Meeting Miss Shelby

Little J,



You have been growing and growing and growing. You are SIX months old! WOW! It was about this time last year that your mom and dad were in the Ukraine trying to find you when you were "cooking" right here in the USA. But sometimes we have to go to the ends of the earth to find out that what we want is right in our own backyard. (Lessons learned from the Wizard of Oz!!) It was all part of the journey to find you so even though it was painful for them at the time..."it's all G-o-o-o-d"!

I heard you say Mama and I have it on tape. How wonderful it was to hear you say that and to have my best friend, your mom, know that she is the Mama!! What a miracle you have been. I love it when I can make you laugh. Auntie J loves to laugh...so plan on doing it a lot. Laughing is the best way to deal with most things. We can't take ourselves so seriously all the time...so learning to laugh is (in my opinion) the most important thing we can learn!

You just met my Shelb and she LOVES you! I know you love her too. Not everyone can babysit you...in fact NO ONE can...but she did and all was well! I hope she comes back next summer and the summer after that so she can continue to bond with you. (Bond...what a great name that would be!)

This is my birthday month. I'll be 58. 58!!! OMG that is so OLD!! This is the first year in a long time that I won't have to wish when I blow out my birthday candles that your mom finds you! I This year I do have to give a little shout out that Franci has a baby (we'll discuss this later) but I will be wishing for an Uncle JJ, who will not only love me and take me to Italy (any time I want and can pay for it!) but also love you (...and Sophie, Jack, Riley, Tessie and Tallulah). I won't live to see you turn 58 but wherever I am, I'll be thinking about you. And with any luck I'll have made such an impact on your life that you'll be thinking of me too!



Love,

Auntie JJ