Baby girl has held up her end of the bargain. There were plenty of raised eyebrows that accompanied the decision to vacation 8hrs from home at 37wks, and there was some uncertainty as to whether baby girl would be in or out for a shower in her honor this past weekend.
Good girl, sweet love.
Sunday we got to celebrate this sweet lil baby that has been SUCH a trooper, and the day couldn’t have been more beautiful! It was an absolutely surreal experience being enveloped in all things feminine, and I loved every second of it! My friends did an incredible job showering baby girl and her mama with love, and my heart swelled looking around the room, realizing THESE women (and so many more that couldn’t make it because of distance or schedules) will be a part of the tribe raising my first daughter!
There is something so special about the bonds women form, the strength we’re able to draw from one another, and give to one another, and I can’t wait to share that experience with my daughter. I want to teach her the unique characteristics that make us separate, how we creatively express ourselves, whether through style, art, words, work, etc… or a confluence of many, and how we can celebrate those in each other without questioning our own security. I see this wider group of women in my life as partners in the mothering process, because my baby girl needs their insight. She needs to know that mama’s way of processing emotions, is not necessarily the norm, and that if our ways differ, she still has her place in the tribe. I don’t want my own aversion toward creativity to stifle hers. I want her to see the vivid color, of the lives that surround us, and how that is expressed in a multitude of ways and know that mama has created a DEEP bench strength to shore up my own short comings!
Sweet love, if you wanna dress up, paint, decorate, play an instrument, sing, design, whatever… I need you to understand creativity is NOT my strong suit, and I’ve grown to be o.k. with that. I’ve discovered I’m a connector. My creative expression of choice is words…. written or spoken…. and my canvas is people. It’s what makes your mama come alive. I can’t wait to see what makes you come alive. I can promise you this, in the ways we will inevitably differ, your mama will not let my own shortcomings handicap your dreams. These women, and SO many more, including your Grandma’s and Aunts, round out many of my gaps. Its the beauty of this tribe you are being born into. The strength, creativity, sensitivity, compassion, support, encouragement, and love you will be surrounded with will blow your mind. Embrace it, love. It’s a lesson that can take some women a lifetime to learn, that we are not competing with each other. I want to give you the world, its a dream every mother has for her child, and its something I can’t wait to see you discover as you grow. As you grow, so will your understanding of the world. At the start, I might be your whole world, but soon enough you will meet your Dad and brothers, and they will introduce added levels of protection and joy that I could not provide alone. Shortly after that I will get to introduce one by one to this rich sisterhood you will be a part of, and walk alongside you as you find your place within it. It’s going to be an amazing journey, love! Love you!!!
THANK YOU Melissa, Esther, and Brooke (who somehow managed to slip this pic….) for coordinating such a wonderful day!!!
