Your Mother Through My Eyes

Sammy,

We're painting, putting furniture together, buying diapers, washing baby clothes, and getting the house ready for family life. The amount of change your mother and I have gone through is amazing, and we've never been more excited about our lives than now. Change is going to be constant in your life, but its important to understand where you're from to know where you're going. You're almost here, and I'd be remiss if I didn't have our first conversation about your mom now(one of many in the future I'm sure). The most important woman you're ever going to meet is your mother. Her name is Kristal Luann Pecherski, I'm sure she's gonna kill me for mentioning her middle name, but no one can escape their name (you won't either Samuel Fidel Carlson). You're going to discover your mother is the most inspiring person in this world, and in my experience, true inspiration is a rare trait in this world. True inspiration will drive you to constantly improve yourself, give you ideas of greatness you never thought you would reach, guide you through rough times, and foster a sense of constant creativity that permeates every cell in your body. This is how I feel every day spent with your mom. You're going to reach and fall plenty of times in life, much as I have in mine, but the difference between failing and being a failure is the inspiration to reach for greatness even at your lowest moments. Having your mom in your corner gives you a partner constantly picking you up, and if you forget how to do it on your own, she'll give you a swift kick in the ass to remind you. The greatest blessing in your life is being your mother's son. Your mother will always be a part of you, even when you hate it, and that ability to drive yourself to be greater comes from her. I'm forever intoxicated with love for your mother, and you will be too. She loves the reality of who I am, and will be your greatest fan. You will be showered with love, affection, generosity, patience, and laughter. That's the sort of light your mom brings into this world, and now you're a part of it. We love you more each day son, and though we're painted, diapered, washed and ready, none of it means anything without you. Your mom can't wait to inspire you to greatness, pick you up when you fall, and kick you in the ass when you need it.

Know your friends.....

Sammy, friendship is one of the most important skills you're ever going to learn. Its been an interesting experience for me thus far in the friendship category, but I think I've finally chosen the right path. The path you take towards finding your true friends is going to be filled with fun, uncertainty, drunk nights, and hopefully lots of laughter. The one thing I hope you learn from your mother and I is KNOW who your true friends are. You're going to hear cliches about how true friends act (my favorite is the one about a true friend helping you hide dead bodies.....I hope this isn't you...) the only thing you need to remember is this: true friends will build you up, others will try to break you down. That's it. It took me a while to figure this out Sammy, I know it seems simple, and it is. Unfortunately simplicity makes me suspicious for some reason, and I decided to test the waters of untrue friendship for a while. Those years of unhappiness and poor decisions keep me reticent of how blessed my life is today. I came to my senses and began to surround myself with friends that make me a better person. Your mother and I are quite lucky in life, we've been able to find individuals that love us as we are, and that already love you. This last weekend our friends gave you a wonderful gift, they threw a wonderful baby shower for you. Your two tios Mikey and James, and your tia Suzanne opened up their house and hearts for us. We're blessed to have them in our lives, and not only that, there were many of your friends there to welcome you into the world with love and tons of gifts. Friends that drove miles, and flew across the country. Friends that decorated your party, cooked tons of food, and yes, drank more than enough beer and mimosas. They're all excited about meeting you face to face in the near future, and they're already inspired by you. Your uncle Johnny and aunt Stephanie wrote you a letter:

Dear Sammy,

You don’t know me yet. Come to think of it, you don’t know much of anything at this moment. But one thing I do know is that you do feel.
I’m sure you are nice and warm now. And you aren’t too stressed out or worried about work. You are just lying there, suspended and weightless in fluid, sucking your thumb and pressing your limbs against your mother’s stomach. I am totally jealous, by the way.
And besides feeling cozy I know you feel something else, something as equally indescribable to you as it is to us. That other “feeling” leads to your first lesson in life. What you are feeling is what we call LOVE.
Love is your first true feeling. Love is your first experience and your first gain of knowledge. For love is the only preparation you need to survive in this world. And love is the force that propels life, both yours and everyone else’s.
Also, your father and mother are so excited to see your beautiful face—I mean handsome face, sorry man. Your dad has already broken in your baseball glove. And your mom is more than ready to get her body back. Come to think of it, we are all ready for you, Sammy.

So get on out here and fill those diapers!

We love you.
Johnny and Stephanie



As you can see Sammy, you're surrounded by love, and friends that will be here for you as you grow into a man. I love you son, and I can't wait to see you. You're only a few weeks away from coming into this world, and knowing who our friends are makes you mom and I the luckiest people in the world. Thank you all for a wonderful shower, and for your love.