27 weeks

My belly at 27 weeks on Easter Sunday.

I have been thinking a lot about the lessons I would like to teach Evie and have listed a couple of important ones below:

1: I would like to teach Evie that she is beautiful naturally and does not need make up to enhance it. I have no problem with her wearing make up at the appropriate age (if left up to Brian that would be after she turns 30) but I would like her to feel confident and comfortable without it. My Mother wore a lot of make up when I was growing up and I would watch her every morning and couldn’t wait to be just like her. When I asked her when I could start wearing makeup she looked at me as if I was crazy and said “you are beautiful without it – why would you want to waste your time putting it on”. Every time I brought it up my Mom would concede and allow me to wear a small amount but always reiterated how beautiful I was without it. Well it turned out that I was really lazy in the morning and part of me believed what my Mom told me, so to this day I do not wear makeup on a daily basis (I only put it on for formal events a couple of times a year). I am so thankful my Mom taught me to believe that makeup was not a necessity – it has given me a sense of confidence thoughout my life as well as saving me a ton of time and money over the years.

2. I would like to teach Evie not to pick on or make fun of people- I believe it is rude and it can hurt the person’s feelings. I would love for Evie to go through life never knowing what it feels like to have someone pick on her, to never have to feel bad because something embarrassing happened to her and everyone laughed and to never feel bad about herself for something that is not her fault. Unfortunately we live a cruel world so the least I can do is always be encouraging, always let her know how wonderful she is and always love her for who she is. I do believe it is important that a person can laugh at one’s self, for example, when I was 15 I was walking down the street in Lake George with my family and I was looking to my right because I was talking to someone and I walked head first into a street sign. At the moment, I was completely horrified and wanted to melt into the sidewalk but after the bruise disappeared from my forehead I was able to laugh about the whole thing. It is a great story and I like to share it because it shows how I live in my own little world most of the time and lets everyone know to keep an eye on me – you never know what I will walk into next.

3. I would like Evie to learn to be kind to everyone (including all animals). I am sure Brian will agree with this one because his biggest pet peeve is when a person allows a door to shut when someone else is attempting to go through it. So, always hold open doors, help the less fortunate out when they are unable to do something on their own, speak kindly to others and treat others as you wish to be treated. Never hurt someone or something less fortunate than you.

4. The last important lesson I would like Evie to learn is to love life- it passes too quickly to waste time on hating any part of it. Love the people you choose to include on this wonderful adventure, Love the job you choose, Love the place that you live, and most importantly Love yourself. Live life the fullest extent and don’t let anyone hold you back. Make a decision and go for it with no regrets –most mistakes can be fixed.

There are so many ideals, ideas and opinions I want to share with Evie but I hope these 4 lessons stick the most and I hope that she can add a few more that she feels are important when the time comes.