Hallmark Moments

I received an email a few weeks ago from Hallmark (I LOVE Hallmark), but I discarded it. A contest to draw a charm that will be made into one they will sell. Drawing? Me? No thank you.

But, then I looked at all the charms I had, and a book to circle ones I want. I saw a lot of awareness and I was jealous. There is a pink ribbon (three different ones), a yellow ribbon, a puzzle piece for autism, a block for St. Jude, and the list goes on. But there was nothing for dwarfism. So I thought I don’t want another ribbon out there. I don’t want to be associated with something that needs a cure. I want to wear my awareness proudly on my bracelet. I want to show off that I love Christmas, I have a baby girl, I am married, I have a (smelly) dog and I know someone with dwarfism. Some one very close. I want my baby girl to have more representation in the world than she currently does.

I want Hallmark to help us raise awareness!

Dwarfism Awareness hand

This is my hideous drawing. I know what you’re thinking: you can’t even trace your hand! It’s true. I am only good at drawing words on a page. If you were expecting art, you are looking at the wrong woman. But here is my idea- my submission. You can submit two drawings, but I only need one. I need the beautiful trident fingers of our babies wearing a green bracelet to be around my wrist. I want people to ask: what is that charm? What does that mean to you? I want people to think it’s interesting. I want to gift it to others. I want to launch more than green rubber bracelets (that don’t always look fashionable). I want everyone to have a charm that they can look down at and smile; think of Addie, or Hailey or Knoah.

Thank you, Hallmark, for giving me this opportunity. I hope I we win!

#educate

Hallmark

Aside from all of the  heavy things there are out there to vent, pursue, educate and cry about, I thought I would treat you to some ridiculous, if not heartwarming, writing. A lighthearted piece, if you will.

For starters, happy 15 weeks to the beautiful Miss Adelaide Eileen! (And hello Aunt Jessie- we love you, clearly!)

Onto the meat of this puff piece:
I love Christmas. And when I say love, I mean I’m obsessed. I got on a ladder, perching  off the side of the columns in the front of my house at 18 weeks pregnant to put up Christmas lights last year and I cannot wait to pass the sickness along to Addie.

Every year we get a new Hallmark ornament. From childhood my mom made sure we had an ornament that was chosen specifically for us. My brothers have the Star Wars series, my sister the Barbie series, my Dad (when he was alive) got the penguin/snowman on ice every year, and we always got her something to do with gardening. (We also got her matching lipstick and nail polish and a cloth calendar for the year, which we can no longer find.) I have the Puppy Love series, beginning from it’s inception in 1991. I have many others, and I’ve attempted to wrangle every boyfriend and best friend ever into the love of the holidays by purchasing them their very own ornament for the tree, but the most important ones are the ones that my mom chose for me. I know that she loves the ornaments and decorations I made with thumb prints drawn into reindeer or a Santa and elves. But my favorites are each and every one that I placed on the tree with my mom at Christmas and opened on Christmas Eve. The small puppies smiling at me from a basket or wrapped in a scarf, perfectly wrapped in their original boxes, waiting to be taken out and hung.

And now, it’s my turn.  As I walked into the Hallmark store in Garden City, Cranston for the Christmas in July weekend, I was nervous. I wanted to get the right 1st Christmas ornament for her.

I looked at them all. Then I walked away and picked out Dave’s ornament (he gets the guitar one ever year) and checked out the baby ones again. Then I walked away to think.  Then I walked back and I saw it. Somehow I had missed it. lil’ peanut was staring at Addie, whom I fondly refer to as my baby beanut. Yes: Beanut. I don’t know why or how it began, but it did and it’s become one of her million names. And here was this ornament staring me in the face and making me tear up. The poor sales girl who watched me pace and compare for 45 minutes while holding Addie who was drooling all over me, must have thought I was crazy.

I know it’s just and ornament to most people, but to me, it’s the beginning. The first of many memories that I cannot wait to have with my beautiful baby girl. I can’t wait to light our Chanukkah candles and pass on the tradition of silly gifts: socks, headbands, gloves, scarves, a hat- eight silly gifts to pale in the shadow of such a beautiful story about the holiday. And to celebrate Christmas with midnight mass, opening her ornament on the eve of, and waking up way too early to eat a chocolate orange strategically shoved in the toe of a custom L.L.Bean stocking.

So here is her ornament:

If you’re in the area for the holidays, please stop in- we would love to celebrate with you- no matter what holiday you celebrate.