A Letter to my 14 year old Daughter

I wrote this while I was in the hospital with Baby K - I will give it to her on her 14th birthday.

~

To my darling daughter,

Happy "Birth"day, my sweet little one! I can hardly believe that you are here! Your father is snuggling with you on what passes for a couch at the hospital, and you are looking around, your eyes blurry and blue, wondering what on earth has happened to you. You were safe and warm in your dark little world, and now you are surrounded by light and noise and it must be very, very confusing to you. I am amazed that you are not crying - I know I certainly would be. I sense an inner strength and calm about you, and I can't help but wonder if I am looking at the beginning of your personality.

Instead of fussing though you turn your perfect little head to whatever new noise you hear or light you see, and a quizzical expression comes over your face. I cannot wait to show you this new world, my darling, and to teach you how to navigate it.

I must tell you, my sweetheart - you were completely, totally, 100% worth the wait. You were worth the bedrest, the tests, the medication, the worry -- you came in your own time, and you are perfect. I hope that you never feel as though I didn't want you - you are brilliant and the only things I can honestly say I wanted as much as I wanted you are your brother and sister.

After you were born, your father and I studied your tiny little nose, your wrinkled little ears, your delicate hands and your perfect little eyebrows. We looked into your precious blue eyes and exclaimed over your dark, thick hair. We debated who you looked like - did you have your sister's lips or your brother's eyes? Did your hair come from your Gam-Gam? Finally, your father summed it up perfectly. "I know who she looks like," he declared. "She looks like herself."

And he's absolutely right. You do look like yourself. You are yourself. You aren't your sister or your brother. You are your own person, and I hope that I never forget that. I hope that I can remember that moment after your birth, when your father pointed out that you are yourself, for the rest of your life so that I do not make unfair comparisons to your brother and sister. And let's face it, any comparison would be unfair - to you and to them. You are yourself. You are brilliant. You are beautiful. And, most importantly, you are loved.

Welcome to the world, little one. I know you are ready to meet the it; I hope the world is ready for you.

I hope you know you can talk to me about anything.
Love,
Mom