For Nella Lenore

I'm pretty stinkin' proud/honored that I was the first person to meet Nella other than her parents and that I got to drink wine in her honor with her newly-minted grandmother on the same evening. So this post is partially for Nella Lenore Dyksterhouse, born on 9/22/12, and partially for her awesome parents Kate and Jimmy. We love you guys and are excited to be sharing the parenting journey with you!

[disclaimer: this post will definitely be cheesy and is probably totally lame, but I can't shake this idea!]


Dear Nella on your 13th birthday,
As I write this, you are just beginning your fifth day of life. You have perfectly shaped rosebud lips and like to hang out with your hands near your face.You are tall like both of your parents, and I have no doubt that you will tower over Lillian within a year. Hopefully she won't hold it against you so you can still be friends. You are so sweet and so, so loved. You have been longed for, prayed over, and cried over. I have no doubt that these things are all still happening.

Turning 13 can be tricky. You might be doubting that God loves you or that your parents love you, and you might be thinking about some boy--hey I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my number so call me maybe. (This was an important piece of pop culture at the time of your birth. You might be able to hear it on the oldies station now.) I want to deal with the second of these doubts today. Your parents can handle #1 and I'm sure your daddy has some thoughts on #3. Like locking you up until you're 30.

Your parents love you so much! They have basically lived in the hospital for the last month due to some complications during your mom's pregnancy. Your very tall father squeezed himself onto strange hospital bedcouches for weeks. Your mom has been poked and prodded and put through an emotional ringer, hanging out in that hospital bed in an effort to keep you as safe and healthy as possible. And she did it with a smiling, brave face because she loved you.

Now, seeing as you are 13 while you are reading this, you might be rolling your eyes because your parents could not possibly have had a life before you. It's just their job to love you, right? They just popped into existence when you were born, right? That's certainly how I imagined my own parents for a long time. But here's the thing. Your parents are cool. I see that this word might not mean anything anymore. It might be the equivalent of using "nifty" or "rad." That's okay, though. You catch my drift. Your parents have many, many friends and awesome families, and I hope you know and love lots of these people. Remember that most of these people were around before you were because, like I said before, your parents are cool.

So, do yourself a favor. Sit down and drink tea with your mom out of her favorite Starbucks mugs. Ask her about her semester in Italy, or her time volunteering for a campaign she really believed in (sidebar: I have no doubt that you will be at the polls in six weeks or so, snuggled against your mom's chest), or why she fell in love with your dad (if it's not too embarrassing). Then, go to a Wake Forest game with your dad. Order two of the biggest hot dogs you can find and cheer loudly yet unobnoxiously with him. Then you can roll the Quad when Wake wins.

Takeaway points: your parents are cool, and you are very, very loved. And if you and Lillian could go easy on us during your teen years, that'd be great. Thanks in advance.

Love always,
almost-aunt Ashley