MOTHER'S DAY

The best days of my life were the days my four babies were born.  When I married Pat I was lucky to have two more daughters, but they were both too old to "mother" when they came into my life!  (Their Mom Brenda did a beautiful job doing that! )

Fritz was my first born. I was pregnant with him in 1968 when his Dad was finishing Lafayette College and I was teaching kindergarten. We moved to Fairfax, Va. in my ninth month and then we waited. And waited. And waited. Fritz took his own sweet time, and by the time he was born, he had consumed all the amniotic fluid and his skin was dry and peeling. He was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen.  I remember standing next to his crib and just staring down at him in amazement.  The first born always suffers the inexperience and nervousness of his parents. Fritz was good natured about all of that - he thrived in spite of our "newness" at parenthood.  When his brother was born 2-1/2 years later, he was helpful and sweet.  He had lots of friends, loved his matchbox cars, loved listening to his Dad play the guitar, enjoyed school. He scared the you know what out of me when I heard him choking one day and found him on the steps having swallowed a screw. Somehow I was able to stick my finger down his throat and grab the end of it.  The divorce between his Dad and me was tough on him, as was a subsequent move to San Jose when he was in first grade.  Shrinks tell you that kids are resilient but I am not so sure about that. All I know is that even though I don't see Fritz I love him the same as I did that August 20th when he was born.

Jason was born December 13th, 1971.  His Dad, then a law student, had shuffled off to Buffalo for a deposition. My water broke while standing in line at Lord & Taylor in Arlington to buy a "bringing home the baby" outfit.  A c-section was in order when pitocin didn't move Jas along. I remember being in the operating room, my first such experience, being scared and hearing the OB and staff listening to the Redskins playoff game totally disinterested in my life at all! That's the way it seemed anyway. The Skins won. I won too...a beautiful baby boy who seemed to smile from that very first day.  Other than a visit to the hospital by ambulance that first week with some croup, Jason was such an easy guy.  He, like his big brother, was a red-head. When I took them in their stroller to a mall many people asked if I was Sonny Jurgenson's wife (he had red hair and was the star QB for the Redskins).  Jason loved to try and be like Fritz, followed him around, learned to play baseball from him, and learned his love of music from his older brother.  I think both the boys enjoyed being kids in Coronado, California. Jason was a talented athlete so I spent many hours on various bleachers. (When they got to be teenagers I have another opinion of that little town).  Jason has fought hard to be where he is today. He is so intelligent (didn't get that from his Mom!), is a talented musician like his brother Fritz, and a successful chef/restaraunt owner in LA. I could not be prouder of him and lots of times wish I could have him back to baby-size to hug and smooch.

Ryan was born in the spring when I was 43. I was so excited to be pregnant that I forgot to be worried that I was o-l-d. My friends were shocked! Having so many years between babies made Ryan's birth seem like a brand new experience. It was brand new since my OB was at another hospital when I went into labor so the only pain killer I had was Tylenol! What a sweet baby!  His blond hair looked like duck-down 'til he was in grade school. He used to make the most amazing expressions!  Ryan loved nursery school, grade school and by middle school he was determined to be the Johnny Carson of his class. I am sure that his teachers were happy when he and his friends graduated!
Ryan was a great baseball player but as he got older it became clear that he is a gifted golfer. He has such an easy outgoing personality, always makes me laugh,
and as he awaits the birth of his first child Zoe, I know he will be a wonderful Dad.

Katie was my Christmas present in 1985. Imagine that! When I got the results of my ultrasound in July of that year and was told it would be a girl I couldn't believe it! I went pink-happy in her room. It was so adorable! Since my OB wanted to go skiing for Christmas vacation, Katie was a C-section baby and she was perfect!
She still is.  I was so proud and happy to push her in the baby carriage with the blanket I had knit covering her. It had a satin heart that was embroidered "Katherine Elizabeth Mitchell" - and she was something!  Needless to say, Jason and Ryan enjoyed having her around. Ryan even let her hold his SuperFriends toys!  Katie was sweet and shy, did well in school, but was not having anything to do with team sports, ballet classes etc. She loved playing Barbies (I always had to be Ken), doing anything artsy (I framed lots of her wonderful drawings) and being with her friends. She is a California girl at heart so she hated Georgia when we moved there and returned to Coronado to finish high school. "Tears in the pillow" moments galore. Now she is a grown up gorgeous woman. I miss her every day and love her more than Pt Loma Seafood tuna salad. She will understand that!

I am not sure if I am the only Mother who feels as if I didn't do enough...that I was not the perfect parent. Hopefully when and if they have kids of their own they will know that I did the best that I could and that I couldn't love them more.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ME--- THANKS TO FRITZ, JASON, RYAN, KATIE and ROBIN & ERIN !!