of them, took them to my seamstress who secured the top for the rod and hung them in the dining room and your playroom.  Now I realize that the trend is to have long curtains to give the affect of higher ceilings but for the money I saved, I feel ok with going against that fashion.

6.     Finally, do what feels right for you.  Your Dad and I felt we needed to represent Kyle so we painted our guest room a bright green color and displayed some of our 5k memorabilia.  We both know he’s not really in there but it makes us feel good to know that he’s still a part of our family in spirit.

But most of all Ellie, what makes a house a home is love and we have a lot of that!  Now I’m sure your Dad could write a book on house projects involving refinishing, landscaping, and tools so for any of those projects, seek him out! 

I love you Bean!

Mom     

Life Lessons Month of November: Blog 2- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hi Bean-sprout!

Because of your brother Will’s baptism, it has been a very busy past 2 weeks!  

Your amazing and wonderful great-grandparents came for the blessed event!  Grandmom Bubbles time of stay was the whole week before while Gigi’s and Pop’s was the whole week after!  

And each made sure to give you equal attention time with Will.  Honestly El, I think they really prefer to just sit and watch you in action because your creative originality is just that… unique!  This week my blog idea came when Miss Trixie McAllister the waitress (aka- you), your Mommy, Gram Bubbles, Will, Violet the doll, and I played restaurant.  Gram Bubbles, who couldn’t stop laughing, made a comment afterwards that our playtime should be on a video.  Ellie, she stated quite accurately that your imagination is definitely way outside of the box!  

So here is my life lesson learned for this week:

Life Lessoned Learned #36:  Playing the “If You Let” game with you my dear granddaughter, one must have patience and also an open-mind!

You have so lovingly entertained me with our game.  Here are some examples Ellie!

1.) If you let your granddaughter have free reign to whatever is on the church pew during the Mass before Will’s christening, be prepared that she will pick up his knitted baby christening cap and wear it on her own head… backwards… and casually go on about her business as though all is normal!

2.) If you let your granddaughter play in your jewelry box, be prepared that not only will she take the grandest and yes the gaudiest pieces to possibly play with, but she will leave the rest in massive knots (the last time you did this El; I had a thought…  It was that I should just send the whole jewelry mess to the game company that creates Challenging Puzzles for the Brain … because my brain has great difficulty getting past the untangling of the first knot!).

3.) If you let your granddaughter do your dishes (a more accurate statement would be … playing in a sink full of sudsy soap water) then be prepared for a tidal wave, or two, or three to occur and a man-made lake to replace your tile floor!

4.) If you let your granddaughter wear multiple velour clothes, be prepared that she will transform into a cat and you had better pet her!

5.) If you let your granddaughter create her own ice-cream cup at Sweet Frog, be prepared that she will choose at least a dozen (ex: gummy bears, pretzel bits, tropical poppers, fresh cherries, chopped snickers, banana slices, and M&M’s to name a few) of the 4 dozen toppings available and fill her cup with them!  And proudly eat every last spoonful (Oh, did I forget to mention that there is probably only a teaspoon of ice-cream underneath all that sugar substance?)!

6.) If you let your granddaughter play with your green, copper and shimmering gold eye-shadow, be prepared that a major uni-brow will take over her forehead. And you had better be prepared to follow up with acknowledging to her that she is a very talented make-up artist!

7.) If you let your granddaughter choose any board games to play, be prepared and fully understand that she controls the rules of how the game is actually played.  One example: The Sock Monkey Game: cast aside all the clue cards and play only with the half dozen that say “Go Look For It”!

8.) If you let your granddaughter apply her own lotion after a bath, be prepared in advance by purchasing stock in the lotion company, as she may make you quite wealthy but the amount she slathers all over herself and the number of bottles you will go through in her lifetime!

9.) If you let your granddaughter apply Elmer’s glue to the crafts you create, again be prepared in advance by purchasing stock in the glue factory!

10.) If you let your granddaughter snuggle on your lap while chatting with her Mommy or Poppy, be prepared that your tea will disappear as fast as she can gulp it down with that irresistible twinkle in her eye always upon you!

11.) If you let your granddaughter choose “1” toy item to take to Sunday mass, be prepared to have octopus arms that are capable of carrying multiple oversized “items” along with one arm free to carry her as well!

Ellie, I really could go on and on as I am having so much fun with this list!  I just wish I had more time!   Even though the “If You Let” game isn’t really a game, I love watching you play it because I find that it allows you that little bit of extra freedom you seem to seek out...possibly strengthening the right-side of your brain.  After all, that is the side which controls one’s creativity.  And no one can deny that you have been creating originality since birth!  So I guess my lesson learned this week El, along with your mom and dad, is to continue allowing you the freedom to explore not just the parameters, but the whole area in an around your ‘Box.’  All ready at the age of 3, you are learning how to redefine yourself daily.  My guess is that by the time you are age 99, your mirror will have seen many, many faces and your closets will have held an infinite number of hats!  Don’t ever change sweetheart, yet continue to change, shape and mold the inner you! You are truly entertaining Ellie and a joy to be around.

Love you Miss Trixie McAllister!

Mimi

Life Lessons Month of November: Blog 1- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Dear Ellie,

I’m not sure how time is flying by so fast… I can hardly believe it’s November 1st!  Your brother is 5 weeks old already!  

And now that you are back from Disney and into your routine again, you have definitely realized Will is here to stay.  For the most part, you are kind and loving toward him (still wanting to help feed, grab diapers, and let him be a part of bedtime stories) but once in awhile I think he crimps your style :)

You don’t like it when your Mimi holds Will… I think because you associate Mimi as yours and I am so appreciative that your Mimi respects your feelings.  She always gives Will back to me to turn her attention over to you after you ask her to play.  Not too long ago, I asked your Mimi to hold Will when I ran upstairs to throw in laundry and I could hear you saying to her, “Just leave him!  Put him down and just leave him!” as you were trying to lead Mimi into your playroom!  Last week, you told me that you wanted to change Will’s name to George so I said, “Ok, we can call him George tonight,” (thinking that Will really wouldn’t mind).  And you responded, “Not just for tonight.  Forever!”  Luckily, you forgot about his name change by the next morning.  Two days ago, I called Will, my love bug (which I also affectionately call you too) but you didn’t like sharing your nickname.  “Hey, that’s my name!” you yelled and then said I could call Will, “Just Buggie”.  And yesterday you told me that I needed to yell at Will for being mean to you so I had to ask, “What did he do?”  And you said, “I told him I loved him and he told me that he has to think about if he loved me back!”  I didn’t know how to handle that situation so I pretended to scold Will with, “In this family Will, we love everyone unconditionally so that answer is not ok.”  Oh Ellie!  I know you are trying to understand your new place but know that you could never be forgotten and our feelings for you have only grown deeper and stronger.   

I have to say though that I appreciate all of the well wishes that have been sent our way.  Our family and friends remember you and your new role as a big sister too!  This is such a huge transition for you (and for your Dad and I also).  The people we cherish the most have definitely honored that.  We had cooked meals for the first three weeks of coming home from the hospital and we have been inundated with congratulatory phone calls, texts, messages over Facebook, cards, presents, and guests.  We feel so very loved!

But as for my lesson this week, it stems from not forgetting yourself even in the midst of many changes.  

Life Lessoned Learned #35: Don’t lose site of yourself when your life becomes hectic.

Now that Will is a month old, I feel comfortable leaving him for a few hours.  Taking time for yourself after having a baby is completely necessary to do once in a while (although I love every second with you and your brother, children can make it difficult to remember your other roles aside from being a mom).  So as your Dad watched you and Will, I went over to your Aunt Sammy’s for a GNO (girls’ night out).  Samantha is a wonderful hostess… not only does she have the best homemade food and decorations, her parties are always themed in incredibly creative ways.  So on this night, she used Oprah’s Favorite Things as her subject matter.  All of the fifteen guests were to bring 2 of their favorite items they couldn’t live without but each couldn’t be over $10 (I brought my favorite book, The Book Thief, and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc).  And the idea is that each woman would go home with someone else’s 2 favorite things to try.  And what’s more is that Samantha never lets her guests get bored… she always has activities (that have to do with the theme) on hand.  For this girls’ evening, we played her made up version of Scattagories revolving around Favorite Things (with questions like favorite date night spots in State College and favorite wine) and Samantha awarded the winners with prizes (of her favorite things).  Samantha takes pride in her social events and they truly bring people together.   I came home feeling reenergized and missing my two beautiful babies (and I must admit that I came home a little early as I can’t stay away for too long)!  Taking even a small time apart makes your head clear and your heart full.

I love you Ellie Bean!

Mom

Life Lessons Month of October: Blog 4- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Hello my little Cinder-Ellie!

Now that we are back from Disney, I definitely need to write something about our trip, as it was one of the best vacations I have ever experienced!  However, since we were gone for 5 days and from past blogs you know I would love to write about the day-to-day events in detail, but that would lead to at minimum a 10 page story!  So I won’t.  I’ve thought of another interesting approach instead.  But before I go into it, I do hope you remember this trip for always Ellie as we shared our Disney stay with your cousin Colin and our cousins Steve and Jackie, Colin’s grandparents!

And what a wonderful time it was.  Both you and Colin (who is 1 year older than you) got along wonderfully.  During park-time as well as downtime the 2 of you chatted incessantly, entertained each other as well as us adults, and giggled at each other’s silliness!

The only time I actually saw Colin put his foot down to your many requests was when you insisted on him being a Prince!  He made it very clear to you El on the very first day that he does not like Princesses and he is not and never will be a Prince.  In Colin’s words, he “is a Boy” with a capital B!  Now with that being said I shall continue with my lesson.

Life Lessoned Learned #34: Don’t assume you would automatically know The Top 10 List of ‘Favorite Vacation Moments to Share With Mom and Dad” from a 3 ½ year old child’s perspective!

Ellie, when we arrived home I was so excited to share with your Mom all the really cool things we did.  I assumed you were too!  After watching your excitement throughout our stay I was pretty sure I had your list down pat.  If I were to ‘get into your head’ this is what I thought you would have said when your Mommy asked you (so this would be your perspective) to tell her all about Disney:

1.)  The Mickey Mouse Not So Scary Halloween Parade was by far the best one ever!  There was a headless horseman who rode through the streets and I wasn’t afraid at all!  Colin was a little bit, but I rubbed his back and told him it was pretend.  I wanted to wear my pink poodle costume but Mimi said I would be too hot so Poppy bought me a Cinderella dress with real glass slippers… oh and a princess crown too!
      

    Colin was an astronaut and he said he was a brave one at that.  We had front row seats right underneath the rope and got lollipops when the characters gave out candy!

2.)  My first Disney ride was on the teacups and I spun it so fast that Poppy and Mimi got soooooooo dizzy!
   

     And then the very next ride that Colin and I went on was Dumbo.  That ride is ok, but the circus tent that you have to pass through before you get on the ride is super fun.  It has sliding boards and climbing nets and stairs that bounce and a kid house with doors everywhere!  You get a beeper to hold and when it goes off that means it is time to get back in the Dumbo line, but if you want you can stay in the circus tent forever!

3.)  Mimi and Poppy and Jackie and Steve took us to the pool each afternoon and I learned how to go down the little water slide swiftly.  First I would put my toes together and hold on to them with my hands.  That made me go fast! Then I figured out that if I pushed off the sides of the wall, that way worked even better.  Mimi called me a torpedo!  Poppy let me go down it a million times!

4.)  Colin and I got our grandparents to take us to see the Country Bear Jamboree 2 times.  Colin’s favorite animal is the talking deer on the wall.  My favorite bear is Big Al… he’s really fat and sings a funny song in a funny voice!  Silly Jackie asked me if they were real animals.   I told her “Of course they were!”

5.)  The Moon Ride is still my favorite… I don’t know why but everyone else calls it the People Mover.  It is kind of like a roller coaster but doesn’t go up and down.  You can see stars and planets and a lot of the other Disney rides while on it.

6.)  Animal Kingdom was a lot of fun.  We went on the Safari and saw the Lion King Show, but the best part was when we went to Dino Land and I got to play in a huge, huge, huge sandbox.  It had pails and shovels and even bones that we could find.  I got yelled at 1 time from a sandbox guard because I took my shoes off and wasn’t suppose to.  But that was ok; I just put them back on again.

