Contractions!

The contractions have started!

Courtney's due date is exactly 3 weeks from tomorrow! It's getting seriously now! 

Yesterday, she told me the baby would be here on Tuesday. I think my chin hit the floor. I wasn't sure what she meant but it surprised me. Then she went on to say that she had a feeling it would be this Tuesday. 

She is looking more beautiful than ever! The radiant, motherly glow is the brightest I've ever seen. Courtney is going to be an amazing mother!

A true story

It started with a much anticipated knock on the door.  

When I opened it, there stood my daughter, Courtney, and her fiance', Eric.  They had huge smiles on their faces & a long printout of sonogram photos in Courtney's hand.  

My other daughters, Veronica & LeiLani, were already seated in the living room.  We were all waiting for the big news...was it a boy or a girl?

The girls & I planted ourselves on the floor directly in front on Courtney & Eric who were seated on the couch.  

Courtney asked who wanted to see the photos first.  Of course we all raised our hands & shouted, "Me! Me! Me!"

Seeing as Princess, our family dog, was less likely to blurt out the answer, she was allowed to view them first.  It was as though she understood what was going on because, after taking a glance, she gently kissed Courtney on the cheek then laid down at her feet.

Next was LeiLani's turn.  She scooted next to Courtney & looked closing at the picture.  

"Can you read it?" Courtney asked.

LeiLani's eyes swelled up with tears & she gave Courtney a huge hug.  "Oh my god!!!" she exclaimed.

I told Veronica to go next but she insisted that I take a look next.  Courtney handed me the sheet of photos & I walked to the window to get a better look.

I couldn't believe me eyes!  It was my dream come true!  In the center of the picture was a little arrow pointing to a small circle between the baby's legs.  "It's a boy!" was typed below the arrow.

I screamed with excitement, jumping up and down, nearly knocking everything off the mantle.  "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!"  I cried.

"Is it a boy?" Veronica shouted.

"YES!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

There was a long, family, group hug, combined with lots of tears of joy.  My first grandchild.  It was indeed one of the happiest days of my life.

This is a true story & it all took place yesterday afternoon :-D

The Greatest Test of All

As a mother of 27 years, I've found that I can only do so much to protect my girls. They have had their share of bumps, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones.  It's always hard to see one walk through the door with tears streaming down their cheeks, holding onto a boo-boo.  

Until last August, I always had my mom to help me through it.  While I sat there crying just as hard as my daughter was, my mother would tell me what to do to make it better. When Veronica busted her chin open and required over 400 stitches, my mother was right beside me.  When Courtney broke her toe during a scuffle and had to have a cast all the way up to her knee, my mother talked me through the rough parts.  When Veronica broke her arm while roller blading, my mother gave me the courage I needed to be a good mommy.  Through all of the fevers, sick tummies, scrapes and bruises, I had my mother to run to for advice.

Now that my mother has left me to be with my dad, it's time for the tests.  Was I really paying attention during the lessons?  Did I take the proper notes?   What if I fail?  

The tests are gradually piling up.  From finding that I'm going to be grandmother for the first time to cleaning the blood and dirt from my baby's face after she's slid across the concrete.  Each time a test is handed to me, I'm reminded of all the things my mother told me about motherhood...the laughs, the smiles, the stress, the tears.  

There are many days when I feel that I've failed my mother.  I feel that all the time & effort she put into making me a 'good mommy' has gone down the drain when I see one of my girls in pain.  Then I remember all the times that she held me close, cradling me, while I cried because of a scraped knee or a broken heart and I know that the most important lesson I've learned is to just be there for my girls.  I can't always be there to catch them when they fall or protect them from harsh words but I can be there when they need a healing hand or a shoulder to cry on.

Each day I'm reminded of the greatest test of all...will I be as good a teacher to my daughters as my mother was to me?  

Happy Spring!

Ahhh, Spring...

The birds are chirping.  

The sun is playing peekaboo behind the dark clouds.  

The pollen is so thick, you can see it floating through the air.

My Little Bug

It's Official!!!

Courtney is entering her second trimester and doing great!

My Little Bug will be entering this world some time around September 26th!