My Dearest Maggie, Magpie, Magster, Magaroni, Maggie Moo, Maggie the Magnificent, Magdelena Rose,
I am your Nana. My name is Kathy Jean Presley. I was born on Friday, May 13th, 1960. I was a difficult birth for my mother and a difficult child for my family. I prided myself on that! My mother, Glera Jean Duke Presley is from Tennessee, she was born on July 6, 1933 and my Daddy, Vernon Dallas Presley was from Alabama, he was born on November 7th, 1925. He died in 2002, August 8th. It was a day that defined who I was, who I am, and who I will be for you.
Your mother, Sara Nicole Howell Rivas, was born on Tuesday, September 11, 1979. What an amazing day it was. Hurricane Frederick had just hit the coast of Florida and it was a cloudy day with rain. I loved it. I sat on the hospital bed with her in my arms and we snuggled. The labor to bring her into the world was long, 36 1/2 hours, but she was worth every minute. I did not see her be born but met her soon after. All I can remember thinking was she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was "wiggly", "smooshy", a little pink, and most of all she was a GIRL!!!!!!!!!! She was just what I wanted. The world would never be the same. I dressed her up in her little yellow kitty dress, (the same one you will come home in) and I paraded her around like she was the Hope Diamond, or, in her case, The Ruby Slippers!! She was, and is, my yellow brick road. She and I have been on a very long journey together, one that I hope will end for me before her because I just know I could never live in the world without her. Now, as if she had not done enough for me already, she is preparing to give me the greatest gift ever, YOU!! In just a very few short weeks our lives, once again, will never be the same. Into this crazy world will come, yet another, crazy, wild, wonderful, and wacky girl........Just what I wanted!!
Hummmmmm, let me see, what advice can I give you that will carry you for the rest of your life? Well, most of all I can tell you that having a Mama and Papa like you already have gives you a head start. You see, they love each other more than they love themselves, and that my dear Magpie is your greatest gift. They will always be on your side, they will always be your biggest fans, and they will always think you are one of the greatest miracles in life and I can tell them from experience you are. You won't always like them,and they won't always like you, you won't always believe them and the crazy things they will tell you like, "boys have cooties", and "you will grow a long nose if you lie", and "we know what's best for you" and, my favorite "this hurts me more than it hurts you" as they paddle your backside for some indiscretion. But believe me when I tell you, it is all true. Especially the part about how they love you the most of anyone you will ever have in your life. Well, maybe except for me.
Now, here is what I bring to the table. I have 3 crazy sisters, your Great Aunties, and they will treat you like they have never seen a baby before. They will worship you, as will their children and their husbands, they will buy you pretty things, as if you do not have a scrap of clothing to wear. They will spoil you and tell you that if you don't get what you want from your Mama and Papa or your Nana then just give them a call!! My other gift to you will be your Great Grannie Glera, after all she, and your sweet Great Pa Vernon, is where all this madness started!! She is currently living her second teenage segment of her life so the two of you will get along well in puberty!! Your very special Great Aunties, Lisa and Jane will be the rudder on my ship that will keep me in the water on the right path so that I can do my job! Both of them take care of your Nana in a way that no one else can and they have helped me to be a better mommy to your mama than I could have been alone. Auntie Jane was there the day your Mama came into the world and Auntie Lisa has been there everyday of the ride. You cannot buy the kind of love that all these characters will give you. They will teach you to be funny, complicated, concerned, caring, and more than everything, your very own brand of CRAZY!!
I am your Nana. My name is Kathy Jean Presley. I was born on Friday, May 13th, 1960. I was a difficult birth for my mother and a difficult child for my family. I prided myself on that! My mother, Glera Jean Duke Presley is from Tennessee, she was born on July 6, 1933 and my Daddy, Vernon Dallas Presley was from Alabama, he was born on November 7th, 1925. He died in 2002, August 8th. It was a day that defined who I was, who I am, and who I will be for you.
