Mothers Day

On Fridays I pick up the kids from school for karate practice. While we are walking to the car Jennica tells me,

"I have a baby in my backpack and I *have* to take it out, it's SO heavy!"




So she takes out this Sock baby made of sand, and her and Noah play with it all the way to Karate. Then she has to bring it in and show it to her Karate Teacher. He's a great guy and all, but he totally didn't get it. He said,



"What's this?? Did you grow it?"



((((What???)))

It wasn't until a half hour later, when Jennica started her Karate Class and I had to hold the baby for her that I saw the note. It was folded in half and pinned to the front of the baby with Jennica's name written on it. At first I thought it was just a name label so each kid in Jennica's class would remember which baby was theirs, and take the right one home. But I opened it and here's what is said:

Oh I love it! It's a sand baby that weighs the same as Jennica did when she was born! Well, okay, so it felt a little heavy to me so I weighed it when we got home and it's actually 9 lbs 10 oz. Not that I picked up on the 2 oz difference, it's just that 9 lbs of sand feels heavy, where as babies grow so fast that 9 lbs of newborn baby feels light.

I didn't realize I was so attached to the baby until we got home, and Jennica was still thinking she made the baby for herself and wanted to take it outside and over to show all the neighbor kids. I told her no, because it is my mothers day present and I don't want it outside. I didn't want it to get all dirty, and end up being left at someone elses house. Poor Jennica was confused and upset with me, and we were still fighting over it when Andy got home. He asked what was going on, and I didn't want to tell him,

"Jennica and I are fighting over the sand baby."

So I just told him Jennica was being difficult. That wasn't really fair since she clearly thought I was the difficult one. Sorry sweety.

My last two full term children were 9 lbs 8 oz(Jennica), and 9lbs 12 oz(Aaron), so I can't help but think of Vincent when I hold the sand baby. I am sure he would have been right in the 9 lbs 10 oz range if I had carried him full term.

(Poor little Noah, was my only baby that I actually made it to 40 weeks with and he was 6 lbs 12 oz, a full 3 lbs lighter than Aaron.)

Well, enough about Sand baby.

Here is the mothers day present I ordered for myself: It's a locket style necklace that hold the birthstones of all my children. Vincent is the Diamond for April, which I find especially touching since it's white and clear, sort of the universal symbol for clean and pure. Untouched by sin.

Not that my other Children are big sinners... but you know what I mean.

Jennica is the green peridot for August.

I wasn't sure what the birth stones for November and October were so I couldn't tell Noah if his stone was the pink or yellow. He was VERY concerned and did not want the pink stone to be his. We finally did an internet search and found out the yellow stone is for November (Noah) and the pink Stone is for October (Aaron). Noah was so relieved and Aaron really couldn't care less at this age.

I love my necklace and I plan to wear it everywhere.

I was worried mothers day would be a sad day. But I'm feeling good about it. I'm grateful to be a mother. I have a lot to be happy about.