A little hope

My tiny family of two (soon-to-be three) has taken quite the beating from life in the last year and a half.  Mark and I experienced the painful losses of both of our grandmothers and each of us lost a beloved family dog. More recently we lost the love of our lives and we still lose our breath sometimes when we think that Rocky isn't here anymore.  We really hoped that his loss would end the tragedies. Unfortunately, it didn't.

My cousin Nick lost his long and heroic battle with Neuroblastoma this weekend.  He was 21 and has been battling since he was 15.  He was amazing but in the last few weeks it attacked him very hard.  He fought and fought but his body finally decided it was too much.  It is all so profoundly sad.  I am glad, though, that he is in peace finally and his family is now able to start healing themselves.  I have nothing but admiration for Nick and his family - they are all amazingly strong people.  Life is very scary and I know that I can't protect my child from everything, just look at my cousin and all his family did to try to protect and save him.

I know it may sound self-righteous and pompous, but I think it's time that our little family gets a little good news. We are so excited to welcome this baby, but the worry that most parents get in the last few weeks has set in. So far my pregnancy has been by-the-book, but we know that anything can happen. I am not an overly religious person, but I find myself praying quite a bit. I prayed that God help my grandmothers and my dogs and my cousin and my baby... I have prayed for our families and for us. Please join us in praying for a healthy baby. Send your positive vibes and uplifting thoughts our way.

We get the question, "What do you want it to be?" (meaning a boy or a girl) a lot. And I always respond with the same thing, "[We want it to be] Healthy." And that's the truth. I know I can't save my child from everything, but I can hope for a healthy baby.  I think that's ok.  After all the sadness we've experienced of late, we, along with our families, are ready for something extraordinarily positive.

I think this baby is just the thing we all need :)