Baby McKenna

Last Friday I had the honor of getting a visit from our neighborhood's newest addition and her sweet mommy Beth! Beth lives just down the street from us, and I have really enjoyed getting to know her these past few months. Unfortunately, Beth's husband passed away last fall while she was expecting their first child. Since that day I vowed to befriend her so that she would have help very close by. That is one of the perks of being a stay at home mom...I can babysit her in a pinch or give Beth a break to go to the store or whatever errand without having to get the baby out! Her family and her late husband's are all out of state and my heart broke for her thinking about how difficult it would be to raise a baby completely by yourself. To read more of her story check out this post.

Well little Mckenna arrived the first week of January and it has been so much fun seeing her nursery and all of those little pink frilly things that come along with a precious baby girl! Friday Beth brought her over for a good long visit and I got to feed her...well I tried...but she wanted to sleep. It was so wonderful to hold a sleeping newborn again. It makes me really look forward to this August!

Beth is doing astoundingly well. She is truly one of the strongest people I know. She has totally embraced motherhood no matter how challenging her particular situation is. I have never heard her complain once, and all of us who have children know how difficult those first few weeks can be. I still tear up every once in a while when I pass by her house remembering what Jeff and I witnessed there on that horrible night. In fact when I received her birth announcement With the beautifully bittersweet words printed at the bottom " Beth and the late Dean Mann" I cried for 20 minutes. But Beth is so strong and so committed to being a good and happy mom to McKenna...How easy would it be to become bitter...yet she refuses!

I am so glad that I made an effort to get to know her after her horrible tragedy, and I am even more glad she was open to a new friendship with a stranger! I can't wait to see McKenna and Anderson riding bikes up and down our street in just a few short years! We love being in a neighborhood with so many children! It makes my heart smile to see them all outside on warm days! Mckenna is our newest addition to the 'hood and we just couldn't love her more!