I Wish You Wrinkles – A Dedication

I’m proud to announce that I’ve started guest blogging for Jersey Moms Blog and my first entry titled “I Wish You Wrinkles – A Perspective on Aging” published today.  I hope it serves as a reminder that time, all time, is a blessing.  And though she’s going to be annoyed with me for this because she hates attention, I dedicate that entry to one of my super heroines, my mother-in-law.  I’ll explain of course…

Our family recently lost our top, top superhero.  It’s still hard to believe that my father-in-law lost his battle against cancer.  After all, we never expect that our heroes won’t be around to fight the next battle.   He held on longer than any doctor expected, and I believe that he drew all that energy and will from his special sources of life – his wife, and the sons they raised together.   It’s hard to recognize our own strengths sometimes.   But through all of this my mom-in-law’s superpower emerged – amazing bravery.  She got her family through its darkest time quietly, selflessly and with great courage. like a true superhero.

And so I dedicate this article on Jersey Moms Blog  to her.  I know, mothers-in-law are supposed to be our villains, but that isn’t the case in my family.  At least not unless she’s disguising herself as a nice mom-in-law… now THAT would be a villain power many would envy even more than her bravery!

 

Grandpa & Lucas

Journal Dedication Page: Happy Birthday Lucas

Today is our son’s First Birthday. I am sharing my dedication page to his journal because I know there are moms out there that will appreciate this. I’m not a poet and don’t consider myself a strong writer… but here goes.

Dear Lucas,

Happy first birthday ‘mi vida’ (my life). This journal started as a part of my own when I was just starting to dream about you. I’ve been trying to write this opening birthday entry for months, but finally realized that nothing I put down here will be able to express what your life means to us. Your first heart beat answered years of prayers, and your first breath defined who I would become – your mom above all else – for the rest of my life. You may not understand what I am about to say until you have your own family – but from the very moment you existed as a little life inside me, your life became my own, and the reason for everything daddy and I do. On that day we started to share in our life’s journey together as a family, and all of our hopes and dreams for you began…

If there is one thing that parenthood has made me realize more than ever Lucas, is that life passes us by way too fast. I can’t believe you are already a year old! Life, and the people that make it wonderful and sometimes difficult (and these are mostly all the same people by the way!), is hard to appreciate as you are living it. One of my hopes is that these pages always remind you that everything you’ve done, big and small, makes us proud and fills us with wonder. That’s something that will hold true to papa and me no matter how old you might be!

I also hope we can teach you that loving honestly and deeply makes you a happier person, because you’ll get so much of that in return. And that it all starts with family, because we don’t get through life alone. As you read this you’ll see that you have been blessed with love from a diverse ‘family’. Your great-grandparents and many, many grandparents have already loved you so much! Your tias, tios and cousins from the US and Colombia are also a big part of who you’ll become. And it’s not just blood relatives either. The friends we choose to call family over time can sometimes turn into the most special people in our lives – that’s how your dad and I came to be after all! So this journal may seemingly be about your individual life, but we are bound together by blood, love, marriage, friendships and the memories of all those things combined.

As time passes I know you will teach us many things. You already have. The hardest lesson will come when you are ready to live independently from us. A tough day, and a proud day, for any mom I am sure. But remember that a child and his parents are tied by this life’s journey together; no matter how far you may go, we are and will always be a part of you.

Until then, I hope we can find precious time to keep filling these pages together. It’s our proud job, gift and privilege to guide you through it. It is your job, gift and privilege to go live it fully. Remember to look back and cherish your past. Learn from it. Most importantly though, remember to smile each night because you are about to be blessed with a new tomorrow. New chances to live, learn, love yourself, give back to others and start fresh. Remember that every second you have is a gift dad and I wanted more than anything else. Our favorite gift to love in our entire world. Love that gift and take really, really good care if it.

Happy 1st Birthday ‘mi vida’. Love, Mama

1st Birthday Cake Drama – Did You Just Ask Me That?

That’s Right. My husband went to pick up our son’s FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE and the bakery simply said it ‘aint here’. Here is a quick transcript of one of those moments that you know is going to be funny LATER. Thirty minutes before the official start time of our meticulously planned party? Not so funny. I spent HOURS making lists, creating slide shows, movies and wall collages… and THIS is what I ended up having to deal with?! Of course!

Husband: Mar, they can’t find our cake. Are you sure you ordered it here?

Wife: Did you JUST ASK ME THAT? Did I order our son’s first birthday cake from the same place we’ve been getting cakes for years? #$%&% YES.

Wife: Are you at the right place; Or is this your hangover at work?
…..Insiders note: husband decided late night (very late night) at Dave Matthew’s Concert the night before our party was ‘just fine’.

Husband: Well don’t freak, but well, they said they ‘aint got it’. Now what?

Wife: I will call.

After 6 minutes and 42 seconds on hold and then being ‘accidentally’ disconnected, twice!:
Wife: Hi, my son’s first birthday party starts in 45 minutes and…. (told them story)

Baker: Are you trying to order a cake or pick up a cake?

Wife: Okay, I will repeat the story (slower).

Baker: So if you already know we can’t find your cake, why are you calling?

Wife (trying not to yell, knowing that if situation got nasty, there would be no cake at all):
Did you just ask me that? Look, I am trying to stay calm, but you need to understand that my baby’s first birthday party starts shortly and I need a cake. I ordered a plain, white cake – whipped cream, strawberries. Nothing written on it, no decorations. I just need any cake (mentally, I said %#%&$ cake… but you knew that already).

Baker: oh, so you want us to make you another one? Not sure we can, let me check.

Wife: I don’t care if you have to take a shoebox and put whipped cream on it – I need a white, plain sheet cake for my son’s first birthday. I am having it decorated at the house, and I need it here very soon.

……. Insiders Note: Fact is that I am lucky enough to have an expert stylist that lives in my building. Sweet Dani B can make dirt look like art work. So I figured that worst case scenario, she could take her design idea for the cake and put it on a shoebox. Not kidding. That was my back up plan. I had already called her to warn her about our ‘situation’.
Baker: Looks like we have a cake available. Send your husband back in 10 minutes. We are so sorry we misplaced your order, we won’t charge you for it.

Wife: You can charge me what you want, or not charge me at all. Just get me something that looks like a cake, soon.

Baker: What would you like written on it?

Wife: (Deeeep breath) I need a PLAIN, WHITE CAKE. Now. Pretty please (clenched teeth).

Long story short – the cake was practically still frozen when it arrived, but they came through. We had no idea what it was made of, but as you can see from our amazing picture, our dear friend and amazing designer Dani B (www.sweetdanib.com) did her magic as planned, and Lucas had an amazing first birthday cake. Husband did a great job of talking me off the ledge.

Lesson: make sure the cake is the FIRST thing you pick up just in case a shoebox with whipped cream is the only cake your baby’s going to get! Would I really have done that? Really – did you just ask me that? ;-) More about the party soon!