Your mother, Sara Nicole Howell Rivas, was born on Tuesday, September 11, 1979. What an amazing day it was. Hurricane Frederick had just hit the coast of Florida and it was a cloudy day with rain. I loved it. I sat on the hospital bed with her in my arms and we snuggled. The labor to bring her into the world was long, 36 1/2 hours, but she was worth every minute. I did not see her be born but met her soon after. All I can remember thinking was she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was "wiggly", "smooshy", a little pink, and most of all she was a GIRL!!!!!!!!!! She was just what I wanted. The world would never be the same. I dressed her up in her little yellow kitty dress, (the same one you will come home in) and I paraded her around like she was the Hope Diamond, or, in her case, The Ruby Slippers!! She was, and is, my yellow brick road. She and I have been on a very long journey together, one that I hope will end for me before her because I just know I could never live in the world without her. Now, as if she had not done enough for me already, she is preparing to give me the greatest gift ever, YOU!! In just a very few short weeks our lives, once again, will never be the same. Into this crazy world will come, yet another, crazy, wild, wonderful, and wacky girl........Just what I wanted!!
Hummmmmm, let me see, what advice can I give you that will carry you for the rest of your life? Well, most of all I can tell you that having a Mama and Papa like you already have gives you a head start. You see, they love each other more than they love themselves, and that my dear Magpie is your greatest gift. They will always be on your side, they will always be your biggest fans, and they will always think you are one of the greatest miracles in life and I can tell them from experience you are. You won't always like them,and they won't always like you, you won't always believe them and the crazy things they will tell you like, "boys have cooties", and "you will grow a long nose if you lie", and "we know what's best for you" and, my favorite "this hurts me more than it hurts you" as they paddle your backside for some indiscretion. But believe me when I tell you, it is all true. Especially the part about how they love you the most of anyone you will ever have in your life. Well, maybe except for me.
Now, here is what I bring to the table. I have 3 crazy sisters, your Great Aunties, and they will treat you like they have never seen a baby before. They will worship you, as will their children and their husbands, they will buy you pretty things, as if you do not have a scrap of clothing to wear. They will spoil you and tell you that if you don't get what you want from your Mama and Papa or your Nana then just give them a call!! My other gift to you will be your Great Grannie Glera, after all she, and your sweet Great Pa Vernon, is where all this madness started!! She is currently living her second teenage segment of her life so the two of you will get along well in puberty!! Your very special Great Aunties, Lisa and Jane will be the rudder on my ship that will keep me in the water on the right path so that I can do my job! Both of them take care of your Nana in a way that no one else can and they have helped me to be a better mommy to your mama than I could have been alone. Auntie Jane was there the day your Mama came into the world and Auntie Lisa has been there everyday of the ride. You cannot buy the kind of love that all these characters will give you. They will teach you to be funny, complicated, concerned, caring, and more than everything, your very own brand of CRAZY!!
I will tell you this, I have had a good life, one filled with love and mental insanity, the good kind, and most of all I have been able to see your Mama grow up and become this absolutely beautiful young lady with a will of iron, determination that can intimidate, fun at every corner, and married to her soul mate. What else could a mother wish for I ask you? She is complicated, as am I, and I know that you will be too but always remember that the journey is the reward and around every corner in life will always be another something that will sometimes hurt you, heal you, halt you, or make you laugh out loud and you must not shy from any of them. Use the gifts you have been given. Many strong women in your life to lead you, your Mama being the prize in that crown, a Papa with a tender heart and a great sense of humor, and a Nana who already thinks that you are the most special little girl in the world and you are not even here yet!!
It is September 18th, only 5 more weeks till you arrive, or maybe 6 or so if you are like your Mama. I spent last week at your house cleaning out closets, making up beds with your new duvet cover, (made with love by me), preparing your nursery, washing your tiny little clothes, folding them carefully into your dresser drawers, hanging my own clothes in your closet so that making a trip to see you anytime can happen at a moments notice with no preparation, and reassuring your Mama and Papa that they are ready and able to do this big job you bring with you upon your arrival. Yes, we are all ready and we are here. Grow well my little angel and I will see you very soon.
I love you the most little Magpie,
Nana
Mama in the kitty dress the day she came home1979
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