It's Funny the Things...

that bring all of the emotions flooding back.  I'm working at home today because I woke up with a fever plus I had a Dr appointment to try to get some relief from this cough I've had for a week, I was watching my DVR of General Hospital (don't judge!) and one of the character's brought her son to the bedside of her husband's dying grandfather.  Usually I just have my shows on in the background but I tuned into this since it hit so close to home.  I could just imagine me sitting by his bed with Jacob and talking to him, promising him that I would make sure that the kids went to college (despite Riley's desire to be a "funny clown"), that Riley's feet would be perfect, that I promised to make sure that I raised the kids so that he would be proud.   The character reached out to the baby and I was reminded of how Poppa smiled when Riley sang to him and I just started bawling.  I had been doing well too, I had gone a good week, week and a half without crying, all shot to pieces by a stupid soap opera.  Then I was cleaning out my emails while my data ran and I came across his obituary.

ALBOM, JACK JONATHAN, MD Jack Jonathan Albom, MD, born Nov. 18, 1912 in New Haven, CT, formerly married to Miriam Edelstein Albom, passed away Nov. 12, 2012 six days short of his 100th Birthday. A distinguished Dermatologist in private practice, a Professor of Medicine at Yale, retired Army/Air Force Colonel. He was educated at Yale, received his MD from Columbia Medical School, and interned in Dermatology at University of Pennsylvania. Upon retiring to Florida he became a consultant of Dermatology at the VA Hospital in Pompano Beach until his true retirement at the age of 88. He is survived by his daughters, Judi Wilensky (Harold) and Shelley Laitner (Morton), 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Wednesday was my brother's birthday and I strangely I thought that this will be the first year in his 39 years that he won't get a card from Poppa without his chicken scratch writing that took a good 1/2 hour to figure out what it said.  Then I thought that, wow, Jacob's birthday is in 2 1/2 weeks, he'll never have those cards and Riley won't get one in January, and I won't get one either for the first time in 34 years.  All the things I took for granted all of these years.

It's funny how the little things that you never thought would hit you emotionally tear you up!

Document It, Remember It

Ever have one of those days where you just wish you had a video recorder going at all times? Monday, was well, a typical Monday in every sense of the word. I was tired, I didn’t sleep well (hello 3rd trimester my old frienemy!) and I was running late, I couldn’t get my granny stocking on because my belly is getting too big to bend over (and yes it is, I’m measuring a week ahead of where it should be so as my Dr puts it “I’m nice and big”), and couldn’t decide what to wear. Riley was actually being cooperative other than insisting that she needed more cereal in her snack cup which was upstairs with us and the cereal was downstairs in the pantry (imagine that???) which didn't bode well for an impatient 2 year old.

We did have a couple of cute conversations in the morning and I just had to accept that I was going to hit major traffic because I couldn’t risk losing the precious interaction with her.

Conversation 1:
Me: “Riley it’s going to rain today.”
Riley: “Oh no, I need my rain jacket and boots.”
Me: “Well let’s get your rain jacket but you’re not supposed to wear boots at school so we can just bring our rain jacket.”
Riley: “I don’t want to get all wet.”

Now at this point in time it is currently clear with no sign of rain, the rain was predicted for late afternoon, early evening but Riley wanted to be prepared so we had to actually put the coat on her. Fast forward to the parking lot at day care.

Riley: “Mom, you don’t have your rain coat!” (Not sure when and how it happened but I am no "mom," my little girl is truly growing up"
Me: “I’ll be ok, don’t worry.”
Riley: “Mom, be careful, you don’t want to get wet!”

My girl, always looking out for me!

Conversation 2:

At day care in Pre-School A Classroom, after going back and forth between the computer, magnets and coloring Riley decides on coloring for her morning activity to keep her occupied while I sneak out.

Me: “Ok, Riley, I’m going to go to work now, be good today and remember to go potty on the toilet and stay dry.”
Riley: “Don’t go!”
Me: Thinking oh great, here we go, I’m already 15 minutes behind. “I really have to go baby.”
Riley: “I want to color you a picture.”

Stab right to the heart, how can you rush that???   But I was seriously late and traffic was only getting worse!

Me: “Why don’t you color it and put it in your cubby and I can see it when I pick you up.”
Riley: “I’ll be real quick, I promise, just wait. Don’t go”

She then takes a piece of paper, a marker and draws me this fancy piece of art:

Riley: “All done! Love you mom!” Blows me kisses and waves good-bye!

It is now hanging proudly in my office!

Oh to be able to freeze time and take snapshots or videos of it all so you never forget these precious moments! I guess that's what this blog is for right!?!

Wow

Wow, how can it be that 2 years ago today we were forced to say good-bye to my first baby, my furry four-legged Homer.  Marc and I were texting about it this morning and it seems a different lifetime ago that Homer was physically a part of our lives - Riley was just about 2 1/2 months old, a week prior she had had her tenotomy and she was in her hot pink casts, I was an unsure new mother and beyond stressed about whether my little girl's feet would ever be normal.  My how times have changed, if only Homer knew how much attention Riley would be giving him right now I wonder if he wouldn't have let his congestive heart failure get the best of him.  I do know that he clung to life when I needed him most and for that I will be forever grateful to him.  Tonight we're having chicken burgers in your honor little buddy.  You may not be physically with us anymore but you are forever in our hearts!  Miss you Love Bug!