To Baby Girl Davis, my daughter,
May you be beautiful, but may you embody so much more than the physicality of beauty. May you possess such a beautiful heart and spirit that it radiates to your exterior.
May you be able to turn embarrassment into encouragement. May you welcome laughter, even at your own expense. May you never bite the hand that feeds you and may you have enough faith and wisdom to praise God for the beauty and privilege you were born into. Having said that, should you ever act out or display warning signs of being a spoiled brat…..may God grant me the means and the courage to take away the things of this world which granted you this level of false entitlement.
May you learn the difference between a friend and an acquaintance, and may you know the importance of both in your life. May you have the wisdom to know when these relationships have run their course, or when one has, over time, morphed into the other. This was a hard lesson for me to learn and I made many mistakes, but I’ll tell you all about them one day….when we are both ready.
May you be seen, admired and loved for being a truthful and trustworthy student, employee, daughter, partner and friend. I want you to understand that cultivating these relationships will prove to be the foundation of your success, no matter your means of measuring that success….you will not reach it without the love and support of those around you.
May you speak the truth with a certain level of grace and kindness, until it becomes necessary to do otherwise. And then may your tongue be sharp and wise, and may you possess a vocabulary far more advanced than your ill fated foe.
May you know the appropriate times to speak and to listen.
May your glass always be half full.
May you laugh far more than you cry.
May you always search for ways to put your life into perspective.
May you be born with strength and courage.
May you be taught compassion and acceptance.
May you learn forgiveness and truth.
May you be taught that faith is not just important, but essential.
And as far as love goes, this will warrant another letter entirely, but my prayer for you is that one day you may know love as true as the love that made you.
I can’t wait to meet you sweet girl.
Love,
mama.
I’m still here.
I have no clue how I’m already halfway there! 20 weeks today and feeling great!
Thank you to everyone for all your sweet messages and texts after announcing the news of our little girl! We are pretty stoked….to put it mildly.
Brad and I decided to find out privately whether baby #2 was a boy or girl, so we had the tech put the ultrasound photos in an envelope and decided we would open it in the car. Brad asked why I preferred to do it that way and I responded,
“Because I know it’s a girl and I don’t want to start crying in front of everyone.”
Sure enough, there I was in the parking deck crying like a baby. Happy tears….very happy tears!
What my husband said to me that day in the parking garage still makes me tear up just thinking about it….
The weekend before some of our best friends, Jimmy and Amanda, had gotten married. It was a big, gorgeous, amazing and more than likely very expensive wedding. The only reason I mention that is because despite knowing my husband better than anyone, and being the comedian he is, I was completely stunned by his words….
“Listen babe, I don’t want you to think I’m not excited about having a girl just because I’m not saying anything. It’s just that, after going to that wedding this weekend I realized…”
(Now this is where I fully expected to hear him say something about having to start saving to be able to give her a wedding like that one day. But he didn’t.)
“…..I realized that I’ve really got to start taking better care of myself. I need to be healthier so I can make sure I’m still around to walk my daughter down the aisle.”
*and…..waterworks*
She is loved, and just like her big brother…..more so than they will ever know.
I wanted to end this post with something that has touched and will touch the soul of every mother out there. A friend of mine from college had a precious little boy about 6 months ago. When he was 5 months old he was diagnosed with Leukemia. Although we only stay in contact through social media, I have been profoundly touched by his story and the strength of his parents. If you have a moment today, please take the time to visit his Caring Bridge page and join me November 2nd to walk in his honor!
“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 56:3
Xoxo,
jenn
Lately my patience is not what it used to be….what it should be. This week I had to almost physically restrain myself from getting out of my car at a stoplight and knocking on the window of the car in front of me just to tell a teenage girl how reckless she was driving. Insane, I know. Dyce was in the car with me so that helped bring me back to reality (that also probably fueled my anger because of precious cargo….you know?).
Then, I had to take a deep breath and silently count to ten before I was able to explain to the sweet woman at the deli that I asked for no cheese on my sandwich. Maybe it was the fact that it was 1:30 in the afternoon and I had not yet eaten, but regardless there is no logical reason a little lactose should have made my blood pressure go up.
It did.
This week it became an office joke when while on a conference call I interrupted everyone and said, “I’m sorry, but whoever decided to have this meeting on a school playground today, would you mind muting your end because all I’m hearing are what sounds like bus horns and children screaming?” We all laughed and turned it into a joke….probably because it was the comfortable thing to do. Yikes.
There are many more examples, but i’ll stop here as it just gets worse.
I know this is all hormone related but it is becoming borderline embarrassing. The interesting thing is that I’m not really doing this with my family so much as with complete strangers. Normally it’s the opposite. I have no filter.
All this is making me think that I might be having another boy. Maybe this is a sign of extra testosterone or something…..or maybe a little girl who is going to be just as independent and headstrong as her older brother?
Either way I am excited to find out and knowing that these emotions I am struggling with are only temporary makes me hopeful of the light at the end of the tunnel!
Eye on the Prize. Eyes on the Prize.
xoxo,
jenn
