Yes, I’m 31 years old, yes I’m a mom, yes I’m pregnant with number two and yes, I love Edward Cullen. There, I said it. I recently read the Twilight series and devoured every page. I have watched Twilight a million times and can’t get enough. So this weekend I will be joining hundreds of tweens and packing into a crowded theater to watch my favorite vampires (and the hot new werewolves) do their thing.

Next Thursday I will be hosting my first ever Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be more excited. I absolutely love to cook and entertain (if I didn’t have a job, I’d already be ironing the tablecloths and arranging the centerpieces) and it makes me feel very grown-up--in a good way. I am also, however, nervous. Nervous because I tend to overdo it and I’m almost eight months pregnant and actually starting to feel that way. And it’s a pretty major Thanksgiving….

As nervous as I am to only have 8 weeks left before the baby arrives, I am starting to get excited about what that means. But I’m not talking about the fact that I will have a little baby girl to cuddle and love and care for. That is the real gift, obviously. But there are other things to look forward to as well. Far less important things but things I can’t stop thinking about nevertheless. And today I want to talk about those….So, here’s what I’m really looking forward to:

My sisters and I turned out OK, but what
if I screw it up?!

I am one of three girls. I love being a girl. Always have. My parents never treated us any differently because of our gender, especially my dad who had us baiting fish hooks, shooting guns and playing baseball in the backyard practically before we were out of diapers. The thought never crossed our minds that we couldn't do everything boys could do and as we’ve gotten older, we are all still confident, strong and happy with who we are. Needless to say, my parents did a good job. But that was a different time. Raising a daughter today seems…trickier. And it has me worried. Here’s why:

Eight years ago today I was diagnosed with cancer. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). At the time I thought my life as I knew it was over. I assumed I’d be sick, bald, dying. But thanks to the miracle drug I take, my experience with cancer was nothing like I’d expected. No hair loss, no hospital stays, no chemo, no need to get sick just to get well. Sure, I may never be cured, but eight years later, I am still here. And I am a wife, a mother, a pregnant lady and (pretty much) cancer free. I could never have imagined all of that when I first heard the words, "You have cancer" eight years ago. Not too shabby, huh?

With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who just announced he has CML too.