Mothers Be Good to Your Daughters

With the stork on his way, I have naturally turned to the one person who guided me through childhood – Mama Lisa.

For those of you who know my Mom, this whole goo-goo-ga-ga, mushy, heartfelt story I am about to tell may come as a bit of a surprise. Don’t be mistaken, every word I speak (write) is 100% true. If you’re unfortunate enough to have never met my Mom, it’s pretty simple: she’s tough as nails. A true, dedicated, super-intelligent business woman who is constantly elevated in the ranks of her very successful career. Some might even say she was born to dominate her field, having overcome hardships I can only imagine, and inevitably accomplishing everything she set out to – all the while, raising three radically different and challenging kiddos (Joseph Riley, Chelsea Marie, and Myself).

That would make anyone a little hard, a little over it, maybe even a little ready to move on from the world of babies.

Enter Brennen Shea Nagle, now 1 year old, and quite possibly the cutest and largest baby in this history of mankind. My brother’s son was born December 26th, 2008, consequently making Mama Lisa do a double-take on the idea of becoming “Grammy”. Needless to say, I was surprised and ecstatic over her reaction to our fabulous news.

She was at work:

“Mom….”

“Yesssss…”

“Mom, I have some news. Some really exciting news.”

“Okay….”

“Stacey and I are going to have a baby!”

Voice already cracking, “Oh my Gosh! Really?” I could hear her smile, her sincerity, and I started to cry a little, too. This conversation isn’t something they teach you at UVM or St. Johnsbury Academy, or anywhere else in life, really. It’s not even an event that crosses your mind until you’re actually experiencing it, and it… is... Wonderful.

Mom blessed our little one the moment she knew, she prayed for us during our first big scare, and she continues to guide me through my pregnancy with a swollen heart and truly gracious understanding. She’ll respond to my incessant texts any time of day:

“Did you have really bad morning sickness?”

“Did you have stretch marks? They’re genetic!”

“What do you think of genetic screening?”

“Epidural? No epidural?” (NO EPIDURAL! THREE KIDS!)

“I wish you were here with me.”

And she will be. April 14th, once again sharing herself with my beautiful little blueberry, as Mom arrives on her own birthday. I told her I should be pretty chunky by that time – she calls it “cute”.

She really is a softy.