7.)  At the Hollywood Studios Park we got to see 3 shows:  Disney Junior, The Little Mermaid and the Muppet Show.  That last one was really cool because we got to wear 3D glasses!

8.)  My favorite park is the Magic Kingdom and I was so glad that Poppy and Mimi took me there everyday.  We got to see the fireworks and the Castle show and watch Tinkerbelle fly.

9.)  Poppy bought me the snowman stuffed animal (which I named Chilly) from the movie Frozen.
   

     Every time Poppy and I watch the commercial to promote it I giggle because when the snowman sneezes his head always pops off!  I hope Poppy buys me the reindeer that’s in the movie too.  I think his name is Ice.  I would like to have him.

10.)    Poppy got us the best hotel room.  Our window faced the Magic Kingdom.  Some days we walked to the park and other days we rode the Monorail.  Jackie and Mimi brought games and crafts for us to do in the room.  We had lots and lots of fun!

All right Ellie… now it is time to for me to write what you actually shared with your Mommy and Daddy about our Disney experience.  At 3 ½ you my little princess, have a unique mind that thinks like no other.  See for yourself.

1.     We went to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and while I was there I was waiting for Goofy to sign my autograph book.  Do you know what he did?  He stepped on my foot!

2.     Colin didn’t go on the Ariel ride with me because he only likes boy things.

3.     One night I got a vanilla ice cream in a cup with chocolate ears.

4.     There was a big Gumball machine in Mickey’s Halloween Parade.

5.     Mimi and me went to the Jack Black show but I didn’t raise my hand to be in it because I was too shy.  Maybe next time.  (Ellie, the show was actually a short skit and the actor in it was Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean!  Thought this might need some clarification in years to come!)

6.     The Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride.  I like the tiny ghost who rode in the car with us. 

7.     Colin had glitter stuck to his face that came from my Cinderella dress.  I told him it was there and he was not happy.  He washed it off but I told him it was still there. He tried to get it off again.  But I still told him, “That glitter is still there Colin.”  He was mad.  He doesn’t like girl things.

8.     There was a trashcan that we had to put our 3-D glasses in after the Muppet show.  It wasn’t really a trashcan but it looked like a trashcan.  It was really tall.

9.     We had to wear wristbands and it had my name on it.  I got in the park all by myself!

10.  At Monsters Inc. they told a joke.  Want to hear it?  “Knock, knock.   Who’s there?  Orange.  Orange who?  Orange you glad I didn’t say that guy?”

Ellie, each day since we’ve been back you have come up with one or two more Disney memories.  Unlike mine, yours are much more simplistic and a lot cuter.   I couldn’t stop laughing after hearing about the conversation you had with your parents.  I could actually picture in my mind everything you were saying!  Thank you El for giving your Poppy and me a priceless memory… one we shall treasure forever.

I guess the lesson I really learned here was that even though yours and my Top 10 List wasn’t quite the same, we are on the same page when it comes to Disney in general.  You see, when we were at Hollywood Studios there was a water fountain in front of the Muppet Show.  Ellie, you asked me for a penny to throw and I gladly fished one out of my pocketbook and handed to you.  Without encouragement you turned around with your tiny fist clenched tightly over the penny and closed your eyes.  After about 30 seconds, you turned back around and threw the penny into the fountain.  When I asked you what you wished for you responded with, “I wish to come back to Disney again.”  Ellie-bean I couldn’t agree with you more as it truly is one of the happiest places on earth!  And next time we will take Will along with your Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sammy!

Love you princess!

Mimi

Life Lesson Month of October: Blog 3- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Dear Love Bug,

Having Will here these past few weeks made me reflect on when you were a baby.  I so wanted to treasure every second with you, as I knew each moment would go by too fast.  That’s how our blogs started Ellie.  I sat down one night when your Dad was out of the country on business and I wrote you a letter.  It wasn’t a long letter but it detailed my wishes, hopes, and dreams for you.  In fact, I couldn’t tell you exactly what was in it because I purposely didn’t save it on the computer.  I printed it, sealed it in an envelope, labeled it with a date to open twenty years in the future, and put it in your jewelry box for safekeeping.  And that made me think that one letter probably wouldn’t suffice so your Mimi and I put our heads together.  And hence the birth of this blog as our gift to you was born.

