Four Years Ago Today - My Sweet Boy Was Born
His small hand reaches out to me, even as he sleeps. Sometimes he rests his palm on my shoulder….occasionally he wraps his fingers in my hair.
He just has to know I am there. And I love that. In fact, I dread the day that he no longer wants me to snuggle.
Four years ago today, I laughed him into this world. Literally.
I pushed one time, Dr. Cartwright made me laugh and Cooper came flying out. That wonderful doctor even convinced me to grab my sweet guy under the shoulders and pull him the rest of the way out.
It was spectacular.
I am convinced the way he was born - via laughter - has shaped the happy little guy he is today.
And on this day, your birthday, I celebrate you.
My sweet, small dude,
Every day I am amazed by you. You illuminate every room you enter - refusing to be intimidated by anyone or anything. You aim that blue-eyed gaze at kids and adults, making friends, garnering smiles.
From the moment you entered my life, you have made me better. From the sporadic, “Mommy? I love you’s” that you sprinkle throughout every day, to your love of holding my hand, I am charmed by you.
If your daddy had written a letter to God before you were born describing the little man he wanted in his life, you match it perfectly. You are kind - giving hugs and love freely. You laugh and joke easily. Every day as he comes home, “Daddy, can we play baseball?”. You would rather watch SportsCenter than cartoons and go page-by-page through Sports Illustrated when it arrives every Wednesday.
My sweet boy - I hope you never outgrow that special little something that makes you sparkle.
Thank you for the privilege of being your Mommy.
I love you my little buddy.
Love, Mommy
The VooDoo Doll
When I explain to you why I am carting around a VooDoo doll in my husband’s image, I know you will understand.
Last year, at this time, he was at the St. Regis in Aspen. Sure, it was a ‘work trip’. Sure, they had meetings. They also had fancy meals, money falling from the ceiling to the tune of ’show me the money’, and snow mobiling excursions.
Me? I was here in St. Louis with the small people. Alone. On my birthday. (Are you crying for me yet? No? Well, you will.)
This year, he is here. On my 2nd favorite island in the world. And I am here. In St. Louis with the small people. Alone. On my birthday.
Nevermind that this is his mom’s work reward trip - or that she took me two years ago - or that it really is his turn to go. I would prefer to sulk about it. And it would be nice if you felt sorry for me too. Just a little.
Because he has sunshine, 85 degrees, perfect azure water and parasailing.
And I have crazy small people who argue….with me and each other. All.The.Time. And rain. And a high of 42.
Rude.
Sigh.
Itishisturn. (voodoo arm twist) It.is.his.turn. (voodoo knuckle to his back) IT.IS.HIS.TURN. (voodoo sunburn)
Clearly I’m envious. And by envious, I mean my blue eyes have turned green. And I’m wearing green all week in protest.
And the crazy small people keep saying, “I miss my daaaaaddddyyyy!” every time I reprimand them. Which makes me want to ship them to Siberia.
But only if they stop and pick up their daaaaaadddddyyyyy on the way.
You say it’s your Birthday?
And your wife isn’t even home to hang out with you? (Do you remember this birthday? Or at least the first part of the night?)
She’s off in Chicago doing girly things? At something called Blogher?
And you are home with the kids?
I can only imagine what the three of you are up to.
Whatever it is - I know you are having fun. I know you are letting them stay up late and sleep in bed with you. I know you are playing non-stop and watching Cardinal Baseball. I know they are getting their full of milk and ice cream.
I know every single second they spend with you is full of love and tinged with good-old-fashioned-playtime.
Even though she isn’t there to spend the day with you - she wants you to know she adores you. You are the most amazing husband, the funniest guy she has ever met and truly the best daddy. And even from Chicago - she is sending birthday wishes and can’t want to celebrate with you on Sunday night.
Love and Kishes.
The Five Year Old Highlights
From Friday until today - it has been ALL-DELANEY-ALL-THE-TIME - so I wanted to share a few highlights!
Friday: All Star Fan Fest
Yes - Delaney was on the scoreboard for throwing the baseball 2nd fastest among girls 1-6 
Ahhh….she did it! She picked out her earrings (her birthstone), took a deep breath and let them pierce her ears. She jumped a little, hugged me and cried for about a minute - since then, we are ALL SMILES about it!
And then it was Saturday - Par-Tay Day!
There were cookies and cake, swimming, friends and flip-flops. It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it?
Happy, Happy Birthday Sweetest of Girls!
The year was 1913
Ninety six. Today. 96.
