Worth the Wait: Piper Jane Thomas (22/60)

Piper and her cousin Paige (whose birthday was Saturday)

Piper Jane was born 14 years ago today. It was one of the hottest summers in history during the final months of my pregnancy (I wore a mumu every day and slept on top of the AC vent), but the day she was born the heat broke and the fresh autumn wind blew down the canyons and the air was crisp and clean as I walked around the hospital trying to start labor.

It took us three years to get Piper here and lots of tears, loss, fear and trepidation. But when she came to us, after a short crazy labor and in a tiny, loud, beautiful body, I thought, Oh my darling girl, you were worth the wait.

I haven't stopped thinking that. Today, as I watched her laugh and dance and giggle her way through her day, I kept thinking . . . I'm so glad we didn't quit (and I wanted to . . . it was too exhausting mentally and physically to keep having miscarriages). She fills our house with joy and laughter and a touch of drama. She loves with her whole soul and loves everyone around her with open arms. Her family, they are everything. She's made my life . . .

Piper Jane was so worth the wait. And so are so many hard seemingly impossible things in our life . . . don't give up. It's worth the wait.

Traditional Thomas Homemade birthday sign

Birthday lunch (escape from school)

Birthday Party at Nickel City . . . with Ellis

And Neighborhood friends

Pizza party!

And of course, Tessa and Finn!

The Best gift of all . . . babies!

Phoebe and baby B

Hannon and Cody and Lil Hen

Shelby, Chase and baby B

Comments

Forced Frugality

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The Best Kind of Tired

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Midlife-Cri-sis

It's been a year. I'll sum it up by saying that food no longer tastes good to me. The last time that happened, I had lost three pregnancies in a row and John had lost and found a job and we had moved three times. The feeling is very similar. There have a been a lot of losses or near losses. Enough that when the phone pings with a text or vibrates with a call (I long ago turned off the ringer), I take a deep breath and think, you can do this . More times than not, I need that deep breath. I am probably in the second half of my life and I feel it. 47. My children are nearly grown. My house is established. Our bank accounts don't fluctuate like they used to. I don't go to the store and dream of being able to buy things. I walk into my closet and wonder what I can do without. I feel the finality of my existence and I wonder . . . what do I really want out of all this? For book club, we read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years . It's about re-writing o

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