Life with Ava

This is the quilt square that I received at my baby shower that sent me into tears the minute I saw it and just about every time I've read it since.

I don't know how to even begin telling you how much I admire the man who contributed this square to Ava. Not only is he my boss and the COO of our company, but he is also one of the kindest, most ethical, and decent humans I've ever met. He's a truly good man with such an amazing heart and a concern for people that goes above and beyond.

The card with the square says: This may seem like a strange contribution to the Bai Jia Bei but I explained it to Ava. God Bless Your Family ~ Sam.

And he did. In his letter addressed to her he said:

Dear Ava,

I am so honored to be able to contribute to your Bai Jia Bei. I pray that all of your 100 Good Wishes come true.

My contribution to your Bai Jia Bei is a piece of fabric taken from one of my old military uniforms called a Battle Dress Uniform or BDU. This may seem a strange gift to a beautiful little girl like you so let me explain.

I have worn this uniform all over the world. It has seen service in the deserts of the Middle East, the plains of Israel, the jungles of Central America, Korea, and all over Europe and the United States. It was with me when I jumped out of airplanes, when I operated from very nasty and bad places and while I enjoyed the camaraderie of some of the finest and bravest men and women I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Ava, the uniform that this country represented is now your country as well.

While only a small piece of fabric, this uniform represents so many men and women, like your Daddy, that work hard, endure danger and receive little in return other than knowing they are serving a noble and honorable cause. Ava, I wish for you a character that reflects strength, selfless service to a cause you believe in and for a life rich in camaraderie and friendships that last forever. For me this uniform represents all of these things.

I have hesitated to part with this particular uniform for so long because it brought forth so many memories. I now feel I can part with it because it will continue to live as one of your 100 wishes.

May God Bless You Richly.

And this perfectly illustrates why I think so highly of Sam and why I feel that I work for TBDCoE. How could it not be when the leadership of the company thinks like this?

It's about time for me to post some more quilt squares (past time, really) so I picked two to spotlight this time. Both are proudly wearing the green and both have some very lovely thoughts for Ava. Maybe it was our trip to Boston (what must be the Irish-American capital of the entire US of A) that brought these to mind…

Square #27

This comes from my oldest niece, India. She's always loved all things Irish (and English) so her choice of fabric was just perfect. India is very excited about Ava and even reminded that many, many years ago I told her that I was going to name my daughter Asia, following in my sister's footsteps of naming children after continents (okay, fine - if you want to be picky I know that India is technically a subcontinent and is actually part of the Asian continent). Instead I decided to go to Asia for my kid(s) and change the name to Ava. Good choice, eh? India also bought Ava her very first baby doll - Baby Mulan - who has been waiting impatiently in the nursery for about a year now.

Wish card: - A Wish for Ava - A sunbeam to warm you, A moonbeam to charm you, A sheltering angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you, Faithful friends near you, And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you. Lots of Love, India.

Square #28

It's said that St. Patrick used the shamrock in his teachings as a representation of the Holy Trinity. However, it's also said that the druids believed the shamrock to be a sacred plant since three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion. Obviously no one person knows the complete history of the shamrock but we do know it's a proud and well recognized symbol throughout the world of Irish hospitality, luck, and goodwill.

This square comes to us from one of J's mom's coworkers, Kathy Gorman. She's a "very Irish" 1st grade teaching assistant and wrote a lovely wish for Ava.

Wish card: Dear Ava, What an honor to be asked to be part of your special quilt. You are being welcomed into a very loving family who have been waiting for you for a long time. May your life in America be filled with love, peace, and much happiness. Kathy Gorman (Grandma Nancy's friend)

I don't think there's a a better gift for a little girl than loads of shamrocks and four leaf clovers that she can keep forever as part of her good wishes quilt!

Lots going on 'round here these days!  We're still working hard on the house and making slow but steady progress (yes Andy - I'll get pictures up here soon) and work is, as usual, consuming lots of our time.  Poor J is in the middle of an exercise which means he's working 12-14 hour days dressed in full chem gear with the temperature hovering in the low 90s.  Not a good week for him, especially after our last weekend which consisted of spreading out 25 tons of crush and run gravel to make a ramp up into our newly elevated garage.  J, of course, did most of the physical labor although I did throw on my trusty work gloves, grabbed a shovel and went at it right alongside him.  That lasted about, oh maybe 30 minutes until our neighbor came over to chat and finally couldn't take watching me toss puny little half shovel fulls of gravel about.  He took my shovel away from me and made much quicker work of it with J than I could have.

Anyway, I've had a couple of requests to post some more quilt squares so I'm going to get right at it.  I'm posting some of the animal themed quilt squares this time.  One of the things I really hope that Ava learns from us is the joy that animals can bring to a home - I truly can't imagine a house without dogs and maybe even a cat or two thrown in for good measure.

Square #20

This is one of my absolute favorites. It comes from Jen, one of my San Diego co-workers, who is just the sweetest thing ever.  She really embraced the idea of this quilt and found the perfect square for it.  Jen is in a unique postion to speak from the heart in her wish and I think her words will be very important to Ava as she grows up.

Wish card: Dear Ava, Welcome home! When I saw this fabric I thought of you because of the bright colors and cute panda bears! I live next to the San Diego Zoo that is famous for their pandas. Everybody loves to see them - they are the main attraction. You have also come from China to a home where people love you and can't wait to see you! My wish for you is to become a proud American, but to always remember where you came from and to be proud of that too.  Love and Blessings.

Square #21

This one came from Desiree Cole, a teacher at Grandma Nancy's (J's mom) school. Many of Nancy's co-workers have contributed to Ava's quilt and I think they're almost as excited about the adoption as we are.  If you look to the right in the photo of the square you can see my old girl, Katie.  I thought it was approprate to leave her in the photo instead of cropping her out since the wish card offers some great advice.

