The Tattoo

I want to preface this by saying that I had always said I would never, ever, ever, ever in a million years ever get a tattoo.  I have an issue with needles.  The thought of having a machine with a needle on the end of it poking holes in your body over and over again freaked me out.  I also know that tattoos are permanent and could never imagine anything on my body that I wouldn't in some way, shape or form regret at some point in my life.  But that was then.  Remember when I said that I'm not the same person I was before?  Here's proof.  Yesterday my husband and I got our first tattoos.

The idea started the day he passed.  I had this urge and desire to get a tattoo to memorialize Corbin.  A day or two later, my husband said "so this is going to sound crazy but I think I want to get a tattoo."  Imagine the surprise on his face when I looked at him and said, "so do I," as I pointed to my left side and said hand print, foot print, name and dates.

We waited a few weeks for everything to settle down and to make sure that the decision we made was actually what we wanted to do.  We still wanted them.  We found a place that came highly recommended and made an appointment for a consultation.  That night we scheduled the appointment to get our tattoos done.  We both wanted the same artwork and wanted it to be done on the same day. 

I was nervous when we walked in but still more excited than anything.  Regardless, I had my husband go first.  An hour and a half later Corbin's hand print, foot print, name and dates were forever in place on his right calf.  "With his foot print on my leg, I know that every step I take, Corbin is taking with me," he said.  It was perfect.

I was up next.  I wanted my tattoo positioned on my left side above my hip.  I'd been told by several people that it would really, really hurt to get a tattoo done there.  I knew it would but I couldn't think of any other place I wanted this tattoo to be.  My left side is where I felt the most kicks and pokes while I was pregnant.  I wanted that permanent reminder.  Another hour and a half later, my left side permanently had Corbin's hand print, foot print, name and dates on it.  Did it hurt?  Yes.  Knowing now how it feels to be tattooed, would I do it again in that exact same spot.  Absolutely.  The pain was worth every second just to have this memorial.

The pictures: