Daughters

It was about 7 1/2 years ago. I remember it vividly. The lights were out. Three-year-old Caity was sitting in a chair off to my left with her little feet dangling over the edge. Brad and my Mom were next to Caitlin. The ultrasound technician was moving the little wand thingy over my belly. The jelly stuff had warmed up but felt sticky on my tummy. We were watching the usual "x-ray" like images on the screen of our second child. Then they switched the image to 3D and we saw our beautiful child's face. It was so cool to be looking at a 'real' picture of our child.

Then it was time for what we were there for. You see, we had already had our routine ultrasound a few weeks before. But our stubborn little baby did not want us to see whether they were a boy or a girl. Despite the patience of the technician, changing positions, trying to stimulate the baby into moving, even taking a potty break, our baby wouldn't budge. So, being the ultimate control-freak-planner, I decided to pay privately for the fancy 3D ultrasound to have another chance to discover the sex of our baby.

Everyone said he would be a boy. They were sure. I even thought he was a boy. This pregnancy was 'different'. I just knew deep down that this baby was a boy. Growing up I had always thought I would have only boys. I am practically a boy myself by behavior. I love sports. I preferred the company of boys growing up. If I could convince them to let me play, I spent every recess in elementary school on the sports fields with the boys. Girls were too high maintenance in jr. high and high school. Boys were easy. Baby sitting during my teen years seemed to include a higher number of boys. The boys gravitated to me. I knew I would have 'sons'.

So when the technician said, "Oh, good, she's making it nice and obvious." All I heard was "she." Wait, another girl? Are you sure? But there it was, clear as day on the screen before me. A second daughter.

I walked out of the office in a state of shock. Everyone was in a state of shock. All smiling, all thrilled. But shocked. Another girl.

I had planned to go shopping with my Mom right after the ultrasound to 'celebrate' our new knowledge. We drove to the store and I just kind of wandered through aimlessly. I couldn't do it. I was too shocked.

Time passed and I fell head-over-heals in love with the idea of another girl. This time I went all out. Everything was pink. Everything was girly. Everything was embellished. I even started to feel a little more feminine myself (lets not get carried away, I said a little). I realized that my girls would be 'sisters'. I had never had one of those. The sister relationship is supposed to be pretty special. Turns out I had no idea what Caity would have missed without a sister.

Back then, Brad and I thought 2 was a good number of children. We assumed Amber was our last baby (hahaha). How blessed I am that Heavenly Father knew His plan for me and chose to send my precious daughters first. He knew I would be a good mother to sons. But He knew I could learn to be a good mother to daughters if He sent them first so I could focus.

Now-a-days my girls seem to spend more time away from me. Between school, play dates, extracurricular activities, and sleepovers at Nana's, my job as a mommy of Daughters has changed. These days my girls still hold a huge part of my heart, but they require far less of my presence.

It is easy now that I have two little boys to feel like a mother of sons, but I remember vividly what it was like to be the mommy of only daughters. How blessed I am...