That is how many years my grandmother has graced this earth. Ninety six, amazing, fabulous years.
She was born the same year as Richard Nixon, Vince Lombardi, Vivian Leigh, Rosa Parks and and Jimmy Hoffa. She doesn’t have any of their notoriety, but she has outlived them. Less than one month after she was born, Harriet Tubman died.
She was born before Television, before we landed on the moon, before World War I. She has just lived through her 17th President. She survived breast cancer more than 30 years ago. She never learned how to drive a car, but she makes the best Rice Crispy Treats ever.
While I was growing up, she would stay with us for 3 months every summer and one month at Christmas. She always arrived with a suitcase full of goodies for my brother and I.
I never knew her with anything other than silvery-black hair. She is itty-bitty: barely 5 feet tall, but her character could span miles. She makes me giggle when she asks for ‘another glass of hooch’. She always calls me Darlin’.
A Depression era child, she wasted nothing. Butter dishes were put in the fridge so that the smallest slivers could be scraped free. She wore the same dress to my wedding that she wore to my parents’. My dad wanted to get her something new, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
Aside from my parents, brother and I, she has outlived all of her friends and family. As long as I have known her, she has always been intensely private. I know there was hardship - a marriage she felt forced into, years waiting to have a baby (she had my dad in her mid-30’s), a marriage that dissolve, the loss of her father - whom she adored. But I have heard very few detail from her.
It is only over the past few years, as Alzheimer’s has crept its insidious (but possibly blessed) way into her brain, that it has jostled free some of the tragedy she carried with her, leaving her with much of the joy she must have experienced when she was young.
As the disease captures each latter year, it peals away some of the misery she lived with - leaving her with far more pleasant memories. My stoic, but caring grandmother never chatted with me about love - until about a year ago. When asking about my marriage (an event she does not recall witnessing) she is prone to saying, “Now, Darlin’, isn’t love grand?” with such passion, I often choke up.
It is getting harder and harder to chat with her. She remembers less each time we talk. She doesn’t not know I am married or that I have children. She doesn’t know my daughter is named after her. She doesn’t remember that she has met her great-grandchildren - or that they call her Gi-Gi, even though their pictures are on the table right at her elbow.
When I called today, we talked for 2 minutes and 1 second. Even though she knew she was talking to someone who loved her, she couldn’t place me, so she wanted off the phone. She is still aware enough to be proud.
The pride runs in the family. I am proud of her grace in the face of this disease. I am proud of the strength that pulled her through a broken back and a wretched nursing home facility this past year. And I am proud that she is still sassy as ever after 96 crazy, amazing years.
P.S. for my husband: It is fantastic to consider all that my Grams has seen in her lifetime. And yet, after nearly 100 years, she has still never seen the Cubs win the World Series. (Cue my husband breaking down into hysterical laughter)
Happy, Happy Birthday Grams!
One for the books
Birthdays are interesting. In a mere 24 hours, your age changes. In my world, 30 was old. I distinctly remember making a cake for my mom on her 30th birthday. I was 9.
My birthday today (not 30 by the way) may be the first that my kids have any memory of as they grow up…and believe me, they think I am O-L-D. But it is all mental, right?
I have to tell you, this may well have been the highlight of my day….it happened for the first time as I opened Delaney’s door to say good morning. And it was replayed for me again and again throughout the day.
The other thing making today special: my sweet husband and his planning. If you new my husband, and were aware of just how much he detests planning, and how much he stresses about all things gift and surprise related, you would be suitably impressed.
My morning started with a surprise massage. Jeff arranged to have his brother come over to watch Coop while I was pampered (have I mentioned she used hot towels in the massage? Just heavenly) And when I went to the front desk to check out, these were waiting for me.
With them: a card from the little people wishing me happy birthday.
Then, onto lunch with a wonderful friend….a 15 minute lay-on-the-bed-in-complete-peace-and-quiet, a hot shower, time to deal with my ridiculous hair, dance class for Mini, an easy dinner (I didn’t make anything) and bedtime for the kids. I also received this:
On the day I was born, my dad brought a single red rose to the hospital for me. He has never missed a year since…no matter where I was living or visiting. It is a beautiful tradition.
My day was punctuated by calls from fantastic friends, wonderful emails, text messages, and too many Facebook notes to count. If all of my birthday wishes count, I am in for one hell of an amazing year.
I am blessed and I know it!
Now, my world is quiet. I have a date with a bubble bath and a glass of wine.
Wordless Wednesday - My Only Birthday Wish
