Madelyn!
How are you? It's me... Mom. I am just sitting in your dad's and my little apartment in Washington right now. Ingrid is sitting on my lap and pretty much on top of you (hope you don't mind,) and I am just happy to have all my girls with me. Your dad is still at work. He has been working so much, and I barely get to see him. We are very excited for you to be born. When that happens we are moving back to Tennessee as soon as Dad is done with the Army, and hopefully he won't have such late nights at work. We cannot wait to raise you around your family and our friends. Both your dad and I were raised in Tennessee, for the most part, and we turned out pretty dang awesome.
I had another doctor's appointment today. You are 23 weeks and about 4 days old right now. Your heartbeat is swell. You are movin' and kickin' all the time, and I love it. You like to wait until I am almost asleep and then BANG you kick one of my organs and things get awkward. I wake up abruptly and worry I may have wet the bed or something (too much information? nah...) You are very very picky when you kick, though. You rarely kick if someone else is feeling all up on my belly trying to get a sneak peek of the the sassy fiery girl that is you. Your dad used to get kind of offended because I'd be feeling you kick the heck out of me, and then as soon as he would put his hand on me, you'd stop. I think it's because you have a sense of humor, and you like to keep people wanting more. Good for you!
You just kicked me. It tickled.
So, for this little post I think I will share a little about me and my life right now. Then I was thinking your dad could share some about himself next time he isn't working. We are very fascinating people so I'm sure you will be thoroughly entertained.
WELL... I just graduated from the University of Tennessee about 7 months ago. I have my degree in theatre, which was by far the best and worst decision of my life. Why best? I LOVED school (once I got settled in, that is. I don't adjust well to new things. I hope you don't get that from me.) I learned so much about life because I was studying my passion and, therefore, I invested all of myself in the art I was helping to create. So gratifying. (I don't care if you become an artist or not, but I hope you will appreciate its value.) Plus, I met some of the weirdest people in the world, and they taught me to be openminded to all lifestyles. Why was a theatre degree the worst decision? Oh.. because a theatre degree does not really leave people begging to hire you when you graduate. And when you got a baby on the way, you need to work! So, now I am a receptionist at a tax firm. Just saying that is absurd to me. This is not at all what I imagined for my life after graduation. I am married. I am having a baby! And I am a receptionist at a tax firm. I'm not going to lie.... I don't know anything about taxes. BUT I can be sort of funny and entertaining so I distract people that ask me questions long enough to find someone that actually knows the answer.
Now don't fret. I may not have imagined myself in the life I am currently in, but it has made me such a strong person. Plus, it has brought your father and I together. Not to mention that it has taught me to enjoy life no matter what your job is or how much money you have. Working at a tax firm sounds heinous, I know. Actually, though, it is hilarious. Tax professionals are insane! And I get to meet some really odd, interesting, and groovy (yes, the word "groovy" is out-dated even as I say it now) people at the front desk and over the phone.
Life is never what you expect, and it's often a struggle. You'll hear cliche things like that a lot in your life so get ready for that fun stuff. Sometimes its hard to really care when people say such things. But listen to your mom. I have no reason to lie to you. It is a good thing to know that life is hard for everyone sometimes, and it's important to understand that you may plan and plan and plan a "perfect" life for yourself, but life doesn't care about those plans. If you believe these things and let them sit in the back of your mind as you grow and learn all of life's lessons for yourself, you will be able to handle anything. You just keep on keepin' on no matter what obstacles you face, and they will eventually stop being obstacles.. and who knows.. they may turn into blessings.
Ok I'm done with the cheesy life advice. You'll get enough of that later. You just keep growing and kicking in my belly, and I'll keep eating a lot and looking weird when I try to bend over to pick things up.
I love you, little girl.
I really do.
I DO!
If when you read this, we are in the middle of a big uber huge nasty Mother/Daughter argument, just take a moment to forget how annoying I am and just think, "Golly gee, my mom is a real person...with hopes and dreams and flaws (not many though). And she loves me. And that's all that matters."
Ok. You don't have to say Golly gee. That is pretty lame. Just say the modern cool version of what I just typed.
Ok. bye.
I love you!
See you in a few months! AHHH! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!
-Mom