Life Lessons Learned #33: Document moments that you want to savor.

I have a funny feeling that you and Will are going to be opposites.  The first two weeks with you Ellie were so telling of your future personality… I must preface by saying that I also tried to breastfeed you and my milk never fully came in so that might have been some of the problem.  For those first days at home, you never slept.  You constantly had a grumpy face on (that your Mimi affectionately called your Walter face after Jeff Dunham’s ventriloquist doll).  You were about 8 weeks old when you first smiled and even now, you really make people work to see that gorgeous grin of yours, my serious girl.  Your beautiful eyes were open from the instant you entered the world and rarely shut since.

As for Will, he sleeps and eats.  Right after he eats, he sleeps.  You don’t get to see his eyes too often yet as they are always closed.  Your Dad and I got more sleep in the first night with him than all four nights in the hospital with you combined.  And now that we are home, he gets up only twice a night to eat and dozes right after.  Your Dad had a week of paternity leave and it was very much like a staycation as we were all so well rested!  Will has been smiling and giggling in these first few weeks.  He was even cooing since his birth and hasn’t stopped “talking” since.  I don’t think we have heard him cry aside for asking for food.  His demeanor is so calm and mellow.  In fact, the running joke in the family has been, “Where’s Will?” as he is often so quiet that when one of us puts him down in his crib, swing, or bassinette, the other doesn’t know where to look first!    

Now, I’m not saying that one experience is better than the other.  Ellie, I think both are all about bonding in different ways and learning how to be a good parent in varying circumstances.  With you Ellie, I could tell that you would wear your emotions on your sleeve, you would be independent, strong, and hot-headed, and you wouldn’t please people for their own sake.  As for Will, I think he is going to be my easy-going, friendly, relaxed, and even-tempered child.  I think the both of you will balance each other out very well and I am so blessed to have a taste of both of your extremes!

Even your Mimi made a comment about how different I am with Will than I was with you- that I rarely rock him when I hold him whereas with you, I bounced you constantly to try to pacify you.  You have always had high expectations my dear girl!

Although we are keeping our blog for you, I do think I need to write Will a letter just as I did for you initially.  So here’s what I want him to know.

My Love, My Will,

I never imagined that I would get a chance to have another son.  When we found out that you were a boy at our 20-week gestational appointment, I couldn’t stop crying happy tears.  I would have been grateful for any healthy child but to have a chance with a little boy again was beyond imaginable.  When Kyle died, I not only grieved for the son that I lost but also for the memories that I would never get to have with him, like dancing to the mother-son song at his wedding or cheering him on at baseball games.  Now Will, I promise that I will never put my dreams of Kyle on you but know that because of Kyle, I will cherish each moment I have with you.  And those memories I never got to have with Kyle may look completely different with you (perhaps you won’t get married or you will be into theater instead of sports), but I will appreciate, treasure, and support you (as long as you try your best and you are kind-hearted).

Just as with Ellie, I want you find happiness and love.  I want you to have compassion and empathy. I want you to have a relationship with God and believe in the power of prayer- faith is a gift.  I want you to be grateful and appreciative for what you have.  Be sure to take responsibility for all of your actions and know when to say I’m sorry.  In the same breath, learn how to forgive- no one is perfect so leave the judging to a higher power.  I want you to understand that you can be the catalyst for change, you can be a leader, and you can make the world a better place.  Believe in yourself, rely on your instincts, and trust your intuition.  Be an active member in society and our family.  Don’t underestimate the importance of education and hard work.  Please understand that contentment does not have to come at someone else’s expense.         

  

Now as you are lying in my lap at almost three weeks old (and smiling and giggling in your sleep), I am saying aloud as I type, “You are so very loved.”  You are one-of-a-kind, so special, and I feel blessed that you, your brother, and your sister were given to me.

I love you Will-Will,

Mom

Ellie, life goes by too fast so be sure you take the time to note and remember those moments that you make you laugh and love not only for yourself but for your posterity. 

Love you Bean,

Mom