I was gone for over 3 weeks and it was amazing. It was a lovely break and it had everything I could have possibly asked for...love, family, white sand beaches, crystal clear blue ocean, yummy food, dance parties, a dreaded but turned out to be more than acceptable road trip, fresh mountain air, a step back into a simpler time and one absolutely perfect baby boy.
The first part of my vacation has become an annual tradition thanks to my most generous sister and brother-in-law. We spent 16 glorious days sailing in the Caribbean. We went to Tortola, St. John, St Croix, Cooper Island, Buck Island, Cinnamon Bay, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Marina Cay, Scrub Island and back to Tortola. This vacation is so hard to describe but I will...just not in this post.
The week of July 4th, we spent in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, "The Oldest Summer Resort in America". The population in this town is about 6000. My boyf and his family probably know 5999 of the 6000 people living there. It's a small, one (blinking) traffic light town where everyone knows everyone and everyone and I mean everyone, goes to the annual July 4th parade...dressed in July 4th apparel. It's a surreal and fantastic experience.
Most importantly on this trip, we met the newest member of the family while in Wolfey. Born in March, my boyf's nephew, AKA "Baby Kitty", was personally introduced to us at 3 months old. And, he is nothing short of fabulous. We spent the week with him where we were blessed to be able to help take care of him. He won't remember this time in his life or the experience of us taking care of him and we will never forget.
Baby Kitty's mama is doing big things and going big places. For a portion of the summer, she was in training to become some kind of brilliant environmental safety something-really-smart manager. So for 4 weeks, she had to leave Baby Kitty in the care of his extended family...his grandparents, his uncle, his great aunt, a couple of super cousins and, for one week, us. Thanks to Skype, mama and Baby Kitty could see each other daily. But, even with the daily phone calls, I know it was extremely hard for her to be away from him...she couldn't touch him, smell him, or hug and kiss him daily. She's one strong mama in so many ways. I admire her strength and determination.
Thankfully, she is also extremely generous and she let us fill in for her for a week. Meme (Baby Kitty's Mama's Mom) also shared him with us...which, frankly is not easy to do. I didn't like sharing him at all. In fact, I was a Baby Kitty hog. He's hard to share for many reasons. The biggest being that he is, simply put, the best baby on the planet. I thought my most precious nieces were the best babies on the planet but Baby Kitty gives them a run for the title.
The child NEVER cries. NEVER. And I mean NEVER. He's on a schedule, but he can be flexible. He smiles all the time. He chows down every bottle. He goes night-night, easily. He sleeps through the night...for nearly 12 hours. He snuggles. He loves playing. He loves the water. He loves dogs. He tells the best baby babbling stories. And, he really loves football games. Side note, we played football everyday and he particularly likes the plays were Ray Rice breaks a tackle and runs the ball 52 yards for a TD. And he goes nuts when Ed Reed intercepts Tom Brady and takes it to the house. The kid's awesome...what else can I say?
Anyone who knows me knows that, in general, I like babies. They are adorable and snugly and fun and most of the time, they like me too. I'm not nervous around them and they don't scare me. However, I've never been one to have "Baby Fever". I've never been the type of woman who just knows she was born to be a mama. I've pretty much always known I want to be a mama, but I've never had the burning desire, ticking clock or Mother Earth feeling. However, I've always assumed and still do assume that I will be a mama.
Thanks to my visit with Baby Kitty a few things that I intrinsically knew became even more crystal clear.
- I would babynap Baby Kitty (and I actually considered this) in a heartbeat. I really missed him when we left. I find myself wondering what he's doing and where he's going, and what milestones he crossing.
- I have 100% confirmation that I don't need to actually birth a baby to be a mama. Baby Kitty or a black baby boy would fit just as nicely in my life as my very own birthed baby.
- Mothers are amazingly strong women. They are fierce.
- Something happens to mamas when they become grandmamas. There is a certain sense of confidence and ease that grandmamas have that cannot be truly explained, it's only felt and very much NEEDED by new mamas.
- Lastly, and most profoundly, many times the unexpected things in life become the things you need the most. You didn't know they were missing but, once found or received, you cannot live without them. They make you stronger, better, happier. They push you beyond what you perceive your limits to be and they give you things you couldn't even imagine having, and now, you cannot imagine living without. Many people call these things unanswered prayers or blessings or even karma. I call him perfection.
It's truly amazing and astonishing to take a step back and feel the love that surrounds that one perfect baby. It's beautiful, joyful, tender, fun, easy, unconditional, so very hard at times, amazing, powerful and unforgettable. It's perfection.
It's that a clock I hear ticking???
xo~
Elizabeth
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