THE LAND OF THE FREE

On Thursday night around 8:30 I took Ellie for a walk up by my parent's house and as I took in my surroundings all I could think was that this...THIS is the most wonderful time of the year. I was elated with my nostalgic feelings of summer. I saw kids playing, moms walking, grandpas gardening, and bikes resting on front lawns after a hard day of play. I was grateful and proud to be an American- to be an American living my American dream.

 I dreamed about the future, about the day that I'll have a home with a yard that I can cultivate, a bunch of kids that leave their bikes on the lawn, and traditions and memories that I help create for a family of my own.

I whisper to Ellie how she's helping me live my dream. I longed for the day that I'd be pushing my little one down the street in a stroller- and now here I am doing it. I'm a dreamer. Big time. I couldn't have painted a prettier picture in my head of what it would be like to be a mom. And you know what? It's even better than I thought it would be. It's better because I couldn't have dreamed about how much I would actually LOVE this baby of mine. The LOVE is the best part, not the clothes, or the crib, or the nursery I had been so worried about.

I think May 19th was the perfect day to have a baby. I'm loving this summer: sleeping in, going on walks, swimming, spending time with family and doing every single activity each day with my precious baby girl. I'm conviced that THIS is the most wonderful time of the year.