Happy, Happy, Happy Friday the 13th!

Last summer I wrote about April 13th of last year. It was a totally bizarre day. I was rushing around trying to finish a dress tutorial as if it were the most important thing on earth when the phone rang. It was a scary phone call about something that was overwhelmingly and ridiculously more important. My friend Katie, who had wished and hoped and prayed and tried so hard to become pregnant, was at her doctor’s office. She was 19 weeks pregnant, and her water had broken. Things didn’t look good, and there was no telling how it’d go.

No one knew– except maybe Katie– how dedicated Katie was to being a mother to this little baby. For more than FOUR MONTHS she did nothing but sit. And wait. Actually, she couldn’t even sit. She laid down. Total bedrest. She stayed in the hospital, because that was the safest place for her and the baby, and she waited. She couldn’t even walk out of her room. She only left for a few wheelchair-driven rides down the hall to ultrasound. Every four hours they’d come through and check all of the vitals and she’d concentrate on his heartbeat. She fought off countless doubters– many in the form of doctors and nurses– who questioned whether she could succeed. DOCTORS and NURSES actually walked into her room and DOUBTED HER. It still makes me angry and my eyes well up thinking about it. She was able to push all of those thoughts away, somehow. How is that even possible? And succeed she did. Liam was born at 35 weeks.

Last fall I wrote about Liam’s quilt and a few other Liam/Katie things. Working on little things for little Liam was therapeutic. That’s something that holds a maker together, isn’t it? When you are used to making, and your head is too full of thinking, you can sometimes turn it off and just make.

Today is a happy, happy, happy, HAPPY day. And it’s Friday the 13th! The best Friday the 13th I’ve ever had. I’m on my way to Katie and Liam’s house to have a celebratory sleepover. Katie, Liam, me, a nice dinner and a bottle of wine.

The follow-on happy news is that her husband’s year of service overseas ends in just two weeks. His work was briefly interrupted by a few trips home. All involved were SO thankful that he was able to come home when he needed to. And that he’s almost DONE!

So, in celebratory fashion, here’re my favorite photos of Liam from a visit in February. Hello, cheeks.

While it’s not surprising, it is utterly endearing that he loves his Mama. LOVES her. In this photo she was going crazy singing a Muppets song and he was almost out of breath he was laughing so hard. Their connection is so sweet and intense and joyful and beautiful.

Tomorrow, with some nice daylight, my job is to take more of him sitting up. I’ve been staying away to keep from passing on any of the toddler/preschooler germs we’ve had hanging around, and he’s got new tricks to show me.

WHAT. A. YEAR.

Make space in the fridge, Katie, the wine and I are on the way!