Issa, 9 months, and Cora, 3, in 2015 in Cancun, Quintanaroo
Last night before we walked out of an empty basketball arena, we had an idea. Let’s get a picture of Issa crawling at half court, we said. It was a reference to a photo from 2012, when Cora was about the same age, and we were in a different basketball arena, albeit very similar circumstances.
We’re still a young family. We’re still learning the ropes. But it’s amazing to me that three years later we’re still living this basketball life. My father has always said that when it comes to raising children, you rise to the occasion. You can’t prepare for it, you can’t control it, and you might just be better off for it. And that has never been more true than with our particular family. When it was just Orlando and I living in Xalapa for his first few years of a professional athletes career, I remember saying there was no way we could manage having children until he was done. And then God laughed.
But seriously, when we got that positive pregnancy test we were just coming up on our one year wedding anniversary, and we had no idea what we were doing. But we figured out that you can travel pretty easily with a baby, and we at least attempted to rise to the occasion with Cora’s little life in our undeserving hands. So I started saying that yes, it’s possible to do this life with one baby, but TWO would be just impossible. Once again, God decided we didn’t learn our lesson the first time around, and my belly grew for a second time. Issa has shown us that it’s not only feasible to bring two kids along for this journey, it’s a downright blast. But dare I say it? THREE would be crazy. 😉
I don’t know how much longer Orlando will be playing professional basketball. I don’t know a lot of things in life. But I do know that the mom behind the camera when Cora was crawling in an empty gym is a very different mom than the one that watched her two daughters playing on the court last night. The lack of control in motherhood, and in life still drive me crazy at times. It still nags at me that there are too many unanswered questions about our future, too many reasons to worry. But then I hear the little voice of my father in the back of my mind: you will rise to the occasion.
I hope I can. I know I will. And I hope my girls are better for having lived a life a little less normal than the rest.
XO,
A
Cora, 8 months old, in 2012 in Xalapa, Veracruz