Wish card: Always "paws" for loved ones.

Squares #22 and #23

These cute cat squares come from the LaSota's.  I'm mostly a dog person, but I do have to keep at least one cat around to continually put us humans and dogs in our place.  Besides, Lilycat has trained her dogs better than I ever could.

The Glitter Queen's wish card: Ava Lisette, Welcome to your new home. Remember always, we have been awaiting your arrival for a very long time.

Caianne's wish card: Kangei soshite fhuku fu ku oinoru. Welcome and God Bless in Japanese.

Square #24

I love it.  Another zoo mention!  I went to the San Diego zoo not too long ago and picked up a panda bear stuffed toy to save for Ava.  It was too irresistable to pass up - a little panda in a red silk carrier with gold handles.  Just the thing for a little girl to carry around…especially since Mom is always hauling dogs around in similar carriers.  I also really like the elephants in this fabric.  We're doing Ava's room in a retro circus theme and I'm finding myself drawn to stuffed elephants to accessorize with.  The first one was Dumbo and it's sort of taken off from there.

Wish card: Dear Ava, May all the animals at the zoo bring joy and happiness to you!

Square #25

I was almost speechless when I saw this one from Nancy's sorority sister, Pat Hubbard.  Let me explain why it is just perfect for us and for the the quilt - while I certainly understand that all dogs are wonderful and mixed breeds are just as good as purebred dogs, I have a special place in my heart for one breed of dog and I hope to never have a home that doesn't have at least one of these canine butterflies, the papillon, in it.  I came into the breed by mistake, Katie was a gift given to me by my former husband (only good thing he ever did), and I've loved them from the moment I first laid eyes on her. And I'm relatively certain that J fell for Katie before he ever fell for me.

Wish card: May this butterfly instill a sincerity in your heart, faith in the Lord and a beautiful long life. This piece is from a quilt top made in the 1920's.

Square #26

This one comes from my almost-Aunt Bonnie in Florida. And, boy, is she sure telling the truth with her wish card!

Wish card: Roses are red, Violets are blue. Your mom waited forever, to hold you.

We're fast approaching the 19th month anniversary of our log-in date and have now exceeded the 2 year mark since we started the process.  Wow, time sure does(n't) fly.

I often envy other bloggers who have deep, philosophical thoughts to ponder on or the ones who live interesting lives and always have new and exciting adventures to share. Me? Not so much. I drag my rear out of bed in just enough time to do a tepid 30 minute walk/jog on the treadmill, take a shower, eat my froot loops, feed the menagerie, and then head off to work - usually underestimating traffic and arriving 5 minutes later than I should. I spend 9 - 10 hours a day at work before coming home to dredge up something to eat from the fridge before falling onto the couch surrounded by books and dogs. J goes to bed promptly at 10pm, at which time I head toward the computer and spend a couple of hours killing time until I go to bed sometime after midnight.

Since my increasingly boring life gives me little of interest to blog about, I figured I may as well throw a couple more quilt squares out there for you guys to see. I have quite a few still yet to photograph and post, but I'm nowhere near having 100.

Without further ado, I give you the following:

Square #18

This super cute fabric comes from Yvette and Roy who are old friends of J's family.

The wish reads: Dear Ava Lisette, Our wish for you now and always is that you experience as much joy and happiness in your life as your arrival has brought to your mom and dad!

Quilt Square #19

This square is somewhat bittersweet, but it comes with so much love and emotion that it will certainly have a place of honor in Ava's quilt. The Boccagna's contributed a piece cut from one of their late son's sweatshirts. Stephen passed away unexpectedly in October 2004 and we're touched that his parents made sure that Stephen will always be a part of Ava's life.

Wish card: Dear Ava, A hero and inspiration - that was what your Dad meant to our son Stephen. He bought Stephen a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" baseball cap and Stephen wore it out!! Stephen even wanted your dad to keep working at K-Mart until Stephen grew up, just so they could have jobs at the same place. Your dad is an EMT; so was Stephen. Your dad joined the New Hackensack Fire Department so did Stephen as soon as he was old enough. Stephen admired and loved your Dad and so we wanted the Fire Department emblem to be a part of your special quilt.

Square #13 comes from my Aunt Jane, who is my mom's baby sister and one of the crafty-est people I know. This woman can do everything. She's also a devoted Jack Russell Terror Terrier mom.

Her wish card reads:

"Dearest Ava, may this piece of my apron be a small part of a large quilt to welcome and wrap you in warmth and lots of love from your family and friends for a lifetime."

Squares #14 and #15 are from my cousins, Joette and Jana, who are Jane's daughters, and their families.

Joette's Wish:

"Welcome Ava, with your quilt wrapped around you remember when you go to sleep at night: Lord, I know you are there watching over me and letting me know you care. Love from your cousins."

Jana's Wish:

"All wrapped up in your snugly quilt remember these cousins who helped make it complete."

Squares #16 and #17 are also very special to me. They come from one of my very favorite co-workers, Brent, and his lady-love, Janet. Brent and Janet are both awesome people and I'm so glad that, after a long friendship, they found their way into what I hope is a lifetime together.

Brent's wish:

"Ava, I pray that your life is full of happiness, health, joy, and most of all LOVE."

(And how freakin' cute is it that Brent made a special trip to a fabric store just to pick out this very sweet, very girly fabric just for Ava's quilt.)

Janet's wish:

"Dear Ava, Welcome to your family. They have loved you since before you were born. You are such a blessed gift from God. May you always remember how special you and your parents are. My grandmother loved violets and so do I. they bring me happiness. I hope they will bring you happiness as well. Remember, those who sleep under a quilt are covered with love. You are so loved, never forget that. I can't wait to meet you."