Christmast Wish-List

Olivia is pulling herself up to standing! The girl has not even gotten to crawl "normally" (aka with her stomach off the ground) and she is standing up! Our makeshift couch-cushion barricades' days are coming to an end. I will hang on to my freebie creation for as long as I can/ it is safe.

Okay, now that I am on the topic of bragging, I think of Christmas letters. You know, the ones you get from Uncle Bob or Aunt Sally about how Janie is getting straight A's at Harvard and make you feel totally inadequate... Well, now that I have a child, I get to start the brag letter. But, I really don't want to be a hypocrite, because I generally roll my eyes (and feel totally inadequate) so I am not going to create a brag Christmas letter about Olivia, but write down my hopes and dreams for the woman she will become. Who knows, hopefully I will make a few accurate predictions. (Besides, if I actually bragged about how amazing my baby is... :-) )

Olivia - I hope that you have a great childhood. I hope that you find friends with wild imaginations and go exploring...even if it is within the confines of your own house. (Of course, this will mean that I will have to get over my extreme anxiety about letting you out of my sight, but I will suffer...for you) My best friend, Kata and I would find enjoyment in a puddle in front of her house, or create a whole world in her backyard. These are the best memories I have of childhood and I wish that for you. When they say the best things in life are free, it is mostly true.

I hope that you study and work hard in school. I think I did alright in school, but I always wish I had worked harder. Ironically, the more work you do in the front end, the easier you have it in the real world. When you have the intellect and determination, you can do nothing but succeed. Everyone respects passion and will do anything to support it. Since everything I have done in my life has lead up to you and John, I can't say I'd take it back...but when you have the whole world in front of you, I hope you take every opportunity to make the most of it. It is possible to work hard and play hard. On the other hand, if you chose to give up... you will pay for it eventually. Whether it's doing work you hate just to pay the bills. And, nothing, no matter how much it pays will make you happy if you regret. Don't give regret a chance.

I hope that you do not settle for anything less than complete happiness when it comes to choosing your mate. There are things about someone you may overlook while you are dating because you feel safe in the fact that you have someone..but will become excessively annoying if you live with it for the rest of your life. That is not to say scrutinize everything you dislike about this person, but if they don't respect you or themselves and don't adhere to the previous paragraph, then you will also pay in the end. I remember when I was younger, going through so much pain because someone dumped me...but now that I think about it, thank GOD. Why, because I have a man who I think is wonderful and, because of that, I have you. I am proud to have given you a man who will be an amazing dad. If I never become a great architect or ridiculously wealthy, I already did something I couldn't be prouder of. Please, make sure you can say that to your son or daughter...and to yourself. You could be the cash-poorest couple on the planet, living in the tiniest one-bedroom apartment and be completely happy or be the wealthiest woman alive living in a mansion somewhere and be miserable.

I am sure running will be a part of your life...and swimming if I have anything to do with it. I can't wait to see you run with your dad and be a star swimmer and runner. Again, work hard at it. Don't give half of yourself to anything.... You could never disappoint me or you if you give your all. You may not always win, but medals aren't the reason to give your best. I worked hard at swimming in high school. I even got an "award" for it. I never made it to state, but I am still a pretty darn good swimmer. I recently ran into a high school track teammate who went to state...she no longer runs at all. Don't do it for the glory...do it for yourself.

I hope that you travel the world. Don't wait to go somewhere until (fill in the blank). Granted, your grandparents afforded me much more travel than most young girls could get, but I will do everything in my power to allow you the same wonderful experiences. That is why I am already trying to teach you Spanish, French and Italian. I want you to see the world and be a part of it...not just a tourist. One of my biggest regrets is that I am not fluent in any other language. I can get by, and that's fine, but I feel there is a whole world out there I missed. Language is your key to unlocking so many doors. Even if it's just to know what others are gossiping about when they think you can't understand ;-)

Above all, Olivia, I wish that you would EAT MY FOOD! ;-)

I think I will leave this letter open ended and add to it when I think of things I want to add to my wish list.

To be continued...

Love, Mom