Letter written August 8, 2013.
Dear Baby M,
I guess I could have written "Dear Baby Girl" up there, because holy cow - you're a girl! Your Dad and I found out a few weekends ago with all our closest friends and families surrounding us. It was such a fun way to find out, and the most emotional moment. You see, I was convinced I had a little boy swimming around in there (if I'm being honest, I'm still finding it hard to believe, and am a little worried I'm going to go into my next doctor's appointment and find out they guessed wrong!). I was so surprised when we cut open our cake, and it was filled with pink frosting!
I feel so blessed and lucky to be having a daughter. There are the superficial things, like how adorable little girls clothes are, and how you're sure to be rocking many a headband for the first few years of your life. But there is so much more to it. You're going to grow into a little lady, and then a woman. You'll learn after you get here and grow older, being a woman is being a part of an elite class that can make life both harder and easier. You'll see that men (and other women) often second guess our strength, but I've never seen a guy giggle his way out of a parking ticket. You'll have to learn how walk the thin line of how to be caring, but not too emotional; to be sweet, but not skanky; to be friendly, but not naive. Your Aunt A will be sure to teach you all about feminism, and how to hold on to your rights as a woman.
I can't wait to see what type of little lady you turn out to be. Will you be girly like your Mother, and love all things pink, glitter and rhinestoned? Or will you throw me off completely and be a sporty little thing, choosing kicking the soccer ball with Dad instead of shopping with me? I will love you either way, I already love you and I hear you're covered in a weird cheesey varnish right now (that's true love).
I hope that I can be your friend, but I promise not to forget to be your Mom. I hope that you will want to be around me, not just feel obligated. I hope that you like ruffles, but once you're old enough to tell me you don't, I'll stop putting them on you (can't make any promises pre-talking). I hope that you love as much as you laugh, and if you're anything like me, you'll be doing lots of both. I hope you're a Daddy's Girl, but not so much that you tell him secrets and I'm out of the loop. I secretly hope you come out looking just like me, because I think it would be the cutest ever for me to have a mini-me. I hope that you learn the value of family, and the importance women have in keeping the core of the family strong.
I'll teach you how to line your eyes with liquid and pencil - every girl should know both. I'll teach you that to be a good friend you have to accept that your girlfriends will hurt you, and your lives will change, and the really good friends are the ones who stick around through all the hurt and changes. I'll teach you that no self-respecting woman ever lets a man tell her what to do, except for maybe in the bedroom (I'll teach you that when you're way older). I'll teach you how to pick out the perfect push-up bra, and how you really should only be showing boobs or legs at once (except in Vegas, anything goes in Vegas). I'll teach you how to apologize, and hopefully you'll be better at it than me. I'll teach you how to make Salsa Chicken (it's your Dad's favorite, afterall), but Aunt K will have to teach you how to bake. I'll teach you to be respectful of every single religion no matter what, and to never tell someone that their beliefs are wrong (you're Jewish by blood, by the way, but you can practice whatever your heart desires when you get to that point in your life). I'll teach you that doing well in school is so much more important than you could ever realize in junior high, high school and maybe even college. I'll teach you that hard work pays off, and that getting a job when you're 16 is by far not the worst thing. I'll teach you that your Daddy deserves respect, even when he's wrong, and even though I didn't always give my Daddy the amount he deserved. And one day, I hope I'll teach you how to be a big sister.
Already Counting Down the Weeks,
Mom
Linking up with The Sweet Season for Friday's Letters.
