Hummingbirds

During my pregnancy, I saw hummingbirds everywhere. They appeared so frequently that I began to think of them as symbolic and meaningful to my unborn daughter. I told Brian that I wanted to fill Fiona's nursery with hummingbirds, and he loved the idea. Family and friends found out, and soon we had amassed a collection of hummingbird baby accessories and clothes.

One night, my dear friend Ashleigh was up painting and drinking bubbly in Hawai'i. (She's kinda fabulous like that.) I told her I'd like to commission a piece of her art for Fiona's room, and no sooner had I written it than Ash had begun. As an aside, one day I'd like to bring Fiona to the island so she can meet her fabulous aunt Ashleigh. She runs marathons, we drink wine together in random places (so far, in Napa, Utah and Oahu), and she balances grad school with a full time bossy pants job. I have loved that girl since high school, and I don't intend to stop any time soon :)

A week or so later, we received a package from Oahu containing Ash's signature mermaid greeting card, a CD, and her beautiful art piece. The instructions suggested that we play a particular track on the CD while unwrapping the box, so we popped it in and listened as this incredible song filled the room. It is called "Hummingbird" by BB King and John Mayer.








The art piece was created on a perfectly distressed wood fragment, broken at the edges in a way that made me think she found it somewhere on the beach or in an old scrap heap. The shading and gradation of color in the background is impossible to capture in photos, but it is astounding. Small bits of the lyrics to "Hummingbird" are scattered throughout the piece, and my favorite section is "she's little and she loves me." The hummingbird itself is what really teared me up when I saw it, because it's the most perfect rendering of the tiny creature that I've ever seen. Considering that Ash had never drawn a hummingbird before, one can only conclude that she's a brilliant artist.







Since the instructions also requested that we dance Fiona around while opening her gift, we happily obliged.



Ashleigh, thank you so much for your love, friendship, and talent. We can't wait to bring Baby Fi to visit you <3