A birth story…6 years later

This weekend is my daughter’s sixth birthday, what follows is excerpts from her birth story that I am sharing with her, as such it written to my private audience and not my normal reader.

Dear Daughter,

Tonight is the last night you will be 5, tomorrow you enter the world of being a six year old girl and I suspect we will be off on a new adventure together. Funny thing about you is we have been journeying together long before you were earth side. Your arrival was predicted before I really even thought about having another child; after all there is a huge age gap between your brother. I had things to do, like finish graduate school and go take the non-profit world by storm and start amassing my fortune and all sorts of good things.

However life had a different plan for me, it started when my Mom, your Grandma got sick and I realized that life is finite, that our plans don’t always matter. In fact the last time my Mom was able to mother me, it was the night before the doctors went to take that walnut tumor out of her brain and for some unknown reason she got a surge of energy and made me dinner…that chicken and noodle stew you love so much was the last meal she ever cooked me. In fact I had always meant to get the recipe but the night she made it for me, I studied her and took mental notes as we talked. She told me I was going to have a baby girl, that she saw it, I thought she was making nervous chatter after all if you know your tomorrow involves having someone dig in your brain and that the chances of you making it off the operating table are only 50-50 well it makes you nervous and you talk. Well your Grandma made it off that table, but as you know she died before you were born.

Mommy and Daddy made you about six and a half months after my Mommy left this world and let me tell you sweetie, your spirit has always been large. I often think you got a little of my Mommy in you. To be honest sweetie you have been testing me since you were in my belly. On multiple occasions you gave mommy and daddy and our midwife Ruth scares while you were in my belly. You liked to hide when Ruth was listening to your heartbeat, once you scared us all so bad, Ruth had to send me to a special doctor to check and make sure you were okay in my belly.

When it finally time for you to come out of my belly and meet us, you decided to do what you do best and that is do what you want. Mommy and Daddy were actually out eating yummy Indian food when you decided to let me know you were about ready to come out…that means Mommy’s water broke, right in the middle of the restaurant. Everyone in the restaurant knew too because I tried to whisper to Daddy but the owner heard and everyone in that dang place thought you were about to come out right then and there. But sweetie you have been a slow poke since before you even got here!

Nope, we ate our dinner quickly and left the restaurant and went home and called Ruth our midwife who told me to go get some sleep and wait until you signaled in my body that were coming. Anyhoo, I will just say it was more than 24 hours after Mommy and Daddy ate that food that you actually came out in fact you stayed in there so long that Mommy had to have you in the hospital because everyone was worried about you. You stayed in Mommy so long that we thought Mommy was going to have a special surgery some Mommies have when babies don’t come out the vagina. Actually when you decided to come out the not so nice doctors at the hospital had started giving Mommy these yucky medicines to get me ready for the surgery but Ruth asked Mommy to try one more time to push you out and I did…I couldn’t even feel you coming out. Daddy told me, Daddy helped catch you. I’ll explain what it means to catch a baby later.

The first time I saw you, I loved you, you matter more than words can ever describe but even then I knew you and I would journey hard. I couldn’t even think up a name for you until after 3 days after you were born, but I named you after a powerful Goddess and you know what? You are powerful kid. You and I have been butting heads since you were born, I want to sleep, you want to be up, I want to play, and you want to be left alone. One day you asked me did I love you more than your brother, I love you differently because you are you and in many ways you have made Mommy grow. I was really young when your brother was born so I thought when you came I knew everything about being a Mommy and you taught me that Mommies don’t know everything, sometimes you are my teacher.

Anyway Mommy is so happy you are here and happy sixth birthday!

PS: I don’t care that it’s your birthday but you cannot eat all the cake and hot dogs you want…why? Because I said so, that’s why. Trust me if you eat all that you will feel like poop.

PSS: Honey I know it’s your birthday but that does not mean you get everything you want.

3 thoughts on “A birth story…6 years later”

  1. Shay, that was so special, I know when she is old enough to really comprehend the meaning it wii bring happy tears to her eyes. You have now prompted me to do this for my niece who will be 21 in February…my husband does not have biological children and she is our baby. Difference her mother left her with us when she was 9 months old, although they both lived with us until the mothers departure from our home. From the day she was told I was not her biological mother our relationship changed over night…it has never been the same and it’s hurts me all the time. So I had planned to make her a special scrapbook, but you have inspired me to start from the beginning of her value in the journey of our life. Thank you….This was so special for your baby girl.

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