Monday, August 4, 2014

To My Only Daughter



Dear Maggie,
  
 It's funny how many times I envisioned my future when I was a kid, I always saw lots of babies, but I don't ever remember once thinking if they would be boys or girls.  Some of my friends would say things like "I'm going to have three kids...one boy and two girls" and I remember laughing at them for thinking they could choose something like that.  You get what you get and you don't get upset.  But boy oh boy (pun intended) did I love finding out I was having a sweet little bundle of pink after my three boys.


You were such an easy baby from the start, and I remember thinking that this girl thing was going to be a breeze.  As you got older, you would sit still and color or read books while the boys ran around like maniacs.


You sang non-stop in your cute toddler voice and always wanted to get in the middle of any hug you saw happening.


Oh and the babies...you absolutely adored them.  You wanted to be a big sister so bad, and we were lucky enough to announce the joyous news on your third birthday.


You were too young to vocalize it then, but everybody else hoped and prayed for a sister for you.  But Alexander was not Alexandra and you said "I thought it was going to be a girl" but then loved him to near death.


You realized you were surrounded by boys and began praying and asking us when you were going to get a baby sister.  We told you it wasn't up to us, but to keep praying.  You went to school and made lots of girlfriends, got interested in things like lip gloss and jewelry, and played dolls with your female cousins.


All the while you prayed for a sister...during morning prayers in the car, at night before going to sleep, in Church before Mass...you asked God for the gift of a sister.  Your Dad and I tried our best in making your dream a reality, and when we announced Baby # 6 was coming, you immediately began praying out loud for a girl.


Even your Dad and I wished this baby would be a girl so that you could have a sister.  From our point of view, we wanted another boy because we think boys are pretty easy and we are set up for multiple boys, but we knew you wanted a sister so badly.  When your 5th brother was born, you never exuded one ounce of disappointment, but were overjoyed to come visit him in the hospital.  Your Godfather later asked you if you were upset he wasn't a she, and that was the first time I heard you say yes.  My heart ached for you.


Maybe one day, your dream of getting a little sister will come true, but until then, please know you are so blessed with brothers who will protect you, play sports with you, and teach you how to toughen up a bit.  And you will bless them by teaching them how to treat a lady, give them insights into compassion and sensitivity and teach them better listening skills. You have plenty of girl cousins around your age to play with and you are never at a loss for girl friends.  Plus you often get invited to do many "girly" things because everyone knows you are in a testosterone filled house!


Your Dad prays that you will enter a convent at a young age, your Godfather prays that you turn out to be a plain Jane, and I pray that you have lots of babies so I can help you raise them.   Just know that no matter what you do, you've got lots of love and protection surrounding you.  I've told you before, and I'll tell you again...God placed YOU in this particular family for a reason and He has great plans for YOU.


You are and will always be our little princess.



11 comments:

  1. this is so sweet. worst case scenario, she will just have to wait a bit to get a bunch of sister's in law!

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  2. I am a blog reader but not a blogger- tho I rarely comment I felt compelled to thank you for this post. I am a mn mom who has "your family minus one"- 4 boys and one dear daughter in the same birth order as yours. My daughter was not quite two when her baby brother was born (he is 8 months now) so she is not old enough to voice the wish for a sister but I must confess I have been praying for that for her and although I love my dear son and he has been such a blessing and just what our family needed I have been struggling with that wish for a sister for her. She has girl cousins but unfortunately the closest are an 8 hour car ride away. I needed this reminder that God knows our desires and yet he has the perfect plan for each of us and our family and I need to pray Thy will be done and be at peace about this!

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  3. And thank you for giving me my morning cry for the day!! so sweet!

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  4. Okay, I am sure it's the hormones (growing a girl is a lot more emotional than a boy was) but I cried reading this. So sweet. Maggie is so loved.

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  5. This is the sweetest post. Just loved it! Your daughter is a little doll. (I had to become a grandmother to get my little princesses--and boy, was it ever worth the wait!)

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  6. I think there is probably nothin' better than a little girl with a lot of brothers. They are always the coolest chicks in the bunch. #gomaggie

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  7. A friend of mine who has four boys just announced last month that she is expecting #5 and it's a girl. I agree with you...a girl with lots of brothers is very blessed indeed. :)

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  8. What a sweet post. But I will it admit as I was reading it, I was wondering if you were about to announce that you were pregnant with a girl! :)

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  9. Well there's always next time ;)

    I was an only girl with 2 brothers. I liked being the special one though. Even all my cousins were boys and my fathers siblings were all boys. I was "the chosen one" LOL.

    On the flip side, after my 5th girl, my boys were like...boo another girl. Not fair mom, not fair!

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  10. This brought tears to my eyes and I'm so glad I hopped over here after being out of the blog world for so long!
    That Maggie is sooo sweet and special!

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  11. This brought tears to my eyes as well. Maggie, I was the only girl, surrounded by 7 brothers, for a very very long time. I too was disappointed each time my mom and dad brought home a new little brother. But having brothers made me tough, and it made me smart. And God knew what He was doing. When I was 15, I got my very first sister, and it was a really special day. I even got 2 more after that! I pray that someday you get a sister, too. But if you never do, you will be the light of the family and the beloved only sister and daughter. Hugs, little girl, from someone who knows how it feels.

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