This I Whole-Heartily Believe

This is one of my favorite quotes...

"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much." - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Baby Shower Season

I'm getting ready for my third baby shower of the past few weeks today. My best friend in Washington state is due at the beginning of October. (Several acquaintences also from Washington are pregnant or just had a baby.) Last weekend I gave a shower for a good friend here in town that is due at the end of October. Now two of my coworkers have wives who are expecting their first babies (one in November, one in January), so we're giving them a shower this evening. Since I love shopping for babies, this has been great!

Marek was a newborn in this photo above...

Now that Marek is almost four, I have been missing having a little baby around. I used to think I'd have 3 children. Probably because I come from a family of three kids. Of course, when I was about 10 years old, I really wanted 9 children. (!!!) I had created an elaborate future scenario for myself which included marrying a man from Germany named Augustine [because a) I was becoming interested in my German heritage and b) Augustine was about the only German name I could think of since it was also part of a piano song "Ach du lieber Augustine" that I was learning at the time]. I can't remember what I thought his occupation would be, but I had created a future for myself where I was a writer and mom of 9. I had names for everyone of them - but I can only remember Todd and Dominique.

A friend of mine recently shared this quote with me and I love it:

"Motherhood is not what we imagined.

It is more delightful, more heartbreaking...

It is not the calm after the storm we have been led to expect.

It is almost more than a person can bear. Almost." - Ariel Gore, author of The Mother Trip