I was always afraid to one day have a daughter. Having been a girl my whole life (just in case anyone was thinking we had another pregnant man situation here, rest assured, we do not), and having been a teenage girl for seven or so years (a couple of decades ago), the thought of parenting a girl, quite frankly, scared the shit out of me.So, I became a mother to boys. One after another, until there were four of them. But we didn’t feel like our family was complete yet, so one last time, knowing, just knowing that we’d have five boys at the end of it, we got pregnant again.
And then Miss Moon was born. And our lives have never been the same. I love my boys, all of them, big and small, but having a daughter is so very different for me. I know, it’s only been two years and her teen years will probably kick my ass, but I can’t help it. She delights me. And I was meant to have her in my life.
And when I saw these perfect little feet, I knew that they would carry her safely for thousands and millions of miles throughout her life, and I wanted to remember them, brand new and perfect forever.
And somehow, we made it through a year with her, juggling her needs and the needs of her brothers and each other.
And then, in the blink of an eye, and a million life changes, buying and selling our home, moving, her eldest brother moving out, not to mention all the milestones she passed (and continues to pass almost daily) she turned two. Out of nowhere, my baby girl turned two.
In the past year she has grown up so much. She doesn’t talk much (or more accurately, she doesn’t speak very much English, she talks all the time, it’s just in Miranda-ese), but she understands absolutely everything we say to her. She is very proficient with the word “NO!” which, while cute the first hundred or so times, is not so much cute anymore. But, watching her do things that she sees us or her brothers do is fabulous and she melts my heart on an almost hourly basis with her sweetness. And she’s headstrong and fiery (hmmm, with Mr. KB and me as parents, was fiery at all avoidable? I think not), and independent and loving, helpful and gentle. She is all curly blonde hair and serious big blue eyes. She looks before she leaps (which I really hope that she continues to do throughout her life, but know that she probably will not) and she has the wisdom to reach for my hand when she’s unsure of something. And I love that. I cherish those moments.
So, while I am still sure that I will be forced to start drinking heavily or develop some serious pill habit to get through her teen years, I wouldn’t trade her, or being her mom, or the experience of raising a girl, for anything in the world.
Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet baby girl. We love you.
