Pink, Purple, and White! OH MY!

Aunt Ashley loves her baby girl!

     Elizabeth Ann Pierce, my cousin's first baby, was born on September 6, 2012 at 8:07 PM. She weighted 7 lbs 7 oz and was 19 inches long. From the short time I saw her, she is beautiful and is going to be quite a challenge to her two, grounded and unrealistic parents. She aspirated meconium when she was born and was rushed the the NICU for a few days because of the small holes in her lungs, caused by the doctors who were trying to get her to breath after delivery. Jessica got to come home last night and was a little bit of a wreck because her baby doesn't come home until tomorrow. She will survive, and especially now that she is producing milk and can breast feed.

Mommy gets to hold her for the first time!

     This birth has opened my eyes to how true it is that you see people's true colors when they are under a lot of stress. It's also made me think about how I want to be when I have a child and how I would feel. Now there is no 100% way to tell, or to say this is exactly how it's going to be. Mainly because all pregnancies and births are different and I'm sure I act differently under stress. It's also brought up a few concerns for how I want my children to be raised and how I would chose the company that they are around as they get older.
     I want my children to know science and logic. I want them to know that we can't just make up answers because we don't understand something. There is always an explanation, even if we don't know right now, doesn't mean we can't know in the future. The grass isn't green because someone said it is or made it that way. It's green because of the chemical exchanges that go on inside the blade of grass. I don't want them to accept what people say, just because they say it. They should be able to back up everything with fact and if they don't have the fact, they should know how to find it. This is more difficult for me, because while I've always asked questions, I'm easy to accept an answer, even if it isn't backed by fact. I was raised this way and it's been hard for me to stick to my guns until I know without a shadow of a doubt that what is being said is correct. This has also made it hard to back my own opinions, especially when what I believe is just because "I feel that it is right" or "so-in-so told me, and I trust them." I've had to re-learn a lot of things and it's making my adult life difficult.
     That being said, I also want my children to know love and family. I grew up with two very large extended families and they have been the aspect of my life that has shaped me and taught me how to be an adult. I feel like I've gotten things from my aunts, uncles, and grandparents that you can't get from your parents and siblings alone. I want my children to know that people believe different ways and it doesn't make them bad or horrible, but just different. I want them to realize how to judge and how to be respectful, even if you feel like they are wrong. I want my children to know their family and where they came from so that they can know me and their father better. Even if it is hard for me to have my children exposed to beliefs that I don't follow, I want them to realize that all kinds of people can love them and can be good. It makes me sad to think that my family or my future husbands family wouldn't be involved in my life as an adult and I think that's because I grew up around family. They are important to me and have been the only ones around for my entire life. Maybe I will learn to balance everything... maybe not, only time will tell.



--Ashley