Happy 10th Birthday Maia Marie
It will be ten years ago this next Monday that you impatiently pushed your way into this world. It was 7AM on the morning of April 13, 2009 when the cramping in my abdomen announced that you would be arriving that day. I patiently drew myself a bath and insisted to your dad that he could go to work and that I would call him when I was ready.
As I washed and soaked in the hot water, the contractions became more insistent. I decided that I had better shave my legs because everyone would be looking at them as they sat on display in stirrups, rather than my birthing canal, right? Your daddy began to pace that small bathroom, begging me to hurry up. He was much more nervous than I was, after all you are number three and I was a seasoned pro.
I remember feeling that need to push at the last stoplight before we reached the hospital. Your daddy nearly had a stroke. Thankfully, I was able to hold you in long enough to have you delivered by someone more qualified than Daddy. You came into this world fifteen minutes after we had arrived at the hospital. You were a big beautiful round baby, with a head full of black hair, and lungs with the capacity of a tenor.
You cried from 10PM at night until 3AM in the morning for the entire first three months of your existence. I would have never guessed that you were working out your angst as a newborn to make way for the ray of sunshine that would become your personality and disposition in life. I still can’t get over how happy you always are. I can be in the deepest darkest place and your ready smile is always there to light up my heart. That is your gift.
Together, you and I experienced the scariest most unfathomable event of our lives, but I want you to know that there are going to be so many other experiences in your life that will be happy and wonderful and that they are all something to look forward to. I want to be there to hold your hand through the best and the worst of those experiences. All of them have value, even those that are not so pleasant to go through.
You have been a bulwark to me lately, taking care of me when it is my job to take care of you. I love that you caress my face like a mommy and tell me how important I am to you or how “cute” I am. It helps me to look outside of my grief and put my presence back with the living. You are so grown up. My commitment to you is to be present as a mother and to ensure that you remember your childhood as a happy one filled with hot Cheetos, hikes in the foothills, snuggle time and Club Penguin. I love you always, Mommy.
Happy 10th birthday, Maia!
May you continue to bring joy, laughter, and life to those around you. Since you apparently were in a hurry to come into this life, it is obvious that you have grand things to accomplish — perhaps one of the grander things already is being there, like you have been lately, for your mom. You are a magnificent angel.
Cat, I think it is probably time to bring home a kitten for Maia. I think it would be a great thing for her to nurture right now, and this little critter will bring a lot of joy into your lives right now. Just don’t get mad if he/she scratches your furniture and everything will be okay. If it were a female, wouldn’t “Luz” be a cool name?
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Maia la magnífica!
OK, I go cry now. lol
BTW, Preston did that same crying shit for an extended amount of time, and I just knew I was going to end up on the Oprah show in an orange jumpsuit ready to explain why I felt OK tossing my infant off a bridge. How he turned out to be the most positive influence in my life is beyond me. We must have done something right.
Kerri: It’s strange how that works out isn’t it? I think the bridges fantasies were a result of absolutely zero sleep for three months straight.
Jeff: It’s a huge coincidence that you would recommend for Maia to have a kitten. Would you believe that right before Christmas I took her to the animal shelter to pick a kitten out? True to her nature, she picked out this very patchwork tortoiseshell that she thought no one would adopt. She loves that kitty and is incredibly nurturing. I think you have a line on my mind
Happy birthday, Maia! She is so full of love and life, and reminds me very much of my youngest brother. Enormous hugs to you, Java!
Interesting … if there is a line into your mind, it’s obviously quite lagged.
So Maia already has a kitty? I bet it tickled you to see that Maia was calculating about which one she’d pick out and why. You have many things to look forward to with this resplendent girl.
I wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend — although it’s going to be difficult, try to make it special for the kids. I imagine that you’ll probably devote most of Sunday as a pre-birthday celebration for Maia-ita?
I will be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, but I will check in on your blog world to see how you’re doing when I’m back. In the meantime, take great care of yourself.
wowwwww!Happy Birthday . :*
Happy Birthday to Maia!
How could she NOT be a wonderful child? She has a wonderful Mommy!
Happy Belated Birthday Maia! Your beauty has shown through to so many, most importantly your mom. Keep smiling and being that happy bright young lady that you are.