This Sunday morning my closest friends and I will join to walk in the Race for the Cure - the cancer walk in Spokane, WA. Many of us have friends and family members who have been hit with cancer, but we unite for one very special reason.
Our sweet Jennifer was diagnosed this winter with breast cancer. She had a big lump in her breast, undetected because she was nursing her little Elena. Jennifer has an amazing husband, Cory, and 3 beautiful little children: Joshua, Tyler, and Elena. She is not even 40 years old. She is too young for cancer. She is too busy with her family to spend time fighting cancer. But she is doing it. Day in and day out, she remains strong and hopeful and present to her family and friends. The treatments are working. The lump is shrinking - a miracle is happening before our eyes. Jennifer lost her hair and is still so beautiful. Her grace and wisdom are actually helping us, her friends, deal with her cancer. She is the miracle, she is the hope we are seeking, she is the life we are walking for on sunday morning.
We walk for Jennifer, united for Jennifer. We haven't been together for over a year, all of us. Our families keep us busy and scattered. But we are all coming together for Jennifer, to laugh, to cry, to reminisce, to dream, to share stories and photos of our children. We love each other so much, and trust in each other, that we don't need to see each other every day or even every week. We know we can spend months apart and come together as if we've never been apart. Our circle of friends have been together for over 10 years, and will remain close forever, I think. BFF. They are wonderful supports, listeners, guides, comedians, story-tellers, musicians, runners, artists, teachers, cooks & bakers. They are wonderful moms, spouses, sisters, daughters. They are wonderful friends. I am so lucky. We all are, to have each other when the chips are down and when they are up.
Our Circle of Friends - look for us on Sunday, April 19. We will be wearing our special pink t-shirts and walking & running for Jennifer and for each other and for all of the other people in our worlds affected by cancer.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
My Big News
Well, I thought I could wait, but I can't. For anyone who reads this (and there may only be one or two or less)...I AM PREGNANT.
I started my 10th week yesterday. The baby is due on October 31, 2009. A Halloween baby. I had an ultra-sound two weeks ago and we saw only one little buddy in there, arms and legs already waving. I am so incredibly queasy and tired (but cannot sleep) that the doctor said I could be having twins. Oh no! I'm so old, apparently, that I'm shooting many eggs (from all of my target practice when I was little and shot b-bs at my siblings). But, we saw only one in there and the technician said it was pretty accurate. She doesn't think another one will show up in a few weeks to join the party. Oh my.
I'm thrilled, but shell-shocked. I didn't think it would happen and it did. John John will be the Best big brother in the world. I can't even imagine another child. What will she or he be like? Will it be just like when I gave birth to John? Will the baby look like John, cry like John, move and smile and laugh like John? Will the baby nurse like John? Will I be better at meeting the baby's needs than I was with John? Will I pay as much attention to baby as I did to John? Will John feel neglected or will baby feel neglected? Will I be strong enough to carry them both when they are both crying and needing me?
And what about the logistics? How do I carry the baby and groceries from the car and make sure John doesn't run into the street? How do I put them both to bed at night - who goes first? How do I rock them both? Do I sing the same songs to baby that I sing to John? John's name is in lots of the songs - do I change that or make up new songs? What if they both cry at the same time at night - who do I go to first? Will I ever shower again? Are these abnormal questions? Am I crazy? Or stupid? I feel so inept, so inadequate, and the baby isn't even here yet.
John will probably cope with the baby better than I will. He will help because he is an amazing person. He is so full of love and joy and delight and appreciation that baby won't cry so much when John's around. I can't wait to see him in action. He will want to squeeze the baby and twirl it and throw it up into the air, like he does his stuffed animals because he is so in love with them. He will not stop smiling at the baby, he will be so full of love. I have a lot to learn from John Francis.
I started my 10th week yesterday. The baby is due on October 31, 2009. A Halloween baby. I had an ultra-sound two weeks ago and we saw only one little buddy in there, arms and legs already waving. I am so incredibly queasy and tired (but cannot sleep) that the doctor said I could be having twins. Oh no! I'm so old, apparently, that I'm shooting many eggs (from all of my target practice when I was little and shot b-bs at my siblings). But, we saw only one in there and the technician said it was pretty accurate. She doesn't think another one will show up in a few weeks to join the party. Oh my.
I'm thrilled, but shell-shocked. I didn't think it would happen and it did. John John will be the Best big brother in the world. I can't even imagine another child. What will she or he be like? Will it be just like when I gave birth to John? Will the baby look like John, cry like John, move and smile and laugh like John? Will the baby nurse like John? Will I be better at meeting the baby's needs than I was with John? Will I pay as much attention to baby as I did to John? Will John feel neglected or will baby feel neglected? Will I be strong enough to carry them both when they are both crying and needing me?
And what about the logistics? How do I carry the baby and groceries from the car and make sure John doesn't run into the street? How do I put them both to bed at night - who goes first? How do I rock them both? Do I sing the same songs to baby that I sing to John? John's name is in lots of the songs - do I change that or make up new songs? What if they both cry at the same time at night - who do I go to first? Will I ever shower again? Are these abnormal questions? Am I crazy? Or stupid? I feel so inept, so inadequate, and the baby isn't even here yet.
John will probably cope with the baby better than I will. He will help because he is an amazing person. He is so full of love and joy and delight and appreciation that baby won't cry so much when John's around. I can't wait to see him in action. He will want to squeeze the baby and twirl it and throw it up into the air, like he does his stuffed animals because he is so in love with them. He will not stop smiling at the baby, he will be so full of love. I have a lot to learn from John Francis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)