My dearest LPG,
Hello there little girl. I hope you are having a ball inside my stomach. It sure feels like it--I am constantly feeling your little thumps now, and every now and then, what I assume is a roll or a belly flop. It is magical. Your daddy is eagerly awaiting for the day when he can feel you from the outside. I know it will be here soon. While we are sad that we didn't get to see your pretty face on the day we were supposed to (Monday), we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. We are excited to know that your heart and precious organs are all perfect and working in harmony.
I decided to make this week a little silly, because, let's face it, Mommy and Daddy are quite silly. I wanted to tell you about a hugely important aspect of our lives, and that is sports.
You see, one of the intense passions that we hope to share with you is a love of athletics. Neither of us are really athletic, although we will encourage you to try to be, should you be interested. But what we do love is the uniting aspect of sports. It brings so much into our lives.
We dubbed you Little Point Guard when you were first conceived because Daddy's primary love is for basketball. He is a coach, and always will be. By the time you are old enough to read this, we are hoping that coaching basketball will be Daddy's number one job. But we will have to see how that works out :) Mommy, however, loves hockey, and grew up with an intense love for it, thanks to Grandpa. We also share a huge love of football and baseball.
One thing to note, dearest, is that you will be born in California. But mommy and daddy do not root for many California teams. Instead, we worship the teams from where we grew up: Detroit. You may choose to root for whomever you please, of course. Mommy and Daddy love the Detroit Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers, and Lions. We of course love the U of M Wolverines, and even appreciate the MSU Spartans. Daddy loves the Green Bay Packers, too. When it comes to college basketball, your daddy likes too many teams to list, but the primary ones behind U of M and MSU are the Texas Longhorns.
I know it seems silly that I would take a valuable week of letters to you to talk about something as seemingly pointless as sports. Because even if you do not like sports, we will still love you and cherish you deeply. But, since you're stuck with us your whole life, you might as well be briefed in who we are. You will be hard pressed to go a week in our house without some kind of athletic contest on the TV.
While sports ARE just a game, they can also serve as a unifying symbol for people and for cities. New Orleans, for instance, won a Superbowl not long after a devestating hurricane struck their coastline. The excitement and joy brought about by their victory united their city, reminded them of who they were and that they WOULD overcome this. In 1980, the US men's hockey team won a shocking game, an upset over the favored Russian Team. In a time of turmoil between the two nations, the victory's weight in the United States was enormous. We reveled in the victory, and savored its meaning, as it meant MORE than just a championship. In 1998, the Red Wings won a repeat Stanley Cup, after their first victory in 42 years in 1997. However, the summer after the 1997 victory, 3 players were injured in a terrible accident; 2 devestatingly so. The victory in 1998 showcased one of those players, in a wheelchair on the ice, holding the Stanley Cup in his lap and proudly showcasing the number 2. Mommy was in the 8th grade then, and these victories were of particular importance to her. They taught her about the power of a team--how they can come together and support those who need it for whatever reason. The victory showed how intense committment to a goal can be achieved. And the victory, with the injured player embraced on the ice, reminded her to NEVER give up on what she knew in her heart to be possible. All of these lessons come from sports, LPG, which is why they are so much a part of us, and hopefully, a part of you.
Tomorrow, when I see your beautiful face and long legs kicking away, I certainly won't be thinking about what sport you will play, or what team you will be on. YOU are our primary goal, and our number one source of happiness. But, we wouldn't be your Mommy and Daddy, Alyssa and Chris, without sports in our lives. So I'm glad that at the very least, I could share that part of us with you.
See you tomorrow, little one.
Love,
Your Mommy
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