To my daughter...

Hi my sugar! I just got home from running your poppy slippers and bath-tub-baby over to Mimi's house (you have a real gift for names, lately).  In less than nine hours, we'll be heading to the hospital to have your little brother!  It's so surreal finally getting to type that, especially because my last post to you was about how badly I wanted to make you a big sister.  God truly does work in mysterious ways. There's been so many differences between my pregnancy with you and my pregnancy with your brother, you being the biggest part.  I was packing my bag for the hospital a couple weeks ago, just like I did with you.  Only this time, my bag didn't just get filled with the essentials... my bag this time included toys you thought Max might want, clothes you picked for him, and even a "shaker" made with bracelets you had so I can jingle them to let the doctors know I needed something.  My sweet, thoughtful, creative girl.  I've been so emotional, SO e

Hi sweet girl! I've never been good at introduction paragraphs, so I'm just gonna delve right in.  Today - I want to talk to you about our bathroom floor… and I know that sounds crazy. There’s a good chance you won’t remember this particular bathroom floor but it has been the foundation for so many significant moments in my life and there’s one specific one I want to talk to you about today. You see, when I look at that floor, I don’t see tile. I see the place I sat when I found out my water broke with you and I decided I wasn’t moving until I could stop hyperventilating.  I see the place I locked myself in and sobbed uncontrollably after we brought you home but didn’t know about your acid reflux and why you were always crying.  Postpartum deserves its own post, this isn’t it.  I see the floor your dad and I would stack five towels to make sure it was soft enough for you before/after your baths. My poor, neglected Isabella. I can still see the place where I sat and

                I never considered myself at stay at home mom.  I never considered myself a working mom.  For the last two years, I have been in this limbo where I was beyond fortunate to spend every day with you, while working for MiMi at her home daycare.  I had somewhere to be Monday through Friday by 8:15(ish) and could not make plans until after 5:30 when the last daycare kiddo was picked up.  That and a paycheck every week made me a working mom, right?  Then how am I struggling so bad with the reality that this is my final week of this routine I have become so fond of?                 Am I being selfish?  Is it wrong for me to want to pursue my passion?  It took so many years for me to finally figure out that I would love teaching.  Is it wrong that I continue on that career path if it means having to kiss you goodbye every morning at 7:15?  I guess this is where I am supposed to say I am doing this all for you.  And a big part of me is.  I want to be able to help provide for

Hi sweet girl,          It's been awhile since I've written, school and wedding planning has taken over your momma's life.  But this post isn't going to be about either.  It isn't going to be what's become typical of my posts for you where I attempt to pass on whatever type of wisdom I feel I've accumulated by that point in time.  Instead, I want to tell you about someone who has been a very important person in my life and especially your grandma's.  Donna Lagunas is one of your grandma's very best friends.  They've known each other since before they had children and got to experience the beginning stages of motherhood together.  Oh, Isabella, I wish you could have seen the way Donna loved.  She has taken care of her own mother for quite some time now and still manages to be a huge part of her grandchildren's lives.  When your Aunt Michelle died, she was right there for Grandma and helped take care of all of us.  She fought and beat breast

Hello lovey girl! I wanted get in another post before things get crazy with this semester starting and your dad and I's wedding fast approaching (all the more reason to have the marriage BEFORE the baby carriage).  You are growing SO fast, sweet girl.  You are currently 27 inches and 19lbs 12oz and you're only six months!  You are such an observer whenever we take you anywhere; at home you're such a goof, cracking yourself up all the time.  And that, my love, is what I wanna talk to you about in this post tonight. Isabella, I hope that you are never too cool for anything.  So many kids (and sadly, adults) worry so much about what other people will think or say, they sacrifice their own happiness to look "cool" in front of their peers.  It took me 23 years to figure out that cool is relative.  Different people think different things are cool and you, girlfriend, get to decide what you think is cool.  If getting involved in school plays is cool to you, then do i

Hi sweet girl! I thought today would be a good time to write you another post since you are having a daddy daughter day today.  Sidenote: you have such a great dad.  If I never do another thing right when it comes to being your mother, I chose a wonderful father for you… plus he is SUCH a babe (I bet you’re grossed out right now, ha!).                           Alright, alright, back to the blog…  I had planned to use this post to highlight big events in your life from the year 2013, until this link started covering my facebook timeline about everything that is wrong with getting married before you’re 23.  I read the article and started thinking about my hopes for you when it comes to your future marriage.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I don’t picture you at a certain age when it’s time for you to walk down the aisle.  That being said, if you need my legal permission to get married, you’re absolutely too young, girlfriend.  There are, however,