A Whole Village of Moms

We have shared with many of you the essay "Welcome to Holland." It was written by a mom with a special needs child in 1987 to describe the emotional journey so many of us go through when our expectations for our lives change. I've posted this essay on the main page here in case you've never read it.

About 2 weeks before
delivery

I did not want kids. I did not want to get pregnant, ever, I was not afraid of anything more than I was of lactation, I could not imagine myself as a mom. I had no interest in Italy. I met a man who felt the same way, there was just no drive to add complication to our lives by having a baby.
And then the craving for alfredo sauce started. And certainly not the kind you get at Olive Garden, I needed the real thing. And Todd and I started to talk through our fears and concerns about Italy, and how we were ready to explore that path. And then we got pregnant and the light came on-we were going to Italy! The place we never wanted to go was suddenly the only place to go. And how great that so many friends and family members were already there, we would join them!
I loved being pregnant. I felt so good, I did not have more than 1.8 seconds of morning sickness and no heartburn. I loved talking to moms about their experience, except when they said "oh you just wait, it gets worse!" (about not sleeping, being tired, etc. They were mostly wrong. I am really good at being pregnant.)
And then...In the space of a few hours in a dark exam room, my reluctant-ish trip to Italy was highjacked. But my excitement for Holland, though earned through tears and pain and fear, is oh so strong! Our transition to this new and unexpected path has been smooth and scary at once. And we have had the most amazing welcome committee. The women (and men, but this is about the women today) that have offered advice and service and love and support....We are surrounded by a village of the most glorious of moms:

Rah Rah Rah!
Go Moms!

Thank you Gabby for your text on the morning of delivery reminding me that the weather in Holland is unpredictable, but beautiful.
Thank you Pam for saying that no one can do this better than the one who loves her most. I needed that.
Thank you Kay for making me laugh and saying "you just can't catch a break, can you?" when hearing yet another piece of bad news. I needed the honesty that day, it lightened my load. And Shannon, Patty and Kim, for laughing along with me during this entire pregnancy.

Clockwise, From top: Abby,
Gracie, Ellie and Millie

Thank you to the person that put together and updates GermWatch. Clearly, this is a mom or someone who just gets moms. (Along with the mom at 3M who figured out Avagard and Cavilon)
Thank you Abby, Gracie, Millie and Ellie for being so excited at my baby shower, for sending me texts and drawing me pictures and picking cute outfits for Clara.
Thank you to the friends of friends and friends of family that have sent presents, kind notes, and prayers our way. 
Thank you to the CICU and CSU nurses and techs at Primary for teaching me how to take care of a high maintenance baby and her tubes, machines, stickers and meds. And to Kim and the nurses in the University of Utah special care unit that mothered me, in the best way, after delivery :)
Thank you to all the London 1999 girls who have sent such sweet encouragement and love, after all these years and all this distance.
Thank you to Jontue, Serenie, Danielle and the work friend moms for all the advice and well wishes, for being almost as excited as we were.
Thank you to my Heart and 22q Mom-sisters. I learn from you, I laugh with (and sometimes at ;) you, and I am blessed to have your examples. I have been so touched by support from so many moms, including Debbie, Jill, Hillary, Hollie, Noelle, Liz, Lacey, Allison, Danielle, Kristi, Angee, Heidi, Patti, Ella...It sounds like my acceptance speech at the Oscars, but truly, I wanted to make sure to acknowledge as many as I could remember. This is my official endorsement of the power of the internet for good-these forums have saved my sanity :)
Thank you to the beautiful extended family members, aunts, cousins and in-laws that we don't often get to connect with. We have had an outpouring of love and support from people all over this country, not to mention dear friends in India, Clara is so lucky. Thank you Lindsey and Lindsey and Kathy, Linda, Emilee. And Sharon, Todd's mom, thank you for teaching Todd to love and support women the way he does.

Nana and Clara

Thank you to my sisters. I hope we are able to give Clara a sister some day. Everyone needs a Jenn to share her experience in this world and show up when you need it and bejewel your baby girl, a Kim to dance in your labor room and keep you busy with crafting and pay part of your speeding ticket, and a Sherrie to tell you about the coolest and grossest parts of this process and share your story with a community of even more great moms (and remind you how to pee after they take out the catheter. Blow in to a straw, in case you didn't know.)
And...to my own mom. I will never be able to list the ways in which you have helped me arrive in Holland with such joy and faith. I love you for being supportive and excited and scared and patient and giving. For doing my dishes every time we leave the house, for putting up with Gir when you watch Clara and pretending he is a good dog, for showing me how to bathe my baby girl, for making sure I don't take myself too seriously and just enjoy this time. You are the best example I could have on how to be a mom and how to help Clara become a good and happy daughter.

Todd, thank you for this gift of motherhood, for my baby girl, for loving me so much that you will brave the uncharted canals of Amsterdam with me in order to find the most beautiful of tulips.