If someone told me a year ago that I would be holding a 3rd
daughter in my arms with red hair, bright blue eyes, and skin as white as snow;
I would never have believed them. But here you are. You rock my whole world. You are undeniably
the most shocking and amazing addition to our family. I can’t get over how much
your sisters adore you. They treat you like you are a celebrity in our house
and I am in awe that the 3 of you girls are so in love with each other. It’s the most incredible thing to watch the
transformation you have made in our house. It’s as if you bring us even closer
together as a family.
When I brought you home from the birth center a couple hours
after you were born, I knew right then and there how much I needed you. You
never gave me any reason to worry or question my parenting. You fit into our
family like a glove; in fact I wondered how in the world I lived without
you. It was after our San Diego trip
when you were about 5 months old that you gave up on taking milk from a
bottle. I think that was the “ginger” in
you making its’ appearance. You were strong-willed and adamant that you were
going to wait until I came home from work to eat. This did make the babysitters
nervous since you would go atleast 10 hours without food, holding out for the
real deal. I remember you didn’t cry all
day, but you were sad. It was during this time period that I learned my
greatest lesson, a lesson I should have learned long ago. You single-handedly
taught me how to be a mother of an infant. In the past I would expect my child
to adhere to the schedule of a mother working full-time outside the home. You enlightened me. The mother of a 5 month
old should be available to “mother”. The babysitter, a father, or a family
member can not replace the place of a mother; just like I cannot delegate
another person to bear the work of the pregnancy or be the one to nurse you, I
also should not delegate the responsibility and pleasure of raising my own
infant. With this deep revelation, I quit my job at Oasis and began a new job working
part-time at a hospital 1 mile away. This way I was available all hours of the
day to serve your needs. Because of you
I became a better mother, both to you and your sisters. I had the pleasure of
leaving work to take Leia to preschool and be home to nurse you any time you
needed. I will never forget those days.
I will always be grateful to you for teaching me how to be a better Mommy. Thank you for your courage, your patience,
and your unending dedication to this cause.
You are now 10 months old and are out of the infant
stage. I am sad that this stage only
lasts but a blink of an eye, but I am excited to see the person that you have
become. You are so happy all the time,
you love to laugh and play with your sisters. You have become such a Daddy’s
girl and for that I am extremely grateful. You are crawling now, almost
walking. Your favorite moments are spent playing in the water. You even float on your back by yourself. Your
comfort in the water was something I witnessed since your birth. I always
wonder if it was because I delivered you in the bath at the birth center. The words that I hear the most from you these
days is “Da da” and “Uh oh”. You are the
most calm baby and are happy to jump into anybody’s arms. Daddy and
I just took you on our trip to New Orleans and I think you smiled the entire 4
days. You even sat still on my lap for the entire flight without uttering a
sound of complaint. Your daddy was extremely impressed by your calm, secure and
happy nature. I firmly believe that your
easy-going attitude now-a-days has a lot to do with the fact that we all
listened to your needs and made every attempt to meet your essential
requirements as an infant. Simply put: we have earned your trust and for that I
am forever grateful for building this foundation of comfort. You are our
greatest teacher. You still take my breath away when you look up at me with your
bright blue eyes while I am nursing you. Thank you my sweet red-headed baby girl for
completing us. And despite any comments
you hear from others about you being switched at birth, don’t believe them. You
are mine. We may not look alike, but our
souls are connected forever. Love,
Mommy 06.2015
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| At gymnastics class on the balance beam |
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| Helping Mommy in the kitchen |
