Ten years ago, my husband gave me this card. It was the first card he ever gave me. It was for my 23rd birthday. I remember each word written in it, because I probably read it somewhere around 56,903,142 times. I have never met Amy, although she is one of my dearest and closest friends.
Amy was one of my first “blog friends” (I think Charlie was the first). I used to be of the mindset that you couldn’t make good friends over the computer, but I was wrong. I met her at the insistence of her husband, who has a music blog. I commented about what our unborn baby (Noel) had been listening to in-utero, after he’d written a post about their new baby’s favorite songs. He emailed me with her information, and I’m pretty sure by that afternoon, we were on Yahoo IM, chatting about music and babies. We were “insta-friends”. She sent me lists of the baby gear I would need. We would exchange links all day, swooning over companies like Black Wagon, Vincent Shoes, Boon and Zutano. We’d dream about the endless amounts of wonderful things we’d buy for our babies, if only we had a money tree. We talked about music and email each other songs. We talked about our lives, our husbands, our babies, born & unborn.
Amy encouraged me to go to the doctor when my hands and feet started itching uncontrollably toward the end of my pregnancy (and it turned out I had HELLP syndrome). She was there for me when my baby was born 4 ½ weeks premature. She & Eric had been in my shoes with Hailey, who was also premature. Hailey had looked like a turtle when she was born, and Noel looked like a frog. We decided that they would one day get married. Our bond was strong, particularly after having similar pregnancies and births. Once Noel was born, we grew even closer. Our first children were only 4 months apart. We’d become friends when Hailey was just a few weeks old, and I was still pregnant. She was my first “mom friend”. I remember Hailey’s first word (Oliver) and when she learned to walk. I am sure that Amy remembers all of Noel’s milestones too.
When I got pregnant with Lennon, Amy and Eric were trying for another baby too. They waited, and waited…and waited. And yesterday, Teagan was born. Having known for years how much her family has longed for her, I am absolutely filled with joy about her birth.
Almost 4 years later, I can’t believe everything that has changed in our lives. The turtle and frog are now 3 ½, and two of the cutest and funniest little kids you’d ever want to meet (they’ve had a few web-cam dates already). It’s unreal that the first few months of our friendship, we would chat one handed while holding our only babies. We’ve shared joys and heartaches - new pregnancies, miscarriages, death, life, and exciting ventures. We’ve had a lot of laughs, and good times. Still, we’ve never physically met. I can’t wait until we do. I can imagine there will be lots of hugs, and tears, and kids screaming and playing and having fun, and lots of music and mayhem.
Of all the relatives that have died over my lifetime, I miss my Grandma Logan (Neena) the most. I think it is because of her really strong, yet loving personality. She was the matriarch. Her husband, my beloved Grandpa Logan (known also as BoBa), was the quiet strong type, and he was amazing too...but she held the reigns. I feel like it was her that really gave our family it's sense of how important family is to us.
It makes me sad that we aren't with them more, which is why I am so thankful for this amazing internet. Really. What a great way to stay connected to the people I love and miss. I loved spending every holiday with them. I loved how we all just knew that either of the Logan's or Beaty's would have everyone over for every important time. It was something really special, and something I want to continue. I am so thankful for the Neen and how much more she made you all to me.
