When my dad got called to be a mission president in Brazil, I felt two things. 1) I was very excited for the opportunities and experiences my parents would have. 2) I felt very sorry for myself. I felt sorry that my mom would probably not be able to be here with me for the birth of my first child. Sure, plenty of people have to go at it alone, but this was just not what I had in mind for myself.

In steps my mother-in-law. She was able to come stay with us for a little over a week. She spent her mornings taking care of little Graciela so that I could get uninterrupted sleep. When I was awake and ready to assume full-time mommy responsibilities in the afternoons, she spent her time cleaning, reorganizing, cooking, and freezing meals for us. By the time Sunday morning rolled around, and she had to leave, I was crying like a baby. I couldn’t even bring myself to express to her how incredibly grateful I was for everything she had done to help me during this time.

We love you abuelita :)