To My First Born
Cara and her sister, Christa
Pregnancy
I prepared for her birth by eating healthy foods, avoiding caffeine products, not ingesting any medicine or alcohol, and using only herbal teas for a soothing drink. In the course of my pregnancy I did a lot of walking, as well as stretching exercises. Since I was planning a ‘natural’ childbirth, I sat in the cross-legged position each day as often as possible to stretch the muscles in the pelvic area.
In addition to reading books about the progression of the developing fetus, I took a Lamaze childbirth class. Lamaze is a method of preparation for childbirth without any anesthetic. I wanted to assure the best beginning for my baby, and knew that having drugs in my system would affect her level of alertness.
I was what my children refer to as a ‘flower child’. I would breastfeed, use cloth diapers, and when it came time to feed her solid foods, would grind her food myself via a small, portable baby food grinder. Those were my goals, and I was able to successfully bring them to fruition.
Although I had an ultra sound I chose not to learn the sex of the baby ahead of time. This was not a problem for her father or me, since I already knew that she was Cara. I was aware from the age of fourteen that I would have two daughters. Perhaps it was the close relationship I had with my own sister, but intuitively, this information came to me as true knowledge.
The Story Behind Her Name
When I was sixteen, I began to teach ballet through the community education program. In the first group of students I met Cara’s namesake. I had never heard that name before and was enchanted by it, tucking it away in my mind for the time when she would become a reality.
Today is Cara’s birthday. She has grown up to be a wonderful, loving and caring daughter. She is bright, intelligent, beautiful and witty. She has a profession that she takes seriously and has a natural ability to teach-I could tell that from the time she would ‘play school’ with her sister and neighborhood kids.
Cara is a mother herself now. I see traits of little Cara in her daughter and son. She is an awesome mom who knows when to be serious and when to have fun. She enriches their lives with many extracurricular activities and teaches them along the way.
Please join me in wishing hubber elite, Cardelean, a very Happy Birthday. Thanks!
