Team Mom

My mom and me when I was born:

For those of you who might not be aware, my mom, Margaret Ann Powell Martin, died of cancer when I was 21.  I miss her everyday and especially as I experience large life events like my wedding, the birth of Seth, the day we found out we were having twins, etc.  She was a wonderful woman.  Smart, strong and beautiful.  She was my best friend and we were ripped apart just as I was realizing how important it is to have your mother.  My biggest wish is that she could be here with me as this delivery gets closer and closer.

I also want to tell you about an incredible group of women that I am so blessed to have.  I call them "Team Mom."

Team Mom:  Nancy (Scott's mom), Bambi (my step-mom) and Gwen (my aunt)

The first is Nancy:

Nancy is Scott's Mom.  I have known Nancy since Scott and I first started getting serious.  Nancy has always been open and accepting and a wonderful mother-in-law.  She is always willing to help out in any way that she can and steps right up when something needs to get done, like take care of me while I'm on bed rest (see blog entry below).  Nancy and Steve, Scott's Dad, have also taken us on some incredible trips to Alaska and Colorado.  We were supposed to join them on an amazing trip this summer to the Canadian Rockies, but someone ruined that by getting preggo with twins. ;)  

Nancy and Steve are wonderful, generous people and we are so blessed by their offers of help in every way possible. 

The next is my step-mom Bambi:

When my mom died, my dad was eager to find love again.  He dated a few women pretty quickly and was very enthusiastic about each one of them.  So you can imagine that I wasn't too surprised when he called to tell me about how wonderful this new woman, Bambi, was.  What I was surprised by, was when he asked her to marry him just a few months into their relationship!  But I guess when you meet someone incredible like Bambi, you don't dawdle! You'd better snap her up!  

Bambi has been the most wonderful step-mom I could ever imagine.  She has treated me like one of her daughters since day one without ever trying to replace my mom. She is not only a wonderful role model, but also one of my best friends. Bambi is someone who will do anything to help.  She is kind, outgoing, generous and thoughtful.  She is always thinking of others and has done so much for us.  When Seth was born, she came to help and stayed for several weeks.  She is doing that again with the twins and in fact will be here for a few weeks before (hopefully) they are born to help me as well. 

Bambi and my Dad are so wonderful that when they found out I was pregnant with twins, they decided that we would need all the help we could get and put their house up on the market to move to Tucson.  So, if you know anyone looking for a home in a beautiful retirement community in Phoenix...

Last, but certainly not least, there's my Auntie Gwen:

Aunt Gwen, my mom's sister, has been my favorite Aunt since I can remember.  Gwen never had a little girl, so I think we had a strong bond right from the start (especially since she loved to spoil me!).  She was always my friend and my confidant growing up. We were so alike that we actually ended up acting in the same play at the same time, even playing the same character, she in Michigan and me in Arizona! 

About  5 years ago, Gwen and her equally wonderful husband, Uncle Mike, retired here to Tucson.  We could not be more blessed by them.  They live only a half of a mile away and are absolutely incredible to us.  Gwen is not only my Aunt, but she is now one of my best friends and we do practically everything together.  They feed us several nights a week, they babysit (they are one of Seth's sets of grandparents for all intents and purposes), they would quite literally give us the shirts off their backs if we needed them, plus they are just fun to be around! I don't know how we would get along without them.

As you can see, I am so amazingly blessed with these incredible beautiful, smart and strong women.  No one will ever replace my mom, but having all this support is much more than I deserve or can ever repay.  I only hope that maybe someday I can pay it forward. I love you ladies.