It's a very special time of year.
On this day 11 years ago, I had officially passed my due date and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of sweet baby Chloe.
I don't think anyone quite knows the torture of waiting like a pregnant woman past her due date in July in Texas.
Brian and I did everything we could to stay busy - swimming, snow cones, Big Brother marathons, an Iron & Wine concert.
We even took an ill-advised road trip to Fredericksburg wine country to see if we could dare that baby to make a dramatic debut a couple hours from home.
Nope.
When Chloe finally made her entrance (as a Leo and not the expected Cancer, I might add) it was the most pivotal moment of my life. It might sound cliche, but everything changed for me once Chloe landed in my arms.
My heart burst open with more love than I ever imagined possible. My psychic gifts swelled. Meditation found its way to me and forever changed my path. My husband and I transformed from seeing each other as partners into feeling like a family.
We all have those crescendo moments along our life path, and Chloe's arrival was definitely the loudest and most epic for me.
Without Chloe I never would have written my books, each of which embody some aspect of the sweetness of parenting her.
Wondrous You holds the life lessons I have imparted to her about being in a body while staying centered in the heart.
Joyful Mornings chronicles the sanctity and joy that mornings and mindful rituals have held in our home since she was tiny.
The Bedtime Book shares the loving care we have taken in quieting the mind and body to prepare for sleep each night.
These books are truly the most precious time capsule of a chapter of life I never want to forget.
And while my baby is now squarely in her pre-teen era and beyond the age of children's books, I will forever cherish the memories that inspired so many of the messages and words in their pages...
The mornings we all spent dancing in the kitchen to the Happy Song by Pharrell or the Receive It song by Panache Desai.
The many times I captured videos of her as a toddler reciting affirmations in the mirror or hugging trees and professing her love for them.
The days I had to set a timer for our nightly girl talk, seeing as she was the chattiest of chatty Kathys once bedtime rolled around.
And in honor of being Chloe's mom and all the joy that's brought to my life, I'm offering a free signed book to anyone who purchases a reading from now until July 26th.
You can email me your choice of book (while supplies last), and I'll pop one into the mail to you with a few extra surprises. Because let's face it, parenting comes with LOTS of extra surprises. ;)
If you're not interested in a reading but still want to check out the books, you can find them on my website, or you can buy them online most anywhere books are sold.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
And as always, thank you for being a part of this community and sharing my joy.