REMEMBERING...

I've been away from The Pink Totebag for the past month while our family has endured a few changes - some to be welcomed and celebrated, while others have been exponentially more somber. First of all, I want to thank some of my blog friends - Mom x 2 and Cancer Sucks, in particular - for writing in to check up on us. Yes, we have added a new daughter, Molly, to our family, whose arrival I will share in my next post. We also welcomed the birth of our second nephew, Eli, on February 5th, just two weeks before our little girl was born. Tragically, however, his arrival coincided with the sudden passing of my mother-in-law, Bobbi, while she was away on vacation in Puerto Rico with my father-in-law, Barry, and her cousins. She suffered from a massive aneurism the evening of Eli's birth, and was taken off of life support two days later.

Needless to say, this time for us has been incredibly bittersweet. While the family is thrilled with the new additions of Molly and Eli, we are all heartbroken that we are now without Bobbi. She was so happy to hear that Eli had been born and spent a good part of that day looking at pictures that my brother-in-law had emailed to her. Although she never met Molly, we know that she was just as excited to welcome her into the world.

I don't want to pretend that I can dignify Bobbi's passing with a short little blub on this blog. Words can't describe how her loss has impacted everyone in our family - her three children and husband, in particular. Her absence is palpable, and although we have all pulled together to help each other through this, it's a void that will never be filled.


Bobbi left me two treasures in my life. The first is the gift of my husband. She and Barry raised him to become a person who I couldn't imagine my own life without - a wonderful husband, father, and best friend. The second gift is the love she has shown to our children. Bobbi doted on our daughter Caroline and made her feel as though she was the most special little girl in the world. She spoiled her with gifts - as grandmothers so often do, but more importantly, she spoiled her with her time and attention. We are trying every day to help Caroline remember her Grammy. While she and Molly never met, Bobbi made clear her excitement at her impending arrival. I like to think that maybe they met in passing as Bobbi made her way up to Heaven and Molly made her way down here to us on Earth...


And so, I dedicate this post to my mother-in-law Bobbi. She will be missed by all of us. I hope that she is somewhere, looking over us and smiling, especially as she watches her grandchildren grow...

Bobbi, Barry, and Caroline on the day she was born

Bobbi and Caroline at her first birthday party

Bobbi and Caroline at Passover last Spring