Whew! I made it through Birthday Week alive and well. I am still happily munching on homemade carrot cake and cream cheese icing (sadly I had to share this year because Mr. S. actually liked it!). There was, in fact, steak, and the great amusement of watching #4 choose steak over french fries.
This week has been a breather for us, because next week we start off with a bang with a baby shower for a wonderful woman who could not be a better mother. I am making her a diaper cake, which is actually coming out great since I learned to make baby sock roses to top it with. Yep, I go hardcore crafty at times. I am so excited to make this for her, because she was there when I needed her.
See, I wasn't always a Catholic. And I am not always a good Catholic, though I try to be. Once upon a time, I was a non practicing Episcopalian. I was 18, wildly in love, and had just moved 8 hours to be with my boyfriend, the amazing Mr. S. Unsurprisingly (except for back then when the possibility was the furthest from my mind) I ended up pregnant. Unwed. 18. With no family anywhere close. Heck, I even found out at planned parenthood. At that moment, I thought I had never could have faced a worse scenario. But then the PP lady said she could "take care of it". My baby. I can't describe the revulsion at the thought of killing my baby, the protective mama grizzly that came out, but in rather unkind words I informed her that was not an option.
My future in-laws were very supportive when we broke the news. There was no angry words, just the obvious shock and the "OK then, we are going to be grandparents." they accepted me as part of their family, and helped us so much in those ridiculously poor, working-cruddy-jobs-to-get-Mr. S.-through-the-rest-of-college-days.
In fact, my MIL threw us a baby shower, on Christmas eve, with very short notice. And this still amazes me. She had two very good friends step up as hostesses and buy the pack n play that was our baby's bed for us. Tons of people showed up, and I only knew one of them. These women showered me in love, acceptance, and honest excitement for my baby, something that is hard to come by in unplanned teen pregnancy. These women showed me truly what God calls Christians to be. I was awestruck that all these women were there. It was such a testament as well to how great my MIL is, to have so many friends so willing to help.
And among those women were the Mommy in question and her own mother and grandmother. They have since become family to us, and I treasure them so much. It was a long road for this Mommy to get here, with so much heartache. I am so excited to be able to share this moment with her. I hope to be an example one day to someone like she has been to me. M, I love you!f
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