HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AOIFE

Dear Aoife,

Oh, my sweet girl. What joy you have brought into my life. Two years ago this moment, I did not have even the hint of an idea that you would be born to me, yet by bedtime, you were safe in my arms. You lived within me for nine, gentle months. You moved like a butterfly, gently and gliding, yet when you felt the need, you were firm in your insistence to move left, go right, squirm a little. Gentle but determined, your grandmother called you. This is how you came into this world. All at once I knew you were coming, and the labor was easy, and calm, and you moved yourself quietly into the world with just the gentlest of chirps to tell me you were allright. I lifted you to my face, and Trudy covered you with a warm, soft, white blanket. I held you to my heart, and kissed your little face. You were pudgy and your lips were so full. Your face looked so different from Charlotte and Liam! It surprised me to see this brand new version of my child, looking so unique and herself. I held you like this for a long time, and Daddy kissed you and stroked your hair, and after some time had gone by, I lifted up the blanket and saw you were a girl. I cried again, then, because I never thought I would bring another baby girl home with me. This seemed another, unexpected gift of the day, the chance to parent a little girl, to have you in my home, to give Liam the sister he deserved. You were so beautiful.

It took a long time before I let Daddy cut the cord, because I felt sad to sever the thing that still held us as one. But when your placenta started to come out, the time had come. Then I could hold you closer, nearer. Oh, how I loved you, the feel of you, the smell of you, the look of you. I could not believe I had a brand, new child. I had gone through my day, up until putting supper on the table, and now this, it was 8:55 in the evening, and I had a new child in my arms.
It was a lovely, quiet evening. We called our families, but asked them to come in the morning. We kept you all to ourselves. We had a big, soft bed that we all curled up in. I was too excited to sleep. You were tired from the birth and I knew I should get some rest while I could. But you were too beautiful. I had to keep looking at you.

You have grown so much in two years, you are so tall, and lean, and strong. You have a spicy sense of humor, you love to giggle and dance and sing. You are so imaginative and creative. I love to watch you walking around the house with your shopping bags, filling them up with random items, and narrating the idea that you are imagining. You stand up for yourself, and you are quick to laugh after being upset. You have brought so much joy and happiness into our lives.
Happy Birthday, my beautiful Aoife. I hope that you have a long, long life, and I am so hopeful that I will be able to share it with you. I can hardly imagine the things you will be capable of experiencing. I love you so very, very much.

XOXOX

March 27.2008