I got inked.

For years I have wanted a tattoo. My first memory of seriously considering a permanent drawing on my skin occurs when I was still in high school. One summer I actually went into a tattoo parlor to see what they had to offer. However, due to the less than sterile conditions inside the shop, and the lack of a design I was willing to keep forever, I left the same way I came in.

When Brad and I experienced a miscarriage (a baby we chose to call Rowan), I had a strong desire to get a tattoo so I could so remember my short pregnancy. I chose not to so I could avoid the countless times I might be asked to explain my tattoo.

When I gave birth to Emme, Brad and I decided our family was complete. Not long after that I realized that the love I have for my children, a love that was completely foreign to me until I held Rory in my arms for the first time, a love you simply don't know exists until you become a parent, a love that can sometimes be hard to show when your child has dumped her goldfish on the floor for the 5th time that morning, a love that helps me better understand God, is something I'd like to remind myself of every day for the rest of my life. I would get a tattoo to honor my children.

Emme had an outfit with animals on it. One of the drawings, a small bird, caught my attention. In fact, drawings of birds catch my attention often. Little birds! A great representation for my little girls. It seemed natural considering we use the term "nesting" when getting ready for a baby's arrival, and the phrase "empty nest" when our kids leave home.

The birds are on my wrist for lots of reasons, the main one being I wanted to see them easily and often. I chose vibrant colors because my girls have vibrant personalities. Rory is the pink bird, and Emme is the blue one. The first thing Rory said when she saw it is, "I wish I could have a tattoo on my arm." I went through a couple days where I freaked and couldn't believe what I had done. That was short lived, and mostly the result of fear of what others would think.