An amazing mom. And a pretty cool Cousin too.

As I was thumbing through a recent may copy of American
Baby Magazine today,I was pleasantly surprised to see my
cousin Amy's beautiful smile spread across two pages! She
was a 2008 Pink Power Mom award recipient. Here's her story
according to the ad in the magazine. She has always been
a wonderful role model and an amazing woman. If any of you
see the ad featuring her in a May copy of American Baby, please
save it for me. Also look for Amy in the June edition of
Parent Magazine.

Amy recently sent me the most adorable little onesie for the
baby with the skyline of Portland, OR on the front. (Thank You!)
The company that makes them has many adorable things for
baby and a percentage of the sales go to Amy's "My little Waiting
Room" project. You can check it out at
http://www.miminkoapparel.com/Products/Miminko/mimi_pgs/city.html
or learn more about the room at http://www.mylittlewaitingroom.org/

 

An Inspiring Story

Amy Paterson, a 2008 recipient of the Pink Power Mom recognition,
is one woman whose story captures the spirit of the program.

When her son Jonah was 2 ½, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
As Amy spent months completing chemotherapy, surgery, radiation
and physical therapy, she realized that there was an unmet need for
onsite hospital childcare.

Together with two other moms, Amy started My Little Waiting Room to
bring drop-in childcare to hospitals. My Little Waiting Room will make
it easier for families to keep appointments and get the medical care
they need. The first My Little Waiting Room is expected to debut this
year in Portland, Oregon. Bright Starts will be a brand partner for infant
products in the facility with the donation of baby gear and toys.

"There`s no doubt that breast cancer changes your life," said Paterson.
"Thanks to the support of my medical team, my family and friends, I am
a survivor. Helping other families to better make and keep medical
appointments through My Little Waiting Room is how I`ve chosen to
give back. With the help of Bright Starts, I hope to make a positive,
meaningful difference for families in the same way that so many people
helped mine."

Baby Shower

Thank you to everyone for so many wonderful gifts for the little one. It was amazing to see all of you and enjoy such an amazing day. I love you all! Only 4 weeks until this little one joins us I can't wait until you all get to meet the newest little Lucas. Special thanks to Mum ( Soon to be Grammy ) and Auntie Caitlin for organizing a fabulous day! XOXOX

Date Night for Mommy & Daddy.

Saturday night Tom and I had a great time up at the beach in Nahant. Dinner at Tides was amazing. We had Crab & Lobster stuffed mushroom caps, Tom had an entire app. of Mussels Fra Diavlo, and we split an incredibly large fisherman's platter with fried clams, shrimp, haddock and scallops. The sides of fries, sweet potato fries and coleslaw were also yummy.

The Atlantic ocean provided a much needed source of relief for my swollen ankles!!!!

Easter

My little Easter egg... is getting big. Can't tell how large it actually is from the front on pictures. This one clearly illustrates the magnitude of the bump.

2 Tables, 18 Chairs, 20 People.... (2 pregnant ladies = a head count of 4)

The Bumps enjoy a Shirley Temple.


"Can you balance that cake on your bump?"


This doesn't look like the same bump as in the side view!

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful day and a wonderful Easter! Enjoy the pictures.

Miracles.

This past week my cousin Pam celebrated another birthday. Here she is as a baby with her great-uncle Ray, my grandfather, (papa). I just thought there is something so tender in this photo, so timeless and classic that I felt the need to share it. It's not only a miracle that we all will experience a new life, a new little one, a new family member in the next month or two, but it is truly a miracle that that love we experience for this new little person is as timeless and classic as the love "uncle Ray" felt for little Pam all those years ago. The way John Moore felt when Emma and Cody, his first grand kids were born, and the way my own father will feel about his first grandchild this spring. Miracles. Absoluely without doubt miracles. So for those of you wrapped up in disgust over the economy, the government and missle launches being prepared in Korea, here's a moment of truth that there is still good in the world, still love and still miracles. My papa is certainly one who left behind him a whole wake of goodness, love and family, and the bump is just another link in his legacy. So never mind the decline in your stocks, take stock in the love and family you have and the legacy of love you leave behind. Being able to focus on that in todays world is the true miracle.

Special thanks to Cousin Amy for sending such a lovely set of old family Photos.

Signs of Spring.

Just a note to report mommy and baby are both well. Shadow went for his annual shots and vet visit today and is up t0 date on everything he needs for meds before his new owner appears. (meaning the baby, we're not getting rid of the little guy!)

I've finally stopped working 60 hour weeks. I cut back to 53 hours this week and with some schedule readjustments may even be down to 40 next week! I also had this morning off. It was the first week day morning in ages and got tons of errands done. Which I know doesn't really mean I'm slowing down, but I'm feeling good anyway.

The weather is getting better, and I'm getting bigger still. Complete strangers are now saying, "God bless you both." when I sneeze. Seasonal allergies have begun. And people in church are saying peace be with you (shaking my hand) and you too (touching the bump).

So spring time this year is bringing a lot of "NEW" to our lives. We'll clearly have the birth of our new baby, but even before then, I've experienced a lot of new as well. We have new experiences ahead with our wonderful niece Aoife who will be arriving from Dublin on the 10th of May. New decorations for the baby's room, new gadgets and gizmos to learn how to use for baby. I have a new shoe size! I've grown from a 7 to an 8.5! And, as my Doctor has recommended I wear sneakers all the time for support and compression of my swolen ankles, I have new sneakers! Fashion is now becoming a new game of will-this-fit-me-today? And I also, knowing that my feet won't magically return to a size 7, softened the blow of becoming big foot by getting my self a fabulous pair of size 8 gold (but very supportive and easy to slip on with baby in hand) floral sandals for the spring/summer... They may very well be the last nice NEW thing mommy gets her self for a long time.

So in the spirit of spring: here's to new life, new shoes and everything that blossoms for us all in the weeks ahead!

Yes the large pink object eclipsing the new sandals is the bump, and yes I have to lean forward to see the fab sandals, and yes, I go to the salon for pedicures, despite my long arms, I can barely reach the feet long enough to tie sneakers. Once the swelling goes down in the feet a little, ok, a lot, These should be really cute! Happy Spring!

Table for 6?

Erin, Jen & I had Brunch with the bumps in Devlin's on Saturday March 21st. There was a baby shower in progress, a woman beside us who was clearly pregnant, and about 5 small babies ranging in age from 5 weeks to about a year. I think there's something in the Brighton water!



Here's a lovely picture of the three of us (6 of us) @ Devlin's.
Erin's little one will be names Sean Michael Keane, Jen's little one will be Ethan Patrick Donahue... only about Nine weeks left until we find out if there will be three boys, or two boys and a girl among us.