Day One



Cole and myself at Camille 5th birthday party!

1. I always wanted four children. There was a family at a pool where I worked in Texas who were the nicest, most polite people. The children would come up to swim with their mother and they all loved each other so much. The mom would sit on the deck and say, "Good job son!" when her son jumped off the diving board. I remember wanting to be like her.
2. Adam nicknamed the kids "The Herd" and it stuck. I love it.
3. We never ment to name all our children after people; it just happened that all the names we liked were also family members we love and admire.
4. I've known my husband since we were 15. We met at Mt. Vernon in Washington, DC and were pen pals for years before we met in person for the second time. We still have all our letters to each other. I want my chilren to read them when they are older.
5. I have a "thing" for Nativities. I love them and Holy Family Statues but  Mary MUST be holding the baby Jesus.
6. I have always been a birth and baby junkie. I love babies.
7. Until Cole was born, I understood, vaguely, how people could be Providentailist or just leave their family planning up to God. I mean, if they felt called to do it, who was I judge? After Cole was born, I GOT it. I truley get it and I wish we could be that way.
8. I obviously enjoy being a mother and feel filled in my role as a wife and mother, although I do need a break and regular dates with my husband.
9. I don't listen to music. I should, but I don't. I can't figure out what my "type" of music is. Soundtracks, maybe? I can hear something and know I like it or not but I can't get on iTunes, click on a type of music and know I will like it.
10. I don't like nick-nacks but I enjoy shopping for home decor if I know just what I am looking for.
11. My maternal grandmother died over 25 years ago and I still miss her. When I am feeling really sad about it, I put on the necklace that was hers that my mother gave me. I feel connected to her through it.
12. One of my most emotional, moving moments of my life was when I handed each of my children to their great grandparents. Sorry, kids, but it was especially powerful with Joseph, the first great grandchild and the one named for our grandfathers who passed away. When Grandma Jo and Nana (the women who were married to our grandfathers named Joseph) held him for the first time, I wanted to cry. It was powerful handing the next generation to members of the greatest generation.
13. The hardest thing I have been through, to date, is the NICU and Cole's pregnancy. I used to think that I would give anything to go back in time and change the NICU experience. While I wish my son had been born healthy and term, I would not change the lessons learned from those experiences for anything. I firmly believe Cole is here because Georgie was a preemie. Now I am a birth, baby and preemie junkie because of him.
14. I feel like I was a different person before Nov. 19th. I look back at who I was then and don't recongize myself. Sometimes. I don't recongize myself now. I am more guarded. I am working on becoming who I was, while carrying on the lessons and gifts from then.
15. I love my house. We went through alot to move and I believe we ended up in the perfect spot. I love our friends and life here.